Announcement

**Udog** · 05-03-2017, 07:35 AM

Armadillo:Wednesday's six-pack

Records in conference games, NCAA tourney games the last four years:
Wisconsin 52-20 Big 14 games, 13-4 NCAA’s
Maryland 38-16, 3-3 (only in Big 14 three years)
Michigan State 47-25, 8-4
Iowa 43-29, 2-3
Purdue 43-29, 2-3
Michigan 43-29, 6-3
Ohio State 39-33, 1-2
Indiana 38-34, 2-2
Northwestern 30-42, 1-1
Illinois 29-43, 0-0
Nebraska 28-44, 0-1
Minnesota 27-45, 0-1
Penn State 23-49, 0-0
Rutgers 11-61, 0-0

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings……..

13) Revisionist historians were out at the NFL Draft last weekend; Bill Walsh didn’t “find” Joe Montana in the 1979 draft, he didn’t even want the 49ers to take him. Seriously.

49ers had a scout named Tony Razzano who (along with former Denver coach John Ralston) wanted the Niners to draft Montana. Walsh wanted Steve Dils, whom he had coached at Stanford. The scouts won out and since then people have jostled for position to take credit for it.

49ers took Montana in the third round; Dils wound up getting selected by Minnesota in the 4th round, lasted 10 years in the NFL, starting only 27 games (10-17).

12) A football fan in San Francisco paid $30,000 to sit in the 49ers’ draft room last weekend.

11) A 3-star basketball recruit from Georgia was all set to sign with Eastern Kentucky, until Duke jumped in and offered the kid a scholarship, which the kid took.

Huh? Duke doesn’t pursue 3-star recruits, so what gives?

Well, current Blue Devil Frank Jackson hasn’t withdrawn from the NBA Draft yet, and Trevon Duval hasn’t decided where his six months of college will happen— if neither of those two guards plays at Duke next year, then Jordan Goldwire will find himself as Duke’s point guard.

If Jackson/Duval both attend Duke next year, then Goldwire will work hard in practice and never see the light of day in game situations that matter.

10) So far this baseball season, Cubs’ starting pitchers have a 9.69 ERA in the first inning, which is very bad.

9) Boston’s Chris Sale threw behind Manny Machado in the first inning last nite; both benches were warned. Machado later homered in the 7th inning off of Sale.

Orioles turned a triple play in the bottom of the 8th inning of a 5-2 Boston win.

8) Miami’s Edinson Volquez allowed three runs in 4.1 IP last nite; he walked 8, struck out 9 in a Little League-like appearance. Of the 23 batters he faced, 17 walked/struck out. He is only the second pitcher in last 100 years to walk 7+ hitters, strike out 9+ and not finish the 5th inning- he left with a blister problem.

7) Phillies’ pitcher Vince Velasquez has good potential; he struck out 16 Padres in an April game LY, but in order to help the Phillies, he has to get deeper into games.

Philly handed Velasquez a 7-0 lead in 2nd inning Monday, but he still lasted only five innings, throwing 98 pitches. That means the bullpen needed to get 12 outs in a game where they had a huge lead and should’ve been able to relax some.

Over the course of a long six-month season, bullpens need some down time.

6) When he was 11-12 years old. Tampa Bay Rays’ P Alex Cobb was a spring training batboy for the Dodgers in Vero Beach. Sounds like a fun job for a kid.

5) Looks like Valparaiso will be replacing Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference; there was some thought that the league would add three teams (Omaha, Murray State were mentioned) to get to 12 teams.

4) Indians’ ace Corey Kluber left last night’s game with back discomfort, bad news for Cleveland.

3) ESPN fired Ed Werder even though his contract runs thru April 2019; how does this make any sense? The guy is really good at his job, you have to pay him for two more years anyway, and you still fire him? It makes you wonder what really is in play here.

2) Nick Saban got a contract extension this week. From ESPN.com:

“Saban will receive a $4 million signing bonus and make $6.725 million in salary this year. He gets another $400,000 bonus for completing the season, bringing his total compensation for the year to $11.125 million. He has completion bonuses in each year of the contract, culminating in a $3.6 million payout after the 2021 season before going back down to $400,000 per year in subsequent seasons.”

Saban is the 2nd-highest paid college coach in the country, behind Jim Harbaugh.

1— The wife of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel gave birth to a little boy couple weeks ago; young man was born with some heart problems, but is doing better now. Kimmel started his show Monday nite with a monologue describing what happened and thanking all the people who helped. He had a list and read it, with lot of nurses/doctors’ names on it.

Kimmel is a wealthy guy, but what if it was my kid or yours? Could I afford that kind of health care? Could you? The baby has already had one heart operation; he’ll need two more before the problem is totally behind him.

One of Kimmel’s points in his monologue was this: No parent should have to decide whether he/she has enough money to save their child’s life. Good health care is for all Americans, not just the wealthy ones. Makes a lot of sense.

**Udog** · 05-03-2017, 07:50 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 3

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WASHINGTON (60-22-0-9, 129 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (56-22-0-12, 124 pts.) - 5/3/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 120-76 ATS (+28.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 77-44 ATS (-1.9 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 26-12 ATS (+7.2 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 51-27 ATS (+13.0 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 40-25 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 122-63 ATS (+25.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 39-21 ATS (+14.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 99-108 ATS (-32.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 12-10 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 12-10-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
9 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.7 Units, Under=-1.2 Units)

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ANAHEIM (51-25-0-13, 115 pts.) at EDMONTON (53-28-0-10, 116 pts.) - 5/3/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 10-15 ATS (-10.3 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 53-38 ATS (+13.7 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 34-19 ATS (+3.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 26-12 ATS (+10.1 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 16-9 ATS (+25.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 33-18 ATS (+9.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 21-11 ATS (+8.3 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 26-17 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 16-9 ATS (+6.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 11-6 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 11-6-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-1.1 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, May 3

Crosby (concussion) is out here; Washington is 5-0-2 in last seven games vs Penguins when Crosby was out and Ovechkin played. Road team won all three series games so far; Game 3 win was Caps’ first in last six visits to Steel City. Pittsburgh is 8-4 in last 12 games overall vs Washington. Over is 5-2-1 in last eight series tilts. Caps won four of their last five road games; they’re 3-10 on power play in last two games. Penguins are 6-2 in playoffs so far; they’re 1-10 on power play in series- they have a 104-75 edge in shots on goal in series thru three games.

Edmonton won five of its last seven games with Anaheim; road team won all three series games. Ducks blew 3-0 lead here in Game 3, but pulled away for 6-3 win- they lost two of last three visits here, with both losses in OT- they won last four road games overall. Anaheim grabbed 3-1 first period lead last game, after not scoring in first period in Games 1-2 at home. Over is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Anaheim is 9-2 in its last 11 games overall. Edmonton is 3-12 on power play in series, Ducks 2-11.

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

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

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

Home: 5-8 (25-30)
Over: 5-7-1 (18-28-9)

NHL

Wednesday, May 3

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
WASHINGTON vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington

10:00 PM
ANAHEIM vs. EDMONTON
Anaheim is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Anaheim is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
Edmonton is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Anaheim
Edmonton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

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**Udog** · 05-03-2017, 07:53 AM

Wednesday’s NHL Stanley Cup Betting Preview and Odds

Sidney Crosby was in the midst of another memorable playoff run before a cross-check to the head has the Penguins' superstar in an all-to-familiar place: the NHL's concussion protocol.

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (+105, 5)

Pens lead series 2-1

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (60-21-5-5, 40-36 O/U): While a significant portion of the spotlight rests with Matt Niskanen and his role in Crosby's concussion, fellow defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk finally saw a positive light in the playoffs with his power-play goal 3:13 into overtime on Monday. The prized in-season acquisition had been called more derogatory names than most politicians after entering Game 3 with a league-worst minus-seven rating in eight playoff contests. Nicklas Backstrom has enjoyed more consistent success with a goal and an assist in back-to-back contests to give him a team-best 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine games.

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (56-22-7-5, 51-34 O/U): Sidney Crosby was in the midst of another memorable playoff run before a cross-check to the head has the Penguins' transcendent superstar in an all-to-familiar place: the NHL's concussion protocol. The 29-year-old's history of concussions is well-chronicled, and the latest chapter was written after he was blasted early in the first period of Monday's 3-2 overtime loss by Washington defenseman and former Penguin Matt Niskanen. While Crosby remains the face of the league, fellow former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin leads the NHL with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in eight playoff games and is no stranger to picking up the slack in the absence of "Sid the Kid." "(Malkin) is an elite player. He has that ability," Sullivan said. "We're going to rely on him that much more, and we believe he'll get the job done for us. I don't think the burden falls on him solely." Fellow forward Phil Kessel is the next man up both figuratively and literally, as the 29-year-old's 12 points trail only Malkin in the league.

LINE HISTORY: The Penguins opened as -115 favorites however news of Crosby's confirmed absence sent bettors clamoring for the Capitals, dropping the Pens to +105 dogs. The total opened at 5.5 and was dropped to 5 without Crosby in the lineup.

INJURY REPORT:

Capitals - No injuries to report.

Penguins - LW C. Sheary (Questionable, concussion), D C. Ruhwedel (Questionable, upper body), C S. Crosby (Out, concussion), G M. Murray (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D K. Letang (Out For Season, neck).

TRENDS:

* Capitals are 6-1 in their last 7 road games.
* Penguins are 6-2 in their last 8 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 9-1-3 in Capitals last 13 vs. Metropolitan.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Penguins last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
* Capitals are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in Pittsburgh.

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers (-120, 5.5)

Oilers lead series 2-1

ABOUT THE DUCKS (51-25-10-3, 31-38 O/U): The Anaheim Ducks have made themselves at home in the relatively cool Alberta air this postseason, and the five-time reigning Pacific Division champions can breathe new life into their Western Conference second-round series should they continue that dominance in Wednesday's Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Ducks doused the Flames in both encounters in Calgary during the first-round series and improved to 3-0 in Alberta with Sunday's 6-3 triumph in Edmonton. Anaheim's walking wounded tag was taken to the extreme as forward Patrick Eaves was seen wearing a walking boot following Game 3 on the heels of a neutral-zone collision with former Duck Patrick Maroon in the third period. The 33-year-old Eaves joined defenseman Kevin Bieksa (lower body) in the stands during Tuesday's battle drills, with his availability to play in Game 4 depending greatly on if he's able to skate on Wednesday morning, coach Randy Carlyle said. Bieksa's status is much clearer as he will miss his third straight contest on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE OILERS (53-28-5-5, 36-46 O/U): Edmonton captain Connor McDavid schooled Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen while scoring a highlight-reel goal in Game 3 for his second point in the series and sixth in the playoffs, but his minus-2 rating on Sunday shows that the 20-year-old still can learn a thing or two in the eyes of coach Todd McLellan. "He (McDavid) like everybody else is learning and we'll sit with him." Ryan Nugent-Hopkins finished the regular-season with nine points in his last nine games before seeing his offense dry up in the postseason. "I feel like I've had a lot of chances. ... I'm close, but I've got to find a way to take the next step." said the top overall pick of the 2011 draft , who was held off the scoresheet in the first round versus San Jose before notching an assist in the first two contests against Anaheim. Fellow former first-round pick Jordan Eberle is also struggling, setting up two goals in nine playoff games after recording six points (four goals, two assists) in his final four regular-season contests.

LINE HISTORY: The Oilers opened as -125 home favorites for Game 4 and that moneyline came down slightly to -120 by Tuesday evening. The total opened at 5.5 and will, most likely, not move off that number.

INJURY REPORT:

Ducks - 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).

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

TRENDS:

* Ducks are 7-1 in their last 8 games following a win.
* Oilers are 11-2 in their last 13 home games.
* Under is 5-1-2 in Ducks last 8 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Under is 8-2-1 in Oilers last 11 games playing on 2 days rest.
* Ducks are 19-7 in the last 26 meetings in Edmonton.

**Udog** · 05-03-2017, 09:01 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 3

Anaheim @ Edmonton

Game 57-58
May 3, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Anaheim
10.425
Edmonton
13.286
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 3
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
-125
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(-125); Over

Washington @ Pittsburgh

Game 55-56
May 3, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
11.076
Pittsburgh
12.278
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1
3
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(+105); Under

Announcement

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/3

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/3

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