The Bum's National Hockey League December Rated Plays - Trends - News - Etc. !!

[StarDust Bum]

Recapping last nights action:


NBA............... 5 - 3
CBB................5 - 4 - 1
NHL................2 - 4
NFL.................1 - 1


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LA at CLB 07:00 PM

CLB +116 *****


NYI at PHI 07:00 PM

NYI -129 DOUBLE PLAY


OTT at FLA 07:30 PM

OTT +114


DET at WAS 07:30 PM

WAS -174 TRIPLE PLAY


NJ at TOR 07:30 PM

NJ -101 DOUBLE PLAY


ARI at STL 08:00 PM

STL -207 TRIPLE PLAY


NAS at CHI 08:30 PM

NAS +135 TRIPLE PLAY


CAR at DAL 08:30 PM

DAL -200 OCTOPLAY


SJ at CAL 09:00 PM

SJ -110 ******

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Ben Zobrist signs with the Cubs for four years, $56M, reuniting him with his old Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon.

-- Cubs then shipped Starlin Castro to the Bronx for Adam Warren, Brendan Ryan.

-- Diamondbacks are serious; they acquired Shelby Miller from Atlanta, giving the Braves Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson, #1 pick in LY's draft, in 5-player deal.

-- South Dakota State 84, Minnesota 70-- Jackrabbits get a solid road win.

-- Broncos worked out 17 players Tuesday, including nine DBs; teams that win are sharp on maintaining their depth to replace injured players.

-- Jay Cutler's brother-in-law has been missing for 12 days; police in Utah are still looking for him.

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Tell your statistics to shut up.......

I like numbers, think they can explain a lot, but not everything; some people don't like them as much, but there's enough room in this world for all kinds of ideas.

NFL moved kickoffs up to create more touchbacks, since most injuries were occurring on kick returns; as a result, more drives start 80+ yards from the end zone. Defenses and special teams that create short fields help teams win, but which offenses are best at driving the ball 80+ yards?

13) There are six NFL teams averaging 2.00+ ppp on drives starting 80+ yards from goal line (you lose points for defensive TDs/safeties allowed):

Cardinals/Steelers 2.28, Bengals 2.15, Raiders 2.13, Chiefs 2.08, Patriots 2.07.

12) Rams have started 80 drives 80+ yards from end zone, scored only 71 points on those drives; they're only NFL team averaging under 1.00 ppp in that scenario.

11) Other teams that struggle scoring on long (80-yard+) TD drives:

Rams 0.89, Browns 1.03, 49ers 1.19, Panthers 1.26-- Carolina has 10 drives of less than 60 yards and five defensive TDs, lightening the load on its offense. .

10) Chargers have started 92 drives 80+ yards from goal line, seven more than any other team (Saints), 12 more than any of the other teams. Hard to win when you're playing on a longer field than your opponent.

9) Patriots lead NFL with 15 TDs on drives of less than 60 yards, but they haven't scored a TD on defense or special teams this year- they gave up three on Sunday.

Bowl matchups were announced this week; some numbers on how conferences have done in recent bowl games.......
8) Big 14 teams have been an underdog in 27 of last 33 bowl games, going 13-20 SU in those games (14-17-2 vs spread).

7) SEC teams were favored in 32 of last 38 bowl games, going 25-13 SU, 23-14-1 vs spread, 5-1 in few games when they were an underdog.

6) Surprisingly good bowl league: Conference USA, which is 15-7 SU in bowls last four years, 12-8 vs spread (9-3 when favored).

5) ACC teams are 13-19 SU in their last 32 bowls, 3-8 vs spread when favored.

4) Big X games are famous for being high-scoring, but over last four years, bowl games involving Big X teams have seen 18 go under total, only ten go over.

Elsewhere in the world of numbers.........
3) Chicago White Sox used a lefty starting pitcher in 119 games LY, third-most by any team over the last 100 years.

2) Summit League is a mid-major basketball league that has teams like South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, Denver; heading into Tuesday's games, teams from Summit League were 39-19 against the spread this year, pretty damn good.

1) Golden State Warriors are now 23-0 this season; they're 16-7 against the spread, 9-3 as a road favorite- their last seven games went over the total.

[StarDust Bum]

Sharp bettors are drooling over these can't-miss spot bet opportunities

Going back to last season, the Niners are 1-5 ATS in their last six games coming off an outright win.

Lookahead spot

The Chicago Bulls have busy week. They lost at home to Phoenix Monday night and have Tuesday to stew on that disappointment before visiting Boston Wednesday. That is shaping up as a possible lookahead spot, with Chicago returning to the United Center the next night to host the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday.

The Celtics are in fine form, going 3-2 on their recent five-game road trip with wins in three of the last four games while covering the spread in each of those contests. This will be Boston’s first game back home since Nov. 27. Chicago, looking past the Celtics to the Clippers, is just 6-8 ATS in non-divisional matchups this season.

Letdown spot

Wins are few and far between for the San Francisco 49ers, who caught Chicago in a letdown spot in Week 13 with a 17-16 road win as 6-point underdogs at Soldier Field. Now the tables have turned on the Niners, who are in danger of falling to the same fate visiting the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 as 1.5-point road dogs.

San Francisco has followed its three previous victories with crushing losses. The 49ers beat Minnesota in Week 1, then lost 43-18 to Pittsburgh in Week 2. They knocked off Baltimore in Week 6, then got dumped 20-3 by Seattle in Week 7. And most recently, San Francisco defeated Atlanta 17-16 in Week 9 and – despite a bye week to prepare – lost 29-13 to the Seahawks in Week 11. Going back to last season, the Niners are 1-5 ATS in their last six games coming off an outright win.

Schedule spot

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles won’t be home much for the holidays, kicking off a five-game road stretch at state rival No. 8 Oklahoma this Saturday. The Golden Eagles, who play at home versus John Brown Wednesday, won’t have another contest in Tulsa until the New Year, playing South Dakota on Jan. 3.

Following the road game against the Sooners, Oral Roberts plays at Missouri State on Dec. 16, at LSU on Dec. 19, at New Mexico State on Dec. 21, and returns to action after the Christmas break with a trip to IUPU-Fort Wayne on Dec. 30. This year, the Golden Eagles are 2-2 ATS on the road and went just 5-10-1 ATS as visitors last season. With the holiday around the corner, basketball may not be the focus for these college kids as the break gets closer.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, December 9

Hot teams
-- Oilers won four of their last five games.
-- Avalanche won three of their last four games.

Cold teams
-- Boston/Montreal both lost three of their last four games.
-- Sharks lost last four games, scoring six goals.
-- Pittsburgh lost four of its last five games.
-- Rangers lost five of their last seven games. Vancouver lost five of last six.

Series records
-- Canadiens won their last nine games with Boston.
-- Sharks won three of last four games with Edmonton.
-- Penguins won seven of last nine games with Colorado.
-- Rangers won five of last six games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Three of last four Boston games stayed under total.
-- Six of last seven San Jose games went over total.
-- Last four Colorado games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Ranger games stayed under total.

Back-to-backs
-- San Jose is 2-2 if it played the night before.




NHL

Wednesday, December 9

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
BOSTON vs. MONTREAL
Boston is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Montreal
Montreal is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
Montreal is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston

9:30 PM
SAN JOSE vs. EDMONTON
San Jose is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
San Jose is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games when playing San Jose
Edmonton is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing San Jose

10:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. VANCOUVER
NY Rangers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Vancouver is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games at home

10:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. COLORADO
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games
Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, December 9


Boston @ Montreal

Game 1-2
December 9, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
12.205
Montreal
10.762
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Montreal
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+105); Under

San Jose @ Edmonton

Game 3-4
December 9, 2015 @ 9:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.297
Edmonton
12.683
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-135
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(+115); Over

Pittsburgh @ Colorado

Game 5-6
December 9, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.573
Colorado
9.155
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-125); Under

NY Rangers @ Vancouver

Game 7-8
December 9, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
13.042
Vancouver
11.583
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Rangers
-130
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
(-130); Over




NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, December 9

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BOSTON (14-9-0-3, 31 pts.) at MONTREAL (19-6-0-3, 41 pts.) - 12/9/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 75-47 ATS (+18.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 43-22 ATS (+14.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 9-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MONTREAL is 9-2 ATS (+6.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 9-4 ATS (+13.4 Units) in road games first half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 177-195 ATS (+425.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
BOSTON is 157-139 ATS (+298.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 13-4 (+12.5 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 13-4-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

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SAN JOSE (14-13-0-0, 28 pts.) at EDMONTON (11-15-0-2, 24 pts.) - 12/9/2015, 9:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 7-3 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 7-3-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.3 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (14-10-0-2, 30 pts.) at COLORADO (12-15-0-1, 25 pts.) - 12/9/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 58-55 ATS (-26.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 11-16 ATS (-13.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 106-93 ATS (-60.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 87-75 ATS (+170.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
COLORADO is 129-122 ATS (-41.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
COLORADO is 0-5 ATS (-6.2 Units) in home games in non-conference games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 3-2 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 3-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

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NY RANGERS (18-7-0-3, 39 pts.) at VANCOUVER (10-11-0-8, 28 pts.) - 12/9/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 82-47 ATS (+18.6 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 27-14 ATS (+12.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 26-12 ATS (+11.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 30-12 ATS (+12.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 124-109 ATS (+237.4 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 63-28 ATS (+16.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 10-19 ATS (-22.5 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 10-19 ATS (-10.4 Units) first half of the season this season.
VANCOUVER is 18-27 ATS (-15.1 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 4-10 ATS (-7.7 Units) in non-conference games this season.
VANCOUVER is 0-6 ATS (-7.6 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
VANCOUVER is 3-11 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VANCOUVER is 3-11 ATS (+14.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 3-1 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 3-1-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, December 9

Boston at Montreal, 7:35 PM ET
Boston: 9-4 SU in road games
Montreal: 0-4 SU in home games off a close road loss by 1 goal

San Jose at Edmonton, 9:35 PM ET
San Jose: n/a
Edmonton: n/a

Pittsburgh at Colorado, 10:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 12-19 SU as a road favorite of -200 or less
Colorado: 36-23 SU revenging a same season loss vs opponent

NY Rangers at Vancouver, 10:05 PM ET
New York: 11-4 SU in road games after having lost 2 of their last 3 games
Vancouver: 4-9 SU in home games

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Wednesday, December 9


NHL roundup: Stars top 'Canes in offensive slugfest

DALLAS -- Jamie Benn scored a goal and added three assists and Tyler Seguin had a goal and four assists to lead the Dallas Stars past the Carolina Hurricanes 6-5 on Tuesday at American Airlines Center.

Patrick Sharp scored the game-winner with 19 seconds remaining in regulation on a slap shot from the right point that went in through the Hurricanes' Eddie Lack, who replaced starter Cam Ward to begin the second period.

Patrick Eaves, Johnny Oduya and Valeri Nichushkin also scored for Dallas.

Justin Faulk scored twice and Jaccob Slavin, Phillip Di Giuseppe and Jeff Skinner one each for the Hurricanes.

Flames 4, Sharks 2

CALGARY, Alberta -- Calgary remained hot on home ice thanks to a win over San Jose at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Mikael Backlund had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who extended their home winning streak to seven games. Markus Granlund, Sean Monahan and Michael Frolik also scored for the Flames, while Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman chipped in with two assists each.

Chris Tierney and Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks, who suffered their fourth straight setback and fifth in their past six games. Logan Couture had an assist for the Sharks his return to the lineup after missing 23 games with a fractured right fibula.

Blackhawks 4, Predators 1

CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 23 games and recorded his 600th career NHL point in a Chicago victory over Nashville at the United Center.

Kane finished off the Blackhawks' scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:36 remaining in the third. He has 14 goals and 23 assists during the streak, which began Oct. 27.

Dennis Rasmussen, Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen also scored for the Blackhawks.

Eric Nystrom had the Predators' lone goal.

Blues 4, Coyotes 1

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis continued its domination over Arizona with a come-from-behind win at Scottrade Center.

The Blues, winless in four of their previous five games, won their sixth successive contest against Arizona. They outscored the Coyotes 24-6 during the run.

Kevin Shattenkirk led the way with a goal and assist, while David Backes also had a goal and an assist and Jake Allen made 22 stops. Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen scored the Blues other goals.

Steve Downie scored Arizona's lone goal.

Capitals 3, Red Wings 2 (SO)

WASHINGTON -- T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored shootout goals on Washington's first two attempts in a win vs. Detroit.

Alex Ovechkin and Justin Williams scored in regulation for the Capitals and Marcus Johansson had two assists. Braden Holtby finished with 21 saves.

Henrik Zetterberg and Thomas Jurco scored for Detroit, which picked up at least a point in 11 straight games. Jimmy Howard stopped 38 shots.

Maple Leafs 3, Devils 2 (SO)

TORONTO -- Nazem Kadri scored the decisive goal in the shootout and Toronto defeated New Jersey.

It was the second win in a row for the Maple Leafs (10-13-5).

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and James van Riemsdyk scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs and Garret Sparks stopped 25 shots.

Lee Stempniak and Kyle Palmieri scored for the Devils while Cory Schneider made 36 saves.

Islanders 4, Flyers 3 (SO)

PHILADELPHIA -- The New York Islanders extended their point streak to eight games by taking down Philadelphia in a shootout at the Wells Fargo Center.

Kyle Okposo was the lone scorer in the skills competition to win it for the Islanders. Frans Nielsen scored a pair of goals and Brock Nelson scored one in regulation for New York.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan White and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers.

Senators 4, Panthers 2

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Mike Hoffman scored the game-winning goal with 5:37 left in the third period as Ottawa rallied to beat Florida at the BB&T Center.

Craig Anderson made 25 saves while Zack Smith, Kyle Turris and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also scored for the Senators.

Logan Shaw and Reilly Smith scored for the Panthers.

Kings 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Alec Martinez scored with 26.5 seconds remaining in overtime, giving Los Angeles a come-from-behind win over Columbus.

The Kings, who have won five straight, got regulation goals from Christian Ehrhoff and Jeff Carter, while goaltender Jonathan Quick finished with 20 saves.

Scott Hartnell and Matt Calvert scored goals for the Blue Jackets, who have won both meetings with Los Angeles this season. Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves before departing with an apparent upper-body injury late in the third period. That sent back-up Curtis McElhinney into his first action since Nov. 19. He allowed two goals on seven shots.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Bruins (13-9) at Canadiens (18-6)
Date: December 09, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens are in danger of their first three-game losing streak, and the struggles have been more about a lack of scoring than anything felt from the absence of Carey Price.

They've had no problem beating Boston in recent seasons, and the Bruins visit Wednesday night with the Canadiens hoping to right things with an eighth straight regular-season win in the series.

Coach Michel Therrien is also taking it as an opportunity to rework his team's lines as it continues to try to find the right mix in the absence of injured wingers Brendan Gallagher, Devante Smith-Pelly and Torrey Mitchell.

Sven Andrighetto, who scored in Saturday's 3-2 loss in Carolina, was moved to the top line Tuesday with Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk. The 22-year-old Andrighetto has three goals in seven games this season, and a line shuffling comes as no surprise with Montreal scoring two regulation goals in each game over a 2-2-1 span.

"I was really excited, and I'm still excited. To play alongside Pacioretty, one of the best players in the league is huge for me," Andrighetto told the team's official website. "... Personally it doesn't change a lot for my game. I have to be consistent in what I do, bring my speed to the line and still focus on the little details. Just keep it simple and it will all work out well."

Montreal (19-6-3) beat Boston 4-2 in the first two meetings this season and has won the last six by at least two goals. The Canadiens have won 12 of 13 in the series with 3.31 goals per game.

"The first time that we played against them, we didn't have a good game at all," Boston's Ryan Spooner told the team's official website. "Last game, I actually thought it was one of our best games of the year. They're skilled and they're fast, so as a team I think we have to try and slow them down and be good in the neutral zone. So I think that's our focus."

Montreal's Lars Eller has three goals in the first two meetings, Thomas Plekanec and David Desharnais have scored in both, and Pacioretty has five goals and four assists over the six straight multigoal wins. Galchenyuk has five assists in this season's meetings as he grows accustomed to playing center. That'll again evolve alongside new linemates.

"I'm definitely very excited to play with Patch, he's a great player to play with," Galchenyuk said. "I think both of those guys are really quick, so it will be my job to create that space for them and make sure that I find a way to give them the puck when they are at top speed."

Boston (14-9-3) remains 10 points back of the Atlantic Division-leading Canadiens after Monday's 3-2 home loss to Nashville. The Bruins blew two leads, particularly unacceptable considering chances have been limited with 39 shots in the last two games.

"It was tough," Spooner said. "... I mean, 17 shots or something like that is definitely not enough when they had like 34 or something like that."

Jonas Gustavsson faced the Predators, so Tuukka Rask figures to return after shutting out Vancouver on Saturday to improve to 4-0-2 with a 1.71 goals-against average since last losing in regulation. Rask has a 2.89 GAA and .901 save percentage over a 1-8-2 span in the Montreal series.

The Canadiens will again start Mike Condon, who is 2-2-1 with a 2.22 GAA since Price went down Nov. 25 with his latest lower-body injury. The rookie made 29 saves in the latest win over Boston on Nov. 7.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sharks (13-13) at Oilers (9-15)
Date: December 09, 2015 9:30 PM EDT

An impressive stretch at home has the Edmonton Oilers overcoming a slew of injuries in an effort to turn their season around.

The Oilers aim for their longest winning streak at Rexall Place in almost eight years Wednesday night when they try to send the San Jose Sharks to a fifth straight defeat.

Edmonton (11-15-2) lost superstar rookie forward Connor McDavid to a broken clavicle five weeks ago and has since lost forwards Nail Yakupov (ankle) and Benoit Pouliot (lower body) and defenseman Andrew Ference (undisclosed). Left wing Rob Klinkhammer (leg) was already out, and there's no timetable for a return for any of them.

The Oilers are 6-7-2 without McDavid but have won four straight at home, including the first three of this five-game homestand after beating Buffalo 4-2 on Sunday.

They last won five straight as host during a seven-game run from Feb. 4-March 2, 2008.

"It's nice to win (these games) in a row at home," left wing Taylor Hall said. "That's a big boost for our group. You look at the standings and we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be. As we start getting bodies back it's important for us to stay in it."

Hall leads Edmonton with 11 goals and 17 assists, but he's done a lot of that damage at home with seven and 11. He has three of each over the last four games there after getting two points Sunday.

Hall, though, has one assist over his last five meetings with San Jose (14-13-0), and he was pointless in a 3-1 home loss April 9.

Jordan Eberle was also held off the score sheet in that matchup after collecting nine goals and 11 assists over the previous 19. Of his five goals this season, the right wing has scored four at home with all of them coming over the last five games.

The Sharks have been outscored 14-6 while losing four in a row after falling 4-2 at Calgary on Tuesday, opening an eight-game stretch with seven on the road.

"It's disappointing when you beat yourself," coach Peter DeBoer told the team's official website. "We took eight minor penalties and handed them another couple goals on odd-man rushes - uncharacteristic stuff for us that we've got to clean up."

San Jose hasn't lost five games in a row since Oct. 30-Nov. 10, 2013.

Joe Pavelski leads the Sharks with 12 goals and 13 assists, but his season-high goal-scoring drought reached six games Tuesday. He went seven games without a goal in March 2014.

Pavelski has 15 goals and 33 points in 36 career meetings with the Oilers but no points in his last two visits to Edmonton.

Patrick Marleau has 32 points in 35 games at Rexall. He scored the first of San Jose's three goals in the third period April 9, giving him five goals with four assists over the last seven games there.

It's unclear if Martin Jones or Alex Stalock will start in goal. Jones has lost three straight games with a 3.39 goals-against average and was pulled early in the second period Tuesday after allowing three goals on 14 shots.

Stalock stopped 18 of 19 attempts the rest of the way, but he's 2-3-0 with a 3.63 GAA in five starts.

They've both had success against the Oilers with Jones compiling a 1.01 GAA while winning two of three games. Stalock has the same record with a 1.68 GAA in three matchups.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rangers (17-7) at Canucks (9-11)
Date: December 09, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

A year ago, a trip through Western Canada solved the New York Rangers' woes. They're looking for history to repeat itself.

The Rangers attempt to begin this Canadian jaunt with another win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

New York (18-7-3) had dropped eight of 14 games before winning 5-1 at Vancouver (10-11-8) on Dec. 13 last year, following it with victories at Edmonton and Calgary over the next three days. Sweeping the trip through British Columbia and Alberta was part of the Rangers' eight-game winning streak that turned around their season, which ended with a Presidents' Trophy.

This four-day trip has the games in the same order, and New York is in a similar position after going 2-4-1 over its last seven games.

The Rangers have a 12-2 scoring edge while winning three straight road games against the Canucks.

"We had success on this same trip last year by coming out early, and I think it really helped," center Dominic Moore told the team's official website. "It's not easy coming all the way out here and sweeping this trip. We take it as a challenge and we're a team that likes challenges."

Like last season, the Rangers open this trip coming off a victory. They beat Ottawa 4-1 on Sunday following a pair of 2-1 defeats to the New York Islanders and Colorado, respectively.

"We've been better in many areas, notably with our puck possession and the decisions we've been making with the puck," said Alain Vigneault, who will coach in his 999th career game. "We're on the right track, I think, and I see a mindset from our group to continue that."

Derick Brassard has five points in the last four games, matching his total from the previous 12. The center had a season-high two goals Sunday, and he had a pair of assists at Vancouver last season.

He has five assists in the last four meetings.

Henrik Lundqvist has a 0.50 goals-against average while winning his last four starts against the Canucks, posting two shutouts.

Lundqvist has stopped 59 of 61 shots in his last two starts after a three-game stretch in which he had a 4.29 GAA.

"It's about building confidence," Lundqvist said. "The last few games we've been moving in the right direction. Step by step we are building something and we are coming closer to where we need to be."

The Canucks are hoping the same applies to them after winning 5-2 over visiting Buffalo on Monday, ending a five-game slide with just their fourth win in 17 tries.

"It's a good feeling for sure coming in here and seeing a lot of smiles on guys that haven't been scoring," captain Henrik Sedin said. "Hopefully we can build on this one."

Sedin has 14 points in the past 11 games after scoring against the Sabres. He has only three points in six career home matchups with the Rangers but did score twice in the teams' last meeting, Vancouver's 5-4 shootout win in New York on Feb. 19.

Ryan Miller won that day but is 1-3-0 with a 4.13 GAA in his last five games against the Rangers. He should be back in net after making 32 saves Monday.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (13-10) at Avalanche (12-15)
Date: December 09, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Pascal Dupuis has spent the majority of the last two years recovering in an attempt to continue playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He realized the health risks aren't worth trying to keep his career alive.

The Penguins try to move on from the loss of their veteran winger when they complete a four-game road trip Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.

Dupuis tore his ACL in December 2013 and was diagnosed with a blood clot the next month, forcing him to take blood thinners for the next six months during his rehab.

He played 16 games in 2014-15 before being diagnosed with a clot in his lungs that forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Dupuis has played 18 times this season while taking blood thinners, but he's had to come out of several of those games because he wasn't feeling well and had to undergo additional testing.

Dupuis announced Tuesday that he can no longer continue playing because of the persisting issues. The Penguins (14-10-2) will place him on long-term injured reserve and continue to pay his salary.

"It was very difficult for me to make this decision to have to step away from the game," Dupuis told the team's official website. "My wife and four children have always been my first priority, and playing with my condition has become a constant worry for all of us. I want to thank my teammates and the Penguins organization for their unwavering support during this difficult time."

Dupuis wasn't able to go out on a high note, with his final games being Saturday's 5-3 loss to Los Angeles and Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Anaheim. He's now forced to watch as Pittsburgh tries to overcome another rough patch.

It has gone 1-4-1 since Nov. 27 and struggled offensively over the weekend. Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz assisted on Olli Maatta's first-period goal against the Ducks, but the Penguins registered 24 shots on net after finishing with a season-low 20 against the Kings.

Evgeni Malkin went without a point in both games after having five goals and three assists in his previous four.

"I thought the effort was fine, but we have to execute still," coach Mike Johnston said. "When you have an open opportunity, because you don't get many of them, you've got to execute on those plays."

Crosby and Malkin scored in a 4-3 win over Colorado on Nov. 19. Matt Duchene scored twice for the Avalanche in that meeting, and he assisted on John Mitchell's overtime goal in Monday's 2-1 win over Minnesota.

Duchene has 13 goals and 10 assists over his last 18 after having one goal and one assist in his first 10.

The Avalanche (12-15-1) have won three of four, holding the opposition to one goal in each game save for Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Wild.

"I was really pleased with the way we played defensively," coach Patrick Roy said Monday. "We had to bounce back with a performance like this. Everyone had to fight for that inch of space out there. That was the type of game I wanted to see from our team."

Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves, but Reto Berra will be in net for this one. Berra, who lost the first meeting with the Penguins, hasn't started since making 27 saves in a 2-1 win at New Jersey on Dec. 1.

Marc-Andre Fleury, 7-2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average in his last nine against the Avalanche, could go for Pittsburgh.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) VANCOUVER | 2015-12-09 22:05:00 - 2015-12-09 22:05:00
Play ON NY RANGERS using money line in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 15 Wins and 2 Losses for the last two seasons (+14.3 units)

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) VANCOUVER | 2015-12-09 22:05:00 - 2015-12-09 22:05:00
Play AGAINST VANCOUVER using money line in All games after a win by 2 goals or more
The record is 0 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (-7.5 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) VANCOUVER | 2015-12-09 22:05:00 - 2015-12-09 22:05:00
Play ON NY RANGERS in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 15 Wins and 2 Losses for the last two seasons (+14.3 units)

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) VANCOUVER | 2015-12-09 22:05:00 - 2015-12-09 22:05:00
Play AGAINST VANCOUVER in All games after a win by 2 goals or more
The record is 0 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (-7.5 units)

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

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (1) BOSTON@ (2) MONTREAL | 2015-12-09 19:35:00 - 2015-12-09 19:35:00
Play OVER BOSTON on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season
The record is 10 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+9.1 units)

NHL > (1) BOSTON@ (2) MONTREAL | 2015-12-09 19:35:00 - 2015-12-09 19:35:00
Play OVER BOSTON on the totalin All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 10 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+9.1 units)

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) VANCOUVER | 2015-12-09 22:05:00 - 2015-12-09 22:05:00
Play UNDER NY RANGERS on the totalin All games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 1 Overs and 8 Unders for the this season (+7.45 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Recapping last nights action:


NBA............... 5 - 4
CBB................10 - 4 - 0
NHL................4 - 4


WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BOS at MON 07:30 PM

MON -134 DOUBLE PLAY

O 5.5 DOUBLE PLAY



SJ at EDM 09:30 PM

SJ -119

O 5.5 DOUBLE PLAY



PIT at COL 10:00 PM

COL +106 DOUBLE PLAY

U 5.0



NYR at VAN 10:00 PM

VAN +105 TRIPLE PLAY

O 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Milwaukee 68, Wisconsin 67-- Panthers ended 22-game series losing streak.

-- Dayton 72, Vanderbilt 67-- Flyers building a solid at-large resume.

-- Grizzlies 93, Pistons 92-- Matt Barnes stuck half-court shot with 0:01.1 left.

-- Pirates traded 2B Neil Walker to the Mets for P Jon Niese.

-- Mets signed SS Asdrubal Cabrera, have new DP combo with Walker.

-- A's traded 3B Brett Lawrie to White Sox for couple of pitching prospects.

**********

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

13) Why is Steph Curry such a great shooter? He works his ass off, thats why. He says he makes between 200-350 shots every day during the season and probably a lot more in the offseason. He once made 77 3-pointers in a row at a practice. You aren't born that way; if more players practiced this much, they'd shoot a lot better.

12) Cool trivia; Don Sutton is in baseball's Hall of Fame; his career record in the majors was 324-256. Turns out he lost one game in high school; the opposing pitcher in his one loss was Kenny Stabler, the great Raiders' quarterback.

11) I was in a deli for a sandwich earlier this week; guy at the register has the biggest arms I've ever seen, like one of the WWE wrestlers on TV. Turns out the guy is a pro bodybuilder but apparently there isn't a whole lot of money in that. Go figure.

10) Orioles offered Chris Davis a 7-year deal for $150M; how on God's green earth does he turn that down? Apparently Davis wants eight years, $200M. Granted, he hit 47 HRs with 117 RBI LY but that was playing half his games in Baltimore's closet of a ballpark. His numbers would go down most anywhere else. Just take the money.

9) Heisman Trophy is one of the most overrated things on earth; in what other sport is the Player of the Year award talked about so much?

8) Five years ago, Conference USA was the #8 basketball league in America; now, it is the #22 league, as the football maneuvering has crippled the basketball part. The mid-major leagues that are basketball-only have mostly all passed by C-USA.

7) Was pretty cool seeing Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton at courtside Tuesday nite watching UConn playing Maryland at Madison Square Garden. Those guys made ton of money playing in the NBA, but still took out time to cheer on the alma mater.

6) Paris Hotel is Las Vegas is getting a 10,000 square foot beer garden above Hexx restaurant that will seat up to 500 people. One thing about Las Vegas is places are always being improved/added. If you like to eat/drink, Vegas is where to go.

5) I think the NFL makes a mistake fining players for celebration penalties; I don't think it is a deterrent. My suggestion is to still throw flags for celebrations but get rid of the fines- it gives the media too easy a chance to rip the league ("No Fun League"). Let the players act out after they score TDs, let the coaches police things after player gets a penalty for being a selfish human.

4) If the Browns fire Mike Pettine this winter, they'll have their sixth head coach in nine years next season- this is no way to run a business, especially one worth close to $1B, thats billion with a B. Hire a coach, give him five years to run his program and recruit free agents-- things couldn't be worse than they are in Cleveland right now.

3) SMU has a good basketball team; they pounded Michigan by 24 the other night, but the Mustangs aren't going to the postseason this year because they committed academic fraud. Larry Brown was out of college coaching for 25 years, mostly because he put his last school (Kansas) on probation too. Hmmm....

2) Not only does Big X play a 9-game conference football schedule, now they're going to have to play at least one other Power 5 game every year. My guess is the phones at Vanderbilt, Purdue and Wake Forest are going to be ringing off the hook soon, since they're the perennial doormats in the other Power 5 leagues. .

1) I'm genuinely concerned that if Donald Trump became President, we would have a civil war in this country; you can't have a leader who openly insults more than half the citizens. Part of me thinks he is saying outrageous stuff on purpose so he will lose, but no matter what he does, he doesn't drop in the polls. Weird thing.

No matter what, some day all this is going to make one hell of a movie.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, December 10

Hot teams
-- Ottawa won three of its last four games.
-- Red Wings won three of last four games.
-- Washington won five of its last six games.
-- Philly won last three road games, allowing five goals.
-- Winnipeg won three of last four home games.
-- Calgary won last three games, scoring 13 goals.

Cold teams
-- Lightning lost three of last five games.
-- Montreal lost four of its last five games.
-- Florida lost four of its last five home games.
-- Predators lost eight of last 11 games. Chicago lost four of its last five road games.
-- St Louis lost three of last four games.
-- Columbus lost four of its last five games.
-- Sabres lost nine of their last twelve games.

Series records
-- Lightning is 6-4 in its last ten games with Ottawa.
-- Red Wings lost their last seven games with Montreal.
-- Panthers lost eight of last ten games with Washington.
-- Chicago won seven of last nine games with Nashville.
-- Blues won four of last six games with Philly.
-- Jets won four of last five games with Columbus.
-- Flames won three of last four games with Buffalo

Totals
-- Six of last eight Ottawa games went over total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Detroit games.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Florida games.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Chicago-Nashville games.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Philly games.
-- Under is 8-1-2 in last eleven Columbus games.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Buffalo games.

Back-to-backs
-- Canadiens are 4-1 if they played the night before.