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**Udog** · 04-23-2016, 08:19 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Some more pointspreads on NFL games this season.........

Week 2-- Colts @ Broncos (-5)-- You laying 5 without knowing who is playing QB for Denver this season?

Week 3-- Cardinals (-2.5) @ Bills-- Big break for Arizona, getting the Buffalo trip in

September and not December.

Week 4-- Saints @ Chargers (-3)-- Drew Brees against his old team.

Week 7-- Giants vs Rams (even)-- London game has 9:30 AM ET kickoff. Oy.

Week 11-- Texans vs Raiders (-2) (Mexico City)-- Monday night game in Mexico.

Week 14-- Raiders @ Chiefs (-4.5) Long trip east on short week for Oakland.

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind.......

13) Cleveland Browns aren't favored in any of their first 15 games this year; they play at Pittsburgh in Week 17, so they won't be favored there, either, so new coach Hue Jackson has his work cut out for him.

12) Free agent CB Josh Norman got big money from the Redskins last night, which means he'll line up against Odell Beckham twice a year when Giants play the Redskins in divisional games. Little strange how Carolina suddenly did an about face and let Norman walk, rather than pay him.

11) Hartford Yard Dogs are the AA farm club of Colorado Rockies; they do not have a home game until May 31, since their new home park is still being worked on. They'll play their first 52 games on the road- they are 11-4 so far this season and in first place in their division.

10) Last year, Biloxi of the Southern League played their first 54 games on the road, while their new stadium was being finished; guy who managed that team is now the first base coach for the big league Milwaukee Brewers.

9) White Sox turned a 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play last night that involved Prince Fielder being caught in a rundown; suffice to say it will not be included on Tom Emanski's next baserunning instructional video.

8) Why has the state of Virginia given 200,000 convicted felons the right to vote? Virginia is the 8th state to allow felons to vote, after they're released from supervision. To me, it doesn't make much sense.

7) Keelon Lawson is an assistant basketball coach at Memphis; the Tigers' top two returning scorers are his sons. He has a third son who is listed as a top 10 recruit in the Class of 2019, which is why Lawson is still employed by Memphis, even after head coach Josh Pastner was paid $1.25M to go away and take the Georgia Tech job earlier this month.

New coach Tubby Smith wasn't going to keep Lawson as an assistant coach, so one of the sons, Dedric Lawson applied for NBA Draft, an implied threat to keep the father as an assistant. This hasn't been resolved yet. Stay tuned.

6) Going thru some college basketball stuff, getting stuff ready for next year and saw this: over the last 11 years, DePaul is 39-155 in conference games. How in the name of Ray Meyer is this possible? DePaul is in Chicago, there are lot of good high school players in Chicago-- recruit some of them!!!!

5) Texas Rangers are 15-3 in their last 18 games vs AL West rival Houston.

4) Baseball season is in its third week and my fantasy team is already in deep trouble; Stanton/Abreu have been awful, two of my top three pitchers are hurt and I'm going to be 0-3 come Sunday night. No bueno; Carlos Gomez, Marcell Ozuna and Avasail Garcia have all proven to be stiffs in my outfield.

3) Yasiel Puig made an amazing throw from the rightfield fence last night to nail Trevor Story at third base, trying for a triple. Reminded me of Ellis Valentine throwing from RF for the old Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

2) Coaching carousel: Northern Colorado fired BJ Hill, amidst allegations of NCAA issues. Detroit Titans named Michigan assistant Bacari Alexander their new hoop coach. UNLV approved Marvin Menzies' contract, but for whatever reason, he won't be paid as much as Chris Beard was going to be paid. Oy.

1) Matt Holliday may be 37, but over last three years, he is hitting .379 with RISP, best such mark in the major leagues.

**Udog** · 04-23-2016, 08:25 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Saturday, April 23

NY Rangers at Pittsburgh, 3:05 PM ET
New York: 30-17 SU in road games after a division game
Pittsburgh: 8-17 SU off 2 wins by 2 goals or more against division rivals

St Louis at Chicago, 8:05 PM ET
St Louis: 22-12 SU vs. division opponents
Chicago: 9-13 SU after 2 or more consecutive overs

Nashville at Anaheim, 6:05 PM ET
Nashville: 3-13 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
Anaheim: 20-5 SU off a road win scoring 4 or more goals

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, April 23

NY Rangers-Pittsburgh (P 3-1)
Rangers lost five of last six games with Pittsburgh; road team won nine of last 12 games in this rivalry.New York won three of its five visits to Steel City. Penguins were 3-6 on power play in Game 4's 5-0 rout, Rangers' 5th straight home playoff loss- Pens are 7-19 on power play in series, Rangers 1-16. Over is 8-1-5 in Rangers' last 14 games. Pittsburgh won 11 of its last 13 games, over is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games overall, 3-1-2 in last six series games.

St Louis-Chicago (S 3-2)
Blues won five of last seven games with Chicago, with four wins by one goal, three in OT/SO; under is 4-2-2 in last eight series games. Blackhawks stayed alive in Game 5 with goal in second OT, despite being outshot 26-15 in 3rd period/OTs. Chicago lost five of their last seven games overall, with three losses in OT. Over is 5-2-3 in last ten Chicago games. Blues won ten of their last 14 games- they're 5-15 on power play in series; Chicago 3-15. All five games in series have been decided by one goal.

Nashville-Anaheim (2-2)
Road team won all four series games. Ducks lost four of last seven games with Nashville (over is 9-1-4 in last 14); Under is 5-1-3 in last nine Anaheim games overall. Nashville won four of last seven games overall; under is 4-1-3 in its last eight games. In 17 years of existence, Nashville has only two playoff series, first round series in 2011, 2012; they've been over .500 11 of last 12 years. Blowing 2-0 series lead at home has to have put lot of pressure on Predators. Anaheim is 1-12 on power play in series, Predators 1-19.

Playoffs tally: Home: 17-21, Over: 12-13-13

NHL

Saturday, April 23

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 5 games on the road
NY Rangers are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home

6:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ANAHEIM
Nashville is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville

8:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CHICAGO
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

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**Udog** · 04-23-2016, 09:35 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, April 23

NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh

Game 51-52
April 23, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
12.708
Pittsburgh
11.254
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-185
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
(+165); Under

St. Louis @ Chicago

Game 53-54
April 23, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
13.082
Chicago
11.507
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+130); Under

Nashville @ Anaheim

Game 55-56
April 23, 2016 @ 6:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
10.385
Anaheim
12.512
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-145
5
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-145); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 23

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NY RANGERS (47-30-0-9, 103 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (51-27-0-8, 110 pts.) - 4/23/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 11-22 ATS (-12.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
NY RANGERS are 6-13 ATS (-8.4 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
PITTSBURGH is 33-16 ATS (+13.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 111-76 ATS (+10.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 70-44 ATS (+11.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 35-24 ATS (+10.5 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 30-17 ATS (+12.8 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 25-11 ATS (+36.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 21-11 ATS (+33.0 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 39-21 ATS (+13.1 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 20-12 ATS (+33.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 90-105 ATS (-35.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 32-37 ATS (-24.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 12-18 ATS (-17.8 Units) in home games when leading in a playoff series since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 44-52 ATS (-32.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 16-23 ATS (-17.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 15-13 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 15-13-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
12 of 24 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.6 Units, Under=-1.6 Units)

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ST LOUIS (52-26-0-9, 113 pts.) at CHICAGO (49-28-0-10, 108 pts.) - 4/23/2016, 6:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 14-12 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 14-12-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
11 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.1 Units)

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NASHVILLE (43-29-0-14, 100 pts.) at ANAHEIM (48-27-0-11, 107 pts.) - 4/23/2016, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 43-43 ATS (-16.2 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 15-32 ATS (+48.5 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 19-33 ATS (+52.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 171-108 ATS (+280.9 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 71-38 ATS (+9.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 28-11 ATS (+11.6 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 43-21 ATS (+11.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 201-148 ATS (+28.1 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 214-171 ATS (+32.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 184-162 ATS (+353.5 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 8-5 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 8-5-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
8 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.7 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-23-2016, 01:00 PM

NHL

Saturday, April 23

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Saturday's betting preview
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The Blues missed a golden opportunity to end their series with the Blackhawks in Game 5. Can they get the job done on the road Saturday?

Two team will attempt to advance to the next round of the NHL playoffs Saturday. We break down that and all of today's NHL action in our Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview.

New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins (A: +162, H: -180, O/U: 5)

Penguins lead series 3-1

The New York Rangers are in an eerily situation to two years ago, when they were on the brink of elimination as they headed to Pittsburgh for Game 5 of their playoff series. The Rangers wound up winning the final three games en route to the Stanley Cup final, a task they must repeat against the host Penguins beginning on Saturday afternoon.

Much like the matchup in 2013-14, New York's situation looks bleak following a pair of lopsided losses at home as Pittsburgh took a commanding 3-1 lead with a chance to close out the series at home. “You can’t think that because you’ve done it in the past you’re necessarily going to do it,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “But you can believe a little bit." The Penguins manhandled New York at Madison Square Garden, winning the two games by a combined 8-1, and have won 17 of 20 contests dating to the regular season. "Overall, I think we have an opportunity to do something good and I think we have to step on it," Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet 360, TVAS

PROBABLE GOALIES: Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist (0.919%), Penguins - Matthew Murray (0.935%)

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (51-27-8, 38-33 O/U): Evgeni Malkin expressed concern that he could upset the team's chemistry after he returned from an injury absence of more than a month in Pittsburgh's Game 2 loss, but any worries were allayed after his dominant performance in Thursday's 5-0 romp. Malkin scored a pair of goals and assisted on two others to tie a career high with four points and give him six over three games in the series. "Geno wants to win," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's a competitive guy. He cares about this team. And he knows he's a big part of this team having success. He's a self-driven guy. He wants to be on the ice. He wants the puck in the crucial situations."

ABOUT THE RANGERS (47-30-9, 38-29 O/U): New York has surrendered eight unanswered goals after seizing a 1-0 lead in Game 3, but a bigger worry may be the play of the typically unflappable Henrik Lundqvist, who was injured in the series opener and yanked in the second period of Thursday's romp after permitting four goals on 18 shots. “Well, you can’t look at the big picture. That’s when you get lost a little bit,” Lundqvist said. "But at the same time, last time we were in there we managed to win (Game 2). So we just need to do everything right and we’ll have a good chance of winning.” One of the focal points of Friday's practice was the dismal power play that has converted on only 1-of-16 opportunities.

TRENDS:

* Rangers are 1-6 in the last seven meetings.
* Road team is 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Over is 7-1-4 in Rangers last 12 road games.
* Over is 4-1-1 in Penguins last 6 games following a win.

Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks (A: +122, H: -135, O/U: 5)

Series tied 2-2

The home team has yet to win in the Western Conference first-round series between Anaheim and Nashville, a trend the Ducks hope to reverse when they host the Predators on Saturday night in Game 5. Anaheim rebounded from a pair of one-goal losses at home to win twice in Nashville to level the best-of-7 series at two victories apiece.

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said there was no panic among the team in facing an 0-2 series deficit, a mindset forged after Anaheim rebounded from a wretched 1-7-2 start to the season to win its fourth straight Pacific Division title. "You have an ability to look around in the room and have confidence in each other, even when you’re in tough times," Getzlaf said. "We got ourselves back in the series. That’s what we accomplished here.” Now the Predators are in the situation of having to regroup after squandering a glittering chance to deliver a knockout blow to the Ducks, losing Games 3 and 4 by a combined 7-1 tally. “This is not what we envisioned, but we’ve played good in their building,” Predators center Mike Fisher said. “It’s not going to get any easier. We know that. We have to respond and be quick.”

TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVAS

PROBABLE GOALIES: Predators - Pekka Rinne (0.907 %), Ducks Frederik Andersen (0.922 %).

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (43-29-14, 33-34 O/U): One of the reasons for Nashville's offensive struggles is the lack of production from the top line of Ryan Johansen, James Neal and Calle Jarnkrok, who have failed to hit the scoresheet since Neal potted a goal 35 seconds into the series opener. "I think it's more about us," Johansen told reporters following Thursday's loss. “I felt a little better, but we still need to notch it up another gear. It’s going to be a good test for us as far as a line, and we need to go out there as a group and really amp our game up.” Forward Craig Smith (lower body) sat out Thursday, ending a streak of 243 consecutive games played (postseason included).

ABOUT THE DUCKS (48-27-11, 32-35 O/U): Although Anaheim had the league's top-ranked penalty kill during the regular season, coach Bruce Boudreau said his team is "playing with fire" by given so many power-play chances to the Predators, who were stifled on six chances Thursday to fall to 1-for-19 in the series. “I think it’s the same. We’re doing exactly what we’ve done all year," Ducks forward Chris Stewart said. "The PK’s been stepping up like it’s doing all year. Guys are blocking shots and sacrificing their body. That’s what it takes to win this time of year.” Frederik Andersen has been magnificent since supplanting John Gibson in net, turning aside 57-of-58 shots.

TRENDS:

* Ducks are 1-4 in their last five home games.
* Road team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 5-0-2 in the last seven meetings in Anaheim.
* Under is 3-0-3 in Predators last six games overall.

St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks (A: +129, H: -143, O/U: 143)

Blues lead series 3-2

After falling short in double overtime, the visiting St. Louis Blues face an arduous task on Saturday if they are going to oust the defending Stanley Cup champion-Chicago Blackhawks from the playoffs. Although St. Louis still holds a 3-2 edge in the first-round series, Chicago has emerged victorious in 14 of its last 15 Game 6 contests under coach Joel Quenneville - including eight straight since 2013.

Patrick Kane picked a fine time to score his first goal of this postseason, doing so 3:07 into double overtime to secure Thursday's 4-3 win for the Blackhawks and send the tight first-round series back to Chicago. St. Louis won Games 3 and 4 at the United Center, perhaps prompting defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to provide bulletin board material with a rather confident statement after his three-assist performance on Thursday. "It's going to be a tough place to win, but we won the last two there, so go there and (do) more of the same. ... It's going to be fun here to win it in Chicago," the 26-year-old Pietrangelo said. Little margin of error exists in this series, as each contest has been decided by one goal and two games have ventured past regulation.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, TVAS2

PROBABLE GOALIES: Blues - Brian Elliot (0.931 %), Blackhawks - Corey Crawford (0.923 %)

MATCHUP CHART:

ABOUT THE BLUES (52-25-10, 34-41 O/U): Pietrangelo's five points in the series have him tied for the team lead with Vladimir Tarasenko as well as Jaden Schwartz, who scored in his third straight contest on Thursday to extend his point streak to four games (three goals, two assists). Former ********* Troy Brouwer, who has been held without a point in seven straight contests, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that eliminating Chicago will not come easily. "My last playoff series with them (in 2011) is when we were down 3-0 to Vancouver and lost Game 7 in overtime," Brouwer said. "So I know firsthand from a long time ago what these guys can do and when they don't have a whole lot of options."

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (49-28-10, 32-33 O/U): Although Kane was able to find the net on Thursday, captain Jonathan Toews still is looking for first goal of the postseason. "The time is now. I've been telling myself that all series," said Toews, who joined Kane in assisting on rookie Artemi Panarin's goal with 0.4 seconds remaining in the second period on Thursday to give Chicago a 3-1 lead. Defenseman Duncan Keith, who leads the team with three tallies, added to his legacy as a workhorse by skating in a game-high 42 minutes on Thursday.

TRENDS:

* Blues are 7-0 in their last seven road games verus a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Blues are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Chicago.
* Over is 8-2-6 in Blackhawks last 16 games following a win.
* Over is 10-0-3 in Blues last 13 games playing on 1 days rest.

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Announcement

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

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