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

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


OTT at LA 04:00 PM

OTT +185 BEST BET

O 5.0


TOR at BOS 07:00 PM

BOS -172

O 5.5


COL at CLB 07:00 PM

COL +100 BEST BET

U 5.5


MON at STL 07:00 PM

STL -114

O 5.0


WAS at BUF 07:00 PM

WAS -169

O 5.0


MIN at NAS 08:00 PM

MIN +115

U 5.0


CAL at EDM 10:00 PM

CAL -106

O 5.5


DAL at SJ 10:30 PM

SJ -127

O 5.5 BEST BET

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Get well soon to ESPN's Chris Mortenen, who has taken a leave of absence so he can get treatment for throat cancer. We obviously wish him well.

-- Orioles signed Chris Davis for seven years, $161M. Good deal for both sides.

-- Royals signed Ian Kennedy for five years, $70M. Pitchers rake in the cash.

-- Scumweasel agent Scott Boras did roughly $300M in deals in a 48-hour span late this week. 4% of $300M is $12M or so-- pretty good week's work.

-- Tennessee Titans made interim coach Mike Mularkey their full-time coach.

-- Our thoughts and prayers to singer Celine Dion, who lost her husband to cancer this week, then lost her brother to the same disease 48 hours later.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday......

13) Cardinals 26, Packers 20 OT-- Tremendous drama at the end. Some thoughts:

-- No matter what, Aaron Rodgers is freakin' awesome.
-- Football coaches try to get cute with clock mamagement and wind up looking like stupid people. Sometimes being conservative is the right play.
-- Media has to be happy that the possibility of a trip to Green Bay next week is out.
-- How hard is it to flip a coin? How do you do it without the coin turning over?
-- For the last 24 years, Green Bay has had Favre/Rodgers at QB, two Hall of Famers. They've won two Super Bowls, which has to be described as underachieving.
-- Mike McCarthy has lost seven playoff games, five on the last play of the game.

12) Really a fun day, watching college basketball for 13 hours, except for Cardinal game mixed in there. I'm not sure what the right word is, but it is hard to tell what will happen from one day to the next. Parity-unpredictability-mediocrity?

11) Oklahoma 70, West Virginia 68-- If these teams played for the national title, it wouldn't be a big shock. Really high level game. Kenpom.com has Big X with three of the five best teams in the country-- these two plus Kansas.

10) VCU 94, Richmond 89 OT-- Game seems like it was two days ago, but it was a 2pm game. Neighborhood rivalries are awesome; these schools are five miles apart.

Richmond had a 2-point lead and the ball with 1:47 left in regulation; they come out of a timeout with six men on the floor-- one-shot technical foul. Game winds up going to OT and Richmond lost-- coach Mooney's brush-by handshake with Will Wade was not very friendly. The rematch at VCU will be interesting.

9) Clemson 76, Miami 65-- In last seven days, Tigers beat Louisville-Duke-Miami, all at home. At some point they have to go on the road, but what a week!!!!

8) Notre Dame 95, Duke 91-- Duke can't defend because if they get in foul trouble, they're screwed since they have zero depth- six good players. Irish have now won four of their last five games against the Blue Devils.

7) North Carolina 67, NC State 55-- This is hard to believe, but Tar Heels are 5-0 in the ACC for the first time in fifteen years.

6) Gambling is hard: 76ers won by 25 last night. Golden State lost by 18.

5) Gambling is hard, part 2: Florida Atlantic 63, Louisiana Tech 61-- Tech (-5.5) was up 20 at the half, but lost to the 4-14 Owls. Oy.

4) Virginia Tech 78, Georgia Tech 77-- Buzz Williams has Hokies 4-1 in the ACC, with all four wins by 1 or 2 points or in OT.

3) Auburn 75, Kentucky 70-- This will help Bruce Pearl's recruiting down the road, but his team is really banged-up right now.

2) LSU 76, Arkansas 74-- ESPN has to shut up about Ben Simmons; he is a kid who will be a great player when he grows into an adult, but that is not this year. To listen to ESPN's voices, you'd think he was Magic Johnson right now. He is not, but he will be very wealthy this summer, when he is the first pick in the NBA Draft.

Apparently, Simmons' "high school" team in Australia didn't play home/away games like teams do here; they played in all neutral court tournaments, so Simmons is not used to playing home games where fans root like hell for you, or road games, where fans work like hell to distract you or irritate you. He is learning a lot this year.

1) This college basketball season is summed up by this fact: the only unbeaten team in Division I can not go to their conference tourney or the NCAAs, because their coach is a serial cheater. If SMU finishes 30-0, will it put a cloud over March?

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, January 17

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CAROLINA (20-18-0-8, 48 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (20-16-0-7, 47 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 15-41 ATS (+73.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 3 seasons.
CAROLINA is 5-14 ATS (+19.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
PITTSBURGH is 64-66 ATS (-14.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 78-102 ATS (-43.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 23-33 ATS (-26.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 13-31 ATS (-31.0 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 6-10 ATS (-10.8 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 30-28 ATS (-13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 5-5 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-5-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.4 Units)

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VANCOUVER (18-17-0-10, 46 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (24-15-0-5, 53 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 4:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 0-5 ATS (-5.8 Units) on Sunday games this season.
VANCOUVER is 6-16 ATS (+24.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 9-1 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games in non-conference games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 3-1 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 3-1-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)

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FLORIDA (26-13-0-5, 57 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (23-17-0-4, 50 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 5:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 189-200 ATS (+471.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
FLORIDA is 26-18 ATS (+7.7 Units) in all games this season.
FLORIDA is 10-3 ATS (+13.0 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 19-12 ATS (+33.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 6-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 7-3 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 7-3-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.1 Units)

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NY RANGERS (24-15-0-5, 53 pts.) at WASHINGTON (33-8-0-3, 69 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 10-8 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 10-8-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

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MONTREAL (23-18-0-4, 50 pts.) at CHICAGO (30-13-0-4, 64 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-1 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 4-1-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)

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PHILADELPHIA (19-15-0-8, 46 pts.) at DETROIT (23-14-0-7, 53 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 5-17 ATS (+25.4 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 14-4 ATS (+8.0 Units) in January games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 14-8 ATS (+23.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 3-10 ATS (-12.6 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 9-13 ATS (-10.5 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 91-98 ATS (-88.1 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
DETROIT is 4-9 ATS (-8.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 4-2 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 4-2-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.2 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (27-13-0-3, 57 pts.) at ANAHEIM (19-17-0-7, 45 pts.) - 1/17/2016, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 11-6 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 11-6-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.3 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, January 17

Hot teams
-- Carolina won four of its last five games.
-- Islanders won three of last four home games.
-- Lightning won its last four games.
-- Washington won five of its last six games.
-- Blackhawks won their last ten games.
-- Red Wings won five of last six games. Philly won four of its last five games.
-- Kings won seven of their last nine games. Anaheim won three of its last four.

Cold teams
-- Penguins lost four of their last five games.
-- Vancouver is 0-4 in game following its last four wins.
-- Florida lost last two games, 3-2ot/6-0 after winning nine in row before that.
-- Rangers lost four of their last six road games.
-- Montreal lost eight of its last eleven games.

Series records
-- Carolina won five of last seven games with Pittsburgh.
-- Islanders lost five of last six games with Vancouver.
-- Lightning is 7-3 in last ten games with Florida, but lost last two.
-- Washington won 4-3ot/7-3 in last two games with Rangers.
-- Canadiens lost their last four games with Chicago.
-- Flyers won four of last five games with Detroit.
-- Ducks won four of last five games with the Kings.

Totals
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Carolina-Pittsburgh games.
-- Under is 4-0-6 in Vancouver's last ten games. Yes, 4-0-6.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Florida games.
-- Four of last five Ranger-Washington games went over.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Chicago games.
-- Five of last six Philly-Detroit games went over.
-- Five of last six Los Angeles games stayed under.

Back-to-backs
-- Rangers 5-4 (1-2 on road) if they played night before. Washington is 5-2
-- Montreal is 5-4 if it played the night before.
-- Philadelphia is 1-3 if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Sunday, January 17

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
CAROLINA vs. PITTSBURGH
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Carolina is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

4:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. NY ISLANDERS
Vancouver is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games at home
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver

5:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. TAMPA BAY
Florida is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games when playing Tampa Bay
Florida is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Florida

5:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Rangers are 8-15 SU in their last 23 games
NY Rangers are 2-10 SU in their last 12 games on the road
Washington is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers

7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. CHICAGO
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 15 games at home

7:30 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. DETROIT
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

9:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. ANAHEIM
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, January 17


Carolina @ Pittsburgh

Game 1-2
January 17, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Carolina
10.612
Pittsburgh
12.113
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-165); Over

Vancouver @ NY Islanders

Game 3-4
January 17, 2016 @ 4:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vancouver
10.201
NY Islanders
12.776
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 2 1/2
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Islanders
-175
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(-175); Under

Florida @ Tampa Bay

Game 5-6
January 17, 2016 @ 5:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
12.103
Tampa Bay
10.772
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
(+125); Under

NY Rangers @ Washington

Game 7-8
January 17, 2016 @ 5:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
12.512
Washington
11.406
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Rangers
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
N/A

Montreal @ Chicago

Game 9-10
January 17, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
11.122
Chicago
12.614
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A

Philadelphia @ Detroit

Game 11-12
January 17, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
10.202
Detroit
12.612
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 2 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(-165); Over

Los Angeles @ Anaheim

Game 13-14
January 17, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
12.512
Anaheim
11.106
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1 1/2
3 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
N/A

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (1) CAROLINA@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-01-17 15:05:00 - 2016-01-17 15:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH using money line in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 13 Wins and 31 Losses for the last two seasons (-31.15 units)

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in Home games after a non-conference game
The record is 11 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+11 units)

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 16 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+13.75 units)

NHL > (11) PHILADELPHIA@ (12) DETROIT | 2016-01-17 19:35:00 - 2016-01-17 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 24 Wins and 32 Losses for the last three seasons (-28.95 units)

NHL > (11) PHILADELPHIA@ (12) DETROIT | 2016-01-17 19:35:00 - 2016-01-17 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT using money line in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 3 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.5 units)

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) WASHINGTON | 2016-01-17 17:05:00 - 2016-01-17 17:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON using money line in all games
The record is 33 Wins and 11 Losses for the this season (+17.45 units)

NHL > (1) CAROLINA@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-01-17 15:05:00 - 2016-01-17 15:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH using money line in Home games vs. division opponents
The record is 8 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.7 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (1) CAROLINA@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-01-17 15:05:00 - 2016-01-17 15:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 13 Wins and 31 Losses for the last two seasons (-31.15 units)

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in Home games after a non-conference game
The record is 11 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+11 units)

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 16 Wins and 2 Losses for the this season (+13.75 units)

NHL > (11) PHILADELPHIA@ (12) DETROIT | 2016-01-17 19:35:00 - 2016-01-17 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT in Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 24 Wins and 32 Losses for the last three seasons (-28.95 units)

NHL > (11) PHILADELPHIA@ (12) DETROIT | 2016-01-17 19:35:00 - 2016-01-17 19:35:00
Play AGAINST DETROIT in Home games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 3 Wins and 10 Losses for the last two seasons (-13.5 units)

NHL > (7) NY RANGERS@ (8) WASHINGTON | 2016-01-17 17:05:00 - 2016-01-17 17:05:00
Play ON WASHINGTON in all games
The record is 33 Wins and 11 Losses for the this season (+17.45 units)

NHL > (1) CAROLINA@ (2) PITTSBURGH | 2016-01-17 15:05:00 - 2016-01-17 15:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in Home games vs. division opponents
The record is 8 Wins and 14 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.7 units)

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

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 10 Overs and 35 Unders for the last two seasons (+25.35 units)

NHL > (9) MONTREAL@ (10) CHICAGO | 2016-01-17 19:05:00 - 2016-01-17 19:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin Home games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Overs and 19 Unders for the last two seasons (+14.7 units)

NHL > (11) PHILADELPHIA@ (12) DETROIT | 2016-01-17 19:35:00 - 2016-01-17 19:35:00
Play UNDER DETROIT on the totalin All games when playing with 2 days rest
The record is 1 Overs and 8 Unders for the this season (+7.35 units)

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


CAR at PIT 03:00 PM

PIT -155


VAN at NYI 04:00 PM

VAN +156 BEST BET


NYR at WAS 05:00 PM

WAS -170


FLA at TB 05:00 PM

TB -146


MON at CHI 07:00 PM

CHI -189


PHI at DET 07:30 PM

DET -153


LA at ANA 09:00 PM

LA +100 BEST BET

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

-- Nike/Ohio State signed a 15-year, $252M extension with Ohio State, clinching the fact that Brutus Buckeye will be wearing the swoosh for the next two decades.

-- Wisconsin 77, Michigan State 76-- Second loss in a row for the Spartans.

-- Bulls F Joakim Noah is out 4-6 months after shoulder surgery.

-- Florida State hooper Malik Beasley's mom Deena is an actress who was in one of the Hunger Games movies.

-- Former Michigan coach Brady Hoke is the new defensive coordinator at Oregon.

-- Conference title odds for next Sunday:
New England (-3, 44.5) @ Denver........ Arizona @ Carolina (-3, 47)

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend.......

13) Utah 59, Oregon State 53-- I'm leading with this because with 2:56 left in a tie game, Oregon State's Jarmal Reid tripped an official on purpose as play moved to the other end of the floor-- the official (former NBA ref Tommy Nunez) called a technical and Utah went on to win 59-53.

Beavers had taken a 52-50 lead with 5:28 left, but scored only one point the rest of the game and fell to 2-3 in Pac-12 play. Mr Reid is going to be suspended for multiple games, I am pretty sure. Utah outscored OSU 18-5 on the foul line, but thats life on the road a lot of the time. No excuse for losing your poise like that.

12) Panthers 31, Seahawks 24-- Game was 31-0 at the half.; Seahawks fought back, but the hill was too steep to climb. Carolina remains vastly underrated at 16-1.

11) Broncos 23, Steelers 16-- Peyton Manning has been in playoffs 15 times; he is now 6-9 in the first playoff game of a season. Tom Brady is 11-2 in such games. That said, Manning is 4-1 in the second playoff game of a season.

10) Of the eight QBs who started in playoff games this weekend, six were drafted in the first round; only Brady and Russell Wilson were not.

9) Steelers kicker Chris Boswell went to college at Rice, where his roommate and holder for kicks during Owls games was one of Gary Kubiak's sons. Small world.

8) Been reading a lot about offensive gurus who become NFL head coaches; seems like the "fun" part of the job is calling plays, the technical football stuff, but when you become a head coach, lot of that gets delegated to assistants, while the head coach does a ton of media stuff and CEO/administration-type stuff, the less fun part.

Will be interesting to see if Hue Jackson/Dirk Koetter/Ben McAdoo continue to call plays or if the weight of all that becomes too much and play calling gets passed off. When Mike Martz became coach of the Rams, it was a problem because he was poor with interpersonal relationships-- he was a genius play caller, but not much else.

7) Tennessee Titans are hiring Bobby April as special teams coach; Titans will be 9th of 32 NFL teams that April has been special teams coach for.

6) Interesting discussion on Golf Channel during the Hawaiian Open this weekend as to whether you can practice golf too much. 52-year old Vijay Singh was playing well and he practices so much, that is why it all came up. The consensus seemed to be that for most golfers, there are diminishing returns to excessive practice, but it works for Singh, who continues to compete with the younger guys.

5) Odd golf stat: Only once in the last six years has Adam Scott finished in the top 100 on Tour in putting. How can someone who is so good struggle so much to putt?

4) Unsuual that the 18th hole at Wailea CC is a par-5, don't see that a lot on Tour. Makes for more interesting ends to tournaments; guys can get eagles to finish up.

3) Single digit underdogs were 50-29 vs spread in college hoop Saturday/Sunday, as a season of unexpected outcomes continues.

2) Florida State 69, Virginia 62-- Highly touted Cavaliers are 0-3 on ACC road, with losses to Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State- they still have to go to Louisville, Duke and Pitt. Seminoles remain a difficult team to figure out.

1) Serious question that came up this weekend: If a little kid is left alone to play by him/herself, is he/she more likely to develop a good imagination, or does that not matter? Some people think that kids have so many structured activities that it inhibits their ability to think freely as they become adults. I hadn't thought a lot about it until yesterday.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, January 18

Hot teams
-- Winnipeg won its last two games, 5-4ot/1-0.
-- St Louis won three of its last four games.
-- Buffalo won three of its last four games.
-- San Jose won its last five games.

Cold teams
-- Edmonton lost four of its last five games. Panthers lost their last three games.
-- Colorado lost three of its last four games.
-- Penguins lost four of their last six games.
-- Arizona lost its last two games, 3-2ot/2-0.
-- Ottawa lost eight of its last twelve games.

Series records
-- Oilers won six of last eight games with Florida.
-- Avalanche won four of last five games with Winnipeg.
-- Blues are 5-3 in their last eight games with Pittsburgh.
-- Sabres won four of last five games with Arizona.
-- Senators won their last three games with San Jose.

Totals
-- Under is 7-2-2 in last eleven Florida games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Winnipeg games.
-- Over is 4-1-2 in last seven St Louis games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Arizona games.
-- Over is 9-3-1 in last thirteen San Jose games.

Back-to-backs
-- Florida is 4-3 if it played night before; teams are 2-5 night after playing Tampa Bay.
-- Pittsburgh is 2-7 if it played night before; teams are 4-2 on road nite after playing Carolina.




NHL

Monday, January 18

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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7:30 PM
EDMONTON vs. FLORIDA
Edmonton is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Florida's last 9 games when playing Edmonton
Florida is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing Edmonton

8:00 PM
COLORADO vs. WINNIPEG
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing Colorado
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado

8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Pittsburgh's last 23 games on the road
St. Louis is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
St. Louis is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

9:00 PM
BUFFALO vs. ARIZONA
Buffalo is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Buffalo is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games

10:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing San Jose
Ottawa is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 16 of San Jose's last 23 games
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, January 18


Edmonton @ Florida

Game 51-52
January 18, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
11.490
Florida
10.040
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
N/A

Colorado @ Winnipeg

Game 53-54
January 18, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
10.970
Winnipeg
9.455
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
-135
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+115); Under

Pittsburgh @ St. Louis

Game 55-56
January 18, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.944
St. Louis
12.558
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
N/A

Buffalo @ Arizona

Game 57-58
January 18, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Buffalo
11.091
Arizona
11.943
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arizona
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(-150); Under

Ottawa @ San Jose

Game 59-60
January 18, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
12.514
San Jose
11.721
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 1
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(+145); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, January 18

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

EDMONTON (18-23-0-5, 41 pts.) at FLORIDA (26-14-0-5, 57 pts.) - 1/18/2016, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-2 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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

COLORADO (22-21-0-3, 47 pts.) at WINNIPEG (21-21-0-3, 45 pts.) - 1/18/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 44-26 ATS (+70.3 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
COLORADO is 116-101 ATS (+13.1 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 58-43 ATS (+101.5 Units) in road games in January games since 1996.
COLORADO is 60-43 ATS (+16.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 9-4 ATS (+14.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
COLORADO is 49-37 ATS (+87.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 17-9 ATS (+26.4 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 28-19 ATS (+47.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 7-5 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 7-5-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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

PITTSBURGH (21-16-0-7, 49 pts.) at ST LOUIS (26-15-0-7, 59 pts.) - 1/18/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 3-2 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 3-2-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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

BUFFALO (18-23-0-4, 40 pts.) at ARIZONA (22-17-0-5, 49 pts.) - 1/18/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 10-3 ATS (+13.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
ARIZONA is 6-21 ATS (-16.1 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 3-14 ATS (+21.3 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 4-1 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
BUFFALO is 4-1-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.2 Units)

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

OTTAWA (21-18-0-6, 48 pts.) at SAN JOSE (23-18-0-2, 48 pts.) - 1/18/2016, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 26-42 ATS (-18.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 26-18 ATS (+45.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 12-16 ATS (-14.7 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 10-15 ATS (-16.3 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 2-7 ATS (-8.9 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
SAN JOSE is 12-15 ATS (-17.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 8-11 ATS (-15.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 3-2 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 3-2-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.5 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL TOTALS

NHL > (59) OTTAWA@ (60) SAN JOSE | 2016-01-18 22:35:00 - 2016-01-18 22:35:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games when playing against a team with a losing record
The record is 19 Overs and 6 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.85 units)

NHL > (59) OTTAWA@ (60) SAN JOSE | 2016-01-18 22:35:00 - 2016-01-18 22:35:00
Play OVER SAN JOSE on the totalin Home games in non-conference games
The record is 8 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+7.5 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Oilers (14-23) at Panthers (21-14)
Date: January 18, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

After following the longest winning streak in franchise history with one of their worst stretches of the season, the Florida Panthers are glad to finally be back home.

The suddenly slumping Panthers look to bounce back with an eighth consecutive home win Monday night in a matchup with the team they last defeated, the road-challenged Edmonton Oilers.

Florida (26-14-5) went into Edmonton as the NHL's hottest team on Jan. 10 and left with a 12th straight victory and third to start a lengthy six-game trip. The outcomes have been markedly different following that 2-1 win, as the Panthers lost in overtime to Vancouver and were routed 6-0 Wednesday in Calgary prior to Sunday's 3-1 setback to Tampa Bay.

The three-game losing streak - their longest since Nov. 19-23 - has coincided with star defenseman Aaron Ekblad sidelined with a suspected concussion, the result of a hit from Edmonton's Matt Hendricks that earned the Oilers forward a three-game suspension.

While payback may be on the Panthers' minds with Hendricks eligible to return, they're more concerned with reviving a lifeless power play that's 0 for 18 over the last seven games.

"It didn't hurt us during the winning streak, now it's hurting us," Jaromir Jagr said. "We have to fix it somehow. "When you're on a winning streak it looks like everything's easy. When you're on a losing streak it's the other way around. We have to stop it as soon as possible."

A four-game homestand should provide a boost as well. The Panthers were perfect on a six-game residency that preceded the trip and haven't lost in Sunrise since Dec. 8 during another franchise-best streak.

They'll begin the stretch against the league's worst road team in the Oilers, 5-14-4 as the visitor this season and 0-4-3 since a 3-2 overtime win at Boston on Dec. 14.

Edmonton (18-23-5) has won six straight on the road - four via shootout - in this series, however, and enters a three-game trip with some momentum gained from Saturday's 2-1 shootout victory over Calgary that halted an 0-2-2 skid. Cam Talbot continued his hot stretch with 31 saves and the Oilers were 5 for 5 on a penalty kill that hasn't yielded a goal in six of the last seven games.

'It was huge,' coach Todd McLellan said of the penalty kill. 'We spent eight of the first 24 (minutes) penalty killing. That's the game right there, they get two or three and ... we're not exactly scoring a lot of goals right now, so that's the game."

The Oilers have generated only 22 goals over their last 14 games, with Taylor Hall recording one and Jordan Eberle two over that span. Neither has one in their past six.

Florida has just five goals over its last four after amassing 36 over the first 11 wins of its record streak.

Roberto Luongo also has regressed of late, registering a 3.80 goals-against average during the skid after posting a 1.31 mark over nine consecutive wins - a club record for a goaltender. The veteran may give way Monday to Al Montoya, who's permitted one goal in winning five straight starts and had 24 saves against Edmonton earlier this month.

Talbot owns a 1.36 GAA and .949 save percentage over his past five starts, numbers that landed the potential free agent a three-year extension on Sunday.

"I think in the last nine or 10 games, it has been probably the best hockey I've played in my career so far," Talbot told the Oilers' official website. "I'm feeling more comfortable and confident than I have since I've been in the NHL, I think."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (20-16) at Blues (23-15)
Date: January 18, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

After coming up just short in the final two games of a road trip, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally broke through with Sidney Crosby providing the bulk of the scoring.

Crosby also played a significant role in Pittsburgh's win over St. Louis earlier this season, and he'll try to lead the Penguins to a season sweep of the Blues on Monday night.

Pittsburgh (21-16-7) lost back-to-back games in overtime before returning home Sunday and didn't disappoint its fans with a 5-0 rout of Carolina. Olli Maatta opened the scoring 3:54 into the game and Crosby helped put it away with a pair of goals.

"We need the points. It's nice to get two here instead of one," Crosby said. "We had a pretty good game all the way through. It was a good team effort."

Crosby also scored two goals in a 4-3 overtime victory against St. Louis on Nov. 25, and Evgeni Malkin tallied the winner.

The Blues (26-15-7) have won three of four since a season-worst five-game skid that included two overtime defeats and one in a shootout. Jori Lehtera scored in an extra period Saturday in a 4-3 victory against Montreal and Brian Elliott made a career-high 46 saves.

"You can't waste a performance like that," said forward Ty Rattie, who scored the tying goal with 5:25 left in regulation. 'Ells was on his game and he wanted it."

St. Louis denied Montreal on six of seven power plays and is 22 for 25 on the penalty kill in the past six games. That's helped make up for a 2-for-18 performance with a man advantage in the last five contests.

The Penguins are converting at 31.7 percent on the power play in their past 13. Their penalty kill is 33 for 36 in the last 12 contests and newly acquired forward Carl Hagelin helped them go 4 for 4 in Sunday's victory.

Pittsburgh got Hagelin from Anaheim on Friday for David Perron and Adam Clendening.

"I've been PK'ing for a while now in this league," Hagelin told the team's official website. "I think experience is key when it comes to the PK, and obviously we didn't let in any goals today so that's a good thing.

"You can always get better, but we got the two points and that's all that matters."

Pittsburgh hasn't earned two wins over St. Louis in one season since 1998-99.

With Marc-Andre Fleury starting Sunday, Pittsburgh might give backup netminder Jeff Zatkoff his first appearance against the Blues.

Elliott hasn't faced Pittsburgh since a 4-2 home loss Feb. 21, the Penguins' third win in their last five trips to St. Louis. Elliott was 3-0-1 with a 1.21 goals-against average in his prior four matchups.

Pittsburgh's Nick Bonino has five goals and five assists in his last nine games against St. Louis - all victories - but is out indefinitely because of a hand injury. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is a game-time decision after sitting out Sunday's victory because of an undisclosed ailment.

Letang has five goals and seven assists in his past seven games.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Avalanche (22-21) at Jets (21-21)
Date: January 18, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The last time the Winnipeg Jets won three in a row, they were in the process of wrapping up the Western Conference's final playoff spot in April.

Should they win a third straight Monday night against the visiting Colorado Avalanche, they'll still be looking up at the top eight, but they'll at least have emerged from sole occupation of last place in the competitive Central Division.

Winnipeg (21-21-3) is starting a six-game homestand after Friday's 1-0 win in Minnesota, which came on the heels of Thursday's 5-4 home victory over Nashville. Within the division, the Jets have gone 3-0-1 since the calendar flipped and have a chance to beat the three teams immediately ahead of them in a five-day period.

The latest win was of the patchwork variety with Adam Lowry (undisclosed), Drew Stafford (undisclosed) and Mark Scheifele (lower body) out of the lineup, and defenseman Adam Pardy played forward.

"I judge so much by the bench and how the players respond to (Thursday's), effort," coach Paul Maurice told the team's official website. "That might have been better than our game last night. It was a bit of a roller coaster. Some guys couldn't play tonight, new lines. I could talk about every guy and that's usually a good sign. Blocked shots, big saves. Just some great play."

The scoring came from Blake Wheeler, who has three goals and an assist in his last four games and 16 points in his last 15 games. The forward also has 23 points in 17 career games against the Avalanche.

At the other end, Connor Hellebuyck recorded his second shutout in his last 10 games, over which he's 6-3-1 with a 1.70 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. And that's with the rookie having allowed 10 goals in his previous three games.

"He's looked exactly the same in every game he's played," Maurice said. "He's just poised, big, square. Doesn't let pucks come off him very often."

The Avalanche (22-21-3) have won the last three meetings, including the first two of this season, and a fourth straight would double Colorado's lead over Winnipeg rather than even the clubs at the bottom of the Central. Matt Duchene has four goals and four assists in his last five games against the Jets, and he and Blake Comeau have scored in both this season.

Patrick Roy's team started a two-game road swing with Saturday's 2-1 loss to Columbus, falling behind in the first minute for its third defeat in the last four.

"We were really sharp tonight, except for that first shift where they scored that first goal. Other than this, we were impeccable in our own end," Roy told the team's official website. "I thought we certainly deserved more than that, but that is the way this game is. You're going to win some that you don't deserve to win, and you're going to lose some that you deserve to win and tonight is an example."

Colorado has been limited to seven goals in the last four games after scoring 13 on a three-game winning streak. The power play was 5 for 14 in those games and has gone 0 for 9 since.

Calvin Pickard was in goal against the Blue Jackets, so Semyon Varlamov will face the Jets. Varlamov has lost consecutive starts and has a 3.75 GAA and .881 save percentage over a 3-4-2 span. In Winnipeg, he's 2-3-1 with a 3.64 GAA and .877 save percentage.