Announcement

**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 08:32 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

Six batters who have come to plate with most men on base this season:

T5) Kevin Pillar, Tor-- 48-- Knocked in only five of the 48 runners.
T5) JD Martinez, Det-- 48-- Helps to bat behind Miggy and Victor.

4) Ian Kinsler, Det-- 49-- Knocked in 16.3% of runners, best of six on this list.

3) Eric Hosmer, KC-- 51-- Knocked in four of 18 guys from second base.

2) Kendrys Morales, KC-- 52-- Knocked in four of eight guys from third base.

1) Marcus Semien, Oak-- 54-- Weird; he bats at bottom of Oakland lineup.

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

13) Scott Brooks went 338-207 as head coach in Oklahoma City, but he didn't win a championship, so he got fired yesterday-- it is impossible not to blame this on Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook, because all they had to do was say one sentence and it all would've stopped.

"We want Scott Brooks to be our coach." They say that and Brooks stays. It was never said; in fact, Durant "supports the decision 100%". Great guy.

12) Not all change is positive; GM Sam Presti, the genius who traded James Harden to rival Houston for three draft picks, one of whom became Steven Adams, now has to hire a coach who is better than Brooks, one that will keep Durant happy so he doesn't bolt in free agency.

In the NBA, the inmates often run the asylum.

11) Six of the 49ers' eight road games this year are east of the Mississippi.

Four of the Ravens' first seven games are in Denver or further west.

10) Scott Brooks got fired; in the NFL, Marvin Lewis got a contract extension; he is one of two NFL coaches (Jim Mora Sr is the other) who lost his first six playoff games. Lewis is a good coach who deserves an extension; the Bengals were hideous before he coached them, but the contrast is striking.

9) Chicago Cubs are 8-6, but a note of caution; in six of the eight wins, they scored the winning run in the 7th inning or later.

8) Milwaukee Brewers are a 2-13 mess; they've lost eight games in a row, their leadoff hitter has a hamstring pull, their catcher has a broken toe. Oy.

7) The Statue of Liberty's nose is 4.5 feet long.

6) In the first two games of its series with New Orleans, Golden State is +47 with Draymond Green on the court, -30 when he is off the court and that is in only 12:00.

5) So you bet the under in Bronx-Detroit game last night; no bueno. Game went over the total in a wild first inning. David Price threw 51 pitches in the snowy first inning that saw Bronx score six runs off him- it was 6-4 after one inning.

4) College hoop transfers: Jaren Sina from Seton Hall to George Washington, and Marcus Marshall from Missouri State to Nevada.

3) Atlanta Hawks were sold for $850M; weird time to sell the team, as Hawks having their best chance to win a title since they've been in Atlanta.

2) Reds manager Bryan Bleepin' Price kept ace Johnny Cueto in the game for 125 pitches last night, as Cincinnati won its third game in a row, 2-1 over the Brewers. Cueto is a free agent this winter; if the Reds aren't going to re-sign him, makes sense to use him up as much as they can before trading him off.

1) Siena plays Georgetown to start the season in November; they'll play VCU or Duke the next night. Good for their strength of schedule, but its probably also an 0-2 start. At least they'll have a good cover for their game programs.

**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 08:34 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, April 23

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TAMPA BAY (51-26-0-8, 110 pts.) at DETROIT (45-26-0-14, 104 pts.) - 4/23/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 10-3 ATS (+14.0 Units) in road games when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
DETROIT is 12-21 ATS (-15.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 8-4 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 8-4-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.4 Units)

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NY ISLANDERS (49-29-0-8, 106 pts.) at WASHINGTON (47-27-0-12, 106 pts.) - 4/23/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-25 ATS (-13.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 23-11 ATS (+8.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 2-8 ATS (-11.6 Units) in home games when tied in a playoff series since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 8-7 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 8-7-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)

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CHICAGO (51-29-0-6, 108 pts.) at NASHVILLE (48-26-0-12, 108 pts.) - 4/23/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 26-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
NASHVILLE is 187-148 ATS (+370.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
CHICAGO is 387-380 ATS (+795.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 1-7 ATS (-10.9 Units) in April games this season.
NASHVILLE is 24-26 ATS (-7.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
NASHVILLE is 8-17 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 12-6 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 12-6-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.1 Units)

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CALGARY (48-31-0-7, 103 pts.) at VANCOUVER (49-32-0-5, 103 pts.) - 4/23/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 21-16 ATS (-2.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CALGARY is 48-38 ATS (+87.4 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 27-20 ATS (+6.7 Units) second half of the season this season.
CALGARY is 25-8 ATS (+16.6 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
CALGARY is 22-10 ATS (+11.1 Units) after a division game this season.
VANCOUVER is 37-44 ATS (-33.2 Units) in home games in April games since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 41-51 ATS (-25.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 12-6 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 12-6-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.7 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, April 23

Detroit has 2-1 series edge despite taking only 59 shots in three games (Tampa has 98); Lightning is 2-17 on power play in series, Red Wings 2-11. Lightning won eight of their last 12 games vs Detroit- eight of those 12 stayed under the total. Tampa Bay won four of its last six games overall, allowing 12 goals; they're 2-3 in last five visits to Motor City. Under is 5-2-1 in Lightning's last eight games. Red Wings lost three of last five home games.

Islanders/Washington split pair of 2-1 OT games on Long Island; Islanders are 5-8 in last thirteen games overall, with under 3-1-1 in last five vs Caps. Isles are 0-10 on power play in series-- only thirteen penalties total were called in last three games (Washington is 1-7). Caps won seven of their last 11 games; they outshot Islanders 31-20 in third period last three games. Home side won six of last eight series games. Islanders lost three of last four visits here.

Chicago scored after 2am in third OT Wednesday morning to take 3-1 series edge; Nashville lost nine of last ten games overall with pair of multiple-OT losses in this series. Predators lost six of last eight games with Chicago, with four of last five going over total- theyr'e 2-15 on power play in series, while Nashville is 3-15-- three of four games in this playoff series went over total. Blackhawks lost three of last four road games; four of last eight Nashville losses came in OT/SO.

Calgary is up 3-1 in this series, has won five of last six games with Vancouver- under is 4-1-2 in last seven series games- they scored five first period goals in Games 3-4, after not scoring in first two periods in Games 1-2. Flames have now won eight of last eleven games; under is 6-2-1 in last nine Calgary games. Vancouver is 2-12 on power play in series, Calgary is 4-11- they've only scored ten goals in whole series.

Home teams are 19-12 in this round; over is 14-13-4.

2015 NHL playoffs
Montreal vs Ottawa
Mtl 4-3, -$140, O5
Mtl 3-2 OT, -$140, N5
Mtl 2-1 OT, +$110, U5
Ott 1-0, -$106, U5

Tampa Bay vs Detroit
Det 3-2, +$155, U5.5
TB 5-1, -$200, U5.5
Det 3-0, -$105, U5.5

NY Rangers vs Pittsburgh
NYR 2-1, -$180, U5
Pitt 4-3, +$175, O5
NYR 2-1, even U5
NYR 2-1 OT, -$119, U5

Washington vs NY Islanders
NYI 4-1, +125, N5
Wash 4-3, -$135, O5.5
NYI 2-1 OT, -$140, U5.5
Wash 2-1 OT, +$125, U5.5

St Louis vs Minnesota
Minn 4-2, +$125, O5
StL 4-1, -$140, N5
Minn 3-0, -$135, U5
StL 6-1, +$128, O5

Nashville vs Chicago
Chi 4-3 2OT, +$105, O5
Nash 6-2, -$120, O5
Chi 4-2, -$160, O5
Chi 3-2 3OT, -$160, U5.5

Anaheim vs Winnipeg
Ana 4-2, -$150, O5
Ana 2-1, -$150, U5
Ana 5-4 OT, +$120, O5
Ana 5-2, +$106, O5.5
Ducks win series, 4-0

Vancouver vs Calgary
Cal 2-1, +$135, U5
Van 4-1, -$155, N5
Cal 4-2, -$115, O5
Cal 3-1, -$120, U5

NHL

Thursday, April 23

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Islanders are 6-12 SU in their last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of the NY Islanders last 12 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Washington is 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

7:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. DETROIT
Tampa Bay is 3-13-1 SU in its last 17 games ,when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games at home
Detroit13-3-1 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

9:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games at home
Nashville is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago

10:00 PM
CALGARY vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Calgary is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary
Vancouver is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Calgary

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**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 08:34 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 23

NHL roundup: Ducks sweep Jets to advance

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The Anaheim Ducks are the first team to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs. Ducks center Ryan Kesler scored a pair of third-period goals to spark Anaheim to a 5-2 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets to wrap up a four-game sweep in the opening-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Ducks now await the winner of the series between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks. The Flames lead that best-of-seven series 3-1.

Sami Vatanen, Emerson Etem and Andrew Cogliano also scored for the Ducks, while right winger Corey Perry chipped in a pair of assists to lead all skaters with seven points in the series.

Bryan Little and Mark Stuart scored for the Jets.

Frederik Anderson made 25 saves for Anaheim while Ondrej Pavelec stopped 30 shots for Winnipeg.

Rangers 2, Penguins 1 (OT)

PITTSBURGH -- Kevin Hayes scored from a scramble in front of the net 3:14 into overtime to give the New York Rangers a win over Pittsburgh at Consol Energy Center. The Rangers now have a 3-1 lead in the teams' first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Patric Hornqvist picked up his second goal in as many games for Pittsburgh in the first period. Derick Brassard tied it for New York in the second period.

Each game in the series has been decided by one goal going into Friday's Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

Senators 1, Canadiens 0

OTTAWA -- Mike Hoffman scored with 10:55 left in regulation as Ottawa staved off elimination with a victory over Montreal in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series at Canadian Tire Centre.

The Canadiens now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, with Game 5 to be played Friday in Montreal.

Hoffman's shot through a screen from near the top of the left-wing face-off circle ended an intense goalie duel in front of a towel-waving full house.

Senators goalie Craig Anderson shared the hero's role, making 28 saves for the shutout. Canadiens goal Carey Price also turned in an exceptional performance, stopping 31 of 32 shots.

Blues 6, Wild 1

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- St. Louis quieted the crowd with an early lead and survived a Minnesota rally to knot the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series at 2-2.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice while Ryan Reaves, David Backes, Paul Stastny and Patrik Berglund all scored single goals for the Blues, who led 3-0 barely halfway through the first period. St. Louis goalie Jake Allen made 17 saves.

Defenseman Jared Spurgeon scored the lone goal for Minnesota, while goalie Devan Dubnyk was pulled after allowing four goals on the Blues' first dozen shots and finished with just 11 saves on 17 shots. Backup goalie Darcy Kuemper came on with 3:10 left in the second period and stopped all nine shots he faced.

**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 10:00 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 23

Rangers-Penguins series cashing under wagers

The New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in overtime in Game 4 Wednesday evening, improving the under record to 3-1 in those four games.

Heading into Thursday's schedule, the Rangers-Pens series was the best target for Under bettors.

To date in the postseason, the under has had the slight edge at 14-13-4.

Road teams the hot play on the ice Wednesday

Visiting teams skated to victories in three of the four playoff games on the board Wednesday evening.

The New York Rangers (-120), St. Louis Blues (+125) and Anaheim Ducks (+105) all posted wins while the Montreal Canadiens were the lone road team to lose.

To date in the postseason, away teams are 13-15-3.

**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 10:03 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 23

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Thursday's NHL Playoffs betting cheat sheet
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New York Islanders at Washington Capitals (-129, 5)

Series tied 2-2

Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom has picked a fine time to rediscover his scoring touch. After failing to find the back of the net in the final seven weeks of the regular season, Backstrom has scored in three straight contests heading into Thursday's Game 5 of the Capitals' Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting New York Islanders.

Backstrom, who also has three assists in the set, scored 11:09 into overtime as Washington evened the series at two victories apiece with a 2-1 triumph on Tuesday. "Nicky is our horse, our dude," linemate Joel Ward said. "It's just good to see we won. It was a good team effort." While Backstrom has been on a high, John Tavares hasn't been too shabby in his own right. The Islanders captain recorded a pair of assists in the first two contests before scoring 15 seconds into overtime in New York's 2-1 win in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.

TRENDS:

*Islanders are 1-11 in their last 12 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
*Home team is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
*Under is 4-1-2 in Capitals last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
*Under is 11-5-2 in Islanders last 18 overall.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings (-108, 5)

Red Wings lead series 2-1

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is heralded in hockey circles for his shrewd decisions, and he is drawing rave reviews for one of his most recent ones. Babcock selected Petr Mrazek to serve as his starting goaltender, and the 23-year-old looks to reward the veteran coach by pushing the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink of elimination when the Atlantic Division rivals play Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Thursday.

After making a career-high 44 saves in a 3-2 victory in Game 1, Mrazek turned aside all 22 shots he faced in a 3-0 triumph over Tampa Bay on Tuesday to give the Red Wings a 2-1 edge in the series. "Huge win for us, first game home, first win. But it's over," Mrazek said after joining Earl Robertson (1937), Terry Sawchuk (1951), Chris Osgood (1994) and Jimmy Howard (2010) as the only rookie netminders in franchise history to record a postseason shutout. Tampa Bay has lost six straight playoff games on the road and has been rendered powerless at Joe Louis Arena, posting a 4-16-0 mark with one tie in the all-time series.

TRENDS:

*Lightning are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a loss of 3 or more goals.
*Red Wings are 1-8 in their last 9 games following a win.
*Under is 11-1 in Lightning last 12 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
*Under is 4-0-2 in Red Wings last 6 home games.

Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators (-113, 5)

Blackhawks lead series 3-1

After prevailing in a marathon triple-overtime contest, the Chicago Blackhawks can wrap up their Western Conference first-round playoff series when they visit the Nashville Predators on Thursday night in Game 5. Defenseman Brent Seabrook's goal one minute into the third overtime lifted the Blackhawks to a 3-2 victory in Tuesday's Game 4 and gave them a commanding 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series.

Nashville coach Peter Laviolette expects a big performance from his team, similar to its 6-2 victory in Game 2 after blowing a three-goal lead and losing in double overtime in the series opener. "Our guys are a resilient group," Laviolette said. "They will not cave. They will not go away quietly. They'll be ready to play Game 5, I promise you." Predators captain Shea Weber missed the last two games and Laviolette is uncertain if he will be available Thursday. That will make the task even more daunting against a Chicago team that is 12-3 in close-out games under coach Joel Quenneville.

TRENDS:

*Blackhawks are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
*Predators are 1-9 in their last 10 overall.
*Under is 12-3-3 in Blackhawks last 18 games following a win.
*Over is 8-2-2 in Predators last 12 vs. Western Conference.

Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks (-147, 5)

Flames lead series 3-1

Despite being one victory away from advancing, Calgary is not looking past the Canucks, who overcame a 3-1 first-round deficit in 1994 to eliminate the Flames en route to an appearance in the Stanley Cup final. "We all know it," said center Joe Colborne, regarding the difficulty of registering the fourth victory in a series. "There are a lot of very good players over there and there's a lot of pride in that room. We're not expecting for one second that they are going to pack it in."

Coach Willie Desjardins admitted he has selected the starting netminder for Game 5 but was not ready to reveal his choice. "I have decided, but no, we'll wait to see after the morning skate (Thursday) and then we'll name it," he said after Wednesday's practice. One decision Desjardins did not have to make revolved around the status of Alex Burrows, who will miss the remainder of the series due to an upper-body injury. The veteran right wing, who notched two assists over the first three contests, was hurt during the morning skate on Tuesday and did not appear in Game 4. "It's nothing to worry about," Desjardins said. "It's just kind of a comfort thing."

TRENDS:

*Flames are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
*Canucks are 3-14 in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games.
*Under is 4-1-2 in the last 7 meetings.
*Under is 5-1-1 in Flames last 7 vs. Pacific.

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**Udog** · 04-23-2015, 10:39 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 23

Tampa Bay Lightning @ Detroit Red Wings

Game 73-74
April 23, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay Lightni
12.998
Detroit Red Wings
10.257
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay Lightni
by 2 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit Red Wings
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay Lightni
(-105); Over

New York Islanders @ Washington Capitals

Game 75-76
April 23, 2015 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York Islander
12.719
Washington Capita
10.169
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York Islander
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington Capita
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
New York Islander
(+115); Over

Chicago Blackhawks @ Nashville Predators

Game 77-78
April 23, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago *********
10.665
Nashville Predato
12.075
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville Predato
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville Predato
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville Predato
(-115); Under

Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks

Game 79-80
April 23, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Calgary Flames
11.712
Vancouver Canucks
13.156
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver Canucks
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vancouver Canucks
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver Canucks
(-150); Under

Announcement

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

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