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**Udog** · 12-15-2017, 08:42 AM

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Broncos 25, Colts 13— QB Brock Osweiler came off bench and played really well.

— Knicks 111, Nets 104— Knicks are now 2-8 on the road; this was a very short road trip.

— Northwestern 84, Valparaiso 50— Crusaders were 8-0, but now have lost three in a row, with two 30+-point losses against Big 14 teams.

— Giants’ CB Eli Apple was fined by the team for tweeting during last Sunday’ game; he was not active for the game, the 4th game he’s been inactive for this year.

— Oregon’s senior RB Royce Freeman is sitting out the Las Vegas Bowl Saturday so he doesn’t get hurt, as he prepares for the NFL Draft in April.

— Charlotte fired basketball coach Mark Price, nine games into his third season. Way to be patient— if you cut/pasted Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke tenure into this modern era, he might’ve been fired before he ever got to the NCAA tournament.

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Armadillo: Friday's Den: Ranking the months of the year…….

12) January— Keep in mind that I live in upstate New York, where the weather sucks from Thanksgiving to St Patrick’s Day. January is a long, cold month; conference games in college basketball are the thing that makes it tolerable; that and the NFL playoffs.

11) February— Same as January, only three days shorter; there is something about watching golf on TV that makes you feel warmer. Super Bowl is in February and college hoop and baseball is starting in Florida and Arizona.

10) December— Today, the sun sets at 4:22; next week, the days start getting longer, but this is a long, cold, dark month. Most of the good pre-conference college basketball games are November games— Saturdays are the best basketball days in December. Christmas, bowl games and the NFL help December’s rating, but not a lot.

9) November— Steep drop-off after October; it snows sometime in November- I don’t like snow. This is a better college basketball month than December, since Thanksgiving Week is one of the best sports weeks of the year. When I was working for New York State, I had three days off in November— days off were a good thing. Now I have every day off.

8) May— 20 or so years ago, I coached Little League, which seems like a shaky decision now. Practice every weekday, couple of games a week. Kids were fine; the parents? Not so much. Nowadays, social media would make Little League easier. Could just have a Twitter page and post if practices/games were rained out. Back then? Every rainout was 12 phone calls.

7) June— I got married in June; despite that, it gets a middle-of-pack ranking because of the great weather and six hours of baseball every day.

When I was a kid, June was the best month, with school ending for the year. Little did I know back that the teachers were probably more anxious for the school year to end than we were.

6) July— If you really like the NBA, I would strongly recommend you go to Las Vegas one year and go to the NBA Summer League at UNLV. For $28 or $30 for a full day, you can watch 3-4 games, and rub elbows with NBA owners, coaches, players— lot of them are there.

Later in July, AAU basketball invades Las Vegas, with lot of tournaments— almost all the college coaches show up at events at either Cashman Center or Bishop Gorman HS or the convention center.

5) August— Here in the Albany area, August is the best social month of the year, with the horse racing in Saratoga and concerts at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and nice weather every day. Baseball’s pennant races are going on and the college football magazines are out.

4) April— Baseball season starts, the Final Four takes place and I almost always spend ten days in Las Vegas every April. Watching the Final Four in Vegas is something you should do; great fun.

Couple years ago, was sitting next to a guy who had lot of money on Villanova/under in the national title game. When Paige hits the jumper for North Carolina, the guy slumps; his under bet is a loser, but when Villanova wins at the buzzer, he was damn glad to get out of there with a split. Didn’t ask how much, but seemed like he had a lot of money riding on it.

3) October— Baseball playoffs, football is in full swing, college basketball magazines come out and I almost always spend some time in the desert.

Few years ago, I’m sitting in the theater at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas, watching the NFL; they have the best set-up, all the games up on a screen, with the audio up on one main game. There are betting windows in the back, food off to the left.

I’m talking to this guy who is wearing a Cardinals’ jersey; all of a sudden it dawns on me that this guy is betting thousands of dollars on the games. Serious money and he doesn’t seem like he is stressed out at all. Good guy, but I would’ve been having a nervous breakdown.

Las Vegas is the big leagues when it comes to that stuff; I forget that sometimes.

2) March— Best month of year for college basketball, spring training baseball on TV every day, the weather is getting better. Still snows sometimes, but March is usually excellent.

1) September— When I was a kid, there was September/January were by far the worst months of the year. Nothing worse than the first day of school every year, but now, September is still really a summer month, and football starts during the baseball pennant races.

I went to private grade school, but then to public high school, where 9th grade was in a building by itself. I was painfully shy, and had never ridden a school bus before; my 8th grade class had 24 kids, my 9th grade class had 730 kids. Will never forget how terrified I was those first few days of 9th grade changing classes and having a locker for the first time.

Everything turned out fine, but boy I hated September back then; it never would’ve made it above #11 on my ranking back then.

**Udog** · 12-15-2017, 10:26 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, December 15

Los Angeles @ NY Rangers

Game 51-52
December 15, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
11.224
NY Rangers
12.334
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Rangers
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Rangers
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
NY Rangers
(-115); Under

Dallas @ New Jersey

Game 53-54
December 15, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
12.504
New Jersey
10.122
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
N/A

Carolina @ Buffalo

Game 55-56
December 15, 2017 @ 7:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Carolina
12.103
Buffalo
10.198
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Carolina
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Carolina
N/A

Toronto @ Detroit

Game 57-58
December 15, 2017 @ 7:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
10.419
Detroit
11.909
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Detroit
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Detroit
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Detroit
N/A

San Jose @ Vancouver

Game 59-60
December 15, 2017 @ 10:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
10.229
Vancouver
11.778
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vancouver
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver
N/A

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, December 15

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LOS ANGELES (20-9-0-3, 43 pts.) at NY RANGERS (16-12-0-3, 35 pts.) - 12/15/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 195-233 ATS (-73.9 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 8-2 ATS (+10.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
LOS ANGELES is 73-62 ATS (+143.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 14-4 ATS (+8.9 Units) in non-conference games this season.
NY RANGERS are 198-230 ATS (-144.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 2-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 2-2-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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DALLAS (18-13-0-1, 37 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (17-9-0-5, 39 pts.) - 12/15/2017, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 2-2 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 2-2-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.9 Units)

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CAROLINA (12-11-0-7, 31 pts.) at BUFFALO (8-18-0-6, 22 pts.) - 12/15/2017, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 4-3 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 4-3-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.1 Units)

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TORONTO (20-12-0-1, 41 pts.) at DETROIT (11-13-0-7, 29 pts.) - 12/15/2017, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-3 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 6-3-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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SAN JOSE (17-10-0-3, 37 pts.) at VANCOUVER (14-14-0-4, 32 pts.) - 12/15/2017, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 408-323 ATS (-115.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 209-174 ATS (+23.0 Units) in road games first half of the season since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 155-110 ATS (+29.6 Units) when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 130-129 ATS (-74.4 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 119-124 ATS (-54.7 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 5-20 ATS (+27.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-2 (+3.4 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 9-2-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.0 Units)

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

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, December 15

Kings are 6-4 in their last ten games with the Rangers; they’re 3-2 in their last five visits to Manhattan. Four of their last six games went over total. Los Angeles won eight of last nine games overall, four of last five on road. Three of their last four games went over. Rangers lost three of their last four games, are 4-2 in their last six home games. Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

Dallas Stars won four of last six games with New Jersey; they’re 2-3 in last five visits to the Garden State. Under is 4-2-2 in last eight series games. Dallas won seven of last 10 games; they won their last five road games. Four of Stars’ last six games went over total. New Jersey lost three of its last four games; they split their last four home games. Three of their last four games went over the total.

Carolina won its last four games with Buffalo, winning last two visits here, both by 3-1 scores. Three of last four series games stayed under the total. Hurricanes lost four of last five games; six of their last nine games went OT/SO. Under is 6-1-1 in last eight series games. Buffalo lost seven of its last nine games; they split their last four home games. Under is 8-1-1 in their last ten games.

Maple Leafs won their last five games with Detroit; they won their last three games in the Motor City. Under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Toronto lost three of last four road games; they’re 5-3 in last eight games overall. Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Red Wings lost nine of their last ten games, losing last two in OT; they lost last three road games, outscored 16-5. Four of their last six games went over the total.

Sharks won their last six games with Vancouver; they won their last five games in this building. Last four series games stayed under the total. San Jose won three of last four games; they split their last six road games. Six of their last nine games stayed under the total. Canucks lost their last four games; they were outscored 20-5. Vancouver lost five of its last six home games. Six of last nine Canuck games went over the total.

NHL

Friday, December 15

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Trend Report
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CAROLINA @ BUFFALO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Buffalo's last 11 games at home
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

DALLAS @ NEW JERSEY
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New Jersey's last 8 games at home
New Jersey is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Dallas

LOS ANGELES @ NY RANGERS
Los Angeles is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
NY Rangers is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 11 of NY Rangers's last 16 games at home

TORONTO @ DETROIT
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Detroit's last 14 games when playing Toronto

SAN JOSE @ VANCOUVER
San Jose is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
San Jose is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Vancouver's last 14 games

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

**Udog** · 12-15-2017, 12:50 PM

NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: Sin City can't stop scoring

A San Jose netminder has a homecoming, we get another outdoor game and there have been goals a plenty for Sin City.

Happy Homecoming?

San Jose netminder Martin Jones makes his return to his native British Columbia on Friday as he leads his Sharks into a road encounter with the Vancouver Canucks. Jones will try to help the Sharks end an ugly trend that has seen them drop six of their last eight in the second game of a back-to-back. And he's in good position to do just that, with Vancouver having won just five of its last 27 home games dating back to last season. The Canucks are coming off a humiliating 7-1 rout at the hands of the Nashville Predators, and have won just six times in their previous 27 head-to-head encounters with the Sharks.

Let's Play Outside

Outdoor games always provide a little extra intrigue to the regular season - and there will be plenty at stake for both teams as the Montreal Canadiens face the host Ottawa Senators in the Centennial Classic at Lansdowne Park. Montreal is looking for a return to consistency from netminder Carey Price, who came on like gangbusters in his return from injury but has struggled in recent games. Still, his troubles pale in comparison to those of the Senators, who have fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff race and have dropped five straight to the Canadiens, including a 2-1 decision the last time these teams met on Nov. 29.

Goals! Goals!! Goals!!!

Sin City couldn't have asked for a better start to its NHL membership. Not only are the Vegas Golden Knights wildly successful, they're scoring goals in bunches - particularly in their own arena. The Golden Knights look to continue their success at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday night as they entertain the Florida Panthers. Vegas averages a healthy 3.6 goals per game at home, a major reason why they come into the weekend 19-10-2 O/U for the season. The numbers suggest they shouldn't have much trouble adding to that total, with the Panthers coming into this one surrendering 3.38 goals per contest.

Injury News

* Jaromir Jagr's stint in Calgary isn't going well. Jagr has missed the last five games with an lower-body injury and is questionable for Saturday's game against the Nashville Predators; the Flames are 8-8-1 SU and 11-5-1 O/U with Jagr in the lineup.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets are adjusting to live without forward Brandon Dubinsky, who will miss 6-to-8 weeks with an orbital bone fracture suffered in a fight against Edmonton's Zack Kassian. Columbus is 7-3-1 SU when Dubinsky records a point.

* When will he return? That's what Toronto Maple Leafs fans are wondering after superstar Auston Matthews missed his third game in a row Thursday with a hand injury. Matthews was struggling prior to the injury with one goal in his previous nine games.

Player Notes

* Rookie forward Brock Boeser is off to a sizzling start for Vancouver, but the Canucks haven't taken full advantage - at least, not yet. Boeser has 16 goals to date - tops among first year players - but Vancouver is just 5-5-1 in games when Boeser scores.

* The formula has always been a simple one for the Washington Capitals - they win when Alex Ovechkin scores. Ovechkin had an empty netter in Thursday's 5-3 win over Boston; the Caps have won seven straight games when he scores.

* The New York Islanders have a major problem in goal, where Thomas Greiss is playing his worst hockey since reaching the NHL. Greiss was victimized for five goals in Thursday's loss to Columbus and has surrendered 30 in his last seven starts.

Stanley Cup Futures

* The Tampa Bay Lightning are the team to beat when it comes to Stanley Cup futures. Led by electrifying forwards Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov and sensational goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning are listed at +600 on Bet365 to win it all. The Eastern Conference leaders have just one game this weekend - a Saturday tilt in Colorado.

* Looking for a clear leader in the West? You won't find one - at least, not on Bet365. The St. Louis Blues are installed at +425 to reach the Stanley Cup final and +1,200 to win the championship - only slightly better than the Los Angeles Kings, listed at +440 to win the West and +1,250 to claim the league title. Nashville is next at +525 and +1,400, respectively.

* As for the two-time defending-champion Pittsburgh Penguins, they came into the season as the Stanley Cup co-favorites out of the East but have fallen on hard times as they struggle to produce goals in 5-on-5 situations. The Penguins are installed at +900 to come out of the conference and +1,600 to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Islanders (1980-83).

Over/Under Trends

* A combination of a lethal offense and recent defensive struggles have made the New York Islanders the league's top over play through 32 games. The Doug Weight-led Isles are 21-10-1 O/U to date, including a solid 10-3 at home.

* San Jose was easily the worst over play in the league last season, exceeding the total just 22 times. Apparently, oddsmakers haven't learned their lesson - the Sharks are trending in that direction yet again, having gone 8-21-1 O/U so far.

Announcement

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/15

Friday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 12/15

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