Da Bum's 2018 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

[StarDust Bum]

Zach Parise breaks tie, Wild beat Maple Leafs 4-3
January 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) Carey Price made 33 saves in his return from injury to help the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-0 on Thursday night.

Price picked up his second shutout of the season and 42nd overall in his first appearance after missing three games because of a lower-body injury. Jordie Benn and Jonathan Drouin scored for Montreal.

Canucks rookie Elias Pettersson left because of a lower-body injury in the second period. Named to the All-Star Games on Wednesday, Pettersson was injured after getting tangled with fellow rookie and Habs forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Pettersson's right knee was caught between Kotkaniemi's legs as they both fell to the ice. The Swede stayed down on the ice before getting to his feet and going to the dressing room.

Benn opened the scoring with his third goal of the season at 11:50 of the first. Minutes after Pettersson's injury, Drouin burst up the wing for his 13th of the season.

BLUES 5, CAPITALS 2

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season, but St. Louis came back to beat Washington.

Ovechkin's first-period goal snapped a six-game drought and tied him with Mike Gartner as the only players in NHL history to begin their careers with 14 straight 30-goal seasons. Gartner scored 30 or more in his first 15 seasons.

Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and an assist for the Blues, Colton Parayko, Oskar Sundqvist, Robert Thomas and Tyler Bozak also scored, and Jake Allen made 23 saves.

Brett Connolly also scored for the Capitals.

WILD 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3

TORONTO (AP) - Zach Parise broke a tie off a turnover early in the third period and Minnesota rallied to beat Toronto.

Auston Matthews lost the puck to Parise, who beat goalie Michael Hutchinson high over his glove at 4:21 for his 18th goal of the season. Minnesota overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2.

Toronto got a power play midway through the period, with Matthews hitting the post short side on Devan Dubnyk. The Leafs pulled Hutchinson with 2:45 left, but were unable to get anything past the Wild netminder, including a chance that dribbled off the post in the dying seconds.

Jared Spurgeon had a goal and two assists, Charlie Coyle added a goal and an assist, and Mikko Koivu also scored for Minnesota. Dubnyk stopped 38 shots.

Mitch Marner scored twice and William Nylander had the other goal for Toronto. John Tavares added two assists, and Hutchinson made 30 saves in his debut in an emergency recall from the minors.

ISLANDERS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2, OT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - Devon Toews scored his first NHL goal at 1:48 of overtime to lift New York past Chicago for its fifth straight victory.

Mathew Barzal scored twice to keep up his scoring binge and help the Islanders win for the eighth time in nine games. Robin Lehner, making his third straight start, stopped 19 shots as New York moved to 3-0-1 in four games at the Nassau Coliseum this season.

Toews, playing in the fifth game of his career, got the winner when he knocked in the rebound of his own shot that Collin Delia stopped, with the puck coming to him at the right side.

Patrick Kane and Dominik Kahun and scored for Chicago.

HURRICANES 5, FLYERS 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Dougie Hamilton, Justin Williams and Teuvo Teravainen scored second-period goals to lead Carolina past Philadelphia.

The Flyers fired coach Dave Hakstol and general manager Ron Hextall last month and the shake-up has yet to spark any kind of sign of playoff life for a franchise that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1975. The Flyers lost their fifth straight game and fell to 3-5-1 under interim coach Scott Gordon.

Wayne Simmons scored in the third to make it 4-1 and end Philly's scoreless streak that stretched more than 123 minutes. Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk also scored in the third for the Flyers.

Teravainen's second goal of the game ended the Flyers' comeback and secured Carolina's third win since Dec. 20. Warren Foegele also scores, and Petr Mrazek stopped 31 shots.

SABRES 4, PANTHERS 3

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Jeff Skinner scored twice and Buffalo ended a seven-game skid against Florida.

Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, and Tage Thompson also scored in a game the Sabres played minus injured captain Jack Eichel. Buffalo coach Phil Housley said Eichel will miss at least one more game with an upper-body injury after he was hurt in the first period of a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday.

Linus Ullmark stopped 35 shots. Buffalo was 0-6-1 in its previous seven meetings against Florida, dating to a 4-2 win on March 27, 2017. More important, the Sabres snapped an 0-2-1 slide overall while improving to 5-7-4 since their 10-game winning streak, which matched a franchise record.

Alexander Barkov had a goal and an assist for Florida, and Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano also scored.

BRUINS 6, FLAMES 4

BOSTON (AP) - Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand each had two goals to lift Boston past Calgary.

Boston has won three in a row and six of eight. The Bruins built on their win over Chicago in Tuesday's Winter Classic by beating the top team in the Western Conference.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 33 shots, and John Moore and David Pastrnak also scored.

Mike Smith had 21 saves for Calgary, which has dropped five of eight. Michael Frolik, Elias Lindholm, Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund scored.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JANUARY 4, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Winnipeg Jets Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:35 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:35 PM Nashville Predators Detroit Red Wings Little Caesars Arena
8:05 PM Washington Capitals Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
9:05 PM New York Rangers Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center
9:05 PM New Jersey Devils Arizona Coyotes Gila River Arena
10:05 PM Vegas Golden Knights Anaheim Ducks Honda Center

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NHL JAN. RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

01/03/2019 10-3-0 76.92% +34.75
01/02/2019 6-4-0 60.00% +9.00
01/01/2019 3-2-1 60.00% +5.00

Totals..............19-9-1........67.85%....+48.75


BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

01/03/2019.............1 - 2....................-4.55.....................6 - 0..................+30.00..........+25.45
01/02/2019.............0 - 2....................-10.00...................4 - 2..................+9.00.............-1.00
01/01/2019.............0 - 2....................-10.00...................2 - 1..................+4.50.............-5.50

Totals.....................1 - 6....................-24.55..................12 - 3..................+43.50...........-+18.95

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

— Rockets 135, Warriors 134 OT— Harden made a contested 3-pointer with 0:01 left in OT for the win. He was double-teamed; just a really difficult shot, and he made it.

— NC State 87, Miami 82— Wolfpack is 13-1, their best start since 1973-74.

— Minnesota 59, Wisconsin 52— Gophers (+10) led 29-14 at halftime.

— North Texas 63, Louisiana Tech 59— Two of better teams in Conference USA.

— Detroit 79, Wright St 58— Titans’ Davis scored 48 points (10-15 on arc).

— Jacksonville St 83, Belmont 73— Gamecocks’ 4th strait upset win vs Belmont.


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Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here……

13) Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator at Miami LY; he left couple weeks ago to be the head coach at Temple, but when Mark Richt retired/was fired last week, Diaz jumped ship with the Owls and was named HC of the Hurricanes.

Must have been some difficult conversations this week when Diaz then fired all the offensive coaches on the Miami staff, guys he worked with the last three years. Awkward.

12) Moving the college football national title game around the country may not be the best idea; college football is wildly popular in the south, not so much in the rest of the country. You get a Clemson-Alabama matchup in northern California and ticket demand isn’t what it would be anywhere from Texas to Georgia along the gulf coast.

11) The starting five for the Nevada Wolf Pack, a college team, is older than the starting lineup for the Phoenix Suns, an NBA team.

10) Phillies signed reliever David Robertson to a two-year deal worth $23M.

9) Pelicans’ star Anthony Davis had 34 points and 26 rebounds Wednesday in a 126-121 loss to the Nets; the last NBA player to reach those numbers in a regulation loss was Charles Barkley for the Suns, way back on March 24, 1995.

8) Saint Louis loses 6-9 freshman Carte’Are Gordon to transfer; he was scoring 8.9 ppg for the Billikens, who are 9-4 and considered a contender for the A-14 title.

Oregon Ducks’ best player Bol Bol has a foot injury that has ended his season.

7) Couple of big comebacks Wednesday night:
— Bucknell beat Army 64-63 after trailing by 26 early in the 2nd half.
— Valparaiso beat Illinois State 58-56 on a halfcourt shot at the buzzer after trailing Redbirds by 10 points with 2:07 left.

6) Memphis Grizzlies lost 10 of their last 13 games and fell below .500 this week; after their home loss to Detroit Wednesday, teammates Garrett Temple and Omar Casspi apparently got into a scuffle in a team meeting. Grizzlies tried to keep the fracas quiet, but somebody spilled the beans to the media. Bottom line is, losing creates tension, which sometimes spills over.

5) Eric Kahane, a gourmet food businessman from southern California, went 5-0 in Week 17 and won $1.4M in the Westgate SuperContest football handicapping contest, beating over 3,100 handicappers in the process.

4) Jacksonville Jaguars are only NFL team without a player in the Hall of Fame.

3) Odd Fact of the Day: In 2018, Cincinnati had 20 more inches of rain than Seattle did.

2) Interesting sidebar to Eagles-Bears playoff game Sunday is that the two head coaches worked together for seven years under Andy Reid, in KC/Philly. Couple of QB gurus who are having lot of success this season working with very young quarterbacks.

1) Looking at NFL Wild Card weekend, over last four years, home side won 12 of 16 games, going 6-6 vs spread as a home favorite in those games.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, January 4

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WINNIPEG (25-12-0-2, 52 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (22-12-0-6, 50 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 86-53 ATS (+20.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 25-27 ATS (-17.5 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-1 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-1-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.8 Units)

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COLUMBUS (23-13-0-3, 49 pts.) at CAROLINA (17-17-0-5, 39 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 5-5 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 5-5-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+7.8 Units)

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NASHVILLE (24-15-0-2, 50 pts.) at DETROIT (15-20-0-7, 37 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 45-87 ATS (+143.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 0-7 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NASHVILLE is 19-8 ATS (+9.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 15-6 ATS (+8.6 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 20-9 ATS (+10.3 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 2-11 ATS (+18.7 Units) in a home game where the total is 6 or more this season.
DETROIT is 12-36 ATS (+53.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+3.8 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-1-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.3 Units)

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WASHINGTON (24-12-0-3, 51 pts.) at DALLAS (21-16-0-4, 46 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 2-3 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-2-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.0 Units)

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NEW JERSEY (15-17-0-7, 37 pts.) at ARIZONA (17-21-0-2, 36 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW JERSEY is 3-13 ATS (+20.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
NEW JERSEY is 4-14 ATS (+20.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ARIZONA is 3-10 ATS (+13.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 2-2 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
ARIZONA is 2-2-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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NY RANGERS (17-15-0-7, 41 pts.) at COLORADO (19-14-0-8, 46 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 3-2 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 3-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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VEGAS (24-15-0-4, 52 pts.) at ANAHEIM (19-15-0-7, 45 pts.) - 1/4/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 40-16 ATS (+12.1 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 256-205 ATS (+27.3 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 34-24 ATS (+8.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 448-451 ATS (-3.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
VEGAS is 89-57 ATS (+16.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
VEGAS is 38-16 ATS (+15.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 5-1 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 5-1-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Friday, January 4

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Trend Report
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Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Winnipeg's last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 9 games on the road
Winnipeg is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Winnipeg is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Winnipeg's last 13 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games at home
Pittsburgh is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Columbus's last 11 games
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Carolina
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 8-17 ATS in its last 25 games
Carolina is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games
Carolina is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games at home
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Carolina is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus

Nashville Predators
Nashville is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Nashville is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Nashville is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Nashville is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nashville's last 8 games on the road
Nashville is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Nashville is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Detroit
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
Detroit is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games at home
Detroit is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
Detroit is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Nashville
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville

Washington Capitals
Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
Washington is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
Washington is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Washington is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas Stars
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Dallas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Dallas is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Washington
Dallas is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington

New Jersey Devils
New Jersey is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
New Jersey is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 14 of New Jersey's last 20 games
New Jersey is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of New Jersey's last 10 games on the road
New Jersey is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Arizona
New Jersey is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Arizona is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games
Arizona is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Arizona's last 10 games at home
Arizona is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing New Jersey
Arizona is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against New Jersey

New York Rangers
NY Rangers is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of NY Rangers's last 13 games
NY Rangers is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
NY Rangers is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 6 games on the road
NY Rangers is 8-14-1 SU in its last 23 games when playing Colorado
NY Rangers is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 8 games
Colorado is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games at home
Colorado is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against NY Rangers

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
Vegas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Vegas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Vegas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Anaheim is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games at home
Anaheim is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
Anaheim is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing Vegas

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Friday, January 4


Winnipeg @ Pittsburgh

Game 61-62
January 4, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Winnipeg
10.280
Pittsburgh
13.335
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 3
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-130
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-130); Under

Columbus @ Carolina

Game 63-64
January 4, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.988
Carolina
10.917
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Carolina
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(-105); Over

Nashville @ Detroit

Game 65-66
January 4, 2019 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
11.466
Detroit
9.213
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
-190
6
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
(-190); Over

Washington @ Dallas

Game 67-68
January 4, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
9.723
Dallas
11.713
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-105); Over

New Jersey @ Arizona

Game 69-70
January 4, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Jersey
10.125
Arizona
11.220
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Arizona
-125
6
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(-125); Under

NY Rangers @ Colorado

Game 71-72
January 4, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
8.964
Colorado
10.303
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Colorado
-230
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-230); Over

Vegas @ Anaheim

Game 73-74
January 4, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
11.017
Anaheim
12.112
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vegas
-135
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(+115); Over

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

WIN at PIT 07:00 PM
WIN +120
O 6.5

NAS at DET 07:30 PM
NAS -172
U 5.5

CLB at CAR 07:30 PM
U 6.0

WAS at DAL 08:00 PM
O 6.0

NYR at COL 09:00 PM
O 6.0

NJ at ARI 09:00 PM
U 6.0

VEG at ANA 10:00 PM
VEG -135
U 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo:Saturday's six-pack

Biggest upsets in NFL Wild Card round, last 15 years:

— Titans (+9) 22-21 @ KC, 2018

— Chargers (+8) 27-10 @ Cin, 2013

— Broncos (+8) 29-23 vs Pitt, 2011

— Vikings (+6.5) 31-17 @ GB, 2004

— Jets (+6.5) 20-17 OT @ SD, 2004

— Falcons (+6) 26-13 @ LA, 2018


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

13) If you’re up late at night and love college basketball, FS1, ESPNU and AT&T Sportsnet (#684 on DirecTV) are your channels to watch- they generally show replays of games all night long.

12) Speaking of late night TV, one of the most underrated basketball movies was on after the UCLA game Thursday night— He Got Game, with Denzel Washington, Ned Beatty, Ray Allen in a movie about a big time college prospect whose father is in prison, but the warden promises to pardon him if he can talk his son into going to college at the governor’s alma mater.

Outstanding movie that is 20 years old now, but lot of it still resonates today.

11) Pac-12’s basketball season is on a fast track to the ashcan;
— Arizona State beat Kansas, then lost consecutive home games to Princeton/Utah.
— UCLA already fired its coach, despite Bruins making Sweet 16 three of last five years.
— Oregon’s best player Bol Bol is out for year, and those are the better teams in the league.

10) Steve Alford’s son Kory is still on UCLA’s staff as the video coordinator; that has to be at least a little awkward.

Am I the only person who finds it odd that the guy who replaced Alford as UCLA’s coach (Murry Bartow) is the son of the guy who replaced John Wooden as UCLA’s coach (Gene Bartow)?

9) Last 6 years: defending Super Bowl champ missed playoffs the next year three times. Other three teams won their first playoff game the next year, by 14-7-21 points.

8) College football stuff:
— West Virginia hired Troy coach Neal Brown (35-16 at Troy) as its new coach.
— QB Justin Fields transferred from Georgia to Ohio State.
— Oklahoma hired Alex Grinch as its new DC; hopefully they won’t have to play any games on Christmas the next few years.

7) Patrick Mahomes might be the NFL’s MVP this year, but he makes less than $2M a year, and by rule, he cannot re-negotiate his contract until 2020. Great value for the Chiefs for the next couple years.

6) Knicks 119, Lakers 112— Lonzo Ball is shooting xx.x% on the foul line this year; how does that happen? Lonzo shot 67.3% from the line in his one year at UCLA, then shot 45.1% on line with the Lakers LY and now xx.x this year. He needs a sports psychiatrist.

5) Pacers 119, Bulls 116, OT— Victor Oladipo banked in a straight-away 3-pointer with 0:00.3 left for the win, as Zach LaVine’s tying 3-ball was ruled to have come after the buzzer. Pacers are very quietly 26-12 and are the #3 seed in the East right now.

4) Nets 109, Grizzlies 100— Brooklyn won 11 of its last 14 games, is only half-game out of the last playoff spot in the East.

3) Penn State hoop coach Patrick Chambers has been suspended for Sunday’s game against Wisconsin for pushing one of his players during a timeout in Thursday’s loss to Michigan. it probably looked a lot worse than it was, but in today’s softer era, it didn’t look good.

2) Friday, someone at Monmouth Park in New Jersey wagered $275,000 to win $250,000 on the Cowboys to cover as 2-point favorites vs Seattle Saturday night. Yikes.

1) When you’re retired and can do anything you damn well please, one of the most important things to master is time management. If you’re not careful, it becomes easy to waste time.

There is an old saying: “We won’t all run out of money, but we’ll all run out of time.”

I enjoy exploring the Interweb, but where should I focus? There is an almost infinite amount of material on here, but lot of it is nonsense, so have to narrow things down and focus on that.

Hopefully you do the same, and don’t consider this site nonsense.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, January 5

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

MINNESOTA (19-17-0-3, 41 pts.) at OTTAWA (15-21-0-5, 35 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 7-4 ATS (+11.4 Units) on Saturday games this season.
OTTAWA is 108-92 ATS (-10.4 Units) in a home game where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
OTTAWA is 104-114 ATS (-74.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
OTTAWA is 14-31 ATS (+55.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 5-0 (+5.3 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 5-0-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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CALGARY (25-13-0-4, 54 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (15-20-0-5, 35 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 11-5 ATS (+16.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
CALGARY is 15-8 ATS (+24.4 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 10-2 ATS (+7.3 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
CALGARY is 121-118 ATS (+269.8 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
CALGARY is 29-19 ATS (+9.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 15-25 ATS (-20.3 Units) in all games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 106-102 ATS (-31.9 Units) in a home game where the total is 6 or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 3-2 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 3-2-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.7 Units)

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BUFFALO (22-13-0-6, 50 pts.) at BOSTON (23-14-0-4, 50 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
BUFFALO is 22-19 ATS (+43.5 Units) in all games this season.
BUFFALO is 296-271 ATS (+572.0 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
BUFFALO is 16-10 ATS (+28.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
BUFFALO is 49-46 ATS (+108.8 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games since 1996.
BOSTON is 275-237 ATS (-98.2 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 4-7 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-4-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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COLUMBUS (23-14-0-3, 49 pts.) at FLORIDA (17-16-0-6, 40 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 6-2 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 6-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.6 Units)

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VANCOUVER (20-20-0-4, 44 pts.) at TORONTO (26-12-0-2, 54 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 2-2 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 2-2-0 straight up against VANCOUVER 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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NASHVILLE (24-15-0-3, 51 pts.) at MONTREAL (22-14-0-5, 49 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 2-2 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-2-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.5 Units)

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NY ISLANDERS (22-13-0-4, 48 pts.) at ST LOUIS (16-18-0-4, 36 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 2-2 (+0.4 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 2-2-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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EDMONTON (19-18-0-3, 41 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (16-23-0-3, 35 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 13-26 ATS (-18.2 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 21-27 ATS (-17.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 167-171 ATS (-19.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 66-80 ATS (-50.8 Units) in home games in January games since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 43-52 ATS (-15.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 7-13 ATS (-15.7 Units) in home games on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 32-45 ATS (-27.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 205-255 ATS (-70.3 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 6-5 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 6-5-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.5 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (32-7-0-2, 66 pts.) at SAN JOSE (22-13-0-7, 51 pts.) - 1/5/2019, 11:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 32-9 ATS (+16.4 Units) in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 14-4 ATS (+8.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more this season.
TAMPA BAY is 16-1 ATS (+14.3 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
TAMPA BAY is 22-6 ATS (+11.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
TAMPA BAY is 15-4 ATS (+8.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 43-55 ATS (-38.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 2-2-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.0 Units)

[StarDust Bum]

NHL

Saturday, January 5

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

Calgary Flames
Calgary is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games
Calgary is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
Calgary is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Calgary is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Calgary's last 19 games on the road
Calgary is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
Calgary is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Calgary's last 13 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 11 games
Philadelphia is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Calgary
Philadelphia is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Philadelphia's last 13 games when playing at home against Calgary

Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is 5-11 ATS in its last 16 games
Minnesota is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota's last 9 games
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Ottawa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Ottawa's last 8 games
Ottawa is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Ottawa is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota

Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is 18-6 ATS in its last 24 games
Buffalo is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games
Buffalo is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Buffalo is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games on the road
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Buffalo is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing Boston
Buffalo is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo
Boston is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Buffalo
Boston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Buffalo

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Columbus's last 11 games
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games on the road
Columbus is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Columbus is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Florida
Florida Panthers
Florida is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games
Florida is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Columbus
Florida is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Columbus

Nashville Predators
Nashville is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games
Nashville is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Nashville is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Nashville is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Nashville's last 8 games on the road
Nashville is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Nashville is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing Montreal
Nashville is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Montreal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Montreal is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Nashville
Montreal is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Nashville
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Nashville
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing at home against Nashville

Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver is 13-4 ATS in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games
Vancouver is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Vancouver is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Vancouver is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing Toronto
Vancouver is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Vancouver is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vancouver's last 8 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vancouver
Toronto is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games when playing Vancouver
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing at home against Vancouver

New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NY Islanders is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games
NY Islanders is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
NY Islanders is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Islanders's last 7 games on the road
NY Islanders is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 8 of NY Islanders's last 12 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
NY Islanders is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis's last 8 games at home
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 8 of St. Louis's last 12 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against NY Islanders

Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Edmonton is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Edmonton is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Edmonton is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Edmonton is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Los Angeles
Edmonton is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing Los Angeles
Edmonton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Edmonton is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Los Angeles is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Edmonton
Los Angeles is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Edmonton
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Los Angeles is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 6-12-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Tampa Bay's last 15 games when playing San Jose
Tampa Bay is 4-9-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
San Jose is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games
San Jose is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
San Jose is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home
San Jose is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 12 of San Jose's last 15 games when playing Tampa Bay
San Jose is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

[StarDust Bum]

How high can Bolts-Sharks total climb, and this week's NHL predictions and picks

The NHL has a packed slate of games this weekend, headlined by a clash between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the San Jose Sharks Saturday night. We’re diving into all the action on the ice with some key NHL betting notes for the next three days.

THE PENS ARE MIGHTIER...

After a bumpy start to the 2018-19 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in familiar form as the New Year gets rolling. The Penguins picked up their seventh straight victory with a dominating 7-2 blasting of the New York Rangers at MSG Wednesday. Pittsburgh has netted 28 total goals in this span – an average of more than three per game – but it’s been the defense that’s really propelling this surge.

The Pens have allowed two or fewer goals in each of those seven victories, entering Friday’s home stand against the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets have stumbled a bit in recent outings, posting a 3-3 mark in their last six contests. Winnipeg has been inconsistent on offense, scoring just one goal in each of those six games, and top defenseman and special teams weapon Dustin Byfuglien is sidelined with a lower-body injury. That could keep scores down for a Jets team that leans on the power play to produce points, and give value to the Under 6.5 for this Friday night tussle.
LUCKY NO. 7?

Two of the top-scoring teams in the NHL will put on a show in San Jose Saturday, when the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Sharks. These clubs enter this matchup ranked No. 1 and No. 6 in goals per game on the season respectively, and San Jose has turned up the intensity in recent efforts, potting 21 total goals in its last four outings.

Oddsmakers will set the bar for this total at 6.5 goals but could we see the Over/Under creep to seven? At the very least the Over will be extremely juiced, with San Jose entering this game on a 4-0-1 Over/Under run and Tampa Bay topping the total in seven of its last eight games – including going Over 6.5 goals in five of those contests. These teams have also gone Over the betting total in 12 of their past 15 head-to-head meetings.

BETTING BOWL

In a game that will draw a ton of NHL betting action – but from two separate sides of the country (and likely on separate teams) - the New Jersey Devils roll into Sin City to face the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday. Of course, New Jersey and Nevada are the two states atop the legal sports betting markets in the U.S. since the Garden State won its court battle last spring.

Vegas books are slammed with action on the Golden Knights in every home game, with bettors not only grabbing the inflated moneyline price but also jumping on Vegas -1.5 on the puckline. Those sportsbook operators with spots in both Nevada and Jersey should be able to balance some of that liability with money on the Devils coming in on the East Coast.

New Jersey has played Vegas tough in their limited meetings. They split their two encounters last year – losing 3-2 at home but winning 8-3 in Las Vegas – and recently knocked off the Knights as hosts on December 14, winning 5-4 in overtime as +122 home pups. One note though: the Devils will have a day off in Vegas Saturday before playing the Knights – just enough time for that infamous “Flu” to set in.

GOALIE PROFILE

Collin Delia, Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks' young call-up is playing some incredible hockey since joining the big club and has kept Chicago competitive each time he steps between the pipes. Delia, who has played only four games since making his 2018-19 debut on December 21, owns a 1.98 GAA and has allowed only three even-strength goals in that span.

He boasts a save percentage of .952 despite getting peppered with shots in those recent starts. He faced 48 shots in a 5-2 win versus Minnesota on Dec. 27 and 50 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders Thursday, stealing a point for Chicago with a stellar performance. Going back to last season, he has just one regulation loss in six career starts for the Blackhawks.

INJURY UPDATE

Garret Sparks, Frederik Andersen G Toronto Maple Leafs: Goaltending injuries could derail the Maple Leafs start to 2019 with both Garret Sparks (concussion) and Frederik Anderson (IR – Groin) sidelined. That has Toronto calling up two minor league netminders for the near future, bringing in Michael Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo from the Marlies. Sparks was hit in the head with a puck in practice Wednesday and left the ice, eventually landing in concussion protocol. The Leafs don’t play until Saturday, when they host the Vancouver Canucks, and he will be re-evaluated before then.

HAT TRICK TRENDS

• Washington takes on Dallas Friday night. The defending Cup champs have notoriously struggled against the Stars, going just 7-21-1 in the last 29 meetings, including a 4-11 record in their last 15 trips to Dallas. Oddsmakers have Washington as a +104 road underdog.

• The Buffalo Sabres' strong start to the season shocked everyone – making them one of the most profitable moneyline bets in the NHL – but now it seems the club is crashing back to earth. Buffalo has lost five of its last seven games entering Saturday’s road tilt in Boston. Pouring salt on that wound is an injury to top scorer Jack Eichel, who will miss at least the next two games with an upper-body injury.

• The New York Islanders continue to be one of the best moneyline teams in terms of returns in the NHL, thanks to their strong play on the road. The Isles have won six of their last seven away from home and sit 12-8-1 as visitors on the season, stacking +8.48 units for those taking their road moneyline price. New York is short road underdog at St. Louis Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

NHL
Dunkel

Saturday, January 5


Minnesota @ Ottawa

Game 1-2
January 5, 2019 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
11.011
Ottawa
9.582
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-165
6
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-165); Under

Calgary @ Philadelphia

Game 3-4
January 5, 2019 @ 1:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Calgary
9.168
Philadelphia
11.685
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
-140
6
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(+120); Over

Buffalo @ Boston

Game 5-6
January 5, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Buffalo
10.571
Boston
12.829
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 2 1/2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-220
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-220); Over

Columbus @ Florida

Game 7-8
January 5, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
10.452
Florida
11.366
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
-125
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
(-125); Over

Vancouver @ Toronto

Game 9-10
January 5, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vancouver
11.069
Toronto
10.288
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Toronto
-265
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver
(+215); Over

Nashville @ Montreal

Game 11-12
January 5, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Nashville
10.761
Montreal
12.933
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Montreal
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(-115); Under

NY Islanders @ St. Louis

Game 13-14
January 5, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
10.678
St. Louis
12.337
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St. Louis
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St. Louis
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
St. Louis
(-135); Over

Edmonton @ Los Angeles

Game 15-16
January 5, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
10.508
Los Angeles
9.592
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(-105); Over

Tampa Bay @ San Jose

Game 17-18
January 5, 2019 @ 11:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
12.749
San Jose
11.252
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-115
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-115); Under

[StarDust Bum]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 5
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CAL at PHI 01:00 PM
CAL -137
O 6.5

MIN at OTT 01:00 PM
O 6.0

CLB at FLA 07:00 PM
CLB +108
O 6.0

BUF at BOS 07:00 PM
U 5.5

VAN at TOR 07:00 PM
VAN +248
U 6.5

NAS at MON 07:00 PM
NAS +113
U 5.5

NYI at STL 08:00 PM
NYI +127
O 5.5

EDM at LA 10:00 PM
EDM +103
O 5.5

TB at SJ 11:00 PM
U 6.5

[StarDust Bum]

Rask stops 31 shots, Bruins edge Sabres 2-1
January 5, 2019
By The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) Chris Wagner and David Backes scored, Tuukka Rask stopped 31 shots and the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.

Boston won three of four games in the season series against Buffalo.

Rask was looking for his first shutout of the season, but former Bruins' defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen beat him with a wrist shot on the glove side with 2:38 left in regulation.

Sabres star Jack Eichel missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. He's expected to be re-evaluated early next week.

Linus Ullmark made 39 saves for Buffalo, which has won just once in its last five games.

The Sabres pulled Ullmark with just over a minute left for an extra skater, but were unable to get a shot on goal.

KINGS 4, OILERS 0

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jonathan Quick earned his 300th victory, Anze Kopitar scored his 300th goal and Los Angeles climbed out of last place in the overall NHL standings.

Kyle Clifford, Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter scored during a dominant first period, while Kopitar added his milestone goal in the third period of the Kings' sixth win in nine games since mid-December.

Quick made 16 saves in his 51st career shutout, fifth-most among active goalies. The veteran netminder made a handful of big stops and combined with his defense to end the five-game scoring streaks of Edmonton stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Mikko Koskinen yielded three goals on eight Kings shots before Cam Talbot replaced him in the first period for the Oilers, who have lost seven of eight.

All-Star Drew Doughty had two early assists for the Kings.

ISLANDERS 4, BLUES 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Jordan Eberle and Johnny Boychuk scored 11 seconds apart in the third period to lead New York.

Anders Lee and Matt Martin also scored for the Islanders, who won their season-high sixth in a row and ninth in 10 games. Robin Lehner stopped 29 shots for his seventh consecutive win.

Brayden Schenn, Zach Sanford and Ryan O'Reilly scored for St. Louis, which has lost three of its last four.

BLUE JACKETS 4, PANTHERS 3, OT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) - Seth Jones scored 18 seconds into overtime and Columbus won for the seventh time in nine games.

Brandon Dubinsky, Josh Anderson and Anthony Duclair also scored for the Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.

Aaron Ekblad, Mike Hoffman and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for the Panthers. Keith Yandle had two assists. James Reimer stopped 31 shots. The Panthers are winless in their last seven games against Columbus (0-5-2).

MAPLE LEAFS 5, CANUCKS 0

TORONTO (AP) - Michael Hutchinson stopped 28 shots for his first shutout in more than two years and Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists to lead Toronto.

John Tavares, Andreas Johnsson, Trevor Moore and Igor Ozhiganov also scored as the Maple Leafs snapped a two-game skid that followed a five-game winning streak. Hutchinson got his fourth career shutout and the first since Oct. 28, 2016, when he was with Winnipeg.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 shots for Vancouver, which was shut out for the third time in four games.

The Canucks, playing for the third time in four nights, were without star rookie Elias Pettersson after the rookie injured his right knee in Thursday night's 2-0 loss at Montreal. Pettersson leads all NHL rookies with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists).

PREDATORS 4, CANADIENS 1

MONTREAL (AP) - Craig Smith scored two goals in the win for Nashville.

Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Predators. P.K. Subban had two assists. Juuse Saros stopped 27 shots in place of Pekka Rinne.

Shea Weber scored against his former team for the Canadiens. Carey Price made 28 saves as Montreal lost for the first time in three games.

It was the second matchup between Weber and Subban since the Predators and Canadiens traded the players in the summer of 2016. The defensemen also faced off on Mar. 2, 2017, when Montreal won 2-1 at Bell Centre.

WILD 4, SENATORS 3

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Jared Spurgeon scored twice as Minnesota dealt Ottawa its seventh consecutive setback.

Jordan Greenway and Zach Parise also scored for the Wild (20-17-3), who improved to 2-0 on a four-game trip. Devan Dubnyk stopped 24 shots.

Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone scored for Ottawa, and Anders Nilsson made 22 saves in his Senators debut after he was acquired Wednesday in a trade with Vancouver.

FLAMES 3, FLYERS 2, OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - TJ Brodie scored 1 minute, 59 seconds into overtime after Matthew Tkachuk tied it with 4:17 left in regulation to lead Calgary.

Tkachuk assisted on the winner in the 3-on-3 extra session. Philadelphia's Jordan Weal turned the puck over in the Flyers offensive zone to set up a 2-on-1 break. Tkachuk sent a cross-ice pass to Brodie, who beat Carter Hart to lead the Pacific Division leaders to the win.

Johnny Gaudreau notched his 24th goal of the season for the Flames, whose 56 points are tops in the Western Conference.

Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia, which dropped its season-worst sixth straight game. The Flyers are in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

KINGS 4. OILERS 0

SHARKS 5, TB 2

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY JANUARY 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
1:05 PM Carolina Hurricanes Ottawa Senators Canadian Tire Centre
4:05 PM New York Rangers Arizona Coyotes Gila River Arena
4:05 PM New Jersey Devils Vegas Golden Knights T-Mobile Arena
5:05 PM Dallas Stars Winnipeg Jets Bell MTS Place
5:05 PM Washington Capitals Detroit Red Wings Little Caesars Arena
8:05 PM Chicago Blackhawks Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
8:05 PM Edmonton Oilers Anaheim Ducks Honda Center


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


NHL JAN. RECORD OPINIONS AND BEST BETS !

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

01/05/2019 10-5-0 66.66% +25.90
01/04/2019 4-5-1 44.44% -10.10
01/03/2019 10-3-0 76.92% +34.75
01/02/2019 6-4-0 60.00% +9.00
01/01/2019 3-2-1 60.00% +5.00

Totals............33-19-1.......63.46%....+64.55


BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS................... ..UNITS..................O/U..................UNITS.............TOTALS

01/05/2019.............3 - 2...................+7.40.....................6 - 3..................+13.50..........+20.90
01/04/2019.............0 - 1....................-5.00.....................3 - 2..................+4.00............-1.00
01/03/2019.............1 - 2....................-4.55.....................6 - 0..................+30.00..........+25.45
01/02/2019.............0 - 2....................-10.00...................4 - 2..................+9.00.............-1.00
01/01/2019.............0 - 2....................-10.00...................2 - 1..................+4.50.............-5.50

Totals.....................4 - 9....................-22.15..................21 - 8..................+61.00..........+38.85