Announcement

**Udog** · 04-30-2016, 07:32 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- Luke Walton is the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

-- Portland 106, Clippers 103-- Blazers move on to face Golden State next.

-- Washington Redskins started 11 different defensive backs LY, most in NFL.

-- 10 of the first 94 players drafted this week played ball at Ohio State.

-- In 1979, the Kansas City Royals drafted Dan Marino in the 5th round, John Elway in the 18th round; if only the Chiefs could draft so well.

-- Skip Bayless is getting $5.5M a year for four years from FS1, with a $4M bonus to sign. What a country.

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Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here........

13) Four quarterbacks drafted in rounds 2-3 won Super Bowls with the team that drafted them: Stabler-Wilson-Hostetler-Montana.

12) 22 defensive players were taken in the second round last night, a record.

11) Bill O'Brien coached Penn State rookie QB Christian Hackenberg for a year before he bolted to coach in the NFL; if O'Brien's Texans didn't want him, why should any other NFL team draft him? Friend of mine who is an expert on the quarterback position doesn't like Hackenberg at all.

10) Michigan State QB Connor Cook went 34-5 as a starter for the Spartans, but he wasn't elected as a captain by his teammates senior year, which has become a thing, as far as Cook being drafted by the NFL.

He wasn't taken n the first three round of the draft, while NC State's Jacoby Brissett and USC's Cody Kessler were both drafted Friday night, and neither is considered as good a player as Cook. .

If you read between the lines during the draft broadcasts on TV, not being a captain is somehow an indictment of Cook, but no one will say exactly what it is/was that made teammates not vote for him as a captain.

9) One good thing about the three-day NFL Draft; lot more trades the second day, as teams reconsider their positions after the first round.

8) I saw Urban Meyer smile last night!!! He is a smart guy, a great coach, but when he was doing college games on ESPN I actually felt bad for him because he seemed so completely humorless. He was on the NFL Network last night during the draft and was good.

7) Scheduling oddity; Baltimore Ravens play the Giants in Swamp Stadium in Week 6, then return to Jersey the next week and play the Jets in Week 7.

6) Watching Braves-Cubs yesterday, Atlanta announcer Joe Simpson was just killing umpire CB Bucknor, who is widely regarded as the worst umpire in the major leagues. I've always read that Bucknor is (relatively) better behind the plate than on the bases, but Simpson was shredding his mechanics of setting ip to call a pitch. Bucknor's been around for a while; he's not going anywhere.

5) UNLV had a horrific basketball season this year; the players/coaches have scattered quickly in many different directions since.

-- Only four players from last year's team will be back next year.
-- Former head coach Dave Rice is now an assistant at Nevada.
-- Forner interim coach Todd Simon is now head coach at Southern Utah.
-- Former assistant coach Ryan Miller is now an assistant at TCU.
-- Forner assistant Max Good is now head coach at Pratt CC in Kansas.
-- Chris Beard was the head coach for 6-7 days this spring, but quickly bolted for Texas Tech after Tubby Smith went to Memphis.

4) Sam Bradford wants the Eagles to trade him, but not to the 49ers; sounds like he and Chip Kelly didn't get along so well.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneera traded up to draft a kicker in the second round; Florida State's Roberto Aguayo (pick #50), the highest-drafted kicker since the Jets took Mike Nugent with the 47th pick in 2005.

2) You have to root for former Arkansas QB Brandon Allen; kid had his car egged by miserable Arkansas fans after a loss few years ago, then someone torched his truck the next year, and that was before the season started. Allen hasn't been drafted yet; we wish him well in the pros, where fans might not take things as seriously as fans in the SEC take their college ball.

1) Baltimore Ravens have five 4th-round draft picks today. Five.

**Udog** · 04-30-2016, 07:38 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 30

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NY ISLANDERS (50-29-0-10, 110 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (50-33-0-5, 105 pts.) - 4/30/2016, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 5-12 ATS (-8.9 Units) on Saturday games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 3-8 ATS (-8.1 Units) after a 3 game unbeaten streak this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-10 ATS (+9.8 Units) when trailing in a playoff series since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 31-14 ATS (+13.3 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 29-13 ATS (+11.2 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 5-1 ATS (+6.4 Units) in road games in April games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-17 ATS (+43.7 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 24-15 ATS (+8.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 14-9 ATS (+23.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 14-22 ATS (-21.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-4 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 6-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.5 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (52-27-0-9, 113 pts.) at WASHINGTON (61-20-0-8, 130 pts.) - 4/30/2016, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 33-38 ATS (-23.3 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 61-28 ATS (+28.0 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 26-10 ATS (+9.3 Units) after a division game this season.
PITTSBURGH is 18-12 ATS (+30.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
PITTSBURGH is 34-17 ATS (+10.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 12-4 ATS (+7.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 8-6 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-6-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.6 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Saturday, April 30

NY Islanders at Tampa Bay, 3:05 PM ET
New York: 3-8 SU after a 3 game unbeaten streak
Tampa Bay: 8-0 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more

Pittsburgh at Washington, 8:05 PM ET
Pittsburgh: 33-38 SU vs. division opponents
Washington: 26-10 SU after a division game

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, April 30

NY Islanders-Tampa Bay (NY 1-0)
Islanders won five of last six games with Tampa Bay, but lost three of last five visits here, in a series where home side won six of last eight games- over is 5-1-1 in last seven. Islanders won five of last six road games overall. Tampa Bay won four of its last six games, winning four of its last five home games, but Islanders scored twice in last 2:32 of first period in Game 1, scoring with 0:03 left in first period as they drew first blood in this series. NY was 1-4 on power play, Lightning 0-2. Tampa Bay outshot NY 28-10 in last two periods after falling behind 3-1, but never caught up.

Pittsburgh-Washington (W 1-0)
Oshie got hat trick, scoring GW goal at 9:33 of OT, as Washington overcame giving up pair of goals in 0:57 span of second period in Game 1 win. Road team is now 5-3 in last eight series games. Pittsburgh is 3-2 in last five visits here; over is 4-1-2 in last seven series games. Penguins outshot Caps 30-12 in periods 2-3, 45-35 for game; they were 0-2 on power play, Washington 0-4. Pens won eight of last 11 games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten games. Under is 5-2-1 in Washington's last eight games.

Playoffs tally: 1st round-- Home: 23-24, Over: 16-17-14
2nd round-- Home: 3-1, Over: 3-1

NHL

Saturday, April 30

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. TAMPA BAY
NY Islanders are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

8:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
Pittsburgh is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games at home
Washington is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh

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**Udog** · 04-30-2016, 08:57 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, April 30

NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay

Game 9-10
April 30, 2016 @ 3:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
9.357
Tampa Bay
12.959
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 3
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-165); Under

Pittsburgh @ Washington

Game 11-12
April 30, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.628
Washington
13.877
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-125); Over

**Udog** · 04-30-2016, 09:31 AM

Long sheet has updated.

**Udog** · 04-30-2016, 09:38 AM

NHL

Saturday, April 30

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Stanley Cup Playoffs: Saturday's NHL betting preview
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The Capitals won a high-flying Game 1 over the Penguins. They're -125 faves to head to Pittsburgh up 2-0.

In a pair of Eastern Conference semi finals games Saturday, one home team needs to even up their series, while the other tries to hold on to home ice advantage. We break down all the action on the ice in our betting preview.

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning (A: 142, H: -157, O/U: 5)

Islanders lead series 1-0

The Tampa Bay Lightning proved they could come back after losing the first contest of a series twice during last season’s playoffs and must do it again in 2016. The Lightning look to even the series after a 5-3 setback with a sharper performance when they host the New York Islanders for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference second-round battle on Saturday afternoon.

Tampa Bay was sloppy with the puck Wednesday and the Islanders capitalized while becoming the first team to score more than two goals against Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop in his last nine playoff games. “We played into their strengths a little bit too much, especially with turnovers,” Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman told reporters. “(Bishop) can’t bail us out every night. We know that. We have to make sure that everyone bounces back.” New York captain John Tavares continued his dynamic postseason with a goal and an assist in Game 1 to give him 11 points in seven contests. Goalie Thomas Greiss could be the key going forward after stopping 121 of the 126 shots he faced – 33-of-36 on Wednesday -- in the last three games, prompting Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic to tell reporters, “He’s been a wall.”

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

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Islanders - Thomas Greiss (W/L: 5-2, GAA: 1.94, SAVE %: .941)

Lightning - Ben Bishop (W/L: 4-2, GAA: 2.20, SAVE %: .931)

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (50-29-10, 37-44 O/U): Forward Shane Prince, who was acquired from Ottawa just before the trade deadline for depth purposes, is proving to be an important pickup after scoring twice in Game 1 – his second and third of the playoffs. “Being able to contribute, it’s huge,” Prince told reporters. “We need everybody to bring their best.” Former first-round pick Ryan Strome, who returned to the lineup to replace fellow forward Josh Bailey (upper body), notched a pair of assists in Game 1 while playing primarily on a line with Prince and center Frans Nielsen.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (50-33-5, 36-41 O/U): Forwards Mike Blunden and Erik Condra, along with defenseman Matt Carle, are day-to-day after missing practice Friday due to injuries while captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and defenseman Anton Stralman (broken fibula) remain out indefinitely. Coach Jon Cooper reunited leading scorer Nikita Kucherov (six goals) with Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson on the top line as Valterri Filppula, Alex Killorn and Jonathan Drouin skate on another unit. Brian Boyle could center Ryan Callahan and Cedric Paquette on a checking line Saturday.

TRENDS:

* Islanders are 6-1 in their last seven road games.
* Home team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.
* Over is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings.
* Over is 3-0-1 in Lightning last four versus Metropolitan Division opponents.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (A: +113, H: -125, O/U: 5)

Capitals lead series 1-0

After overcoming the physical style of one opponent, the Washington Capitals showed they have the wheels to outrace another when they emerged victorious against the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins to open their second-round series. Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington looks to capitalize on the momentum of T.J. Oshie's hat trick when it hosts Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh in Game 2 on Saturday.

"I think the group has evolved to change their game enough that they still have their identity, (but) they have the ability to adapt to what the game is presenting," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told the Washington Post. The plodding pace of the first-round series with Philadelphia was cranked up several notches in Game 1 on Thursday, with Oshie's wraparound goal 9:33 into overtime standing up as the winner despite a lengthy review. Series focal points Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby primarily played a secondary role, as the former set up Oshie's second goal and was a plus-3 while the latter recorded no points and was a minus-3. Then again, the two superstars could be ready to erupt after making their presence felt with dueling hat tricks in Game 2 of their epic 2009 playoff series - setting the stage for a frantic seven-game set that saw Ovechkin score eight goals and set up six others and Crosby collect eight tallies and five assists.

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

PROBABLE GOALIES:

Penguins - Matt Murray (W/L: 3-1, GAA: 1.92, SAVE %: .935)

Capitals - Braden Holtby (W/L: 5-2, GAA: 1.12, SAVE % .960)

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (52-27-9, 40-33 O/U): Although rookie Matt Murray thought Oshie's final tally would be "close enough that it would be inconclusive," there was no denying the fine pad save he made on Ovechkin's partial breakaway bid with 3 1/2 minutes to play. "I tried to force him to make the first move," the 21-year-old Murray said of thwarting the three-time Hart Trophy winner. "It's no different than with any other player." Murray yielded four goals on 35 shots, matching the number of tallies he surrendered on 89 shots en route to winning the final three contests to eliminate the New York Rangers in the first round.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (61-20-8, 35-37 O/U): Andre Burakovsky shook off any lingering resentment following his demotion to the third line by continuing to torment the Penguins. "He had that look in his eye,” Trotz told the Washington Post of the 21-year-old Burakovsky, whose Game 1 tally marked not only his first point of the postseason but his third straight goal versus Pittsburgh. "When he starts to feel it, he gets some shots off. He had a couple good looks (on Thursday)."

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 0-4 in their last four Conference Semifinals games.
* Capitals are 38-14 in their last 52 games playing on one days rest.
* Under is 9-2-4 in Capitals last 15 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 4-1-1 in Penguins last six versus Metropolitan division opponents.

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Announcement

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/30

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/30

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