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

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNIT

OTT at TOR 07:00 PM

OTT -127


CAR at TB 07:00 PM

CAR +177


CLB at PHI 07:00 PM

PHI -155


MON at WIN 07:00 PM

WIN -118


WAS at BOS 07:00 PM

BOS -130


FLA at ARI 09:00 PM

ARI +125


VAN at SJ 10:00 PM

VAN +210

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Penguins (33-22) at Devils (31-28)
Date: March 06, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

The Pittsburgh Penguins had trouble providing reasons for losing at home to one of the NHL's worst teams when so much is on the line in a tight playoff race.

There's also little explanation for why they've played so poorly in their recent trips to New Jersey.

Cory Schneider's play in net has been part of it, but the injured Devils goaltender won't be in uniform when they try to trim their deficit for the Eastern Conference's final postseason spot Sunday night.

Pittsburgh (33-22-8) blew a two-goal lead in a loss to Washington on Tuesday before bouncing back with a win over the New York Rangers two nights later. But after Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game Saturday against a Calgary team that entered having dropped seven straight, the Flames scored the final three for a 4-2 victory.

The Penguins' five-point edge for the last wild-card spot was cut to three after Philadelphia routed Columbus 6-0 later that night. They also missed an opportunity to move into seventh in the East and could've pulled within one point of the New York Islanders, who hold the Metropolitan Division's last automatic playoff berth.

"For whatever reason, we didn't have the desperation, the urgency that you need," Crosby said. "Sometimes that happens, but there's no excuse for that because we need points. We're in a huge playoff race right now. We can't accept that. We've got to be better."

Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four on the road and begins a four-game trip against the Devils (31-28-7), who trail the Penguins by five points in the playoff race.

"The good thing is we've got 19 games left," said Patric Hornqvist, who had two assists to give him four along with five goals during a five-game point streak. "We know we have a good enough group in here to win a lot of games and series, so just fix those things and go on here."

Crosby and Phil Kessel scored in a 2-0 home win over the Devils in the last meeting Jan. 26, but Pittsburgh's had plenty of trouble finding the net in road matchups. The Penguins have been outscored 22-8 while dropping seven of eight in Newark and have been blanked in the last two by Schneider, who made 21 saves in a 4-0 win Nov. 14.

Schneider, though, suffered a lower-body injury and left in the second period of Friday's 4-2 loss at Dallas. The severity of his injury is expected to be released prior to the game, which backup Keith Kinkaid will start.

Kinkaid stopped all six shots he faced against the Stars and is 5-5-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average in 11 starts and three relief efforts this season.

"Keith came in and played great right when he went in there," said forward Adam Henrique, who has four goals over his last three. "They had a couple opportunities he made big saves on."

New Jersey could use a solid performance from Kinkaid with the club running out of time to catch Pittsburgh. The Devils have dropped seven of their last nine, including a 1-4-0 mark at home in that stretch.

Coach John Hynes certainly wasn't pleased with the latest effort.

"We were just light on the puck," Hynes said. "May have been the difference of getting a point out of the game or two points out of the game right there."

Crosby has scored once in his last 10 games in New Jersey.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Islanders (35-20) at Rangers (38-21)
Date: March 06, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

After knocking off the NHL's top team despite being without their star goaltender, the New York Rangers look to take down their in-state rival for the first time this season.

With Henrik Lundqvist's status uncertain, the Rangers try to avoid a third straight defeat to a New York Islanders' team that's looking for six wins on a seven-game road trip for the first time in franchise history Sunday night.

As Lundqvist sat with neck spasms, the Rangers (38-21-6) got a tiebreaking goal from Derek Stepan early in the third and 32 saves from Antti Raanta in Friday's 3-2 victory at Washington.

'It was a good sign for us responding under tough conditions, travel (to Washington) and obviously going against the top team in the league and proving that we can come out on top,' said captain Ryan McDonagh, who had two assists.

Though the second-place Rangers are well back of the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division, they're amid an 11-3-1 stretch and five points ahead of the third-place Islanders (35-20-7).

"It's about finding ways to win," coach Alain Vigneault said.

The Rangers did so minus Lundqvist, who remains day to day after he left Thursday's 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh following a collision with McDonagh.

"I don't think it's anything serious," Vigneault said of Lundqvist, who yielded three goals in the second period of that defeat. "He's getting evaluated again (Saturday)."

Lundqvist stopped 65 of 68 shots while the Rangers totaled two goals in going 0-1-1 in this season's first two meetings with the Islanders - both on the road.

Raanta has a 1.67 goals-against average while winning his last three starts, and could make his first career appearance against the Islanders.

"(The Rangers) are a good team, right in front of us in the standings," Islanders forward Anders Lee said. "Big divisional game, and we've got to be ready to go. They play physical. We've got to get to the net and limit their opportunities, obviously."

The Islanders improved to 5-1-0 on a season-high seven-game trip with Thursday's 4-3 overtime win against Winnipeg. Kyle Okposo scored the winner and had an assist while Lee also contributed one of each.

"The guys worked hard this road trip," coach Jack Capuano told the NHL's official website.

Okposo and Lee have combined for three goals and four assists in the last two games for the Islanders, who have won nine of 12.

"Just excited for us and the boys," Lee said. "It will be nice to get back home and get our bearings back."

Amid their recent success, the Islanders are just 2 for 20 on the power play in seven games but 2 for 4 against the Rangers in 2015-16.

Okposo has a goal with two assists against them this season.

Though Thomas Greiss started the last two games, Jaroslav Halak could get the call after stopping all but two of 69 shots faced in the first two of this season series.

While playing for Montreal, St. Louis and the Islanders, Halak has a 1.25 GAA and .960 save percentage during a four-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden. He made 27 saves in a 3-0 victory in the teams' most recent meeting there Jan. 13 of last year.

In the midst of a 7-0-1 starting stretch, Greiss has never made a start against the Rangers.

Teammate John Tavares has gone three games without a point after recording 19 in the previous 14 contests.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Stars (39-20) at Senators (30-28)
Date: March 06, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

Dallas' growing list of injuries now includes John Klingberg, further thinning out a defensive unit that already is missing Jordie Benn.

The Stars won't get concerned unless the issues extend into the postseason, but the injuries could affect where they end up in a tight Central Division race.

Dallas looks to avoid a fifth loss in six games Sunday night when it faces an Ottawa Senators team hoping to improve its postseason chances.

Benn and forward Patrick Sharp are expected to miss roughly another week with lower-body injuries, and forward Patrick Eaves has been out the last six games while battling pneumonia. Dallas (39-20-7) snapped a four-game skid with Friday's 4-2 win over New Jersey, but Klingberg left early with a lower-body injury and didn't practice Saturday.

Coach Lindy Ruff said Klingberg, who ranks third among defensemen with 53 points, won't travel to face Ottawa (31-28-7), although there's a chance if he progresses quicker than expected that he could join the club for Tuesday's game at Montreal.

Eaves practiced Thursday and will travel, but Ruff didn't say if he'll be in the lineup. With only six healthy defensemen, Ruff hinted that a call-up from the minors was expected before this contest.

"Nothing conclusive with the tests, which is good," Ruff said of Klingberg's injury. "So, we just go day to day with him and see where he is at."

The Stars are tied with Chicago for the Central lead and are two points ahead of St. Louis despite going 2-5-2 since falling to the Blues in overtime Feb. 16. Their wounded group looked good against the Devils, though, as Valeri Nichushkin scored and had an assist on his 21st birthday.

Vernon Fiddler scored his 100th career goal, Former Senator Jason Spezza added his 23rd of the season and Alex Goligoski and Mattias Janmark had two assists apiece.

"We haven't won too much lately, so you don't want to lose that feeling of winning," Janmark said. "It's good to break that losing streak, but we have to work on a winning streak now."

The Senators are trying to do the same. They're tied with New Jersey and Carolina for 10th in the Eastern Conference, five points back of Pittsburgh for the last wild-card spot.

Ottawa is 6-2-1 in its last nine, but it had dropped three of four prior to Saturday's 3-2 win at Toronto in Dion Phaneuf's first game there since being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Maple Leafs on Feb. 9.

Bobby Ryan scored before Marc Methot tied it early in the third and Zack Smith tallied the winner with 2:15 remaining.

'Big points for us,' Phaneuf said. 'We seemed to keep coming."

Mike Hoffman scored twice and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had two goals and an assist to overcome a three-point night from Jamie Benn in a 7-4 victory over the Stars in the first meeting Nov. 24, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the series.

Hoffman has scored once in his last 10, though, and coach Dave Cameron benched him for the entire third period Saturday.

'Ice time is always distributed with what I think gives us the best chance to win,' Cameron said without elaborating on the decision.

Craig Anderson made 33 saves in the first meeting with Dallas, but he suffered a lower-body injury Monday against St. Louis and is considered day to day. Andrew Hammond has started the last two and stopped 41 shots Saturday.

Kari Lehtonen earned the win for the Stars on Friday, but Antti Niemi could be back in goal for this one.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Red Wings (32-21) at Blackhawks (40-21)
Date: March 06, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

A stellar performance by Patrick Kane and company left quite an impression on Detroit coach Jeff Blashill after his Red Wings suffered a home loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in their first of two meetings in five days.

Blashill acknowledged afterward what his team needs to do to slow down Kane, and they'll get another shot in Sunday's rematch at the United Center.

Chicago (40-21-5) got off to a quick start Wednesday against its longtime rival, taking a 1-0 lead 2:23 into the first period on Brent Seabrook's career-high 13th goal en route to a 5-2 victory. The game took a major turn in the second when the Blackhawks took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play, scoring twice in a 1:26 span to go up 3-0.

Kane assisted on the first - Artemi Panarin's first of two goals on the night - and scored the second after Seabrook found him wide open at the blue line. The superstar then skated in untouched to wrist a shot past Petr Mrazek.

'We've just got to do a better job of being tight to him,' Blashill said of Kane, who has a career-best 37 goals and leads the league with a career high-tying 88 points. "We've got to do a better job of not giving him as much space. It's not an easy thing to do. He's great at creating space, but you have to limit his opportunities.'

The trouble with that is if too much attention is paid to Kane, linemates Artem Anisimov and Panarin also have a knack for scoring. Panarin leads all rookies with 24 goals and 59 points and has four of his six power-play scores in the last seven games.

"Him and Kane, they find each other pretty much anywhere," Detroit defensemen Jonathan Ericsson said. "We've got to be aware of them wherever they are. They're a little unpredictable on the ice, too because they maybe don't follow the standard routes, so you've got to keep an eye on them and try to stay close."

The Blackhawks haven't had a 90-point scorer since Jeremy Roenick totaled 107 in 1993-94.

Blashill also had high praise for Corey Crawford, who didn't allow a goal until midway through the third period and finished with 31 saves. Wednesday's victory gave him a career-high 34 - the most by a Blackhawks goaltender since Ed Belfour had 37 in 1993-94.

"He consistently does that," Blashill said. "He makes big saves at big moments, that's why he is who he is. He's a big piece of their team."

Crawford got the day off the following night, and Chicago came out flat Thursday in Boston, getting outshot 12-5 in the first period and losing 4-2.

'I know it's a back-to-back, but you can't really make up any excuses," defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson said.

Although the Blackhawks didn't play with much intensity, the power play continued to roll as Jonathan Toews scored with the man advantage. Chicago, tied with Dallas atop the Western Conference, is 12 for 25 with the extra skater in the last eight games. Detroit (32-21-11) had killed all 17 penalties over a six-game stretch before having its three-game win streak end Wednesday.

"We've got to stay out of the box," Ericsson said. "Their power play is really good. ... We've got to communicate a little better."

The three days' off between games for Detroit should benefit Mrazek, who returned Wednesday after sitting out Monday's 3-2 overtime win at Dallas with a groin injury. Mrazek has allowed five goals in three of his last six starts after going 9-2-2 with a 1.22 goals-against average in his previous 13.

Brad Richards, who won the Stanley Cup with Chicago last season, scored Wednesday and has been heating up, tallying three of his eight goals in the last six games.

The Blackhawks are 7-1-1 in their last nine home meetings with the Red Wings, which includes the 2013 Western Conference semifinals.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Oilers (25-35) at Jets (26-32)
Date: March 06, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

After a last-place team snapped Edmonton's mini-run, the Oilers can still put a positive stamp on their trip against another.

Two days after watching their first win streak in a month end, the Oilers visit the Winnipeg Jets in a battle of two of the Western Conference's worst teams Sunday night.

Edmonton (25-35-7) found a pulse with three straight wins following a dismal 1-8-2 stretch, including victories at Buffalo on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Thursday to open a four-game trip. But despite another goal and an assist from rookie phenom Connor McDavid, the Oilers blew up defensively in Friday's 6-3 loss at Columbus, pushing them to the bottom of the Pacific Division with 57 points.

The effects of Thursday's 4-0 win over the Flyers were evident as the Blue Jackets scored on their first two shots and beat 22-year-old backup goaltender Laurent Brossoit four times in the opening 30 minutes.

"I was concerned going in that our gas tanks would be a little bit empty and the energy level would be low," coach Todd McLellan told the team's official website. "Tired teams can still win in this league if they play smart, and we didn't."

McDavid, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft, has returned from a broken left collarbone with eight goals and 14 assists in 17 games to pump life into an Edmonton attack that averages 2.40 goals.

However, it was a defensive unit ranked toward the bottom of the league that lifted the Oilers on their run and floored them in their latest loss.

Edmonton, the only remaining team with single digit victories on the road at 9-21-5, surrendered two goals on its win streak and six over its previous five games before Brossoit coughed up six in his second start of the season and third of his career.

Starter Cam Talbot will return Sunday looking to continue the dominance that resulted in a .966 save percentage over his last five starts. Talbot stopped 44 shots in a 3-1 home win over the Jets on Dec. 21, but Brossoit suffered the loss in a 2-1 shootout defeat in Edmonton on Feb. 13.

Winnipeg has won five of the last six meetings in this series, though four of them were decided in either overtime or a shootout.

The Jets (27-32-5), last in the Central, followed their Feb. 13 win over the Oilers with a 1-5-2 stretch before Saturday's 4-2 win over Montreal snapped a three-game skid.

Mark Scheifele continued his hot streak with his first career hat trick, including the winner with 6:59 left to end Winnipeg's six-game home skid.

Scheifele has followed a 14-game goal drought with eight in his last eight since stepping into the No. 1 center spot following a season-ending vertebrae injury to Bryan Little. Scheifele leads Winnipeg with a career-high 20 goals.

"It feels good," the 22-year-old told the team's official website. "I want to continue to grow and get better."

Saturday was the first time in eight games Winnipeg held an opponent to fewer than three goals. Michael Hutchinson started four games in that stretch, scuffling to an .885 save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average.

Winnipeg placed defenseman Adam Pardy on waivers Sunday and Edmonton picked him up a day later. The 31-year-old had just one assist in 14 games with the Jets, but he has two in three contests with the Oilers.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Blues (37-20) at Wild (30-25)
Date: March 06, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

While the St. Louis Blues try to keep the pressure on in the race for Western Conference supremacy, the Minnesota Wild would like to extend their new wild-card lead.

Jori Lehtera played a major role in evening this season series last month. Now he's hoping to return as the Blues look to come away with the decisive fifth meeting.

Vladimir Tarasenko attempts to torment the hosts again Sunday night when St. Louis chases its third straight win and tries to deny Minnesota its longest run in almost a year.

The Blues have had four days off since a 4-3 shootout win at Ottawa moved them into a three-way tie atop the Central Division. With Chicago and Dallas now leading the West by two points, St. Louis will try to keep pace with its seventh win in eight road games.

The Blues (37-20-9), however, have dropped four of their last five trips to Minnesota, including last year's first-round playoff series that the Wild won in six games. They evened this season series Feb. 6 when Lehtera, Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 home win.

Stastny has three assists and four points in his three games against the Wild.

With some time off between games, Lehtera said he was "pretty sure" he'd be ready to return following a three-game absence after taking a redirected puck to the face on Feb. 25 against the New York Rangers.

"I feel pretty good," he told the team's official website. "I'm ready to play again."

Tarasenko, who scored his team-high 30th goal against the Senators, should feel good about facing the Wild (31-25-10). The right wing has scored in each of his last four regular-season meetings and has 11 goals in his past 12 versus Minnesota, including playoffs.

St. Louis has totaled eight goals in its back-to-back wins after scoring just four times during a three-game losing streak. The club hopes to keep it going against projected starter Devan Dubnyk, who stopped 30 shots in a 3-2 shootout win at Buffalo on Saturday.

Dubnyk is 4-1-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average in his last six starts against the Blues dating to last year's playoff series. Minnesota's defense continues to carry an offense that has averaged 2.6 goals in its last seven.

David Jones, however, scored his first goal since he was acquired from Calgary at the trade deadline as Minnesota won its fourth straight Saturday.

The Wild, who have made the playoffs three straight years, moved into sole possession of the West's final wild-card spot with the victory and Colorado's loss. They can build a four-point cushion with their first five-game run since March 21-28.

'Every single point is important and we've got to keep getting better and keep building our game,' said Mikko Koivu, who has found the net in each of the past two games.

Charlie Coyle has three goals in his last two home games and scored twice in the other home meeting with St. Louis. Erik Haula has two goals in the past three matchups overall.

Jake Allen will try to contain Minnesota after allowing five goals on 77 shots in the back-to-back wins. Including playoffs, he owns a 2.19 GAA in 10 career starts.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL MONEYLINE

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in Home games after a non-conference game
The record is 13 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+13 units)

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 22 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)

NHL > (59) EDMONTON@ (60) WINNIPEG | 2016-03-06 19:05:00 - 2016-03-06 19:05:00
Play AGAINST WINNIPEG using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 2 Wins and 11 Losses for the this season (-11.4 units)

NHL > (57) PITTSBURGH@ (58) NEW JERSEY | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH using money line in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 18 Wins and 33 Losses for the last two seasons (-28.5 units)

NHL > (61) ST LOUIS@ (62) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-06 20:05:00 - 2016-03-06 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS using money line in Road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 8 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+7.3 units)

NHL > (61) ST LOUIS@ (62) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-06 20:05:00 - 2016-03-06 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in Home games second half of the season
The record is 3 Wins and 9 Losses for the this season (-10.85 units)

NHL > (57) PITTSBURGH@ (58) NEW JERSEY | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH using money line in Road games vs. division opponents
The record is 6 Wins and 18 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.45 units)

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

NHL PUCKLINE

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in Home games after a non-conference game
The record is 13 Wins and 0 Losses for the this season (+13 units)

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 22 Wins and 5 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)

NHL > (59) EDMONTON@ (60) WINNIPEG | 2016-03-06 19:05:00 - 2016-03-06 19:05:00
Play AGAINST WINNIPEG in Home games second half of the season
The record is 2 Wins and 11 Losses for the this season (-11.4 units)

NHL > (57) PITTSBURGH@ (58) NEW JERSEY | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in All games vs. division opponents
The record is 18 Wins and 33 Losses for the last two seasons (-28.5 units)

NHL > (61) ST LOUIS@ (62) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-06 20:05:00 - 2016-03-06 20:05:00
Play ON ST LOUIS in Road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game
The record is 8 Wins and 1 Losses for the this season (+7.3 units)

NHL > (61) ST LOUIS@ (62) MINNESOTA | 2016-03-06 20:05:00 - 2016-03-06 20:05:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA in Home games second half of the season
The record is 3 Wins and 9 Losses for the this season (-10.85 units)

NHL > (57) PITTSBURGH@ (58) NEW JERSEY | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play AGAINST PITTSBURGH in Road games vs. division opponents
The record is 6 Wins and 18 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.45 units)

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NHL TOTALS

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 15 Overs and 37 Unders for the last two seasons (+21.65 units)

NHL > (51) DALLAS@ (52) OTTAWA | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play OVER OTTAWA on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 33 Overs and 14 Unders for the last two seasons (+18.75 units)

NHL > (51) DALLAS@ (52) OTTAWA | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play OVER OTTAWA on the totalin Home games in non-conference games
The record is 28 Overs and 10 Unders for the last three seasons (+18.45 units)

NHL > (53) DETROIT@ (54) CHICAGO | 2016-03-06 17:05:00 - 2016-03-06 17:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin Home games in non-conference games
The record is 7 Overs and 19 Unders for the last two seasons (+12.7 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Austin Peay 83, UT-Martin 73-- 8th seed in OVC wins the tournament.

-- Western Carolina 88, Wofford 83 2OT-- WCU's point guard played all 50:00.

-- Marshall 109, Southern Mississippi 106 OT-- Losing side scored 90+ points in six of last nine Marshall games.

-- Northern Colorado 78, Montana 72-- Bears were a 15-point underdog.

-- Virginia 68, Louisville 46-- Dismal end to season for Cardinals.

-- Dayton 68, VCU 67 OT-- Atlantic 14 ends in a three-way tie for first.

**********

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

13) It is now Champ Week, not Championship Week; wonder what genius got paid to come up with that one? In any event, it is one of the best weeks all year and it is off to a tremendous start. In lot of ways, this week is better than the NCAAs, since for lot of these schools, just getting in the tournament is the biggest deal of all.

12) Yale 71, Columbia 55-- Yale is in NCAAs for first time since 1962; congrats to the Bulldogs and coach James Jones, a fellow Albany alum and a good guy. He's done a consistently solid job at Yale and now the national media will get to know him.

11) Austin Peay 83, UT-Martin 73 OT-- 69-year old Dave Loos is Austin Peay's coach; he is 491-443 in 30 years as a head coach, 26 of which have been at Peay. Last four years, they're 20-44 in OVC games, but over last four days, they put together a run for the ages, posting four straight upsets to win the OVC tournament.

Coach Loos has ten grandchildren, one of whom is a 5-year old girl who is fighting cancer; hopefully this tournament run gave the family some joy at a sad time.

10) In case you wonder about such things, the three states with the highest rate of sleep deprivation are: Kentucky-Hawai'i-Maryland.

9) The last first-team basketball All-American whose team didn't make the NCAA tournament was Mychal Thompson (Klay's father) at Minnesota in 1978. Its going to happen this year with Ben Simmons and LSU.

8) Saturday was Josh Whitman's first day as the new AD at Illinois; all he did was fire the football coach, who had just signed a 2-year contract in November, so the school has to eat $985,000, and four new assistant coaches who just moved to Champaign have to go and find new jobs. This was totally unexpected.

Lot of speculation on social media had Illinois going after Lovie Smith to be coach.

7) Illinois is 13-17 in basketball this year, 5-12 in conference; in John Groce's four years with the Illini, he is 75-59, 29-42 in Big 14. If I were him, I'd be nervous.

6) Boston College finishes 0-18 in basketball, meaning they go 0-26 in this school year in football/basketball, a level of consistent ineptitude that will go down in history as basically unbeatable. How does the athletic director not get fired there?

5) North Carolina 76, Duke 72-- Duke was 13-34 on arc, 12-33 inside arc; they let Carolina's big men catch the ball 12-15 feet from basket, and defied them to score and it almost worked but it didn't-- Carolina is top seed in ACC tournament, Duke tied for 5th with Notre Dame. They're likely to be lower than a 2-seed for only 4th time in their last 20 NCAA tournaments and are vulnerable to an early upset.

4) Northern Iowa 57, Wichita State 52 OT-- Joe Lunardi was fairly adamant last night that the Shockers are in the tournament, so I'll defer to him on that, but they will have a very, long, nervous week until they see their name in the brackets. Wichita is not that strong on offense-- MVC is only the #12 conference this season.

3) Siena plays Iona tonight in Albany, the #2 seed playing the #3 seed on #3 seed's home court. MAAC teams have bitched about this for years, but Albany is the only place they can hold the tournament and make a lot of money. At the end of the day, no one likes to lose money.

2) IP-Fort Worth has a kid named Max Landis who routinely jacks 28-footers; he is shooting 45.5% behind the arc this year for the 24-8 Mastodons, who play in the semis of the Summit League Monday night- they're a fun team to watch.

1) As a DirecTV subscriber, this was the first year that ESPN3.com was available to me on my laptop-- have enjoyed it a lot. Saw a ton more games, from the Southern Conference to Summit the Big West to the MAC. Some of these leagues are better than you think- if the top seeds can survive their conference tournaments, they could spring some surprises in the NCAA tournament in a couple of weeks.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, March 6

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DALLAS (39-20-0-7, 85 pts.) at OTTAWA (31-28-0-7, 69 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-1 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 4-1-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.9 Units)

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DETROIT (32-21-0-11, 75 pts.) at CHICAGO (40-21-0-5, 85 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 5:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 5-11 ATS (-8.9 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 22-5 ATS (+14.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
CHICAGO is 36-11 ATS (+15.1 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 28-22 ATS (+52.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 113-70 ATS (+25.7 Units) in road games after a non-conference game since 1996.
DETROIT is 19-8 ATS (+28.2 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-2 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-2-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)

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NY ISLANDERS (35-20-0-7, 77 pts.) at NY RANGERS (38-21-0-6, 82 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 7-5 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 7-5-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.6 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (33-23-0-8, 74 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (31-28-0-7, 69 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 5:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-5-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+6.7 Units)

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EDMONTON (25-35-0-7, 57 pts.) at WINNIPEG (27-32-0-5, 59 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 49-100 ATS (+192.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 12-45 ATS (+92.8 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 13-40 ATS (+75.8 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 3-11 ATS (-11.0 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 6-2 (+3.8 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 6-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.8 Units)

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ST LOUIS (37-20-0-9, 83 pts.) at MINNESOTA (31-25-0-10, 72 pts.) - 3/6/2016, 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 10-9-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, March 6

Hot teams
-- Detroit won three of its last four games.
-- Islanders won five of their last six games. Rangers won six of their last eight.
-- Edmonton won three of its last four games.
-- St Louis won seven of its last ten games. Minnesota won its last four games.

Cold teams
-- Dallas Stars lost seven of their last nine games. Ottawa lost three of last five games.
-- Blackhawks are 4-6 in their last ten games.
-- Devils lost seven of their last nine games. Pittsburgh lost three of its last four road games.
-- Winnipeg lost seven of its last nine games.

Series records
-- Dallas Stars won seven of last eight games with Ottawa.
-- Blackhawks are 5-3 in their last eight games with Detroit.
-- Islanders won five of last seven games with the Rangers.
-- Home side won nine of last ten Devil-Penguin games.
-- Jets won five of last six games with Edmonton.
-- Minnesota won four of last six games with St Louis.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Dallas games went over the total.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Chicago games.
-- Seven of last nine Islander-Ranger games stayed under.
-- Last six Devil-Penguin games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Edmonton-Winnipeg games stayed under.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six St Louis games.

Back-to-backs
-- Ottawa is 2-7 if it played the night before.
-- Penguins are 4-8 if they played the night before.
-- Minnesota is 4-8 if it played the night before.
-- Winnipeg n is 4-7 if it played the night before.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Sunday, March 6

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Trend Report
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5:00 PM
DALLAS vs. OTTAWA
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Dallas
Ottawa is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games

5:00 PM
DETROIT vs. CHICAGO
Detroit is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Detroit is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games at home
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

5:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. NY RANGERS
NY Islanders are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

5:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. NEW JERSEY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
New Jersey is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

7:00 PM
EDMONTON vs. WINNIPEG
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Edmonton's last 8 games
Edmonton is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 9 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

8:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. MINNESOTA
St. Louis is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

[StarDust Bum]

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: 2 - 3 - 1
YTD: 8 - 12 - 1............- 0.91


SUNDAY, MARCH 6

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


PIT at NJ 05:00 PM

NJ +131


NYI at NYR 05:00 PM

NYI +114


DET at CHI 05:00 PM

CHI -154


DAL at OTT 05:00 PM

OTT +140


EDM at WIN 07:00 PM

WIN -115


STL at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN -106

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lightning (39-22) at Flyers (30-23)
Date: March 07, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Owners of a franchise-record win streak, the Tampa Bay Lightning can next match their longest-ever run on the road when they face an opponent they've dominated in recent seasons.

The Lightning try for a 10th consecutive victory and seventh in a row away from home while trying to spoil the finale of the Philadelphia Flyers' successful homestand Monday night.

Tampa Bay (39-22-4) needed a comeback to set the team mark with a 4-3 overtime victory over Carolina on Saturday. Tyler Johnson got the tying goal with 6:18 remaining in regulation and Alex Killorn scored in the final minute of the extra period.

"It's hard enough to win in this league, let alone ring off nine in a row," said coach Jon Cooper, whose team is 20-5-0 in its last 25. "It's a testament to how the group has really stuck together."

Ondrej Palat added two goals for Tampa Bay.

The first-place Lightning can now equal their best road win streak, established Jan. 7-Feb. 1, 2007. They can also add to a two-point lead over Florida and three-point advantage over Boston in the Atlantic Division.

They've won 14 of 18 against the Flyers (30-23-11), their best results against any Eastern Conference opponent since the beginning of the 2010-11 season.

The Lightning topped Philadelphia 3-2 in overtime in the season opener for both clubs Oct. 8 at Tampa. Ben Bishop stopped two penalty shots - one in OT - and paved the way for defenseman Jason Garrison to net the winning goal, his second of the game.

Tampa Bay has taken five of eight meetings at Philadelphia, splitting its two trips there last season.

The Flyers bounced back from a 4-0 defeat to Edmonton on Thursday with a 6-0 rout of Columbus on Saturday, giving them a 4-1-0 mark on their six-game homestand and a sixth victory in nine contests overall.

Ex-Lightning defenseman Radko Gudas scored two goals - ending a 65-game drought - and had two assists.

"I think we all knew what we needed to do to win this game. We had our mindset on the right things," he said. "I'm glad we turned it around that fast. I'm glad we got the two points."

Gudas will face his former team for the first time. He was a healthy scratch in the season opener.

Forward Wayne Simmonds has four goals and two assists in his last six matchups with Tampa Bay, while Flyers leading scorer Claude Giroux has one goal and nine assists in the past eight meetings.

Lightning star Steven Stamkos has recorded 10 goals and four assists in his last 10 games against Philadelphia. Valtteri Filppula has three goals and 10 assists in a 10-game streak versus the Flyers.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Bruins (36-23) at Panthers (36-21)
Date: March 07, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Florida Panthers' lackluster road trip cost them the Atlantic Division lead and has them in danger of getting passed by Boston as well.

The Panthers can prevent that from happening in Monday night's visit from the Bruins, and Jaromir Jagr will try to lend a hand while attempting to pass Gordie Howe on the NHL scoring list.

Florida (36-21-8) finished 1-3-1 on its trip with a 5-1 defeat to Arizona on Saturday, dropping two points behind surging Tampa Bay in the division.

"It wasn't a good road trip for us. We should have played better. We didn't have our 60-minute games that it takes to win in this league," coach Gerard Gallant said. "We have got to forget about it and look forward to the next three games at home."

The Panthers return to Sunrise one point ahead of Boston (36-23-7), which is 4-1-1 in six after a 2-1 overtime loss to Washington on Saturday. The Bruins have won nine of 11 on the road.

"I think we're playing better, but there's always room to improve," defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "It's not getting any easier, and we have some tough games ahead of us."

The Bruins have a pair of 3-1 victories over the Panthers this season, including one in Florida on Oct. 30. There could be a little more buzz for this visit with Jagr looking to break his tie with Howe.

The Panthers' leading scorer registered his 1,850th point Thursday with an assist in a 3-2 loss to Colorado. Jagr's 743 goals are third-most in NHL history, 58 fewer than Howe, and he can pass Bruins great Ray Bourque for ninth with his 1,613th game.

Jagr, who played 11 games for Boston in 2012-13 among his many stops, has two assists in his last five matchups. Jiri Hudler has four goals and two assists in his past three meetings, and eight and six in 11 career games against the Bruins.

Boston forward Brad Marchand has four goals in his last three games against Florida, but he's cooled off since a torrid stretch. Marchand has scored one goal in his past four contests after tallying 17 of his career-high 33 in the previous 19 games.

Patrice Bergeron has scored a goal in three straight games. He has four and five assists in his last seven versus Florida.

Tuukka Rask was in the net for the Bruins' two games against the Panthers this season and is expected to start Monday in the opener of a back-to-back.

The Bruins' defense corps might be short-handed with Kevin Miller's status uncertain. He left Saturday's game with an upper-body injury.

"It's really tough. Hopefully he gets back soon," Rask said. "He's been playing great, really solid. He's always been solid defensively, but lately I think he's really improved his game with the puck, finding lanes to pass the puck and score some goals."

Florida forward Jussi Jokinen will try to extend his season-high point streak to eight games. He has eight assists during that run but one assist in his last four contests against Boston.