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**Udog** · 04-21-2018, 09:00 AM

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock’s QB ratings for the 2018 Draft:

6) Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

5) Lamar Jackson, Louisville

4) Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

3) Josh Rosen, UCLA

2) Josh Allen, Wyoming

1) Sam Darnold, USC

**********

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

13) Dusty Baker went 509-463 in six years managing the Reds; since they fired him, Cincinnati is 279-387; they just fired Bryan Price, Baker’s successor.

Baker went 192-132 in two years managing the Nationals; they’re 9-10 in their first year since they fired Baker as manager.

Baker went 322-326 in four years managing the Cubs; they had losing seasons five of the next seven years before the new owners came in, sunk in lot of money to the team, hired Joe Maddon and now they’re one of baseball’s better teams.

Baker went 840-715 in ten years managing the Giants; they missed playoffs five of the next six years, but Bruce Bochy has won three World Series titles since replacing Felipe Alou, who had replaced Baker.

Not really sure why the Reds fired him- they made the freakin’ playoffs the last two years he was their manager.

12) Happy 73rd birthday to Steve Spurrier, who has had an interesting career:
— Won Heisman Trophy as a QB at Florida
— One of last punters who was also a player (QB, mostly a backup with SF)
— He was the QB of the original Tampa Bay Buccaneers in ‘76
— He coached the Tampa Bay Bandits (35-19) in the old USFL
— He was head coach at Duke (20-13-1) — he made Dave Brown look good!!!!
— He was a great coach at Florida (87-12 in SEC games)
— He coached the Redskins (12-20) for two forgettable years
— He revived South Carolina football (86-49, 44-40 in SEC games) for 11 years.

11) Baker Mayfield has had a camera crew documenting his life since the Rose Bowl loss to Georgia, as he prepares for the draft. Oy. How does he or his people think this helps him?

10) Penn State hasn’t had a first round pick in NFL Draft since Jared Odrick in 2010; he was a defensive end taken by Miami with the 28th pick.

9) Green Bay has 12 draft picks next week, the most of any team. Browns, Bills, Patriots all have three first round picks.

8) Troy Aikman says you can’t teach accuracy throwing a football, you have it or you don’t, which if true, is very bad news for whomever drafts Josh Allen.

7) Useless knowledge: Lot of NBA players use acupuncture to try and relieve pain and maximize their performance.

6) Cleveland Cavaliers have won 23 games this season when they were outrebounded, most in NBA; Rockets (22), Pacers (21) are next on that list.

5) 15 months ago, Trevor Richards was working in the gift shop at Miller Brewery in Milwaukee, making $9 an hour; Friday, Richards was the starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins in Miller Park, against the Brewers. He makes more than $9 an hour now.

4) There have already been 27 games this baseball season where the game time temperature was in the 30’s; in the previous four years combined, there were 25. In four years.

3) Miami Marlins’ rookie Jarlin Garcia’s 10 straight hitless innings in his first two major league starts ties the record for most consecutive hitless innings as a new starter – a record set by Bobo Holloman in 1953.

Hollomon was a 30-year old rookie with the St Louis Browns who went 3-7, 5.23 in 22 games (10 starts) in his only major league season.

2) In the first week of the season, Giants won consecutive 1-0 games over the Dodgers, with Joe Panik hitting a home run both days.

This week, Milwaukee beat the Reds 2-0 two days in a row, with Marcus Thames hitting a 2-run homer two days in a row.

Elias Sports reports that those are the only two times in the last 118 years where two teams played back-to-back games where the only runs scored in either of them came from a home run by the same guy in each game.

1) Touching moment on Twitter: Barbara Bush’s Secret Service detail, many of whom have been been with her for decades, refused to leave her side until she was buried. They stood by the closed casket during her memorial service. Wow.

**Udog** · 04-21-2018, 09:47 AM

Saturday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview and Odds

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue Saturday with three Game 5's - the Lightning and Bruins look to close out on home ice, while the road team has won all four games in the Blue Jackets, Capitals series.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals (-165, 5.5)

Series tied 2-2.

Alex Ovechkin thrilled Washington Capitals fans when his guarantee rang true of the Eastern Conference first-round series being even at two wins apiece against the Columbus Blue Jackets when it returns to the District of Columbia for Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. While Ovechkin altered the course of the series, the Capitals hope to change the narrative of the road team emerging victorious in all four contests thus far.

Washington's top line quieted Nationwide Arena in Thursday's 4-1 victory, with Evgeny Kuznetsov collecting a goal and three assists while Ovechkin notched his third straight multi-point performance by joining Tom Wilson in registering one of each to make good on his guarantee. Now that doubt may shuffle over to Columbus, which saw its first series lead in franchise history erased on home ice after the team "laid an egg" in Game 4 -- in the estimation of coach John Tortorella.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Cam Atkinson and former Calder Trophy recipient Artemi Panarin saw their respective 12- and eight-game point streaks come to a halt on Thursday, with the latter looking out of sorts with two penalties after being whistled for just 26 penalty minutes in 81 contests this season. Boone Jenner scored his team's lone goal in Game 4, but the 24-year-old has lamented his team's slow starts after surrendering the first tally in each contest this series. "We want to score the first one, obviously," Jenner said. "It hasn't been like that, but I think our starts have been there. (On Thursday), I don't think it was. That first period, we didn't get much pressure on them and kind of played into their hands a little bit."

ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Defenseman John Carlson has continued his torrid pace following a career-best 68 points (15 goals, 53 assists) during the regular season with an NHL-high seven of his eight points coming on the power play. "He always raises his game in playoffs. ... Pressure doesn't affect him and that's one of his biggest assets and I think that's why we lean on him so heavy in playoffs," Holtby said of the 28-year-old, who is riding a six-game point streak (one goal, nine assists) and has logged 28:10 of ice time in the series. T.J. Oshie scored in the second period on Thursday to give Washington a power-play goal in each of its first four contests in the series and improve to 10-for-29 in the last seven games.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Capitals opened as -165 home chalk and, as of Saturday morning, that line has yet to move. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and has also remained at the opening number.

INJURY REPORT:

Blue Jackets - C Alexander Wennberg (Questionable, Upper Body), LW Lukas Sedlak (Out Indefinitely, Head).

Capitals - LW Andre Burakovsky (Questionable, Upper Body).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Over is 8-0 in Blue Jackets last 8 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
* Over is 4-0 in Capitals last 4 home games.
* Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Washington.
* Road team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay Lightning (-245, 6)

Lightning lead series 3-1.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would like to match their defensive performance from last time out and close out the visiting New Jersey Devils when the teams meet for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Saturday afternoon. The Lightning held the Devils to a 5-on-3 power-play goal and limited the opportunities for Hart Trophy candidate Taylor Hall in a 3-1 victory Wednesday that gave them a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov recorded a pair of goals to go along with an assist Wednesday, pushing his point total to nine for the series, and the Lightning hope to continue getting major contributions from their top players to end the Devils’ season. New Jersey needs to find a spark offensively as Hall (six) and rookie defenseman Will Butcher (three) are the only players with more than two points in the first four games, but the Devils have thrived in the underdog role this season and a road win Saturday would apply plenty of pressure.

ABOUT THE DEVILS: New Jersey has had plenty of chances on the power play, especially in the last two games, but is 3-for-18 with the man advantage in the series and two of their goals came with a 5-on-3 skater advantage. “Just couldn’t find some lanes. I think we were fighting it a little bit,” Devils center Travis Zajac told reporters after Game 4. “We’ll bounce back. We’ve got some good players on (the power play), and it will be a factor next game for us.” Defenseman Sami Vatanen, who averaged more than 23 minutes of ice time in the first three games, did not travel with the team after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 4 - but has not been ruled out for Saturday.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Kucherov also became a physical force in Wednesday’s win as his hit knocked Vatanen out of the game and he avoided a suspension when the league deemed the first contract was to the shoulder. “Kuch (Wednesday) flexed his muscles,” coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “... When you’re playing both sides of the puck, you’re contributing offensively, defensively, you’re physical, you’re engaged, it does nothing but lift our team.” Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy has been outstanding in the series, stopping 133 of the 142 shots he has faced for a .937 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average.

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Lightning opened as huge -225 home favorites and that number wasn't high enough for bettors as money rolled in on Tampa, pushing that line up to -245 as of Saturday morning. The total hit the board at 6 and has remained steady.

INJURY REPORT:

Devils - D Sami Vatanen (Doubtful, Head).

Lightning - RW Ryan Callahan (Questionable, Shoulder), LW Adam Erne (Out Indefinitely, Lower Body).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Devils are 1-4 in their last 5 overall.
* Lightning are 5-1 in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Over is 7-0 in Devils last 7 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 3-0-2 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay.
* Devils are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in Tampa Bay.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (-185, 5.5)

Bruins lead series 3-1.

The last time Original Six rivals Boston and Toronto met in the postseason, the Bruins needed a miraculous comeback in the final minutes of Game 7 before ousting the Maple Leafs in overtime. Five years later, Toronto is in position of needing a miracle comeback of its own, trailing the Eastern Conference best-of-seven series 3-1 heading into Saturday's Game 5 at Boston's TD Garden.

The Maple Leafs can look to the past for inspiration -- they also trailed the series 3-1 in 2013 before blowing a two-goal lead in the final 90 seconds of Game 7 -- but they are lamenting a missed opportunity in Thursday's 3-1 setback against a Bruins team missing its top-line center. Patrice Bergeron skated on his own Friday, which was called a "positive" by coach Bruce Cassidy, who said he will make a decision on the four-time Selke Trophy winner's status at Saturday's morning skate. Bergeron's line accounted for 20 points in the first two games at TD Garden as Boston steamrolled Toronto by a combined 12-4 margin.

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS: Toronto will receive a boost with the return of center Nazem Kadri, a 32-goal scorer during the regular season who received a three-game suspension for a dangerous hit on Boston's Tommy Wingels in the series opener. “It’s exciting to get back in,” Kadri said. “I’ve been champing at the bit the last couple of games here. It has been hard to watch knowing you could be out there trying to help and trying to make an impact. I’m just happy the time has come.” Kadri's return will mean a demotion for Tomas Plekanec, who scored the team's only goal Thursday -- his first since he was acquired from Montreal.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: Bergeron, who is up for his fifth Selke Trophy as the game's best defensive forward, collected five assists in the first two games, but with Riley Nash taking his place, Brad Marchand scored a goal and David Pastrnak continued his brilliant play with two assists to bump his series point total up to 11. Goaltender Tuukka Rask has been overshadowed by the offensive exploits through much of the series but he answered the bell in Game 4 by turning aside 31 of 32 shots in what Marchand termed a "phenomenal game. He’s one of the best goalies in the world and he gives us an opportunity to win every night.”

SERIES PRICE (PER SPORTS INTERACTION):

LINE HISTORY: The Predators opened as low as -167 favorites for Game 5 and some early betting action on Nashville pushing that number as high as -200 at some shops. The total hit betting boards at 5.5 and remains at the opening number as of Saturday morning.

INJURY REPORT:

Maple Leafs - C Leo Komarov (Questionable, Lower Body), C Nazem Kadri (Eligibility, Suspension), LW Joffrey Lupul (I-R, Conditioning).

Bruins - C Patrice Bergeron (Questionable, Upper Body), D Brandon Carlo (Out For Season, Ankle), LW Anders Bjork (Out For Season, Shoulder).

MATCHUP CHART:

TRENDS:

* Maple Leafs are 1-6 in their last 7 Conference Quarterfinals games.
* Bruins are 21-5 in their last 26 home games.
* Over is 7-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 9 road games.
* Over is 4-0-2 in Bruins last 6 games following a win.
* Home team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

**Udog** · 04-21-2018, 09:54 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, April 21

New Jersey @ Tampa Bay

Game 65-66
April 21, 2018 @ 3:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Jersey
11.289
Tampa Bay
10.231
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Jersey
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-245
6
Dunkel Pick:
New Jersey
(+195); Under

Toronto @ Boston

Game 67-68
April 21, 2018 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
11.167
Boston
10.275
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-185
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+165); Under

Columbus @ Washington

Game 69-70
April 21, 2018 @ 3:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
10.540
Washington
13.004
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 2 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-165); Under

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, April 21

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NEW JERSEY (45-32-0-9, 99 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (57-24-0-5, 119 pts.) - 4/21/2018, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 58-29 ATS (+97.1 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 227-233 ATS (+536.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 46-41 ATS (+91.4 Units) in all games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 14-9 ATS (+24.3 Units) on Saturday games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 10-4 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
NEW JERSEY is 26-23 ATS (+52.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NEW JERSEY is 8-5 ATS (+16.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 8-5 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 8-5-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

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TORONTO (50-29-0-7, 107 pts.) at BOSTON (53-21-0-12, 118 pts.) - 4/21/2018, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 273-234 ATS (-155.5 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 24-27 ATS (-25.9 Units) in home games after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 41-42 ATS (-7.8 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 9-8 (+2.7 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 9-8-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.5 Units)

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COLUMBUS (47-31-0-8, 102 pts.) at WASHINGTON (51-26-0-9, 111 pts.) - 4/21/2018, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 52-35 ATS (+87.0 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 14-4 ATS (+8.8 Units) on Saturday games this season.
WASHINGTON is 32-11 ATS (+11.7 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 28-17 ATS (+6.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
COLUMBUS is 16-7 ATS (+7.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
WASHINGTON is 7-12 ATS (-14.9 Units) in home games in April games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 11-6 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 11-6-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)

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NHL

Saturday, April 21

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Trend Report
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New Jersey Devils
New Jersey is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games
New Jersey is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
New Jersey is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Jersey's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Jersey's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
New Jersey is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against New Jersey

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Columbus is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games
Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Columbus's last 10 games
Columbus is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Columbus is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games on the road
Columbus is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing Washington
Columbus is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Columbus is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Washington is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games at home
Washington is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games when playing Columbus
Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Washington is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus

Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Toronto's last 24 games
Toronto is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games on the road
Toronto is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Boston
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games at home
Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Boston is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Toronto

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Announcement

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/21

Saturday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/21

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