Announcement

**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 07:41 AM

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.

**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 07:42 AM

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.

**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 07:45 AM

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

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**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 08:57 AM

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)

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**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 09:01 AM

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

**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 09:29 AM

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.

**Udog** · 12-09-2015, 12:01 PM

NHL

Wednesday, December 9

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Game of the Day: Bruins at Canadiens
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The Bruins have won just five times in the previous 21 meetings with the Canadiens.

Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (-135, 5.0)

The Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Canadiens look to avoid a season-high third straight loss when they host the Atlantic Division-rival Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Montreal has dropped three of its last four - falling to New Jersey in overtime on Nov. 28 and, after edging Columbus, to Washington and Carolina in regulation on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

All three defeats were 3-2 decisions and with rookie Mike Condon in net as reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price recovers from a lower-body injury that is believed to be knee-related. Boston also has lost three of its last four, with all three defeats being of the one-goal variety and two ending beyond regulation. Two of the setbacks also were 3-2 decisions, including a home contest against Nashville on Monday that ended its eight-game point streak (6-0-2). Montreal has won each of the first two meetings between the Original Six rivals by a 4-2 score - in Boston on Oct. 10 and at home on Nov. 7.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, RSN, RDS (Montreal)

INJURY REPORT:

Bruins - LW Joonas Kemppainen (Out, undisclosed), RW David Pastrnak (Out indefinitely, foot), C Chris Kelly (Out indefinitely, leg).

Canadiens - G Carey Price (Mid January, leg), RW Brendan Gallagher (Early January, finger), RW Zach Kassian (Out indefinitely, suspension), RW Devante Smith-Pelly (I-R, lower body), LW Alexander Semin (I-R, lower body), C Torrey Mitchell (I-R, lower body).

ABOUT THE BRUINS (14-9-3): Loui Eriksson netted his team-leading sixth power-play tally Monday, ending his seven-game goal-scoring drought. The 30-year-old Swede had not scored since recording a hat trick on Nov. 19 against Minnesota. Patrice Bergeron needs one point to pass Milt Schmidt (575) for sole possession of 11th place on the franchise list.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (19-6-3): Alexander Semin cleared waivers Tuesday and was assigned to St. John's of the American Hockey League. The 31-year-old Russian right wing has registered just one goal and three assists in 15 games during his first season with Montreal after netting only six tallies in 57 contests with Carolina last campaign. To replace him on the roster, the Canadiens recalled left wing Charles Hudon, who has yet to make his NHL debut.

TRENDS:

* Bruins are 0-4 in the last four meetings in Montreal.
* Bruins are 5-16 in the last 21 meetings.
* Bruins are 6-0 in their last six vs. Eastern Conference.
* Under is 1-0-4 in Canadiens last five vs. Eastern Conference.

CONSENSUS: Bettors like the Habs in this Original Six rivalry, with 68 percent of wagers backing Montreal. As for the totals market, 59 percent of wagers are on the over.

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Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/9

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/9

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