The Bum's NHL March 2015 Trends/Stats/News Etc...All you know B4 Wagering !

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (36-17) at Avalanche (27-25)

Date: March 04, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Jockeying for position in the cramped Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins believe they've set themselves up well to move forward.

Looking for a fifth consecutive victory, the visiting Penguins could have a pair of recently acquired defensemen available to help continue their success over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.

After picking up veteran forward Daniel Winnik from Toronto last Wednesday, Pittsburgh (36-17-9) re-acquired Ben Lovejoy from Anaheim in exchange for Simon Despres and Ian Cole from St. Louis for Robert Bortuzzo and a draft pick.

Third in the division, the Penguins are chasing both New York teams.

'To have a good run in the playoffs you need experience and that's what we've done here,' general manager Jim Rutherford said.

Among the NHL leaders allowing 2.42 per contest, Rutherford felt the refined skills of Lovejoy and White are a better postseason fit than the bruising play of fellow defensemen Despres and Bortuzzo.

'Clearly the two guys we traded may be a more little aggressive on the fighting side than the two guys we got back,' he said. 'There will be a few that we play in the regular season that we'll need that. We'll have to do that as a unit ... but when you get to the playoffs, it's not as useful.'

Lovejoy, who spent his first four-plus seasons with Pittsburgh before being dealt to Anaheim in 2012-13, had a goal with 10 assists in 40 games with the Ducks this season. He's also played 29 career playoff games with both clubs.

Cole, meanwhile, recorded seven goals with 13 assists in 100 games for the Blues since the start of last season but is a plus-31.

In his Pittsburgh debut, Winnik recorded an assist during Sunday's 5-3 win over Columbus. David Perron, acquired from Edmonton in January, scored his 10th goal in 24 games with the Penguins.

'The Penguins have as good a chance as any team in the Eastern Conference,' Rutherford said.

"We feel we've strengthened our defense after going through the process of the forwards, getting more balance up front. So this is our team."

A team obviously paced by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who have combined for five goals and 11 assists while Pittsburgh's scored 18 times over the last four games.

Teammate Marc-Andre Fleury has won three straight but yielded three goals in each of the last two after posting a 1.00 goals-against average in his previous seven starts. Fleury, who stopped 29 shots during a 1-0 overtime win over the Avalanche on Dec. 18, has a 1.59 GAA during a 7-1-0 starting stretch against them.

Malkin assisted on Blake Comeau's goal in December to give Pittsburgh a sixth win in seven games versus Colorado (27-25-11).

Looking to avoid a fourth straight home defeat to Pittsburgh, Colorado made its biggest move prior to the trade deadline by sending ex-Penguin Max Talbot to Boston. It came two days after Talbot scored in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota.

Needing a serious surge to move into playoff position, Colorado has lost two of three since winning four of five.

'There's no quit in this room,' said forward Jarome Iginla, who was part of Pittsburgh's playoff push two years ago. 'We just have to keep going and try to put a streak together.'

It's uncertain if teammate Nathan MacKinnon will play after breaking his nose against the Wild. After recording 63 points during his Calder Trophy-winning season, MacKinnon has 37 while currently playing on Colorado's fourth line.

He doesn't have a point in three games versus Pittsburgh.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Canadiens (41-17) at Ducks (41-17)

Date: March 04, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens are both in the hunt for their first Presidents' Trophy, but they're not alone.

The Ducks look to gain sole possession of the lead in that race while the visiting Canadiens would like to create a three-way tie as they face each other Wednesday night.

Anaheim (41-17-7) is tied with Nashville for the most points in the NHL, but Montreal (41-17-5) is just two back as all three teams chase their first Presidents' Trophy - an award first issued in 1985-86.

The Ducks have improved their chances by winning six of seven games and three in a row after beating Arizona 4-1 on the road Tuesday. They got assists from defenseman Simon Despres and Tomas Fleischmann, while fellow left wing Jiri Sekac also made his team debut after all three arrived in separate trades before Monday's deadline.

"It's almost a different type of team now with the speed that we got," coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Andrew Cogliano has been an offensive contributor of late with eight points in nine games to match his production from the previous 35. The center continued his scoring surge with two goals Tuesday, but he doesn't have a point in four straight games against Montreal.

Ryan Getzlaf, though, has nine points in seven career meetings with the Canadiens, getting an assist in a 2-1 road win Dec. 18.

Frederik Andersen had 23 saves in that meeting, but it's unclear if he'll start this time after making 29 stops Tuesday in his return from a neck injury that sidelined him for 10 games.

"I felt pretty good the whole game," Andersen said.

Still, Andersen is likely to yield to backup John Gibson, who has never faced Montreal. He's won five of his last six starts with a 1.98 goals-against average, and was superb with 39 saves in Sunday's 3-1 win at Dallas.

The Canadiens have put together a 9-2-2 stretch, but they were outshot 37-20 in Monday's listless 4-0 loss at San Jose to open this four-game trip.

"We just weren't sharp," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "We weren't and they were. They seemed like they had more juice. They were just going, going, going. ... This wasn't our team."

That could certainly be said specifically about Carey Price, who allowed four goals for the first time since Jan. 6 and had won 10 straight road games behind a 1.20 GAA and two shutouts.

Price is among the favorites for the Vezina Trophy, as his 36 wins and 1.92 GAA lead the league while his six shutouts are two back of Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury.

"I don't know if it's just maturity or just knowing you have the ability or whatever it is, you just go out there and do your job," Price told the league's official website. "Obviously you need a team in front of you to play well. I totally trust the guys that are playing around me, and that's the God's honest truth.

"All I worry about is making that first save, and when you're doing that it really simplifies things."

Price, though, has had trouble with the Ducks, going 1-3-1 with a 2.83 GAA in six career meetings. He had 21 saves against them in December, and his only start in Anaheim came in 2008.

Max Pacioretty didn't figure in the scoring in the most recent matchup, but he had three goals in the previous two. That includes a tally in a 4-3 shootout win in Montreal's latest visit to the Honda Center on March 5, 2014.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- San Diego State 60, UNLV 58-- Referee David Hall worked his 89th game in 111 nights this college basketball season.

-- Eight of UNLV's last nine losses were by 6 or less points or in overtime.

-- Turns out that Jim Harbaugh is a big fan of Judge Judy's TV show; who knew?

-- Odd fact: Werner Ladder is the official ladder of the NCAA tournament.

-- Dodgers apparently have offered to pay about half of the $56M they owe Andre Ethier over the next three years, if some team will trade for him.

-- Leftfield bleachers in Wrigley Field won't be available until at least May 11; ones in rightfield not until June at the earliest, as renovations at the ballpark are dragging.



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

13) Hard to believe its been 25 years since Hank Gathers died. Young man was a star for Loyola Marymount; he had a heart attack on the court during the WCC tournament and passed away shortly thereafter. Very sad, seems like yesterday.

12) Irony of Reggie Jackson being called Mr October: first time one of teams he played for made the World Series, in 1972, Jackson didn't play in the series because he tore his hamstring sliding into home plate in Game 5 of the playoff series with Detroit. A's replaced him with George Hendrick/Angel Mangual in that series.

11) Exhibition baseball is therapeutic, but I watch highlights Tuesday and I see Josh Donaldson playing for Toronto, Yoenis Cespedes for Detroit and for those several minutes, it is not fun to be an A's fan. No one good ever stays.

10) This goes all the way back to New Years Eve, 1974; I was 15 and went bowling. Came home and turned the sports ticker channel on, the cool channel with a light blue screen that spouted out sports stuff whenever the stock market was closed.

That night, the channel delivered me bad news: Catfish Hunter had signed with the baseball team in the Bronx. My favorite player had left the A's for money, something that has repeated itself over and over and over for the last 40 years. It sucks.

9) Side note that I mentioned here once before: that bowling alley, Sunset Lanes, will soon be turned into a warehouse for the many Asian grocery stores and restaurants in this area. America needs more bowling alleys, not less. Not all change is positive.

8) While I'm complaining about things, selling Personal Seat Licenses to stadiums should be illegal. You build a stadium with taxpayer dollars, you charge fans a fee just to have the right to buy tickets for the games there; how is this not extortion?

7) There were 14,400 pitching changes in the major leagues last year, thats 5.94 per game, or roughly 2,500 more than in 1998. How long does a pitching change take, if it is done during a half-inning? 5-7 minutes? There are two main reasons baseball games are longer now than they were 20 years ago:
-- More commercials in between innings.
-- More pitching changs, a lot more.

6) Baseball fans don't care that games are a little longer; the media does and the media influences a lot of what the average fan thinks, so the things they bitch about become the things a lot of average fans bitch about. Its too bad.

5) Saw this somewhere today, maybe an ESPN magazine I was reading: the average number of balls in play during a 2014 baseball game: 52. There are obviously 54 outs in a 9-inning game if home team bats in 9th inning; subtract strikeouts, add in hits and errors and you get 52. I had never thought about it, but it is an interesting number.

4) Peyton Manning took a $4M pay cut for next year, will play for $15M, which is not pocket change, but it is less than his brother Eli makes.

3) Peyton Manning threw 21 TDs with only four INTs at home LY; he threw 18 TDs, 11 INTs on the road.

2) Virginia is expected to get Justin Anderson back for its next game at Louisville Saturday and more importantly, the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Anderson is their best player; would be curious to see the Cavaliers play Kentucky.

1) Underrated move: Buffalo Bills traded for Matt Cassel Wednesday. Cassel once led the Patriots to an 11-5 record when Tom Brady got hurt in the season opener. He never started a game at USC, backing up Carson Palmer/Matt Leinart.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 5

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CALGARY (34-25-0-4, 72 pts.) at BOSTON (31-22-0-9, 71 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 15-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 34-29 ATS (+64.6 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 8-4 ATS (+13.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
CALGARY is 34-32 ATS (+73.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 31-31 ATS (+65.0 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 10-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 2-1-0 straight up against CALGARY 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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MINNESOTA (34-22-0-7, 75 pts.) at WASHINGTON (35-20-0-10, 80 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 9-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 11-29 ATS (+51.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 141-187 ATS (-68.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 1-1-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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ST LOUIS (40-18-0-5, 85 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (27-25-0-12, 66 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-19 ATS (+7.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 100-71 ATS (+171.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1-0 straight up against ST LOUIS 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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TORONTO (26-33-0-5, 57 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (39-20-0-6, 84 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 5-21 ATS (+34.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
TORONTO is 5-21 ATS (+32.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 11-26 ATS (+40.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 0-9 ATS (+16.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 9-15 ATS (-24.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
TAMPA BAY is 302-374 ATS (-98.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 5-4-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.8 Units)

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DALLAS (28-26-0-10, 66 pts.) at FLORIDA (28-23-0-13, 69 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 2-1 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 2-1-0 straight up against DALLAS 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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NY ISLANDERS (41-21-0-3, 85 pts.) at NASHVILLE (41-17-0-7, 89 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 41-24 ATS (+12.3 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 12-1 ATS (+12.0 Units) in home games after a non-conference game this season.
NASHVILLE is 39-27 ATS (+6.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 171-156 ATS (+12.3 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 9-1 ATS (+7.6 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 41-24 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 2-1-0 straight up against NASHVILLE 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=-0.2 Units)

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VANCOUVER (36-24-0-3, 75 pts.) at ARIZONA (20-37-0-7, 47 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 28-41 ATS (-18.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 12-6 ATS (+6.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
VANCOUVER is 9-3 ATS (+5.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
VANCOUVER is 8-2 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ARIZONA is 20-44 ATS (-45.3 Units) in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 3-19 ATS (+26.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
ARIZONA is 6-24 ATS (+44.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 5-5 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
ARIZONA is 5-5-0 straight up against VANCOUVER 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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MONTREAL (41-18-0-5, 87 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (30-21-0-12, 72 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 2-1 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 2-1-0 straight up against MONTREAL 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)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 5

Hot teams
-- Bruins won three of their last four games.
-- Minnesota won 14 of its last 17 games. Washington won six of last nine.
-- Toronto is 3-2 in last five games, after an ugly 1-16 skid. Lightning won four of last six games.

Cold teams
-- Flames lost four of their last six games.
-- St Louis lost four of last seven games. Flyers lost three of last four.
-- Dallas Stars lost six of their last seven games. Florida lost five of last seven games.
-- Nashville lost last four games, outscored 15-7. Islanders lost four of their last six games.
-- Coyotes lost their last ten games. Vancouver lost its last three games, outscored 12-6.
-- Montreal lost its last two games, outscored 7-1. Kings lost three of last four games.

Series records
-- Bruins won four of last five games with Calgary.
-- Home side won last nine Minnesota-Washington games.
-- Blues won three of last four games with Philly.
-- Lightning won three of last four games with Toronto.
-- Florida won three of last four games with Dallas.
-- Islanders won last two games with Nashville, 3-1/5-2.
-- Coyotes won five of last seven games with Vancouver.
-- Canadiens won five of last seven games with Los Angeles.

Totals
-- Last four Calgary road games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last twelve Washington home games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven St Louis road games stayed under.
-- Last seven Toronto road games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Dallas road games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Islander road games stayed under.
-- Three of last four Arizona home games went over.
-- Nine of last twelve Montreal road games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Montreal is 7-3 on road if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Thursday, March 5

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. BOSTON
Calgary is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Calgary

7:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Washington
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games at home

7:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PHILADELPHIA
St. Louis is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
Philadelphia is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against St. Louis

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

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Toronto

8:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. NASHVILLE
NY Islanders are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
NY Islanders are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Nashville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

9:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Vancouver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver

10:30 PM
MONTREAL vs. LOS ANGELES
Montreal is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Thursday, March 5


Ellis to start for Panthers, first since April

The Florida Panthers goaltending situation got dire rapidly, so dire that the team is expected to start Dan Ellis in nets Thursday. The 34-year old Canadian has not made an appearance on NHL ice since April 8, 2014.

Ellis has a 22-11-3 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .921 save percentage with the Panthers AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage.

Roberto Luongo, the Panthers starting goalie, is officially day-to-day with a shoulder injury with backup Al Montoya out for at least two weeks with an upper body injury.


Bruins' new forward Connolly out six weeks

The Boston Bruins acquired forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning for two second-round draft picks just before the trade deadline to bolster a forward group decimated by injuries for the stretch run.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, Connolly will miss said stretch run after it was announced he would be out six weeks with a displaced fracture in his right index finger. Connolly was injured in practice Wednesday when he was struck in the hand by a shot from defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.

Connolly, a 2010 first-round pick, has 12 goals and three assists in 50 games this season with the Lightning. He had yet to play a game with the Bruins.


Rangers' G Henrik Lundqvist, Mid March

Lundqvist is on injured reserve while recovering from a neck injury and is hopeful to return within two weeks.


A perfect night to back unders on the ice

It was a great time to bet on the under in NHL action Wednesday night, with it going a perfect 4-0.

It was a low scoring night, with an average of just 3/75 goals scored per game last night.

The under has been the slightly better bet in the NHL season, coming through 52.3 percent of the time.



NHL roundup: Zidlicky nets OT winner for Red Wings

DETROIT -- Defenseman Marek Zidlicky's power-play goal 1:09 into overtime gave the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard made 39 saves to give the Red Wings an opportunity to win.

Right winger Justin Abdelkader also scored for Detroit and center Henrik Zetterberg had two assists.

Defenseman Dan Girardi scored for New York and goalie Cam Talbot made 29 saves.

Zidlicky, who was acquired via a trade from the New Jersey Devils on Monday, jammed in a shot that rolled over Talbot's back and into the net.

It was Zidlicky's fourth goal.

Senators 3, Jets 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Ottawa goalie Andrew Hammond stopped 35 shots and center Kyle Turris scored a goal and set up another to beat Winnipeg.

Center Kyle Turris scored his 16th of the year, right winger Bobby Ryan notched his 17th and right winger Erik Condra chipped in his eighth for Ottawa.

Right winger Michael Frolik netted his 14th goal for Winnipeg (32-21-12).

Starting goalie Michael Hutchinson allowed three goals on 17 shots for the Jets and was replaced by Ondrej Pavelec with about eight minutes left in the second period. Pavelec was tested only three times the rest of the game.

Avalanche 3, Penguins 1

DENVER -- Left winger Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and two assists, goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves and Colorado beat Pittsburgh.

Right winger Jarome Iginla and center Nathan MacKinnon also scored for Colorado.

Center Evgeni Malkin scored his fifth goal in the last four games for Pittsburgh, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 of 22 shots for the Penguins.

Ducks 3, Canadiens 1

ANAHEIM, Calif.- Anaheim beat Montreal at Honda Center, putting it in sole possession of the top spot in the West.

Defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Cam Fowler and center Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim. Ducks rookie goalie John Gibson turned away 37 shots.

Montreal broke up the shutout with 1:41 left, as center Alex Galchenyuk redirected a sharp-angle shot into the net for his 19th goal of the campaign. Goaltender Carey Price came up with 30 saves.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez got thrown out of an exhibition game last night after one pitch, a pitch called a ball. Never saw that before.

-- I'm surprised Utah State is passing on the NIT, CBI or CIT; they've got a young team that is pretty good. Stew Morrill is retiring; not really sure why.

-- CIT already has one first round matchup: New Hampshire vs NJIT. Not exactly Duke-Carolina, but I'm sure they're excited about making the postseason.

-- Cavaliers 128, Spurs 125, OT-- Kyrie Irving scored 57 points for Cleveland.

-- Irving played one year at Duke, but never played in an ACC game; he got hurt in pre-conference play and never came back until the NCAA tournament.

-- There are two bowling alleys in the White House; do they have to rent shoes?



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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college hoop Thursday

13) AAC
-- East Carolina 81, Central Florida 80 OT-- Jeff Lebo got on TV a lot when he played at North Carolina; his Pirates get a rare national TV shot today.

Was told Thursday that if UConn doesn't get in a Power 5 football conference, they will drop football and concentrate on basketball as a revenue sport.

12) ACC
-- Notre Dame 70, Miami 63-- Irish blew 18-point halftime lead, still won.
-- North Carolina 70, Louisville 60-- Cardinals first conference tourney loss since '11.

11) A-14
-- VCU 63, Fordham 57-- VCU isn't a very good team without injured star Weber; they play crosstown rival Richmond today. Spiders beat them twice already. .

10) Big X
-- Iowa State 69, Texas 67-- Cyclones scored last 12 points of game, led for only one second-- the last second. This game could cost Texas an NCAA bid.
-- Kansas 64, TCU 59-- Horned Frogs are fighting a tremendous uphill battle in this league; refs made sure they lost this game late. Kansas is banged up.
-- Baylor 80, West Virginia 70-- Bears are my sleeper team to make Final Four.

9) Big 14
-- Penn State 67, Iowa 58-- Hawkeyes had won six games in a row.
-- Michigan 73, Illinois 55-- Wolverines had lost seven of last nine games.

8) Big Sky
-- Top four seeds all advanced, but host Montana needed OT to win.
-- Idaho hit 10-18 on arc, still didn't cover as a 7-point underdog (lost 81-73).

7) Big West
-- Long Beach State started four seniors but got smoked by Hawai'i; Long Beach seemed OK with their college careers ending. Hawai'i totally outhustled them.

6) C-USA
-- UAB 53, Western Kentucky 52-- League's accountants breathe a sigh of relief, since tournament is in Birmingham. Will be lot of empty seats if Blazers lose.
-- Middle Tennessee 59, Old Dominion 52-- Favored Monarchs were 8-19 on foul line.

5) MAC
-- Akron 53, Kent 51-- Zips avenged last week's 79-77 loss to Kent; not sure why this league doesn't get more exposure on ESPN.

4) Mountain West
-- San Diego State 67, UNLV 64-- Pretty sure this was 10th game this year that the Rebels lost after leading at halftime; thats a lot of games to lose that way.
-- Wyoming 67, Utah State 65-- End of line for Utah State's fine coach Stew Morrill.

3) Pac-12
-- All four top seeds advanced; Oregon and Utah had dominant second halves.
-- I heard Ben Howland doing the A-14 tournament tonight; how has he not gotten another head coaching job? He had UCLA in Final Four three times.

2) SEC
-- South Carolina 60, Ole Miss 58-- Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter.

These teams both did it in the last 0:05 of a brickfest where both teams shot under 31% for the game. Ole Miss has made themselves a bubble team.

1) Sun Belt-- When ESPN first started, this league was the first one to let them show a lot of games. Now they never get games on TV; nice gratitude there. Both underdogs won quarterfinal games on Thursday. The league kingpins play the winners today.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, March 13

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DALLAS (31-27-0-10, 72 pts.) at WASHINGTON (36-22-0-10, 82 pts.) - 3/13/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 16-12 ATS (+30.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
WASHINGTON is 141-188 ATS (-69.3 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 24-35 ATS (-28.4 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 3-0-0 straight up against WASHINGTON 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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EDMONTON (18-39-0-11, 47 pts.) at COLUMBUS (29-34-0-4, 62 pts.) - 3/13/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 18-50 ATS (+100.0 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 6-26 ATS (+50.6 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 7-28 ATS (+45.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 5-20 ATS (+37.0 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses this season.
EDMONTON is 7-20 ATS (+33.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLUMBUS is 24-12 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.
EDMONTON is 45-42 ATS (+101.1 Units) in road games on Friday nights since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 3-10 ATS (-7.2 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
COLUMBUS is 3-11 ATS (-8.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-2 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-2-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.3 Units)

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OTTAWA (31-24-0-11, 73 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (43-22-0-4, 90 pts.) - 3/13/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 17-32 ATS (-16.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 43-26 ATS (+74.7 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 8-1 ATS (+6.7 Units) on Friday nights this season.
OTTAWA is 9-4 ATS (+14.1 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
OTTAWA is 18-13 ATS (+32.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 26-31 ATS (-5.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 67-110 ATS (-50.4 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 5-3 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 5-3-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.6 Units)

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TORONTO (27-35-0-6, 60 pts.) at CALGARY (37-25-0-5, 79 pts.) - 3/13/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 5-22 ATS (+36.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
TORONTO is 6-24 ATS (+37.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 1-10 ATS (+15.8 Units) in road games in non-conference games this season.
TORONTO is 0-12 ATS (+21.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CALGARY is 37-30 ATS (+89.4 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 37-33 ATS (+1.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 13-8 ATS (+22.9 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 17-8 ATS (+26.1 Units) after a division game this season.
CALGARY is 18-9 ATS (+28.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 3-0-0 straight up against CALGARY 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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ANAHEIM (42-20-0-7, 91 pts.) at MINNESOTA (37-23-0-7, 81 pts.) - 3/13/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 49-36 ATS (-3.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 22-17 ATS (+41.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 103-61 ATS (+17.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 198-200 ATS (+432.6 Units) in road games second half of the season since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 16-8 ATS (+24.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 213-204 ATS (+435.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 7-1 (+5.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 7-1-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.1 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, March 13

Hot teams
-- Dallas Stars won four of their last five games.
-- Blue Jackets won three of last four games.
-- Senators won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Calgary won four of its last five games.
-- Minnesota won six of its last seven games.

Cold teams
-- Washington is 3-5 in its last eight games.
-- Oilers lost last six games, allowing 27 goals.
-- Islanders lost four of their last six games.
-- Toronto lost three of its last four games.
-- Anaheim lost last three games, outscored 13-6.

Series records
-- Dallas Stars won last five games with Washington.
-- Oilers won seven of last ten games with Columbus.
-- Islanders won four of last five games with Ottawa.
-- Maple Leafs won four of last five games with Calgary.
-- Ducks won eight of last nine games with Minnesota.

Totals
-- Five of last six Dallas road games went over.
-- Six of last eight Columbus home games went over.
-- Seven of last nine Ottawa road games stayed under.
-- Seven of last eight Toronto games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Anaheim road games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Dallas is 2-7 if it played the night before.
-- Edmonton is 1-8 if it played the night before. Columbus is 4-11.
-- Ottawa is 3-1 if it is playing second night in row on road.




NHL

Friday, March 13

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
DALLAS vs. WASHINGTON
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Washington's last 13 games when playing Dallas

7:00 PM
EDMONTON vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games
Edmonton is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Columbus is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Edmonton

7:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. NY ISLANDERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ottawa's last 9 games on the road
Ottawa is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
NY Islanders are 17-8 SU in their last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games

8:00 PM
ANAHEIM vs. MINNESOTA
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Anaheim
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games

8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. CALGARY
Toronto is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games
Toronto is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games
Calgary is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Friday, March 13


NHL roundup: Bruins beat Lightning for 10th straight time

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 10th straight time and ended their streak of shootout futility, recording a 3-2 victory on Thursday night.

Center Patrice Bergeron, who scored a goal in regulation for Boston, scored in the shootout. Right winger David Pastrnak added a goal in regulation.

Tampa Bay centers Steven Stamkos and Vladislav Namestnikov scored in regulation for their team.

Stars 5, Hurricanes 3

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen faced just 19 shots in his 500th career game as his team used first-period goals from defensemen Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers and rookie left winger Curtis McKenzie to beat Carolina.

Center Cody Eakin and right winger Patrick Eaves also scored for Dallas.

Centers Victor Rask and Andrej Nestrasil and left winger Chris Terry scored for Carolina.

Penguins 6, Oilers 4

PITTSBURGH -- Right wingers Steve Downie and Patric Hornqvist scored third-period goals to salvage a win for Pittsburgh, which blew a four-goal lead against Edmonton at Consol Energy Center.

Center Brandon Sutter's two goals and goals by center Sidney Crosby -- who also had two assists -- and left winger David Perron staked the Penguins to a 4-0 lead early in second period before the Oilers chipped way.

Goals from centers Anton Lander and Jordan Eberle, and left winger Benoit Pouliot got Edmonton close before center Derek Roy tied it.

Panthers 4, Jets 2

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Center Aleksander Barkov scored with 3:53 left in the third period to lead Florida over Winnipeg at the BB&T Center.

Centers Nick Bjugstad and Derek MacKenzie and winger Brad Boyes also scored for Florida.

Winnipeg, battling for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, got goals from center Mark Scheifele and right winger Drew Stafford, but it wasn't enough as it dropped its second straight.

Senators 5, Canadiens 2

MONTREAL -- Ottawa scored five unanswered goals in a win over Montreal at the Bell Centre.

Netminder Andrew Hammond made 27 saves for the Senators, who are 9-1-1 in their last 11 as they push for a playoff spot. Goaltender Carey Price stopped 24 shots for Montreal, which has dropped five of its last six.

Defenseman Erik Karlsson scored twice and winger Erik Condra and Mark Stone and defenseman Marc Methot scored one each for The Senators. Left winger Max Pacioretty scored both goals for the Canadiens.

Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 1

DETROIT -- Defenseman Fedor Tyutin, left winger Scott Hartnell, right winger Cam Atkinson scored to lead Columbus over Detroit at Joe Louis Arena.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 41 shots as Columbus earned just its third win in 11 games. The Blue Jackets are 9-2-1 against the Red Wings in the teams' past 12 meetings.

Left winger Justin Abdelkader scored for Detroit, and goaltender Jimmy Howard made 23 saves.

Blues 1, Flyers 0 (SO)

ST. LOUIS -- Through six periods in a span of a week, Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason allowed just one goal against St. Louis. Only with a superior performance in the shootout did the Blues finally solve Mason and the Flyers.

The Blues earned a victory, scoring in the shootout on goals by T.J. Oshie and Vladimir Tarasenko. St. Louis goaltender Brian Elliott stopped Flyers right wingers Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds to earn the win.

The Flyers' last victory -- and lone win in March -- was against the Blues one week ago, 3-1 in Philadelphia. The Flyers' season, though, is teetering on futility. After earning just a point Thursday, Philadelphia trailed the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot by 10 points with 13 games remaining.

Avalanche 2, Devils 1 (SO)

DENVER -- Right winger Jarome Iginla recorded the deciding goal in the shootout and also scored in regulation, and Colorado beat New Jersey.

Goaltender Semyon Varlamov returned to the lineup to stop 23 shots, and he made two more saves in the shootout to keep Colorado's playoff hopes alive. Varlamov missed the previous game due to a groin injury.

Defenseman Andy Greene scored for New Jersey, and goaltender Cory Schneider stopped 28 shots before the shootout, including two in the final 20 seconds of overtime to keep the game tied.

Blackhawks 2, Coyotes 1

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The goals didn't come easily against Arizona, but center Brad Richards gave Chicago just enough with his 10th goal of the season at the 12:49 mark of the third period on a power play to lift break a 1-1 tie.

Richards earned his 900th career point with the goal.

Arizona center Tobias Rieder scored early in the first period, and Chicago center Andrew Shaw evened the score four minutes later on a power play. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford made 17 saves for the win, while Coyotes goalie Mike Smith stopped 42 shots.

Kings 4, Canucks 0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Right winger Justin Williams scored a goal and added an assist as Los Angeles beat Vancouver to continue its climb back into the playoff picture.

Centers Tyler Toffoli, on a power play, and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Right winger Marian Gaborik scored into an empty net in the third period. The win, combined with a loss by the Winnipeg Jets, moved the Kings into the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Kings are also just one point behind the Canucks who are second in the Pacific Division.

Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick made 19 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. Canucks goaltender Eddie Lack stopped 16 of 19 shots.

Sharks 2, Predators 0

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Antti Niemi rescued San Jose again. The suddenly hot goalie outdueled Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne to shut out the Predators and preserve the Sharks' win.

Niemi made 35 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and 32nd of his career three nights after making 39 saves during a shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rinne finished with 19 saves.

Forward Tomas Hertl scored at 16:41 of the second period, and right winger Tommy Wingels scored his 14th of the season on the power play into an empty net with 58.8 seconds left. San Jose had to kill two Nashville penalties in the final period to ensure the victory.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, March 13

Dallas at Washington, 7:05 ET
Dallas: 11-4 SU in road games off a win or tie in their previous game
Washington: 15-25 SU in home games off a home loss against a division rival

Edmonton at Columbus, 7:05 ET
Edmonton: 5-20 SU after 3 or more consecutive losses
Columbus: 27-19 SU after scoring 3 goals or more in 2 straight games

Ottawa at NY Islanders, 7:05 ET
Ottawa: 2-9 SU off a road win against a division rival
NY Islanders: 8-1 SU on Friday nights

Toronto at Calgary, 8:05 ET
Toronto: 8-27 SU in road games after one or more consecutive overs
Calgary: 17-8 SU after a division game

Anaheim at Minnesota, 8:05 ET
Anaheim: 23-14 SU as an underdog
Minnesota: 4-12 SU after playing 2 consecutive home games

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Maple Leafs had a 5:00 power play last night but gave up two shorthanded goals, which typifies how bad Toronto has been this year.

-- Milwaukee Brewers temporarily banned high-5's to prevent spread of pink-eye, which is highly contagious. Seriously, they did.

-- Dolphins traded WR Mike Wallace to Minnesota after they got Kenny Stills from the Saints. New Orleans signed RB CJ Spiller.

-- Zack Wheeler has a sore elbow, will miss a start for the Mets, who have depth in their starting pitching but no one is sure if it is quality depth.

-- Ben Roethlisberger signed another 5-year contract with the Steelers. He is 33.

-- Turns out Fredi Gonzalez got tossed Thursday after first pitch in bottom of first inning; he was annoyed about some pitches in top of the first.



**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college hoop Friday

13) AAC
-- Temple 80, Memphis 75-- Owls' first conference tourney win in four years.
-- SMU 74, East Carolina 68-- Pirates made 15-35 on arc, made things interesting.

12) ACC
-- Notre Dame 74, Duke 64 -- Irish led by 18 and 15 points at half last two nights. .
-- North Carolina 70, Virginia 67-- Tar Heels will play for 4th day in row tonight. .

11) A-14
-- VCU 70, Richmond 67-- Rams avenged pair of losses to crosstown rivals.
-- Davidson 67, LaSalle 66-- Brutal loss for Explorers, who led by 18 in first half.

10) Big X
-- Iowa State 67, Oklahoma 65-- Sooners missed easiest of layups at buzzer.
-- Kansas 62, Baylor 52-- You heard it here first; Bears go to Final Four if they don't get put in same region as Kentucky.

9) Big 14
-- Maryland 75, Indiana 69-- Hoosiers will have long couple of days to see if they get in Field of 68 or not.
-- Purdue 64, Penn State 59-- Some ESPN announcers were uncomfortable promoting the Christian Laettner show because of the word "hate" in title- makes sense.

8) Big Sky
-- Eastern Washington 91, Sacramento State 83-- Kid came off bench for Eagles and made 7-8 from arc; team was 15-25 overall on 3-pointers.
-- Montana 61, Northern Arizona 59-- Griz has home court advantage tonight.

7) Big West
-- Hawai'i 65, Cal-Davis 58-- Rainbow Warriors play hard, very aggressive, smallish team- this is 5th time in nine years #1 seed lost in this tournament.
-- Cal-Irvine 72, UCSB 63 OT-- 7-foot-6 Ndiaye had 18 points, four blocks for UCI. Anteaters were 20-34 from arc in two wins over Hawai'i this season.

6) C-USA
-- UAB 72, Louisiana Tech 62 OT-- #1 seed had to play true road game here, which is not fair, then Blazers had 21-3 edge on foul line. Tech can't be real happy.
-- Middle Tennessee 53, UTEP 50-- Blue Raiders will be playing for fourth day in row in final today.

5) MAC
-- Buffalo 68, Akron 59--Both Hurley brothers won their game Friday and they each got a technical foul, about five minutes apart in real time.
-- Central Michigan 75, Toledo 66-- Chippewas are coached by Keno Davis, whose dad Tom was successful coach at Boston College and Iowa.

4) Mountain West
-- San Diego State 54, Colorado State 43-- Aztecs are 2-3 in last five conference finals; they beat Wyoming twice this season
-- Wyoming 71, Boise State 66 OT-- Every bubble team in America will be rooting for San Diego State. Wyoming would steal a bid with a win here.

3) Pac-12
-- Oregon 67, Utah 64-- Joseph Young validated his Player of Year award by winning this game with a 3-pointer with 0:03 left.
-- Arizona 70, UCLA 64-- Bruins are like Indiana; nervous weekend for them.

2) SEC
-- Arkansas 80, Tennessee 72 -- Razorbacks led by 20 at half, held on for win.
-- Auburn 73, LSU 70 OT-- Bruce Pearl was 4-14 in SEC, is 3-0 this week.

1) Sun Belt
-- UL-Lafayette 53, Texas State 43-- Ragin' Cajuns were down 3 at the half.
-- UL-Monroe 77 South Alabama 59-- Warhawks made 9-18 behind the arc.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, March 14

Hot teams
-- Bruins won six of their last seven games. Penguins won seven of last nine.
-- Chicago won five of its last seven games. Sharks won four of their last five.
-- Tampa Bay won four of its last five games.
-- Panthers won four of their last six games.
-- Minnesota won six of its last eight games.
-- Rangers won four of their last five games.
-- Minnesota won six of its last eight games. Blues won five of their last seven.
-- Calgary won five of its last six games. Avalanche won four of last five.
-- Kings won four of their last five games.

Cold teams
-- Detroit lost three of its last four games. Flyers lost last four games, scoring five goals.
-- Jets lost six of their last nine games.
-- Carolina lost four of its last five games.
-- Toronto lost four of its last five games. Canucks lost five of their last seven.
-- Islanders lost five of their last seven games. Montreal lost five of last six.
-- Buffalo lost its last five games, allowing 21 goals.
-- Arizona lost 13 of its last 14 games. New Jersey lost three of its last four games.
-- Nashville lost seven of its last eight games.

Series records
-- Bruins won seven of last nine games with Pittsburgh.
-- Flyers are 4-3 in last seven games with Detroit.
-- Sharks won three of last four games with Chicago.
-- Lightning are 5-4 in last nine games with Winnipeg.
-- Hurricanes won three of last four games with Florida.
-- Canucks won five of last seven games with Toronto.
-- Islanders lost five of last six games with Montreal.
-- Rangers won their last six games with Buffalo.
-- Blues won ten of last eleven games with Minnesota.
-- Coyotes won three of last four games with New Jersey.
-- Flames won their last three games with Colorado.
-- Kings lost their last four games with Nashville.

Totals
-- Last three Penguin home games went over total.
-- Eight of last nine Philly home games stayed under.
-- Five of last six San Jose home games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Winnipeg road games went over.
-- Five of last six Florida road games stayed under.
-- Seven of last nine Toronto games stayed under.
-- Three of last four Islander home games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Ranger road games stayed under.
-- Eight of last nine Minnesota road games stayed under.
-- Last five Arizona home games stayed under.
-- Last three Calgary road games went over total.
-- Last six Nashville road games stayed under total.

Back-to-back
-- Toronto is 0-5 when playing second consecutive night on road.
-- Islanders are 7-4 if they played night before.
-- Minnesota is 3-5 if it played night before.
-- Calgary is 6-2 if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, March 14

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:00 PM
BOSTON vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 12 games when playing Pittsburgh
Boston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 12 games when playing Boston

1:00 PM
DETROIT vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Detroit
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit

4:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games at home
San Jose is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games at home

7:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida's last 6 games
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida

7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. NY ISLANDERS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games
Montreal is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal

7:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. BUFFALO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the NY Rangers last 7 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Buffalo is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers

7:00 PM
TORONTO vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Vancouver is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing Toronto

7:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Winnipeg's last 11 games
Winnipeg is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games when playing Winnipeg
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg

8:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. ST. LOUIS
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Minnesota is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
St. Louis is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games at home
St. Louis is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Minnesota

9:00 PM
NEW JERSEY vs. ARIZONA
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games
Arizona is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games at home

10:00 PM
CALGARY vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Calgary is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 8 games when playing Calgary
Colorado is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Calgary

10:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. LOS ANGELES
Nashville is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, March 14


NHL roundup: Sens top Isles to continue surge

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Rookie goalie Andrew Hammond continued the spectacular start to his NHL career Friday night, making 34 saves to lead the surging Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

Hammond improved to 9-0-1 as a starter. He is just the second NHL goalie ever to allow two goals or fewer in each of his first 10 starts.

Left winger Matt Puempel and center Kyle Turris scored in the second period for the Senators, who won 10 of their last 12. The streak coincides with Hammond's ascension to the starting lineup Feb. 18.

Center Tyler Kennedy scored in the third period for the Islanders, who lost seven of 11.

Stars 4, Capitals 2

WASHINGTON -- Vernon Fiddler scored one of Dallas' three power-play goals and added an assist to defeat Washington.

Center Tyler Seguin notched his 32nd goal of the season for the Stars, who have won three straight and took four of five on their just completed road trip. Centers Colton Sceviour and Shawn Horcoff also scored for Dallas, and right winger Alex Hemsky added two assists as the Stars pulled within five points of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Goaltender Kari Lehtonen made 18 saves for Dallas, which has won seven straight against Washington.

Center Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist and left winger Curtis Glencross also scored for the Capitals, who have lost three of four, all at home. Goalie Braden Holtby stopped 18 of 22 shots and was lifted after Dallas made it 4-1 late in the second period. Justin Peters stopped all nine shots he faced in relief.

Blue Jackets 5, Oilers 4 (SO)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rookie center Alexander Wennberg scored in the fifth round of a shootout, allowing Columbus to beat Edmonton at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets had a 2-0 lead after the first period, but needed a late goal in the third period from veteran left winger Scott Hartnell to get it to overtime. Rookie center Marko Dano, right winger Cam Atkinson and center Artem Anisimov also scored for the Blue Jackets, who have won three straight for the first time since mid-December. Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had 31 saves.

The Oilers, who scored three power-play goals, have dropped seven straight games. Edmonton got goals from center Jordan Eberle, center Derek Roy, defenseman Andrew Ference and right winger Nail Yakupov.

Ducks 2, Wild 1

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Right winger Jakob Silfverberg had a goal and an assist to help Anaheim snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.

Silfverberg set up defenseman Francois Beauchemin's first-period goal, then scored his own in the second as Anaheim's recent domination of the Wild continued. Minnesota, which has been the NHL's hottest team recently, fell to 1-8-1 in the last 10 games vs. the Ducks. Ducks goalie John Gibson had 32 saves in the win.

Left winger Zach Parise scored the lone goal for the Wild, who are 17-4-1 since the All-Star break and play 13 of their final 15 games against probable playoff teams. Devan Dubnyk took the loss in goal with 22 saves.

Flames 6, Maple Leafs 3

CALGARY, Alberta -- Toronto gave up two short-handed goals during a five-minute power play in the first period and could never recover in a loss to surging Calgary.

Center Mikael Backlund and red-hot Sean Monahan did the man-down damage for the Flames. Monahan, who has a six-game point streak, finished with two goals and one assist. Left winger Johnny Gaudreau and right winger Jiri Hudler both chipped in with one goal and two assists. Calgary center Drew Shore also scored and defenseman TJ Brodie added two assists, one on a long-range saucer pass to spring Monahan for his short-handed goal.

Toronto left winger David Booth scored two goals and Richard Panik had a goal on a power-play deflection.

Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller made 25 stops for his 21st win of the season.