Announcement

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 06:33 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Westgate Super Contest (1,727 entrants-- prize pool is $2.5M)

Most popular picks in Week 17 season record: 52-50-2

6) Buccaneers, +10.5 (254)-- Will Carolina rest its starters? L

5) Steelers -10.5 (317)-- Steelers need win and Jets to lose in Buffalo. W

T3) Jets, -3 ((327)-- Lot of opinions both ways in this critical game. L

T3) Giants, -3 (327)-- One coach is already fired; other one will be Monday L

2) Packers -3 (392)-- Winner gets home field in playoff game next week. L

1) Bills +3 (403)-- Rex Ryan can knock his old team out of the playoffs. W
**********

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

13) Vikings 20, Packers 13-- Second abominable week in row for Green Bay, which now goes to Washington next week, while Seahawks visit Minnesota. If my team had Aaron Rodgers, I'd sure as hell find him some receivers who can get open.

12) Bills 22, Jets 17-- Jets had ball in red zone down 19-17 with just over 4:00 left; you figure they at worst get go-ahead FG, but Fitzpatrick threw INT in end zone and their season comes to an unfortunate end. Jets were +18 in turnovers in their ten wins, -15 in their six losses. Sometimes its that simple.

11) Steelers 28, Browns 12-- Cleveland fired its GM before the game, the coach after the game. Next year they'll have their sixth HC in nine years. Pittsburgh has had three head coaches since 1969. Hire a coach, then give some freakin' time. Oy.

10) Eagles 35, Giants 30-- Tom Coughlin will be in the Hall of Fame; he obviously doesn't want to retire, but Giants have had three straight losing seasons and only one playoff spot in last seven- that gets you fired.

But when you've won two Super Bowls you get to "resign" or "mutually agree to part ways". Has to be very awkward for the Giants' front office-- "....nothing ends well or else it wouldn't end". That line from the bartender in the Tom Cruise movie, Cocktail, whose name, coincidentally, was Doug Coughlin.

9) Colts 30, Titans 24-- Tennessee clinches first pick in draft; you know they're not taking a QB-- maybe they'll deal the pick for multiple selections. Cleveland will pick #2 and Dallas #3- those two teams will have very interesting offseasons.

8) Seahawks 36, Cardinals 6-- Seattle goes on road in playoffs next week but they are a team no one wants to play. Arizona gets the #2 seed and has next week off- they will want the #3 seed to win next week so they don't have to play Seahawks again.

7) Broncos 27, Chargers 20-- Peyton Manning came out of the bullpen with Broncos down 13-7 in third quarter, promptly led go-ahead TD drive, and has his starting job back. This winter, what will Denver do with Osweiler? Manning will be retired and the Broncos are going to need a franchise QB.

6) Texans 30, Jaguars 6-- Houston recovers from its 2-5 start to win the AFC South; when I watched Hard Knocks last summer, wasn't impressed with Bill O'Brien at all- thought he butchered the QB situation, and Texans did wind up starting five different QBs this season, but now they're in the playoffs, thanks to Andrew Luck being hurt and the division being a bad division.

5) Dolphins 20, Patriots 10-- New England is 2-4 in its last six games after their 10-0 start; Patriots had only 12 first downs, 196 TY. Hard to tell if they're playing possum or if they have real issues, but they'll have next week off to work on them.

4) Redskins 34, Cowboys 23-- Dallas went 1-7 at home this year; they'll have the #3 pick in April's draft. Tony Romo will turn 36 right around the time the draft happens; might be a good time to pick a franchise quarterback.

3) Lions 24, Bears 20-- Detroit won six of its last eight games and one of the losses was the Green Bay Hail Mary in that Thursday night game- the question is now, will they fire Jim Caldwell after almost everyone else got fired during the season?

2) Chiefs 23, Raiders 17-- KC started season 1-5, so just making playoffs is big deal; they head to Houston to face a team they're better than. Chiefs won 27-20 in season opener at Houston, then didn't win again for six weeks.

1) Panthers 38, Buccaneers 10-- Carolina is highly underrated; they're heading into playoffs at 15-1 and the #1 seed in the NFC. Last two Super Bowls were #1-seed vs #1-seed; in 20 years before that, it only happened once.

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 06:36 AM

NFL Wildcard Weekend opens with three of four road teams favored

Kansas City is one of three of four road teams that are favored on Wildcard Weekend.

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans

Wildcard weekend opens in Houston with the Texans hosting the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs, who have won 10 straight games and opened as three-point road favorites. The total opened at 41.

The Chiefs were 7-3 ATS during their 10 game win streak, but were just 1-3 ATS in their last four games. Meanwhile the Texans were 5-3 ATS at home and closed the season going 3-0 SU/ATS.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals

In the second AFC Wildcard matchup, Cincinnati hosts rival Pittsburgh and with Bengals' starting quarterback Andy Dalton's status uncertain, the Steelers have opened as 2.5-point favorites. The total opened at 46.5.

The AFC North foes split the two games this season with Cincy winning in Week 8 16-10 in a game that closed as a Pick and Pittsburgh taking the Week 14 33-20 as 1-point dogs. The games went 1-1 O/U.

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday's Wildcard action kicks off in Minnesota, with two of the leagues hottest teams clash when the Seahawks visit the Vikings.

While it was Minnesota who went into Lambeau Field to take the NFC North crown from the Packers, it is the Seahawks who open as 3.5-point road favorites.

Seattle heads into the game covering six of the last seven games, including a 36-6 thumping of division rival Arizona in Week 17, while Minny was one of the NFL's best bets this season at 13-3 ATS. Seattle did go into Minnesota and thrash the Vikings 38-7 as 2.5-point faves in Week 12.

Green Bay Packers at Washington

Washington, perhaps surprisingly, opens as the lone home favorite in the final game of Wildcard weekend, hitting the board at -1 against visiting Green Bay. The total opened at 46.

Washington enters the game winner of four straight games SU and ATS, going over in each game. Meanwhile the Packers head into the playoffs losers of two in a row SU/ATS, getting outscored 58-21 in the process.

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 06:53 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, January 4

Detroit @ New Jersey

Game 51-52
January 4, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
12,893
New Jersey
10.694
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Jersey
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
(+105); Under

Ottawa @ St. Louis

Game 53-54
January 4, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
11.291
St. Louis
12.749
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-200
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-200); Over

Carolina @ Edmonton

Game 55-56
January 4, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Carolina
9.666
Edmonton
12,371
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 2 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
-130
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(-130); Over

Los Angeles @ Colorado

Game 57-58
January 4, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
12.673
Colorado
11.209
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
-140
5
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-140); Under

Arizona @ Vancouver

Game 59-60
January 4, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
10.210
Vancouver
9.076
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vancouver
-160
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(+140); Under

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, January 4

Hot teams
-- Devils won four of their last five games.
-- Carolina is 4-3 in its last seven games.
-- Los Angeles won its last five games, allowing seven goals.
-- Vancouver won three of its last four games.

Cold teams
-- Detroit lost seven of its last ten games.
-- Ottawa lost five of its last six games. Blues lost three of their last four.
-- Edmonton lost seven of its last nine games.
-- Avalanche lost four of their last five games.
-- Arizona is 4-5 in its last nine games.

Series records
-- Red Wings won four of last six games with New Jersey.
-- Senators won three of last four games with St Louis
-- Hurricanes lost three of last four visits to Edmonton.
-- Kings won their last six games with Colorado.
-- Canucks won four of last five games with Arizona.

Totals
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Detroit-New Jersey games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six St Louis games.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Carolina-Edmonton games.
-- Four of last six Colorado games went over total.
-- Five of last seven Arizona-Vancouver games stayed under.

Back-to-backs
-- Ottawa is 1-4 if it played the night before; teams are 1-4 night after playing Chicago.

NHL

Monday, January 4

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
DETROIT vs. NEW JERSEY
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
New Jersey11-4-1 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Detroit

8:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. ST. LOUIS
Ottawa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Ottawa's last 7 games on the road
St. Louis is 3-8-1 SU in its last 12 games ,when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games

9:00 PM
CAROLINA vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing Edmonton
Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
Edmonton is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home

9:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. COLORADO
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Colorado's last 18 games at home

10:00 PM
ARIZONA vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games
Arizona is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games
Vancouver is 8-15 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games at home

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

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 09:17 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, January 4

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DETROIT (19-13-0-7, 45 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (20-14-0-5, 45 pts.) - 1/4/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 54-67 ATS (-32.3 Units) in road games in January games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-3 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-3-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)

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OTTAWA (18-15-0-6, 42 pts.) at ST LOUIS (23-14-0-4, 50 pts.) - 1/4/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 24-17 ATS (+42.1 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 18-11 ATS (+31.3 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 16-9 ATS (+27.0 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 6-12 ATS (-11.3 Units) in non-conference games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 3-1 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 3-1-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

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CAROLINA (16-17-0-6, 38 pts.) at EDMONTON (16-21-0-3, 35 pts.) - 1/4/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 57-108 ATS (+190.2 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 24-24 ATS (+61.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 25-23 ATS (+57.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 160-158 ATS (-42.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
EDMONTON is 73-82 ATS (-59.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-2 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-2-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.1 Units)

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

LOS ANGELES (25-11-0-2, 52 pts.) at COLORADO (18-18-0-3, 39 pts.) - 1/4/2016, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 9-18 ATS (-15.3 Units) in January games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 112-98 ATS (-60.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 56-40 ATS (+13.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 20-10 ATS (+30.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 15-9 ATS (+24.1 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 166-139 ATS (+16.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season since 1996.
COLORADO is 129-123 ATS (-42.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
COLORADO is 105-110 ATS (-30.3 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 6-1 (+4.4 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 6-1-0 straight up against COLORADO 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)

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

ARIZONA (18-16-0-4, 40 pts.) at VANCOUVER (15-15-0-9, 39 pts.) - 1/4/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 10-36 ATS (+71.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 159-100 ATS (+34.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
ARIZONA is 7-3 ATS (+11.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ARIZONA is 7-2 ATS (+9.6 Units) after a division game this season.
VANCOUVER is 218-205 ATS (-121.0 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 119-113 ATS (-68.3 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 4-10 ATS (-8.7 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 5-6 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 6-5-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.3 Units)

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

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 11:02 AM

Football bettors must react quickly to these NFL Wild Card odds

Are oddsmakers making a mistake by settling such a low total for the Seahawks and Vikings' Wild Card showdown?

Spread to bet now

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans (+3)

The Texans are a home dog, as well they should be. Kansas City is - on paper anyway - the most dangerous Wild Card team in the field. The Chiefs come in with 10 wins in a row (cautionary note: they were just 1-3 ATS in the final four games of the regular season) and still somewhat under the radar.

Most importantly, over the second half of the season, the Chiefs dominated teams when they go on the road: 20-point win at Baltimore, 14-point win at Oakland, 30-point win at San Diego, 16-point win at Denver.

Early betting is heavily on the Chiefs in this one, so if you can grab Kansas City and have to lay only the field goal, it could be a smart move. Books are cautious about adding that extra half point, but may have no choice in this one.

Spread to wait on

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (+2.5)

Reputation could be one factor as bettors have jumped hard on the Steelers in this one in early wagering. The Bengals always seem to find a way to lose playoff games and the foundation of the team came crumbling down in mid-December when franchise QB Andy Dalton suffering a thumb fracture trying to make a tackle. A.J. McCarron is 1-1 as the replacement, and McCarron brings oodles of confidence and zero experience into the biggest game of his pro life.

Home field might not be of much help in this one, because the road team won both games this season: the Steelers winning that Dalton/thumb game only a few weeks ago, 33-20. The Steelers scored a lot of points over the final half of the regular season, averaging almost 32 points per game in their final eight games. That production is appealing to public bettors.

Total to watch

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings (42)

What? 42? Yes, Pete Carroll gets all weird when the Seahawks get near the goal line, but Seahawks have been crushing it lately. Books must be looking at the game these teams played in Minnesota in early December (Seattle, 38-7) and figuring that coaches get a little more conservative in the playoffs.

But the Vikings aren’t the same team they were a month ago, and they are averaging almost 33 points a game over the last three. Point-loving football bettors have to be banging the Over pretty hard on this one.

**Udog** · 01-04-2016, 06:07 PM

NHL

Monday, January 4

The Kings are 4-0 in their last four road games and 6-0 in their last 6 vs Avalanche. Currently -150 @ COL

Announcement

Monday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/4

Monday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/4

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