Announcement

**Udog** · 01-31-2019, 08:08 AM

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

— Florida 90, Ole Miss 86 OT— Gators hit a 3 with 0:02 left to tie game.

— Rutgers 66, Indiana 58— Hoosiers have lost seven games in a row.

— St John’s 83, Creighton 67— Red Storm’s guards are just too quick for Creighton.

— Michigan State’s Joshua Langford will miss rest of the season with a left foot injury.

— Campbell 68, Redford 67— Camels upset the 1st-place team in Big South on a buzzer beater by 5-9 Clemons, who had 39 points.

— Villanova/Marquette are a combined 16-1 in Big East games; no one else is over .500 in conference play.

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

13) It was so cold in Chicago, work crews had to set fire to commuter rail tracks to keep the trains moving smoothly. That doesn’t sound that safe, but in the midwest this week, it is colder than in some parts of Antartica.

It was 35 below zero in Winnipeg Tuesday night, minus-49 with the wind. Yuk.

12) In his first eight years in the NBA, all with the Nets, Milwaukee Bucks’ center Brook Lopez was a combined 3-31 shooting behind the arc, while scoring around 17 points/game. He just didn’t shoot from the outside, it wasn’t a part of his game.

The last three years, playing for three different teams (Nets-Lakers-Bucks), Lopez has made 371 of 1,032 three-pointers (35.9%), an amazing transformation of his game.

Goes to show you that if you work at your game, you can improve drastically.

11) Roger Goodell makes around $32M a year to be the NFL’s commissioner; his one-hour press conference during Super Bowl week is probably the worst hour of that year every year. ��

10) Part of being a good coach is making in-season adjustments. Missouri State’s new coach is Dana Ford, who came over from Tennessee State; he wanted his Bears to play fast, but then Missouri State started the season 8-11, 2-4 in conference. Changes were made.

In their last three games, Missouri State played a much slower tempo, with fewer than 60 possessions in regulation of all three games, which the Bears won. Its easier to recruit when you play fast, but its easier to keep your job when you win, and once he recruits some more of his players into the program, Ford’s team will play fast again. Just not this year.

9) After standing in front of the Hard Rock Cafe for 28 years, the guitar-shaped sign that welcomed people to the Hard Rock has come down and can now be seen at the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas, where they have lot of cool old signs from Las Vegas’ past.

8) Arizona Diamondbacks gave manager Torey Lovullo a contract extension thru 2022; team traded Paul Goldschmidt this winter, they’re going to re-boot/rebuild which means they’re probably going to suck this year, so they gave the manager more job security.

7) When you hear an NBA announcer say: “Player A ‘Eurosteps’ to the hoop” thats a euphemism for “He walked, but they don’t call those kind of walks in the NBA.”

6) ESPN’s Adrian Branch said on air Tuesday night that Tennessee’s Grant Williams reminds him of former NBA star Adrian Dantley. Seeing how Dantley scored 23,177 points in his career, averaging 24.3 ppg, thats a pretty big compliment.

5) Florida Atlantic football coach Lane Kiffin made an unusual recruiting stop Wednesday; he stopped by the maternity ward of a hospital in north central Florida to visit a prospect who had recently become a father.

When you coach a mid-major team, you do what you have to do to get players.

4) Lincoln Riley got a contract extension from Oklahoma, will now make $6M a year.

3) Oklahoma State’s football team hired Princeton’s Sean Gleeson as offensive coordinator; Gleeson’s offense at Princeton scored 470 points LY, an Ivy League record. Tigers averaged 36.9 ppg during Gleeson’s six seasons on staff.

2) Happy 89th birthday to the great actor Gene Hackman, even though in Hoosiers, his character (coach Norman Dale) didn’t know enough to give Jimmy Chitwood the ball every time Hickory High needed a basket. My favorite Hackman movies:
a) Hoosiers, b) Runaway Jury c) The Replacements

1) Someone on Twitter suggested replacing the Pro Bowl with a game between the two worst teams in the NFL playing, with the winner getting the first pick in the draft. Only problem with that is if a draft pick is traded, and the team holding that pick is a playoff team. Then what?

**Udog** · 01-31-2019, 08:16 AM

In the Crease - Week 19
Joe Williams

Fly Guys Flying High
The Philadelphia Flyers head into Thursday's road game against the Boston Bruins with a season-high five-game winning streak. They have ticked off four straight victories against teams with a winning record record, but this will be their biggest test yet. The Flyers are still just 3-10 over their past 13 games on the road, and they're 2-6 in the past eight in the third game of a 3-in-4 (three games in four days) situation. They'll catch the Bruins at a good time, as they're 1-4 in the past five games overall while going 0-6 in the past six against teams from the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers are a dismal 2-12 in their past 14 treks to Beantown, and they're 8-22 in the past 30 against the B's. The home team has cashed in four straight, too.

Calgary...On Fire
The Calgary Flames have fired to the top of the Pacific Division with an 8-1-2 mark across the past 11 outings, although they certainly haven't done it with a lot of attention. The Flames have posted a 15-4-5 mark at home this season, but they're a respectable 15-9-0 in 24 outings away from home to lead the Western Conference in road victories. Their plus-39 goal differential is also good for second in the NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (plus-58). The Flames face the Detroit Red Wings at home on Friday, and have a quick turnaround in Edmonton on Saturday night. Head coach Bill Peters will also face his former employer, the Carolina Hurricanes, in a pair of games on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Calgary, and Sunday, Feb. 3 in Raleigh.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, Jan. 31

N.Y. Rangers-New Jersey: The Rangers hit the tunnel for Newark to battle the Devils. The only thing in their favor is a 4-0 record over the past four playing on a day of rest. They're just 16-37 in their past 53 games dating back to last season and they're 2-5 in the past seven against teams with a losing record. The Devils have not exactly lit the world on fire. They're 6-1 in the past seven against losing teams, but just 3-7 in the past 10 against Metropolitan Division games and 5-12 in the past 17 tries against Eastern Conference foes. The Rangers are just 1-5 in the past six trips to New Jersey, and 1-4 in the past five against the Devils overall. The 'over' is also 6-0-2 in the past eight meetings in Newark, and 5-1-3 in the past nine overall.

Columbus-Winnipeg: Both the Blue Jackets and Jets have some decent trends in their favor. Columbus is 5-1 in the past six against the Central Division, and they're 5-0 in the past five working on a day of rest. However, they are also 3-7 in the past 10 against a team with a winning record. Winnipeg has picked up a victory in five of the past seven, and they're 7-3 in their past 10 tries against Metropolitan Division foes. They're also 4-0 in the past four against winning teams. More importantly, the Jets are not exhausted, and, in fact, they get stronger as the games are bunched together. Winnipeg is 16-5 in the past 21 in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation.

Friday, Feb. 1

Tampa Bay-N.Y. Islanders: When the Islanders lost John Tavares in the offseason free agency sweepstakes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, many figured the Isles would be a lower-division team failing to find much in the way of success. However, that hasn't been the case, as they're sitting atop the difficult Metropolitan Division, although they are just four points from fourth place in the division, too. In any event, this is a battle between the two first-place teams in the Eastern Conference.

The last time the Islanders host the Lightning, they pounded them by a 5-1 score on Jan. 13, a rare lopsided loss for Tampa this season. In the first meeting, the Lightning won at home by a 5-2 score back on Nov. 8 behind All-Star Andrei Vasilevskiy. The first meeting was a push on the total, while the second had a number of 6 1/2 goals, so it cashed 'under'.

Calgary-Washington: The defending champion Capitals are on a seven-game slide (0-5-2), and they'll look to get back on track against the Calgary Flames. The Caps are suffering through their longest skid since the 2013-14, which is the last time they missed the playoffs. Goaltending, defense and a lack of timely goals has been the problem with the Caps, as they have been doubled up 36-18 during the slide. Facing the first-place Flames isn't likely a cure for their ills. Calgary is 8-0-1 across the past 10, as David Rittich and Mike Smith have each protected the cage well. The Flames have also scored three or more goals in 12 consecutive outings dating back to Dec. 29.

Minnesota-Dallas: The Stars are having difficulty on the offensive end, averaging just 1.56 goals across the past nine outings. They were just above that average last time they met the Wild, winning 2-1 in overtime back on Dec. 22 in St. Paul. The Stars dropped the first meeting at home back on Oct. 19 by a 3-1 score. The 'under' has connected in each of the first two meetings, and is 7-0-2 over the past nine, and 11-2-2 across the past 15 games for the Stars.

Saturday, Feb. 2

Montreal-New Jersey: The Canadiens and Devils will meet in matinee action on Sunday. The first meeting didn't end well for the Habs in New Jersey, as the Devils came away with a 5-2 victory behind Keith Kinkaid. Montreal hasn't won in New Jersey since Feb. 27, 2017, and the Habs haven't beaten the Canadiens in regulation since Jan. 20, 2017. The 'under' is 7-3 over the past 10 games heading into their game on Thursday against the Rangers, so remember that angle on Saturday afternoon, too.

Pittsburgh-Toronto: The Penguins will have revenge on their minds when they roll into ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto looking to repay the Leafs. Toronto throttled Pittsburgh 5-0 in the Steel City in the most recent meeting on Nov. 3, as Frederik Andersen shut down the high-powered Pens offense. In fact, both meetings this season have resulted in shutouts, as Matt Murray blanked the Leafs in Toronto in the first meeting on Oct. 18.

Arizona-San Jose: The Coyotes and Sharks will do battle, and San Jose knows that Arizona isn't a pushover anymore. San Jose went down to Arizona and got doubled up by a 6-3 score on Jan. 16 behind backup goalie Aaron Dell. The Sharks also feel flat in the most recent home meeting with the Coyotes back on Dec. 23, a 4-3 win in a shootout by the Dogs. The Sharks managed a 5-3 win in the first mertings on Dec. 8. All three battles this season have resulted in an 'over' result.

Sunday, Feb. 3

Boston-Washington: The Bruins and Capitals will take place in the undercard for New England sports fans on Super Bowl Sunday. Fans of the black and gold hope this nationally-televised game goes better than the last meeting in Beantown, when the Caps came away with a 4-2 win on Jan. 10 behind Braden Holtby. Washington also won 7-0 in the opener back on Oct. 3, as the 'over' was 1-0-1 in the first two meetings.

For the Capitals, they're facing a team they have pushed around for years. The Caps have won a whopping 14 straight meetings against the Bruins dating back to March 29, 2014 with the 'over' going 3-0-1 in the past four meetings, and 5-2-1 in the past eight.

**Udog** · 01-31-2019, 08:18 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, January 31

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PHILADELPHIA (21-23-0-6, 48 pts.) at BOSTON (27-17-0-6, 60 pts.) - 1/31/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 3-11 ATS (-9.2 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
BOSTON is 278-241 ATS (-105.2 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
BOSTON is 48-55 ATS (-32.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 223-176 ATS (-50.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
BOSTON is 105-88 ATS (-65.5 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-3 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 5-3-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

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NY RANGERS (21-21-0-7, 49 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (19-23-0-7, 45 pts.) - 1/31/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 5-19 ATS (+26.1 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 4-4 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 4-4-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.9 Units)

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COLUMBUS (28-18-0-3, 59 pts.) at WINNIPEG (32-16-0-2, 66 pts.) - 1/31/2019, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 93-57 ATS (+150.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games in January games over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 179-164 ATS (+355.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 3-1 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 3-1-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.1 Units)

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NHL

Thursday, January 31

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Trend Report
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Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Philadelphia's last 21 games
Philadelphia is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Philadelphia is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 11 games on the road
Philadelphia is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Boston
Philadelphia is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston Bruins
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
Boston is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

New York Rangers
NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
NY Rangers is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of NY Rangers's last 23 games
NY Rangers is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
NY Rangers is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
NY Rangers is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games when playing New Jersey
NY Rangers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 6 games when playing New Jersey
NY Rangers is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
NY Rangers is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Rangers's last 8 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey Devils
New Jersey is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
New Jersey is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 7 games
New Jersey is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games when playing NY Rangers
New Jersey is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
New Jersey is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
New Jersey is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 7 of New Jersey's last 8 games when playing at home against NY Rangers

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games
Columbus is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Columbus is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Columbus is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games
Winnipeg is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Winnipeg is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus

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**Udog** · 01-31-2019, 11:55 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, January 31

Philadelphia @ Boston

Game 5-6
January 31, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
12.730
Boston
13.432
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-200
6
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-200); Under

NY Rangers @ New Jersey

Game 7-8
January 31, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
8.612
New Jersey
10.760
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Jersey
by 2
8
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Jersey
-145
6
Dunkel Pick:
New Jersey
(-145); Over

Columbus @ Winnipeg

Game 9-10
January 31, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Columbus
11.529
Winnipeg
10.612
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Columbus
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Winnipeg
-145
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Columbus
(+125); Under

Announcement

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/31

Thursday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 1/31

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