Announcement

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 08:27 AM

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

Six of the best minor league prospects for the Houston Astros:

1) AJ Reed, 1B-- Main question will be, can he hit big league lefties?

3) Alex Bregman, SS-- Will probably get traded, since he is a shortstop.

4) Kyle Tucker, OF-- His older brother debuted in big leagues for Astros LY.

6) Joe Musgrove, P-- Went 12-1 in three minor league stops last year.

8) Mark Appel, P-- #1 pick in 2013 draft has 5.12 ERA in 53 MILB starts.

10) Derek Fisher, OF-- Hopefully Virginia alum will have better year than his NBA namesake, who recently got canned as coach of the Knicks.

**********

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

13) Texas A&M 79, Kentucky 77, OT-- End of this game was truly bizarre; when a kid on Kentucky grabbed a rebound and got fouled-- in jubilation he threw the ball away after the whistle and the refs gave him a technical, which was also his fifth foul, which meant he couldn't take foul shots from being fouled with Wildcats up one. His replacement split a pair after A&M made both technical foul shots.

Best part of this was that ESPN's Jay Bilas, who constantly bashes the refs, had no clue what the rule was on who chose the foul shooter because the kid had fouled out-- I have never seen that happen before, either. Big win for the Aggies, no matter what.

12) Louisville 71, Duke 64-- There is nothing quite as much fun as watching Dukies whine like 6-year olds when they don't get every call. Coach K got a technical late in game and Grayson Allen got one after he fouled out with 3:55 left. For Louisville, this game was like the Super Bowl, since they're banned from postseason.

11) Funniest thing that'll happen all weekend: Ben Simmons didn't start for LSU at Tennessee "....for academic reasons." Really?

In late June, Simmons will be the first player taken in the NBA Draft, which means that by Labor Day, he is going to be a multi-millionaire, even if he has no freakin' idea where the school library is (for historical reference, see Anthony, Carmelo). Simmons has less chance of being in college next fall than I do-- I graduated (somehow) in 1982.

10) South Carolina 73, Florida 69 OT-- It has to be fairly scary to have to interview Gamecocks coach Frank Martin when his team just gave up a 20-0 run to end the half, which is what happened here. Martin has an intimidating scowl and huge shoulders-- he looks like he could be a pro wrestler, had he so chosen-- he has done a very good job at South Carolina this season. The interview was calm and uneventful.

9) BYU 91, San Diego 33-- Teams played Thursday and BYU barely won 69-67; it is typical of this season, the wild variance in how teams play from day-to-day..

8) Hassan Whiteside had 29 points, 23 rebounds off the bench for Miami last night, the first NBA sub to produce numbers like that since Detlef Schrempf in 1992.

7) They put over 30,000 people in Coors Field Saturday for a hockey game between Colorado College and Denver- these outdoor hockey games have become cash cows.

6) Doug Gottlieb reported that a lot of coaches think Roy Williams will retire after this season and Williams wasn't very happy with that CBS report. Now it is unclear just where Gottlieb's report came from- time will tell who is right, but if Williams ain't retiring, it is BS to say he is, because that could screw up his recruiting.

5) Hawai'i 75, Cal-Irvine 71-- Rainbows are eligible for postseason this year, then go on probation next year- they trailed almost whole way in this game, then pulled it out at the end and opened up aa 2-game lead in the Big West.

They were talking last night that Hawai'i will wind up with lot of Australians on their team, since its new coach was one of the guys responsible for recruiting at St Mary's, which has a great pipeline to basketball players down under.

4) Yale 79, Penn 58-- Yale is tied with Princeton for Ivy lead with two weekends left- they both have to play Columbia, which is a game behind. No conference tourney in the Ivy League, so they'll have a playoff game if it ends in a tie.

3) Air Force 76, New Mexico 72-- Flyboys have now won four home games in a row; Mountain West is as bad as it has ever been this year- they're likely to get only one team in NCAAs. San Diego State is their only chance at an at-large bid.

2) UNLV 102, Nevada 91 OT-- Weird game with a very dramatic end to regulation, when both teams hit a 3-pointer in last 0:03 to send game to OT. Rebels had only six scholarship kids for this game- one kid quit, one kid got tossed, they have a transfer sitting out and four kids hurt-- that adds up to their 13 scholarships.

1) Texas Tech 71, Oklahoma State 61-- Tubby Smith has Texas Tech at 17-9 and on bubble; they've won five of last six games. About ten years ago, Smith was polite enough to let me interview him for this space at an AAU tournament in Florida. He's an excellent coach and a better person. Texas Tech is lucky to have him.

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 08:31 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, February 21

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PITTSBURGH (29-20-0-8, 66 pts.) at BUFFALO (24-28-0-7, 55 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 12:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 73-71 ATS (-33.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 32-38 ATS (-23.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-54 ATS (+87.4 Units) in road games on Sunday games since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 10-18 ATS (-13.5 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 10-5 ATS (+17.2 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
BUFFALO is 200-204 ATS (+446.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
BUFFALO is 5-20 ATS (+36.3 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 7-0 (+7.0 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-0-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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CHICAGO (38-18-0-5, 81 pts.) at MINNESOTA (26-22-0-10, 62 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 20-22 ATS (-22.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 21-3 ATS (+16.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
CHICAGO is 22-7 ATS (+10.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MINNESOTA is 26-32 ATS (-25.5 Units) in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 6-16 ATS (-11.2 Units) second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 13-9 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 13-9-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-1.8 Units)

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DETROIT (29-20-0-10, 68 pts.) at NY RANGERS (33-19-0-6, 72 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 4-2 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 4-2-0 straight up against DETROIT 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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CALGARY (26-28-0-3, 55 pts.) at ANAHEIM (30-19-0-8, 68 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 153-97 ATS (+286.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 15-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 30-10 ATS (+15.6 Units) on Sunday games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 61-27 ATS (+22.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 27-12 ATS (+10.3 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 76-74 ATS (+163.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 34-25 ATS (+63.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 4-8 ATS (-8.7 Units) in home games after a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 13-4 (+7.2 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 13-4-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
11 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (32-22-0-4, 68 pts.) at CAROLINA (27-22-0-10, 64 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-1 (+4.5 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 6-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

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COLORADO (31-26-0-4, 66 pts.) at VANCOUVER (22-24-0-12, 56 pts.) - 2/21/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 125-107 ATS (+16.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 38-30 ATS (+68.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 6-2 ATS (+9.0 Units) when playing on back-to-back days this season.
COLORADO is 61-38 ATS (+13.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 30-16 ATS (+10.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 22-36 ATS (-20.5 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 137-137 ATS (-30.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 0-5 ATS (-6.2 Units) in home games in February games this season.
VANCOUVER is 220-213 ATS (-116.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 4-3 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 4-3-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.1 Units)

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

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 08:33 AM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, February 21

Hot teams
-- Sabres won three of their last four games.
-- Minnesota won last three games: 5-2/5-3/5-2. Chicago won its last two games, 5-3/7-2.
-- Anaheim won eight of its last ten games.
-- Rangers won six of their last eight games.
-- Tampa Bay won its last two games, 6-5so/4-2. Carolina won three of its last four games.
-- Colorado won four of its last five games.

Cold teams
-- Pittsburgh lost three of its last five games.
-- Calgary lost three of its last four games.
-- Detroit lost four of its last five games.
-- Vancouver lost four in row, eight of last ten games.

Series records
-- Penguins won their last seven games with Buffalo.
-- Minnesota is 2-0 against Chicago this season, 5-4/2-1.
-- Home side won last five Red Wing-Ranger games.
-- Flames lost their last five games with Anaheim.
-- Lightning won six of last seven games with Carolina.
-- Colorado won four of its last six games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Over is 3-1 in Penguins' last four visits to Buffalo.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Chicago games.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Red Wing-Ranger games.
-- Five of last six Calgary games went over total.
-- Seven of last eight Tampa Bay games went over.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Colorado-Vancouver games.

Back-to-backs
-- Pittsburgh is 3-8 if it played the night before.
-- Detroit lost its last six games if it played night before.
-- Tampa Bay is 3-5 if it played the night before.
-- Colorado won its last six games if it played night before.

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 08:35 AM

NHL

Sunday, February 21

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12:30 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. BUFFALO
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Buffalo is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games at home
Buffalo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

3:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games
Chicago is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games
Minnesota is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games
Minnesota is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Chicago

7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. ANAHEIM
Calgary is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Calgary's last 11 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary

7:00 PM
DETROIT vs. NY RANGERS
Detroit is 14-6 SU in their last 20 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit

7:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
Carolina is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Carolina is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

10:00 PM
COLORADO vs. VANCOUVER
Colorado is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vancouver's last 5 games
Vancouver is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Colorado

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

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 09:00 AM

NHL

Sunday, February 21

NHL Power Rankings - Week 20

1. Washington (-210) – The Capitals have scored at least three goals in eight straight games, but have only gone Over the total in three of those contests: a testament to how good this team is defensively.

2. Anaheim (-200) – The Ducks soar into the No. 2 spot thanks to a Ryan Getzlaf waking up offensively, with 15 points in his last 10 games.

3. Chicago (-195) – The Blackhawks jump inside the Top 3 after snapping a three-game skid with back-to-back wins. One came against the Leafs while the other was over last week’s No. 2 team, the Rangers.

4. St. Louis (-183) – The Blues are back among the league’s elite with a four game winning run. What have we been saying the past few weeks? Watch out for this club when it gets healthy.

5. Rangers (-180) – The Blueshirts drop after failing to hold their own against top competition, allowing five goals in both a loss to L.A. and Chicago, but not too far since they beat up on Toronto and Philly.

6. Tampa Bay (-177) – Steve Stamkos isn’t going to be moved at the deadline, which should allow Tampa Bay to focus on the home stretch of the schedule. But the Bolts could easily be on a six-game losing skid if not for win in extra frames.

7. Boston (-170) – The Bruins continues to struggle with consistency, especially on offense. Boston tallied 15 goals in a three-game span, then score a total of two in its next two games.

8. NY Islanders (-165) – The Isles find themselves with a goalie controversy on their hands. According to todaysslapshot.com, they’ve scored 2.4 gpg with Halak between the pipes compared to 3.4 gpg with Greiss in goal.

9. Florida (-160) – The Panthers have just two wins in their last seven outings, but did play some solid sides in that span. The schedule softens considerably in the upcoming weeks.

10. Los Angeles (-157) – The road got to the Kings, who close an extended away swing at Nashville this weekend. Los Angeles is then home for three games against some NHL bottom feeders.

11. San Jose (-155) – The Sharks opened a stretch of six road tilts in seven games with back-to-back victories away from home. San Jose is 20-8-2 as a visitor this season.

12. Dallas (-145) - Jason Spezza made a splash in his return to the ice with two points but couldn’t push the Stars to a win. Dallas is home for four of its next five games, going 20-7 as hosts.

13. Pittsburgh (-140) – The Penguins top the league in shots per game (32.6) but rank in the middle of the road in terms of goals (2.6). Pittsburgh needs Phil Kessel to be the finisher they assumed he would be with all this offensive talent around him.

14. Colorado (-135) – The Avs have won three of their last four at solid moneyline odds and have a chance to keep that rolling with trips to Edmonton and Vancouver ahead.

15. Detroit (-130) – Detroit has lost four straight road games, including back-to-back outings on its current four-game away swing. The Red Wings average 2.41 goals per road game.

16. Nashville (-127) – The Preds had a rough schedule loaded with top teams from our power rankings, but did well to hold their own. But it doesn’t stop their with L.A., Chicago and St. Louis on the calendar ahead.

17. Columbus (-123) – According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets have outscored opponents 11-6 in the third period over their last 10 games after being blasted 60-41 in the final frame before that stretch.

18. New Jersey (-120) – The NHL’s worst offense is 1-6-3 Over/Under in its last 10 games.

19. Arizona (-115) – The Coyotes erupted for six goals in each of their last two games. Arizona had scored two or fewer goals in 10 of the previous 13 outings before that offensive outpouring.

20. Calgary (-110) – The Flames are 4-1 Over/Under in their last five, netting a total of 18 goals for and allowing a combined 23 goals against.

21. Montreal (-105) – A three-game road trip was not kind to the Habs, who were outscored 15-10 for three straight losses.

22. Ottawa (-103) – After losing three in a row after the Phaneuf deal, the Sens have posted back-to-back wins, outscoring the opposition 6-3 in that short frame.

23. Philadelphia (+100) – With just two wins in their last seven games, the Flyers will likely be sellers come the trade deadline. That’s a poison atmosphere for a locker room, so beware betting on Philly from here out.

24. Carolina (+105) – The Canes have points in five of their last six games. Carolina, however, has scored two or fewer goals in five of those contests.

25. Buffalo (+113) – Evander Kane gave the Buffalo media something to get excited about this past week, missing practice for the NBA All-Star Game. That’s clouded the fact that the Sabres have points in three straight games as of Friday.

26. Minnesota (+115) – Just when we discount the Wild to the basement, Minnesota rips off a three-game winning streak in which it scored 15 goals against some fellow basement dwellers.

27. Vancouver (+120) – The Canucks have a Groundhog Day situation on their hands, losing three straight games all by a final score of 5-2.

28. Winnipeg (+125) – A busy road schedule is starting to catch up with the Jets, who still have three of their next four away from home.

29. Edmonton (+130) – The Oilers have allowed 29 total goals in their last seven games, posting just one win in that span. Probably because they’ve only been able to counter with 15 total goals of their own.

30. Toronto (+135) – If Leafs fans could get any sadder, the news that Stamkos would be staying in Tampa Bay for now was the cherry on top of the crap sundae that is the 2015-16 season.

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 09:23 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Sunday, February 21

Chicago @ Minnesota

Game 53-54
February 21, 2016 @ 3:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
12.274
Minnesota
13.708
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(+100); Over

Detroit @ NY Rangers

Game 55-56
February 21, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Detroit
11.401
NY Rangers
12.941
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Rangers
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
N/A

Calgary @ Anaheim

Game 57-58
February 21, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Calgary
9.824
Anaheim
11.414
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-190
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-190); Under

Tampa Bay @ Carolina

Game 59-60
February 21, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
11.167
Carolina
12.103
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
N/A

Colorado @ Vancouver

Game 61-62
February 21, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Colorado
9.721
Vancouver
8.274
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vancouver
-120
5
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(+100); Under

Pittsburgh @ Buffalo

Game 51-52
February 21, 2016 @ 12:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
11.168
Buffalo
12.642
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Buffalo
by 1 1/2
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-130
5
Dunkel Pick:
Buffalo
(+110); Under

**Udog** · 02-21-2016, 12:39 PM

NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, February 21

Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 12:35 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 10-18 SU when playing on back-to-back days
Buffalo: 10-5 SU in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in previous game

Chicago at Minnesota, 3:35 PM ET
Chicago: 21-3 SU after a non-conference game
Minnesota: 0-10 SU after 3 straight wins by 2 goals or more

Detroit at NY Rangers, 7:05 PM ET
Detroit: 7-0 SU in road games after having lost 4 of their last 5
New York: 47-58 SU at home after scoring 3 goals or more in 3 games

Calgary at Anaheim, 7:05 PM ET
Calgary: 20-54 SU on road after 2 games where 7 or + total goals were scored
Anaheim: 49-20 SU off a road win

Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7:05 PM ET
Tampa Bay: 11-6 SU
Carolina: 7-18 SU after a non-conference game

Colorado at Vancouver, 10:05 PM ET
Colorado: 6-2 SU when playing on back-to-back days
Vancouver: 6-21 SU after allowing 5 goals or more 2 straight games

Announcement

Sunday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/21

Sunday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 2/21

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