The Bum's NHL Best Bets-Trends-News Etc. !

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo:Thursday's six-pack

Odds to win the SEC football title this coming fall:
2-3: Alabama
7-2: LSU
5-1: Auburn, Georgia
9-1: Florida
11-1: Tennessee
18-1: Texas A&M
40-1: Arkansas
45-1: Mississippi State, Missouri
50-1: Kentucky, South Carolina
100-1: Vanderbilt
Ole Miss is ineligible this season

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud……..

13) Why bad teams are always bad: Isaiah Thomas was the 60th (and last) pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, a brilliant move by the Sacramento Kings, who aren’t known for brilliance.

Here are the four players picked right ahead of Thomas in the draft:
56. Chukwudiebere Maduabum
57. Tanguy Ngombo
58. Ater Majok
59. Ádám Hanga

Brilliant draft pick by the Kings, but………

12) Three years later, Sacramento traded Thomas, who had just scored 20.3 pts/game during the 2013-14 season, to Phoenix, for Alex Oriakhi and a trade exception. Mr Oraikhi has yet to play in the NBA. Thomas just scored 53 points in a playoff game. Oy.

11) Brilliant move by Phoenix, but seven months later, the Suns did a 3-way deal with the Celtics and Detroit. Here is what each team got:

Boston: Isaiah Thomas, Jonas Jerebko, Gigi Datome
Detroit: Tayshaun Prince (he was 34 at the time)

Phoenix: Marcus Thornton, a 1st round draft pick

Boston GM Danny Ainge should’ve gone to confession after this theft.

10) Atlanta Hawks have been in the NBA playoffs 10 years in a row, but they fired their GM this week, supposedly because he wanted to rebuild the roster, while the owner and coach want to keep on their current course and hope they do better in the playoffs.

9) The offensive and defensive coordinators at Alabama make $1.3M and $1.2M a year; thats $2.5M a year for two ASSISTANT coaches- the strength coach makes $560,000 a year.

8) Being a major league manager can’t be as much fun these days; teams carry so many pitchers, they only have 3-4 bench players per game and one of those is a backup catcher who rarely is used. When Jose Reyes was doubled off second early in the Mets’ game Wednesday nite, in a blatant show of nonchalance/apathy, when he should have been yanked from the game, he couldn’t be, because it would make New York’s bench shorthanded the rest of the nite.

Reyes WALKED BACK TO SECOND BASE after a fly ball to right; the throw came in, and the Braves’ SS tagged him out from behind. Reyes might as well as turned and given Terry Collins the finger, thats how terrible a play it was. But he stayed in the game.

Reyes later knocked in five runs in the Mets’ 16-5 win; good for him, but he makes $22M a year- the least he could freaking do is pay attention.

7) How is Bill Belichick not the highest paid coach in the NFL? Pete Carroll/Sean Payton are, at $8M a year.

6) Only 7 of the world’s top 30 golfers are in North Carolina for the Wells Fargo event this week; the tournament is being played at a different course than usual, one more like Augusta National.

5) More tension in Boston last nite; Orioles’ starting pitcher Kevin Gausman was tossed in the second inning for hitting Xander Bogaerts- there had been a conference call before the game with the teams and MLB brass, to lay the law down on ending the BS of the last week, but Gausman hit Bogaerts with a curveball, so no way was it intentional.

In the 5th inning, Adam Jones got tossed for arguing balls/strikes. It is fair to say the Orioles aren’t enjoying their stay in Boston this week.

4) College basketball transfers:
— Carlton Bragg goes from Kansas to Arizona State
— Peter Kiss goes from Quinnipiac to Rutgers
— Jazz Johnson goes from Portland to Nevada.

Of the 12 players on Nevada’s roster today, nine of them are transfers.

3) Denver Broncos signed RB Jamaal Charles to a one-year deal, which will make their two games against their division rival Chiefs a little more interesting.

2) Another rough day for star pitchers: Cole Hamels and Cory Kluber are now on the shelf, Hamels for 2-3 months.

1— Colorado Rockies’ TV guys were talking about the movie Top Gun last nite; lot of it was filmed in the San Diego area and the Rockies are playing the Padres in Petco this week. Hard to believe the movie came out in 1986.

Top Gun cost $15M to make; in 31 years since, the movie has made over $350M worldwide.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 4

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

OTTAWA (50-31-0-10, 110 pts.) at NY RANGERS (53-31-0-7, 113 pts.) - 5/4/2017, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 6-6 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 6-6-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.6 Units)

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




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, May 4

Home side won seven of last eight Ottawa-Ranger games, all three in this series; Ottawa is 5-2 in its last seven games with the Rangers- they’re 2-3 in last five games in MSG. Under is 7-2-1 in last ten series games, 7-3-2 in Rangers’ last 12 games. Senators won six of last eight games overall; four of their last six wins came in OT. Ottawa was held to 2 or fewer goals in nine of their last 10 losses- they won last six times they scored 3+ goals. Rangers held 7 of last 10 foes under three goals. New York won four of its last five home games. Both teams are 1-11 on power play in series.

Second round NHL series

NY Rangers (-$150) vs Ottawa (+$130)
Ottawa 2-1
Ottawa 6-5 OT
NY 4-1

Pittsburgh (+$110) vs Washington (-$130)
Penguins 3-2
Penguins 6-2
Wash 3-2 OT
Penguins 3-2

St Louis (+$110) vs Nashville (-$130)
Nashville 4-3
St Louis 2-1
Nashville 3-1
Nashville 2-1

Anaheim (-$135) vs Edmonton (+$115)
Edmonton 5-3
Edmonton 3-2
Anaheim 6-3
Anaheim 4-3 OT

Home: 6-9 (26-31)
Over: 6-8-1 (19-29-9)




NHL

Thursday, May 4

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

7:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. NY RANGERS
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
Ottawa is 17-8 SU in their last 25 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
NY Rangers are 8-17 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Ottawa
NY Rangers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Ottawa

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview: Senators at Rangers

The Rangers rebounded from a pair of losses in Ottawa with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 - seizing control by scoring the first four goals.

Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers (-170, 5)

Sens lead series 2-0

The New York Rangers were a pedestrian team on home ice for much of the regular season but they have reversed their fortunes in the playoffs. New York will look to build upon its most lopsided victory of the postseason and even the Eastern Conference semifinal series when it hosts the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in Game 4.

The league's best road team during the regular season, the Rangers rebounded from a pair of losses in Ottawa with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 - seizing control by scoring the first four goals. "We were behind on our thinking, behind on our execution, behind on our physicality," Ottawa coach Guy Boucher told reporters of New York's domination. "We got a slap in the face and we've got to get up." The Senators had played eight straight one-goal decisions to open the postseason and erased a two-goal deficit on three occasions before prevailing in double overtime in Game 2, making Tuesday's matchup a must-win for New York. “It says that we can erase an emotional loss,” Rangers forward Rick Nash told reporters. “We’re still down, so the next game is that much of a bigger deal.”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS

LINE HISTORY: The Rangers opened as big -175 home favorites for Game 3 and that moneyline came down slightly to -170. The total hit the board at 5 and will likely remain on that number.

INJURY REPORT:

Senators - RW B. Ryan (Probable, leg), C Z. Smith (Doubful, upper body), D M. Borowiecki (Out Indefinitely, leg).

Rangers - No injuries to report.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (50-30-7-4, 35-50 O/U): Ottawa has some injury concerns as forwards Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith each were knocked out of Game 3, although Boucher said Ryan is likely to play Thursday while Smith's status will be determined at the morning skate. If Smith is unable to go, he will be replaced by forward Tom Pyatt, who has been sidelined since he was hurt in Game 4 of the first-round series against Boston and was called "one of our most trusted guys" by Boucher. Netminder Craig Anderson has permitted nine goals in the past two games and committed another puck-handling gaffe that led to a gimme tally in Game 3.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (53-30-4-4, 42-41 O/U): Mats Zuccarello, the leading scorer during the regular season, had a goal and an assist Tuesday to give him five points in his last four games. Mika Zibanejad, acquired from Ottawa in the offseason in exchange for Derick Brassard, also is raising his level of play with six points over the past five games to take over the team lead with seven in the postseason. “The first few games in the Montreal series, I wasn’t too happy with it, but I knew what I had to do,” Zibanejad told reporters. "When I try to play on my instincts more than trying to think out there, it works better for me."

TRENDS:

* Senators are 6-1 in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Rangers are 5-1 in their last 6 home games.
* Over is 2-0-2 in Senators last 4 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 8-2-2 in Rangers last 12 overall.
* Home team is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, May 4


Ottawa @ NY Rangers

Game 1-2
May 4, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Ottawa
11.081
NY Rangers
12.884
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Rangers
-170
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
(-170); Under




NHL
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 4

Eastern Conference Semifinals – Best of 7 – Game 4 – OTT Leads 2-1

Ottawa at NY Rangers, 7:00 PM ET
Ottawa: 6-2 in road games after a blowout loss by 3 goals or more
NY Rangers: 37-45 in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in BB games

[StarDust Bum]

Rangers look to tie series against Sens
May 3, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) The Rangers have been here before.

In the first round against Montreal, they trailed 2-1 entering Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. They won that game and closed out the series in six.

Now in the second round against the Ottawa Senators, the Rangers once again are trailing 2-1 and looking to tie their series at home (7:30 p.m., NBCSN).

''We were in the same position when we played Montreal. We came out on the right end of that,'' defenseman Brendan Smith said. ''Obviously it was a different way we were down 2-1. Going into Game 4 it's basically the same situation. We've been here before and we have to have a big game.''

The Rangers are coming off a 4-1 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday. They got off to a fast start paced by Mats Zuccarello's goal 5+ minutes into the game.

''He's got a skillset, but his best skillset is his competitive nature,'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said of his forward who led the team with 59 points in the regular season. ''He's a real competitive kid. He wants to be out there, he wants to be a difference maker. He's one of our top players.''

The Senators were disappointed in their start to Game 3 as they allowed the first two goals and were outshot 15-5 in the opening period.

''We were just not there, period,'' Senators coach Guy Boucher said. ''And they were; they were outstanding.''

Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan, who left in the third period with a lower-body injury, is expected to play. There was no update on Zack Smith, who missed the final two periods with an upper-body injury. Also defenseman Chris Wideman and forward Tom Pyatt could return to the lineup.

''They were winning puck battles, they were first on pucks, they were blocking shots, they were doing all the right things to win the game,'' Senators forward Alex Burrows said of the Rangers. ''We've got to match their intensity tomorrow night if we want to go home with a 3-1 lead.''

The Senators expect the same effort from the Rangers going into Game 4.

''We have to start the same time as them, that's it,'' Boucher said. ''Or else we have no chance. We have to have the urgency, the battle level that we normally have, and we've got to match theirs. They'll most probably display the exact same urgency as they did last game.''

Tanner Glass returned to the lineup in Game 3 and assisted on Oscar Lindberg's goal late in the second period for New York.

''I bring a little bit of an edge,'' Glass said. ''You've got to keep you head up out there. I think the guys like that. I'm just trying to play hard and bring that element.''

And after earlier struggles at home, the Rangers have won three in a row at MSG in the playoffs.

''We've just got to understand the situation that we're in, we're still down 2-1, we're playing a game in our own building,'' Rangers defenseman and captain Ryan McDonagh said. ''We want to make sure we set the tone, just go out there and make plays and try to be a hard team to play against.''

The Rangers know a dominating effort in Game 3 doesn't guarantee anything going into Game 4.

''Momentum shifts from period to period, shift to shift, game to game,'' Vigneault said.

''That game yesterday is behind us. The most important game we have right now is the one that's in front of us tomorrow.''

[StarDust Bum]

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:
April NHL Playoff Totals

Totals:.................40 - 43..........48.19%.............- 18.40

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals

Totals:............15 - 13...53.57%..+6.95..........15 - 27 - 8.............- 14.70

********************************

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:

05/03/2017....................... 1-2-0......................33.33%................ -5.00
05/02/2017....................... 0-2-1....................... 0.00%............... -10.50
05/01/2017....................... 2-0-0..................... 100.00%............. +10.00

Totals:..............................3 - 4 - 1..................,42.85%...............- 5.50


Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals

05/03/2017...........1 - 0...........100%............+1.20........0 - 2.........0.00%........- 2.20
05/02/2017...........0 - 1---------0.00%...........- 1.00.........0 - 1 - 1....0.00%........-1.10
05/01/2017...........1 - 0 ..........100%...........+ 1.00........1 - 0 ........100%.........+1.00

Totals..................2 - 1............66.66%.........+1.20........1 - 3.........33.33%.......-2.30

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, MAY 4

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

OTT at NYR 07:30 PM

OTT +140

U 5.0

[StarDust Bum]

Rangers top Senators 4-1, tie series 2-2
May 4, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) While New York stars Rick Nash and Chris Kreider receive playoff-level attention from Ottawa, Oscar Lindberg and Tanner Glass are providing an unexpected lift for the Rangers.

Lindberg scored two goals, Glass had two assists and the Rangers beat the Senators 4-1 on Thursday night to tie their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

''I think our line has been doing a really good job, getting pucks back from the forecheck,'' Lindberg said. ''We had two good chances today and we were able to bear down.''

Kreider and Nick Holden also scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist had 22 saves.

Kyle Turris scored for Ottawa, and Craig Anderson made 17 saves before being replaced by Mike Condon for the third period. Condon finished with nine stops.

''They are a good hockey team. They came out and played their game to a T,'' Anderson said. ''Had their fans and the momentum. We weren't able to get anything going.''

Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson also left the game after the second period with an injury. Karlsson played during the first round with two microfractures in one of his feet from blocking a shot late in the regular season.

Coach Guy Boucher said he expects both Anderson and Karlsson to play in Game 5 on Saturday at Ottawa.

''We felt it was better for him to keep him off the ice in the (third) period,'' Boucher said of Karlsson. ''He could've come back, but we just wanted to make sure. He has a lower-body injury.''

Lindberg also scored the Rangers' final goal in their Game 3 win, with Glass picking up an assist. Glass, a forward who was scratched in the first two games of the series, has brought an edge to the team.

''Look at these assists,'' Glass said. ''They are not exactly playmaking assists. They are just kind of the gritty, grinding game I bring. Sometimes it ends up in the back of the net.''

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault has appreciated the balanced scoring.

''Definitely tonight Oscar's line came up big for us with a couple of big plays,'' Vigneault said. ''Tanner is just playing disciplined, smart hockey and that's what he needs to do.''

The game got physical in the third period as the teams combined for 78 penalty minutes, with the majority of that coming in the final minute.

Lundqvist has stopped 48 of his past 50 shots after allowing six goals in the Senators' double-overtime win in Game 2. The Rangers have won four consecutive home games this postseason.

''I think it's the last couple of games,'' Lundqvist said. ''It's not a one-man show here. It's about four lines doing everything right and that's what you need this time of the year.''

Lindberg scored both of the Rangers' second-period goals. Glass blocked Ben Harpur's shot and Michael Grabner grabbed the loose puck and broke in with Lindberg, who scored on a one-timer at 2:01.

Glass also helped set up Lindberg's next goal. He outworked Senators defenseman Cody Ceci for the puck behind the Ottawa net and sent it to the boards. J.T. Miller grabbed the loose puck and passed to Lindberg at the point for a 3-0 lead at 15:54.

Kreider made it 4-0 with a power-play goal at 10:45 of the third.

Turris scored at 13:34, but the Senators had trouble generating sustained pressure against Lundqvist and were sloppy with the puck at times.

''We've got to hit the net,'' Boucher said. ''Whenever we got chances, we didn't capitalize.''

For the second consecutive game, the Rangers controlled the first period. In Game 3, they scored the first two goals and outshot Ottawa 15-5. On Thursday, they outshot the Senators 11-7 and opened the scoring again.

Holden led a breakout from the defensive zone and sent a pass to Kevin Hayes at center ice. Hayes passed back to Holden along the left wing and he broke in toward the net and beat Anderson with a wrist shot that went over his right pad at 14:04.

The Rangers have scored the first goal in each game of the series.

''They played well at home for their two games and we played at home for our two games and we've got a series,'' Boucher said.

NOTES: Through four games, the Rangers have led for 149:56, have been tied for 108:47 and have trailed for 4:11. ... Lundqvist earned his 61st playoff win to tie Tom Barrasso for 13th on the NHL's career list. ... Senators Fs Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith returned to the lineup after leaving Game 3 with injuries. D Chris Wideman and F Tom Pyatt both made their debuts in the series. D Fredrik Claesson and F Tommy Wingels were scratched. ... Rangers F Pavel Buchnevich was scratched for the second consecutive game and replaced by Glass.

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s six-pack

Odds to win the Pac-12 football title this coming fall:
even: USC

5-2: Washington

6-1: Stanford

7-1: Oregon, UCLA

12-1: Colorado

13-1: Utah, Washington State

20-1: Arizona State

35-1: Arizona

50-1: Oregon State

60-1: California

******************************

Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here……….

13) May 24 is the deadline for kids to withdraw from the NBA Draft; Purdue is holding its breath that Caleb Swanigan will come back to West Lafayette next season- that would make the Boilers a top-10 preseason team.

Apparently, Swanigan hasn’t yet been assured that he’ll be a first round pick.

12) Tony Parker has a ruptured left quadriceps tendon and will miss the remainder of the playoffs, which makes life much harder for the Spurs in their series with Houston.

11) Washington Wizards have outscored Boston 119-70 in first quarter of their games in this playoff series, but Celtics still won two of the three games- home side won all three.

10) Mark William Calaway, better known as the Undertaker on WWE broadcasts, had hip replacement surgery right after Wrestlemania- he is 52 years old.

9) There is a horse with only one eye running in the Kentucky Derby Saturday- Patch.

8) In 2009, the San Diego Padres picked Donovan Tate with the #1 overall pick; he never got above Class A ball, hit .226 in his career and now, at age 26, will walk on as a QB at the U of Arizona- he was at one time also a top football recruit.

He can walk on because the Padres are paying for his education.

7) Big 14 Conference is having its conference tournament in Madison Square Garden next winter, a week earlier than normal; because of that, they’ll play some conference games in December, which they’ve never done before.

6) Mt St Mary’s won the NEC basketball tourney twice in last four years; they won’t win it next year- five of their returning players have already transferred, as higher-level programs increase their poaching of low major and mid-major teams.

5) Atlanta Hawks have 11 draft picks over the next three years, so they figure to improve; they’re not firing their GM after all, just giving him a different title, probably a small demotion/reduction of duties.

4) Leonard Hamilton (Florida St) and Richard Pitino (Minnesota) got contract extensions this week, after their successful seasons.

3) Wizards 116, Celtics 89— Home side is now 3-0 in this series; there was an incident in the first half between Kelly Oubre and Kelly Olynyk— no one was KO’d in the scuffle.

Lot of Boston/Washington-area hostility in the sports world this week.

2) An NBA agent was fired for running up a $42,000 Uber tab on a player’s credit card, charges which were not authorized by the player, who isn’t a client of that agent.

1— If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t), they would look like this:

AL: Bronx/Cleveland or CWS/Houston. Wild Cards: Orioles; then either BoSox or Central #2
NL: Washington/Cubs/Colorado. Wild Cards: Arizona/Dodgers

[StarDust Bum]

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:
April NHL Playoff Totals

Totals:.................40 - 43..........48.19%.............- 18.40

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals

Totals:............15 - 13...53.57%..+6.95..........15 - 27 - 8.............- 14.70

********************************

Nhl playoffs record: ( as in baseball dogs and totals only)
All picks for the day:

05/04/2017....................... 0-1-1...................... 0.00%................ -5.00
05/03/2017....................... 1-2-0......................33.33%................ -5.00
05/02/2017....................... 0-2-1....................... 0.00%............... -10.50
05/01/2017....................... 2-0-0..................... 100.00%............. +10.00

Totals:..............................3 - 5 - 1................... 37.50%...............- 10.50

Best Bets............ Sides...............................Totals

05/04/2017...........0 - 1...........0.00%...........-1.00.........0 - 1.........0.00%........- 1.10
05/03/2017...........1 - 0...........100%............+1.20........0 - 2.........0.00%........- 2.20
05/02/2017...........0 - 1---------0.00%...........- 1.00.........0 - 1 - 1....0.00%.........-1.10
05/01/2017...........1 - 0 ..........100%...........+ 1.00........1 - 0 ........100%.........+1.00

Totals..................2 - 2............50.00%.........+0.20........1 - 4.........20.00%.......-3.40

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, May 5


Edmonton @ Anaheim

Game 5-6
May 5, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
11.301
Anaheim
12.409
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-140); Over

Nashville @ St. Louis

Game 3-4
May 5, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
13.150
St. Louis
10.549
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 2 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-105); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, May 5

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

NASHVILLE (48-30-0-12, 108 pts.) at ST LOUIS (51-33-0-7, 109 pts.) - 5/5/2017, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 41-83 ATS (+136.7 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 110-83 ATS (+24.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 32-22 ATS (-1.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 58-45 ATS (+0.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 37-27 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 28-16 ATS (+11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NASHVILLE is 20-9 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 10-9 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 10-9-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)

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EDMONTON (53-28-0-11, 117 pts.) at ANAHEIM (52-25-0-13, 117 pts.) - 5/5/2017, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 52-38 ATS (+11.1 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 34-18 ATS (+5.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 24-13 ATS (+3.6 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ANAHEIM is 27-17 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 17-9 ATS (+7.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 34-20 ATS (+7.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 26-13 ATS (+8.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 10-3 ATS (+13.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 12-16 ATS (-11.0 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 12-6 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 12-6-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, May 5

Nashville is 7-1 in playoffs this spring, 3-1 in this series, 7-3 in its last 10 games overall against the Blues. Predators are 2-3 in their last five visits to St Louis. Under is 5-2-2 in last nine series games, 3-1-1 in last five games played here. Predators allowed total of 11 goals in last eight games; they won four of last six road games overall. Blues lost four of last six games overall, two of last three at home- under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games overall. Nashville is 3-10 on power play in series, Blues are 1-9. Must-win game for the Blues, or else series os over.

Road side won all four series games; Oilers won 5-3/2-1 in Games 1-2 here, then lost 4-3/6-3 in Games 3-4 at home. Ducks scored at 0:45 of overtime in last game to even series. Oilers are 5-3 in last eight series games overall. Anaheim is 10-2 in its last 12 games overall- they had won 8 in row at home before losing Games 1-2. Oilers are 6-1 in their last seven road games. Edmonton won three of last four visits to Anaheim. Over is 4-1-1 in last six series meetings. Edmonton is 4-15 on power play in series, Ducks 2-15.

Second round NHL series

NY Rangers (-$150) vs Ottawa (+$130)
Ottawa 2-1
Ottawa 6-5 OT
NYR 4-1
NYR 4-1

Pittsburgh (+$110) vs Washington (-$130)
Penguins 3-2
Penguins 6-2
Wash 3-2 OT
Penguins 3-2

St Louis (+$110) vs Nashville (-$130)
Nashville 4-3
St Louis 2-1
Nashville 3-1
Nashville 2-1

Anaheim (-$135) vs Edmonton (+$115)
Edmonton 5-3
Edmonton 3-2
Anaheim 6-3
Anaheim 4-3 OT

Home: 7-9 (27-31)
Over: 6-8-2 (19-29-10)




NHL

Friday, May 5

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. ST. LOUIS
Nashville is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
Nashville is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Nashville

10:30 PM
EDMONTON vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games
Edmonton is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Edmonton
Anaheim is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Edmonton

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s NHL Stanley Cup Betting Preview and Odds

After sweeping top-seeded Chicago, Nashville takes a 3-1 series lead into Friday's Game 5 against the host St. Louis Blues.

Nashville Predators at St. Louis Blues (-115, 5)

Preds lead series 3-1

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (48-30-8-4, 42-38 O/U): The Nashville Predators were not expected to get past the first round of the postseason, but they are on the verge of advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. After sweeping top-seeded Chicago, Nashville takes a 3-1 series lead into Friday's Game 5 against the host St. Louis Blues. The Predators improved to 7-1 in the postseason after winning back-to-back games in Nashville to push St. Louis to the brink of elimination. There were questions about the drop-off in Rinne's play entering the playoffs, but he has posted a 7-1-0 mark, 1.33 goals-against average and a staggering .953 save percentage - the highest for a netminder with at least eight starts since 1982-83. "It's still a small stretch of games to me," said Rinne, who yielded three goals in each game at St. Louis. "But it's one of those things, you try not to look at those numbers." Nashville's defensemen continue to supply great production with eight goals and 14 assists in eight playoff games.

ABOUT THE BLUES (51-33-5-2, 36-41 O/U): Blues scored two goals in two games in Nashville and can't count on a return home to serve as a panacea - they are 6-8 in their last 14 playoff games at Scottrade Center, including 2-2 this postseason. Among the simplest ways for St. Louis to generate more offense is to improve its struggling power play, which has converted on 1 of 9 chances in the series and 2 of 24 in the postseason. “That’s something that we need to be better at for sure,” forward Jaden Schwartz told reporters. “We’ve just got to do a better job of making tape-to-tape passes, coming down hill a little bit more and not looking for the perfect pass, just getting them on net and find a way to get rebounds.” Vladimir Sobotka replaced Schwartz on the No. 1 line at Thursday's practice.

LINE HISTORY: The Blues opened as -115 favorites on home ice with their backs against the wall in Game 5. The total hit the board at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Predators - RW C. Smith (Questionable, lower body), LW P. Aberg (Questionable, undisclosed), LW K. Fiala (Out For Season, leg).

Blues - C R. Fabbri (Out For Season, knee).

TRENDS:

* Predators are 7-1 in their last 8 overall.
* Blues are 5-12 in their last 17 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 5-1-5 in Predators last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 8-2-3 in Blues last 13 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Home team is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.




Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers (-140, 5.5)

Series tied 2-2

ABOUT THE OILERS (53-28-6-5, 37-46 O/U): Leon Draisaitl (team-high 10 points) has been pretty hard to solve on the heels of his third multi-point performance in the playoffs for the Oilers. Captain Connor McDavid followed his highlight-reel goal in Game 3 with another tally on Wednesday, giving the Hart Trophy finalist a point in five of his last six outings. The 20-year-old McDavid wasn't hanging his head after his team dropped both contests at Rogers Place and rather expressed an air of confidence on Thursday given Edmonton's 4-1 record during the playoffs in Southern California and 22-14-5 road mark in the regular season. "I think everyone feels pretty good, even though losing both (games) at home is not ideal," McDavid said. "We're going into a building that we feel pretty comfortable playing in, we've had success there before. We've been a pretty good road team this year, the guys seem to jell on the road."

ABOUT THE DUCKS (52-25-10-3, 32-38 O/U): After remaining perfect in the playoffs in Alberta, the Ducks vie for their third win in a row in the series when they host the Oilers in Game 5 on Friday. Captain Ryan Getzlaf has enjoyed the advantage regardless of venue, highlighting his four-point performance in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime victory with a pair of tallies to surpass Teemu Selanne (35) for first place on the all-time franchise playoff list. Jakob Silfverberg scored the second-fastest overtime goal in Anaheim's franchise playoff history when he tallied 45 seconds into overtime, extending his goal streak to four contests and playoff total to seven in eight games. The 26-year-old Swede has shown a knack for coming up big in the postseason as he's only two years removed from recording 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games during Anaheim's run to the Western Conference final. Rickard Rakell, who led the team with a career-high 33 goals, has scored in back-to-back outings and totaled a plus-6 rating over those two contests.

LINE HISTORY: The Ducks opened as -140 moneyline favorites as they attempt to become the first home team in this series to notch a victory. The total opened at 5.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Oilers - D A. Ference (Out For Season, hip), RW T. Pitlick (Out For Season, knee).

Ducks - RW O. Kase (Questionable, lower body), RW P. Eaves (Doubtful, lower body), D K. Bieksa (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D S. Despres (Out Indefinitely, concussion), D C. Stoner (Out Indefinitely, abdominal).

TRENDS:

* Oilers are 2-8 in their last 10 Friday games.
* Ducks are 17-4 in their last 21 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Under is 12-2-2 in Oilers last 16 Friday games.
* Over is 4-1-2 in Ducks last 7 games following a win.
* Road team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, MAY 5

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NAS at STL 08:00 PM

U 5.0

EDM at ANA 10:30 PM

EDM +120

O 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

Odds to win the Big X football title this coming fall:
5-7: Oklahoma
14-5: Oklahoma State
3-1: Texas
6-1: Kansas State
7-1: West Virginia
11-1: TCU
65-1: Baylor
75-1: Iowa State, Texas Tech
150-1: Kansas

**********

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

13) FOX Sports hired former NFL QB Jay Cutler to replace John Lynch on its NFL telecasts with Kevin Burkhart. 34-year old Cutler hasn’t definitively said that he is retired; isn’t he better than any of the QB’s Lynch has with the 49ers?

I’m very curious to hear Cutler on the air. Would be funny if he turned out to be a better analyst than Tony Romo. Cutler’s first game at FOX will be a Bears’ preseason game, so we’ll find out very quickly if he will be willing to criticize people he knows well.

12) Kendrys Morales homered off of Chris Archer last nite; he is now 15-25 in his career against Archer- that is what players call “ownage”.

11) Cavaliers 115, Raptors 94— Cleveland/Golden State are a combined 13-0 in playoffs. Not the most interesting event to follow, at least not yet.

10) Orioles’ starter Wade Miley was taken out after four batters last nite— he was hit by line drives in consecutive AB’s, by Jose Abreu/Avasail Garcia. Abreu hit him on the left forearm, Garcia’s liner hit Miley in the butt.

9) Dodgers’ pitcher Rich Hill was supposed to throw four innings on a rehab start this week, but lasted only six batters, bad news for the Dodgers. Hill has chronic blister problems on his left hand.

Logan Forsythe (hamstring) was also shut down on his rehab assignment.

8) Brandon McCarthy tweaked his shoulder in the weight room, had his start pushed back to Sunday; Clayton Kershaw moves up a day.

Mets’ TV analyst Keith Hernandez says players work out too hard now before and in between games; hard to argue with him.

7) This is where I remind you that Joe Thornton played four NHL playoff games, with a torn ACL and MCL. Hockey players don’t get tweaked.

6) Broadcaster Kenny Albert worked 12 NHL playoff games in 12 days in five different cities last month; busy guy, tremendous announcer.

5) Big trend in NBA betting now is when teams come home down 2-0 in a series, the team down 2-0 has covered the first half in Game 3 seven times in a row.

4) Nothing quite as aggravating as watching a pitcher on your fantasy team pitch when Kerwin Danley is behind the plate; he is a horrible umpire and always has been. He played college ball at San Diego State with Tony Gwynn.

3) Marlins led the Mets 7-3 in middle of 7th inning last nite, they brought Brad Ziegler in to start the 7th inning. Ziegler threw 19 pitches, faced six batters, gave up six hits in a truly awful effort.

2) Marwin Gonzalez homered in four straight games this week, making him the first player ever to do that while playing four different positions- 1B, 3B, LF, RF.

1— Further evidence that the NBA doesn’t need 7-game series; teams that take a 3-0 series lead are 123-0 in that series. Hockey is much better suited for 7-game series than basketball. At least four times, an NHL team has won a series after trailing 3-0.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 6

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NY RANGERS (54-31-0-7, 115 pts.) at OTTAWA (50-32-0-10, 110 pts.) - 5/6/2017, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 16-31 ATS (+47.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 50-42 ATS (+7.8 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 30-26 ATS (-0.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
OTTAWA is 24-20 ATS (+54.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
OTTAWA is 28-19 ATS (+47.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 26-17 ATS (+43.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
OTTAWA is 14-10 ATS (+26.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 54-38 ATS (+4.9 Units) in all games this season.
NY RANGERS are 16-11 ATS (+28.2 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 7-6-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.6 Units)

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PITTSBURGH (57-22-0-12, 126 pts.) at WASHINGTON (60-23-0-9, 129 pts.) - 5/6/2017, 7:15 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 122-64 ATS (+47.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 12-3 ATS (+6.9 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
WASHINGTON is 72-39 ATS (+21.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 121-76 ATS (+7.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 24-16 ATS (+6.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 78-44 ATS (+13.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-12 ATS (+10.0 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 26-12 ATS (+8.3 Units) after a division game this season.
PITTSBURGH is 41-25 ATS (+11.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 13-10 (+3.3 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 13-10-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.7 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, May 6

Home side won 8 of last 9 Ottawa-Ranger games, all four in this series; Ottawa is 5-3 in its last 8 games with the Rangers- New York lost its last four visits to Ottawa. Under is 6-2-2 in last 10 series games, 7-3-3 in Rangers’ last 13 games. Ottawa is 6-3 in last nine game overall; four of their last six wins came in overtime. Ottawa was held to 2 or fewer goals in 10 of its last 11 losses- they won last six times they scored 3+ goals. Rangers held 8 of last 11 foes under three goals. Rangers are 2-17 on power play in series, Senators are 1-13. New York is 5-2 in its last seven games overall.

Pittsburgh has 3-1 series lead; road club won 3 of 4 series games, 3 of which stayed under the total. Caps lost Game 4 despite outshooting Penguins 38-18- they’re +49 in shots in this series. Pittsburgh is 9-4 in last 13 games overall vs Washington. Penguins are 2-15 on power play in series, Caps 3-14. Pittsburgh is 7-2 overall in playoffs, with both losses by a goal- they’re 3-1 on road in playoffs. Washington is 2-3 in its last five home games; maybe all the overtime games in the 1st round with the Maple Leafs has taken its toll.

Second round NHL series
NY Rangers (-$150) vs Ottawa (+$130)
Ottawa 2-1
Ottawa 6-5 OT
NYR 4-1
NYR 4-1

Pittsburgh (+$110) vs Washington (-$130)
Penguins 3-2
Penguins 6-2
Wash 3-2 OT
Penguins 3-2

St Louis (+$110) vs Nashville (-$130)
Nashville 4-3
St Louis 2-1
Nashville 3-1
Nashville 2-1
St Louis 2-1

Anaheim (-$135) vs Edmonton (+$115)
Edmonton 5-3
Edmonton 3-2
Anaheim 6-3
Anaheim 4-3 OT
Anaheim 4-3 2OT

Home: 8-10 (28-32)
Over: 7-9-2 (20-30-10)




NHL

Saturday, May 6

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Trend Report
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3:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
NY Rangers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
Ottawa is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Rangers

7:15 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games on the road
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 9 games at home