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**Udog** · 04-14-2017, 07:24 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Odds for some non-favorites to win the US Open in June in Wisconsin

60-1– Charl Schwartzel

80-1— Tyrell Hatton

100-1- Marc Leishman

125-1— Bill Haas

150-1— Billy Horschel

200-1— Charles Howell III

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

13) Next Friday in this space we’ll be analyzing the 2017 NFL schedule, since apparently it is being released Thursday night on the NFL Network. The old coach Bud Grant used to say “It is not who you play, it is when you play them.” Next week the ’17 season begins to take shape.

12) I have an idea for an NFL Films reality show, kind of a Hard Knocks after the season.

Apparently teams do exit interviews after the season with players, to talk about what they need to work on in the offseason, or if they’ll be back next year— this is done to keep the lines of communication open. It would make great TV- there have to be some interesting discussions.

11) Last April, Trevor Story took baseball by storm, hitting .261 with 10 homers, 20 RBI just in April. This year? Not so much; Story is hitting .143 with one homer, two RBI- he hit his first HR last night, off Madison Bumgarner, so maybe he is turning things around.

10) Most Dodger games aren’t on TV in the Las Vegas sportsbooks, which is dumb, because of some blackout rule. It makes zero sense; Vegas is three hours from LA, baseball could use the exposure from Dodger fans in Las Vegas wanting to watch their team play. This should be fixed.

9) Arizona has a rookie manager this year in Torey Lovullo, his dad was a producer on the old Hee Haw TV show, the country music show with Roy Clark/Buck Owens.

8) Remember the old medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton? Her dad played basketball at West Virginia, with Jerry West. Mary Lou didn’t get her dad’s height.

7) Memphis Grizzlies’ PG Mike Conley has played in 756 NBA games, 24,854 minutes and he has never gotten a technical foul— not even one!!!

6) Sharp money on the Boston Bruins came in Tuesday, forcing the B’s Stanley Cup odds to drop from 28-1 to 16-1. Bruins are favored over Ottawa in this first round series, despite not having home ice advantage in the series.

5) When Hurricane Matthew ripped thru South Carolina last year, Harbourtown Country Club on Hilton Head lost over 500 trees.

4) Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville might run for governor of Alabama next year. No idea if he would be a good candidate, but they do take football seriously in Alabama.

3) Orlando Magic fired their GM, apparently want to hire Grant Hill to take his place, but Hill is already a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and might not be interested.

2) Portland’s Moe Harkless has a clause in his contract that gives him a $500K bonus if he shot 35% from the arc this season.

Going into the season finale Wednesday, Harkless was at 35.1% on the arc; if he goes 0-1, he drops below 35%. So what did he do? He played 22 minutes but didn’t take a 3-pointer. Thats plus-$500K for Mr Harkless, Not exactly the competitive spirit of Ted Williams, but half a million bucks guaranteed is a sweet deal.

1— Got home very late from my trip; we got delayed taking off in Las Vegas. My thanks to the people at SouthPoint Casino, an underrated place for your next Vegas vacation.

**Udog** · 04-14-2017, 07:30 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, April 14

NY Rangers at Montreal, 7:05 PM ET
New York: 15-5 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
Montreal: 18-24 SU in home games revenging a same season loss vs opponent

Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7:05 PM ET
Columbus: 23-12 SU revenging a loss versus opponent
Pittsburgh: 4-6 SU after 2 or more consecutive unders

St Louis at Minnesota, 8:05 PM ET
St Louis: 54-39 SU in road games
Minnesota: 20-28 SU revenging a same season loss vs opponent

San Jose at Edmonton, 10:35 PM ET
San Jose: 11-1 SU in road games after 2 consecutive division games
Edmonton: 6-15 SU in home games revenging a close loss vs opponent of 1 goal or less

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, April 14

Canadiens got blanked at home by New York in Game 1; Montreal won six of last eight games with the Rangers; road team won six of those eight games. New York lost three of last five games in the Bell Centre. Over is 3-2-1 in last six series games. Rangers snapped 4-game road losing streak Wednesday; they’re 3-5 in last eight games overall- their last four games stayed under. Canadiens won six of last nine games; under is 8-2-1 in their last 11. Rangers won their last four first round series; Montreal missed playoffs LY- they split last six first round series, over last eight years.

Home side won seven of last eight Columbus-Pittsburgh games; Blue Jackets lost five of last six games in Steel City. Under is 6-3 in last nine series games. Jackets lost seven of last eight games overall, six of last seven on road- under is 8-2-1 in their last 11. Pittsburgh won its last three home games; they won Stanley Cup LY, won their first round series three of last four years- this is their 10th year in row in playoffs. Columbus is in playoffs for just third time, first time since 2014; their coach won Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004.

St Louis was outshot 52-26 in Game 1 but won 2-1 in OT, scoring at 17:48 of OT- they won six of last eight games with Minnesota, three of last five played in Twin Cities. Over is 3-3-1 in last seven series games. Blues won seven of last nine games, four of last five on road. Minnesota won four of its last five games- they outhit Blues 35-18 in Game 1, a good sign. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Blues are in playoffs for 6th straight year; they lost first round series three of last four years. Minnesota is in playoffs for 5th year in row; they’re 4-3 overall in first round series.

Edmonton had 9-game home winning streak snapped in OT in Game 1; they’ve won eight of last ten overall- over is 3-1-1 in its last five. Sharks lost six of last seven road games, but won three of last five overall (under 4-1). Edmonton is in playoffs for first time since 2006, when they lost Cup final; they’ve lost four of last five first round series. San Jose lost Stanley Cup final LY; they’re 9-3 in last 12 first round series. Oilers won three of last four games with San Jose- they also won three of last five visits here; road side won five of last eight series games. Over is 3-2-2 in last seven series games.

First round series:
East
Washington-Toronto
3-2 Wash OT
Pittsburgh-Columbus
Pitt 3-1
Montreal-NY Rangers
NYR 2-0
Ottawa-Boston
Bos 2-1

West
Chicago-Nashville
Nash 1-0
Minnesota-St Louis
StL 2-1 ot
Anaheim-Calgary
Ana, 3-2
Edmonton-San Jose
SJ 3-2 ot

NHL

Friday, April 14

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
COLUMBUS vs. PITTSBURGH
Columbus is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Columbus
Pittsburgh is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home

7:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. MONTREAL
NY Rangers are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games on the road
Montreal is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing NY Rangers
Montreal is 13-5 SU in their last 18 games when playing at home against NY Rangers

8:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of St. Louis's last 13 games on the road
St. Louis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing St. Louis

10:30 PM
SAN JOSE vs. EDMONTON
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
San Jose is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing Edmonton
Edmonton is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
Edmonton is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against San Jose

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**Udog** · 04-14-2017, 08:48 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, April 14

San Jose @ Edmonton

Game 77-78
April 14, 2017 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
9.843
Edmonton
12.279
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(-150); Over

St. Louis @ Minnesota

Game 75-76
April 14, 2017 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
St. Louis
11.544
Minnesota
10.688
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-200
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(+170); Over

Columbus @ Pittsburgh

Game 73-74
April 14, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.248
Pittsburgh
9.759
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(+145); Over

NY Rangers @ Montreal

Game 71-72
April 14, 2017 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
10.221
Montreal
12.121
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Montreal
-150
5
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(-150); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, April 14

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NY RANGERS (49-28-0-6, 104 pts.) at MONTREAL (47-27-0-9, 103 pts.) - 4/14/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 15-28 ATS (-13.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 13-4 ATS (+8.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
NY RANGERS are 15-8 ATS (+23.9 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 24-18 ATS (+45.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 9-13 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 7-3 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-3-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.0 Units)

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COLUMBUS (50-25-0-8, 108 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (51-21-0-11, 113 pts.) - 4/14/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 8-22 ATS (+38.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 48-24 ATS (+13.2 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 50-33 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games this season.
COLUMBUS is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) on Friday nights this season.
COLUMBUS is 23-12 ATS (+9.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 7-6 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 7-6-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
6 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.0 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

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ST LOUIS (47-29-0-7, 101 pts.) at MINNESOTA (49-25-0-9, 107 pts.) - 4/14/2017, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 41-30 ATS (+9.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 19-8 ATS (+10.9 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 54-41 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 8-3 ATS (+12.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 46-53 ATS (-15.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 5-10 ATS (-7.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 11-10 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 11-10-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)

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SAN JOSE (47-29-0-7, 101 pts.) at EDMONTON (47-26-0-10, 104 pts.) - 4/14/2017, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 39-22 ATS (+15.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 16-6 ATS (+9.2 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 27-20 ATS (+53.1 Units) in road games in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 22-13 ATS (+36.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 7-8 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 8-7-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.4 Units)

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**Udog** · 04-14-2017, 08:56 AM

NHL

Friday, April 14

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Friday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds
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The Pittsburgh Penguins won as a home favorite Wednesday despite losing starting goaltender Matt Murray during pregame warmups.

Three of the four series' to hit the ice on Friday night for Game 2 featured upsets in the series openers, with the Pittsburgh Penguins being the only team to hold serve at home in Game 1. We break down all the matchups to help you 'cap the Stanley Cup Playoffs like a pro.

New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens (-150, 5)

Rangers lead series 1-0.

ABOUT THE RANGERS (49-28-2-4, 40-37 O/U): The New York Rangers owned the league's best record away from home and carried that success into their opening game of the postseason. Fresh off a 2-0 victory behind netminder Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers look to take command of their Eastern Conference first-round series when they visit the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 on Friday night. It's not often Lundqvist when is considered the "other" goalie in any series, but his regular-season mark of 4-9-2 with a 3.97 goals-against average at Bell Centre and the presence of Price had many observers tilting the odds in Montreal's favor. "We didn't put out there that Hank is going to have a hard time here," New York coach Alain Vigneault said. "We've always had a lot of confidence in his game and what he did (Wednesday) was what we expected." Lundqvist registered 31 saves for his 10th shutout in the postseason, which are the most among active netminders.

ABOUT THE CANADIENS (47-27-7-2, 29-39 O/U: While some media outlets are already labeled Friday's game a must-win for the Canadiens to avoid heading back to New York in an 0-2 hole, goaltender Carey Price was not ready to sound the alarm. “It’s just one game,” Price said. “It’s a seven-game series and we weren’t going to win 16 straight games. We would have liked to. You know, we got what we got and we’re going to move forward." The inability to dent Lundqvist revived memories of Montreal's six-game loss to Tampa Bay in the conference semifinals two years ago, when the Canadiens scored five goals in their four losses. Coach Claude Julien said there would be no lineup changes following Wednesday's practice, which focused on players setting up screens and working on deflections and rebounds. "There were a couple of chances where we got pucks to the net and rebounds were sitting there," captain Max Pacioretty said. "We've got to dig a little bit deeper to come up with those type of chances."

LINE HISTORY: The desperate Canadiens opened as -140 favorites and have been bet up to -150. Oddsmakers pegged the total for Game 1 at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Rangers - No injuries to report.

Canadiens - D A. Emelin (Doubtful, lower body).

TRENDS:

* Rangers are 1-5 in their last 6 games following a win.
* Canadiens are 11-2 in their last 13 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 4-0 in Rangers last 4 overall.
* Under is 8-1-3 in Canadiens last 12 vs. Metropolitan.
* Road team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins (-165, 5.5)

Penguins lead series 1-0.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (50-25-6-2, 32-45 O/U): Brandon Saad looks to atone from a porous performance in Game 1, one that saw the 24-year-old Pittsburgh native limited to just 1:45 of ice time in the third period. "When I do get out there, I'll do my best and try to help the team win," Saad said following Thursday's practice. "It's (Tortorella's) job to put the team out there that he thinks will get the job done. For me, that's out of my control. ... It's do-or-die here. So every game, it's a clean slate." Sergei Bobrovsky would like to wipe the slate clean, as the former Vezina Trophy winner has yielded 16 goals during his five-game losing skid.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (51-21-6-5, 47-31 O/U): Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan appeared at ease shuffling veteran Marc-Andre Fleury in the crease in place of injured goaltender Matt Murray, and the Columbus Blue Jackets don't seem too fazed by the switch, either. After excelling as a last-minute replacement, Fleury has been confirmed to start on Friday in Game 2 of the first-round series at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Phil Kessel is off to a fast start in the postseason after enjoying quite the playoffs last spring in which he led Pittsburgh in both goals (10) and points (22). The 29-year-old scored a power-play goal and assisted on Bryan Rust's second-period tally to record his sixth multi-point performance in 25 career playoff games with the Penguins. Rust, who missed Thursday's practice due to a maintenance day, has been quite comfortable in the Steel City during the playoffs with four goals in his last five home games.

LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened as -165 favorites and the moneyline has yet to move. The total hit the board at 5.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Blue Jackets - LW L. Sedlak (Out Indefinitely, upper body), D R. Murray (Late April, hand), RW D. Clarkson (Out Indefinitely, back).

Penguins - D C. Ruhwedel (Questionable, upper body), G M. Murray (Out, lower body), LW C. Kunitz (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D K. Letang (Out For Season, neck), LW C. Hagelin (Late April, lower body).

TRENDS:

* Blue Jackets are 1-7 in their last 8 overall.
* Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Blue Jackets last 9 road games.
* Under is 4-1 in Penguins last 5 vs. Metropolitan.
* Home team is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild (-200, 5)

Blues lead series 1-0.

ABOUT THE BLUES (47-29-5-2, 34-36 O/U): Allen was especially strong in the second and third periods when he stopped all 34 shots as his teammates managed to get just 12 on Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk. “They were throwing a lot at me, but my job is to stop the puck and give the boys a chance,” Allen told reporters. “A lot of shots from tough angles (and) I did a pretty decent job of keeping pucks away from their players.” Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo finished with team highs of five shots on goal and 34 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time Wednesday.

ABOUT THE WILD (49-25-7-2, 42-32 O/U): The Minnesota Wild will take a repeat effort with a little more finishing touch when they host the St. Louis Blues on Friday night for Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series. Zach Parise gave Minnesota a chance by scoring off a nifty Mikko Koivu touch pass with 22.7 seconds left in regulation Wednesday for his 31st career playoff goal in 90 games. Parise led the way with seven shots while leading scorer Mikael Granlund along with Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle finished with six each in the series opener. Zucker told the media: “There are a few tweaks that we’ll make, but we’ve got to bring the same intensity and that same grit to our game and push for 60 minutes to be a little harder around the net.”

LINE HISTORY: The Wild opened as big -200 favorites and the moneyline has yet to move. The total opened at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Blues - C P. Stastny (Questionable, foot), RW N. Yakupov (Questionable, undisclosed), D R. Bortuzzo (Out Indefinitely, upper body), C R. Fabbri (Out For Season, knee).

Wild - D V. Bartley (Out Indefinitely, tricep).

TRENDS:

* Blues are 7-1 in their last 8 road games.
* Wild are 1-7 in their last 8 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Under is 13-3-3 in Blues last 19 vs. Western Conference.
* Under is 6-1 in Wild last 7 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Blues are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.

San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers (-155, 5)

Sharks lead series 1-0.

ABOUT THE SHARKS (47-29-6-1, 22-37 O/U): The Sharks welcomed Logan Couture back to the lineup after the center missed the final seven games of the regular season with a facial injury. Another injured forward could return Friday in Joe Thornton, who sat out the last three regular-season contests as well as the series opener due to a knee issue. Couture registered one shot and won three of his five faceoffs over 20 minutes, 41 seconds of ice time in his first game since March 25 but was not pleased with his performance. "I was just off with timing and stickhandling and making plays, receiving passes," the 28-year-old told reporters. "Everything wasn't there. I wasn't very effective, but happy to get a game under my belt." Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic led San Jose with two points (both assists) in Game 1 after registering 12 (one goal) in 24 contests during the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final last postseason.

ABOUT THE OILERS (47-26-5-5, 32-42 O/U): The Edmonton Oilers appeared on their way to victory in their first playoff game since 2006 but squandered the opportunity and lost in overtime. Edmonton will get the chance to even their Western Conference first-round series when it hosts the San Jose Sharks for Game 2 on Friday. Captain Connor McDavid notched an assist in the series opener after ending the regular season with a 14-game point streak - the longest in the NHL in 2016-17. The 20-year-old recorded 100 points to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players in franchise history to capture the Art Ross Trophy. Defenseman Adam Larsson, who tied teammate Eric Gryba by delivering a game-high eight hits, did not participate in Thursday's practice.

LINE HISTORY: Edmonton opened as -165 home favorites and some Sharks action has pushed the line down to -155. The total hit the board at 5.

INJURY REPORT:

Sharks - C J. Thornton (Questionable, knee).

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

TRENDS:

* Sharks are 1-6 in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Oilers are 9-1 in their last 10 home games.
* Over is 3-0-3 in Sharks last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
* Over is 5-0-1 in Oilers last 6 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Road team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.

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Announcement

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/14

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/14

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