Announcement

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:42 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Odds to win next February’s Super Bowl (from Westgate SuperBook)

6-1: Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots

8-1: New Orleans Saints

10-1: Los Angeles Rams

12-1: Indianapolis Colts

14-1: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns

20-1: Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) According to Wikipedia, the Wonderlic Personnel Test is a popular group intelligence test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. NFL teams give the test to prospects at the NFL Combine each year. It consists of 50 multiple choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes.

Can you process information quickly? That is what is being measured here.

20 is considered an average score; there are wide-ranging opinions as to whether test results are an indicator of future on-field success. Tom Brady got a 33; very good. Dan Marino got a 16; not so good. Ryan Fitzpatrick got a 48; excellent, but he’s heading to his 8th team this fall.

Of all the QB prospects in this year’s draft, Kyler Murray got the lowest score (20), which makes perfect sense only because Murray is a such a polarizing figure as a prospect. The Wonderlic test doesn’t measure how fast you run or how well you throw the ball.

12) Was reading some stuff about these tests and football coaches, and I laughed when I read that some coaches are leery of prospects who score really high on tests, because they think kids who are really smart won’t respect a coach’s opinions/coaching as much as they should.

11) Mets 5, Phillies 1— Bryce Harper got tossed in the fourth inning while he was in the dugout for carping about balls/strikes. It was Harper’s 12th career ejection, by 12 different umpires.

It was the first time since June 2015 that a Phillies player was ejected.

10) Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson got a 4-year, $140M contract extension last week; since then, he gave each of the Seahawks offensive lineman $12,000 in Amazon stock as a gift, to show his appreciation for them protecting him on Sunday afternoons.

9) Pretty cool that the Portland Trailblazers are a really good team, and their two best players went to college at Weber State and Lehigh, not exactly basketball factories.

8) From Elias Sports: Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon is first player to hit a walk-off home run and then hit a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the team’s next game since Jerome Walton did it for Cincinnati Reds on May 6-7, 1995. Blackmon did this Friday/Saturday.

7) Baseball injuries:
— Cardinals put P Michael Wacha (knee) on IL
— Red Sox P Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) is out 4-6 weeks.
— Pirates P Nick Burdi (elbow/bicep) appeared to suffer a serious injury.

6) Georgia CB Deandre Baker was supposed to be a first round draft pick in the NFL Draft Thursday, but in the months since the season ended, his stock has dropped, dating back to Baker’s decision to sit out Georgia’s season-ending Sugar Bowl loss to Texas.

In other words, if you skip your team’s bowl game, you might annoy the coaches, who talk to the scouts, and they’re not going to be as positive in their assessment of you.

This is something to track with other players going forward, as more kids skip bowl games to make sure they don’t get hurt.

5) Milwaukee 127, Detroit 104— This was Bucks’ first 7-game series sweep since 1983. Next up for Milwaukee is an interesting series with the Celtics. Detroit sets a dubious NBA record with its 14th consecutive playoff loss.

4) Joey Gallo hit his first career sac fly Sunday, in his 1,337th career plate appearance; only Greg Maddux (1,405) and Steve Sax (1,388) went longer in their careers before hitting their first sac fly.

3) I’ll sound like the older guy that I am saying this, but why do high school athletes go on TV to announce their college choice? Its like they’re attention junkies, craving the maximum amount of attention they can get. Just send out a message on Twitter or Instagram and be done with it.

2) Phoenix Suns fired coach Igor Kokoskov less than a year after hiring him; whatever poor soul coaches the Suns next year will be Phoenix’s 7th head coach in eight years.

1) Sounds like sports betting could become legal in Iowa as soon as June or July; always nice to know that Iowa, Mississippi and West Virginia are more advanced than New York in making sports betting legal. All New York is advanced in is raising taxes.

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:45 AM

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:46 AM

Tuesday's Game 7 Notes

The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs will have a pair of Game 7’s slated for Tuesday with the winners advancing to the conference semifinals.

Toronto at Boston

In the Eastern Conference Boston will host Toronto from TD Garden at 7:08 p.m. ET.

The Maple Leafs lost to the Bruins in Game 7 last spring and during the 2013 playoffs. Toronto has not advanced to the second round since 2004.

Boston is listed as a -140 favorite for Game 7 at home while the return on Toronto is +120.

The road team has won four games in this series, which includes the Maple Leafs taking Game 1 and 5 at Boston.

Recent Game 7 History

Toronto (12-11 All-Time Record)
2018 Second Round - Toronto 4 at Boston 7
2013 Conference Quarterfinals - Toronto 4 at Boston 5

Boston (14-12 All-Time Record)
2018 Second Round - Boston 7 vs. Toronto 4
2014 Second Round - Boston 1 vs. Montreal 3
2013 Conference Quarterfinals - Boston 5 vs. Toronto 4

Vegas at San Jose

In the Western Conference, the Sharks forced a Game 7 with a 2-1 double-overtime win over the Golden Knights on Sunday night.

Prior to that result, the home team was 4-1 through the first five games of this series.

Vegas captured a 5-3 road win in Game 2 at the SAP Center as a +115 underdog.

San Jose has played in 10 Game 7’s and it owns a 6-4 record while Vegas will be playing its first Game 7 in franchise history.

Recent Game 7 History

San Jose (6-4 All-Time Record)
2016 Second Round - San Jose 5 vs. Nashville 0
2014 First Round - San Jose 1 vs. Los Angeles 5
2013 Conference Semifinals - San Jose 1 at Los Angeles 2

There have been 170 all-time Game 7’s in the NHL Playoffs and the home squad owns a 98-72 (58.0%) record.

Last year, road teams went 2-1 in Game 7's and the visitors scored 14 goals in those games which led to a 2-1 'over' mark.

NHL Game 7 Playoff History (2012-2019)

2019
Toronto at Boston
Vegas at San Jose

2018
Washington Capitals 4 at Tampa Bay Lightning 0
Winnipeg Jets 5 at Nashville Predators 1
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Boston Bruins 7

2017
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 at Washington Capitals 0
Edmonton Oilers 1 at Anaheim Ducks 2

2016
Tampa Bay Lightning 1 at Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Nashville Predators 0 at San Jose Sharks 5
St. Louis Blues 6 at Dallas Stars 1
Nashville Predators 2 at Anaheim Ducks 1
Chicago Blackhawks 2 at St. Louis Blues 3

2015
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at New York Rangers 0
Chicago Blackhawks 5 at Anaheim Ducks 3
New York Rangers 2 at Washington Capitals 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 at Detroit Red Wings 0
Washington Capitals 2 at New York Islanders 1

2014
Los Angeles Kings 5 at Chicago Blackhawks 4 (OT)
Los Angeles Kings 6 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Montreal Canadiens 3 at Boston Bruins 1
New York Rangers 2 at Pittsburgh Penguins 1
Philadelphia Flyers 3 at New York Rangers 4
Minnesota Wild 5 at Colorado Avalanche 4
Los Angeles Kings 5 at San Jose Sharks 1

2013
New York Rangers 5 at Washington Capitals 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Boston Bruins 5 (OT)
Detroit Red Wings 3 at Anaheim Ducks 2
Detroit Red Wings 1 at Chicago Blackhawks 2 (OT)
San Jose Sharks 1 at Los Angeles Kings 2

2012
Ottawa Senators 1 at New York Rangers 2
Washington Capitals 2 at Boston Bruins 1 (OT)
New Jersey Devils 3 at Florida Panthers 2 (2OT)
Washington Capitals 1 at New York Rangers 2

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:46 AM

Preview: Maple Leafs (46-28) at Bruins (49-24)

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins have been here before.

They will play a seventh game in a first-round playoff series at Boston on Tuesday night for the second season in a row and for the third time since 2013.

The Bruins forced the latest showdown with a 4-2 victory in Toronto on Sunday afternoon. Each team has won twice on the road in this series.

Although Boston won the Game 7 clashes in 2013 and 2018, both teams are claiming indifference to what happened in the past.

"I'm not a big believer of living in the past," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "I don't carry a lot of stuff around from the past at all. The bottom line is we've got a one-game series against these guys and we like each other, we like our group, we like hanging around together, we want to be together. The only way you get to be together is if you play good and execute and win."

Bruins left winger Jake DeBrusk, who scored a goal Sunday, said the success in Game 7 last year does not matter.

"No, to be honest, probably the only thing is home ice," he said. "But they've already won twice there. It's one of those things where you try to forget the past whether it's this series or last year's series."

Toronto started Game 6 with energy and scored the first goal of the game in the first period. Boston came back with two power-play goals and led 2-1 after the first period. It could have been more without a couple of superb saves by Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.

Boston had a 41-24 advantage in shots on goal for the game.

Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin feels the Maple Leafs did not handle the setbacks in Game 6 as well as they had in earlier games of the series.

"We're going to have to maintain our composure on the bench and in the room and go in there with the same attitude that we've gone in there before and I think we'll be OK," Muzzin said Monday.

"We're not going to look at anything that's happened in the past and expect it to play out a certain way," said Bruins left winger Brad Marchand, who scored twice on Sunday, including the clincher into an empty net. "We're fighting for our season again next game. We don't know how it's going to play out, but we're going to have fun doing it."

The Bruins played their best game of the series in Game 6 and will try to carry it over to Game 7.

"Obviously we're desperate, but this is the kind of thing we talked about (Saturday), trying to hit your ceiling," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We got as close to it (Sunday) as I've seen in a long time."

A key for the Maple Leafs will be to avoid penalties. The Bruins are 7-for-16 (43.75 percent) on the power play in the series after going 2-for-2 on Sunday. Toronto was 0-for-3 on the power play Sunday and is 3-for-14 (21.42 percent) on the series.

"Obviously, them getting two on the power play is not what we wanted," said Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly, who scored the first goal of the game Sunday. "It's important that we get that sorted out on the penalty kill."

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:47 AM

Preview: Golden Knights (43-32) at Sharks (46-27)

After twice failing to close out their best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series, the Vegas Golden Knights now play the first Game 7 in the franchise's short history when they face the Sharks on Tuesday night in San Jose.

Vegas, despite outshooting San Jose by a remarkable 59-29 margin, will try to rebound from a 2-1 double overtime home loss on Sunday night. The Golden Knights also failed to clinch in Game 5 when they fell to the Sharks 5-2 on Thursday night in San Jose.

"We have to (put it behind us)," Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "It's the playoffs, right? You win, you lose, you put it behind quickly and get ready for the next one."

The Golden Knights, who advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, have played in just one elimination game in their short history and are 0-1, losing Game 5 to Washington 4-3 in the Capitals' Cup clincher at Las Vegas.

Now Vegas must bounce back in less than 48 hours after somehow dropping a game in which it outshot the Sharks by 30 combined with the double gut-punch of losing on a short-handed goal by Tomas Hertl 11:17 into the second overtime. It marked the first time in NHL history that a game-winner came on a short-handed goal in a contest that required multiple overtimes.

"Well, it's Game 7," said Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant when asked how his team could rebound after playing more than 91 physically and emotionally draining minutes. "If it wasn't Game 7, it could be really tough, but it's going to be Game 7, and I think both teams want to advance.

"Winner take all in Game 7. You get ready to play, you forget about (Sunday). It's over with now, and you move on and get ready to play the next one. ... I'm proud of our guys. The way they competed, 59 shots on net. It wasn't our night, but there is still another day for us fortunately."

The Sharks and goalie Martin Jones will try to cap a remarkable turnaround after getting outscored 16-6 in three consecutive losses in Games 2-4, two of which saw Jones get pulled. The 29-year-old netminder has rebounded to stop 88 of 91 shots the past two games, including a franchise-record 58 in the Sunday night victory.

"I thought he was fantastic tonight, but so was Fleury," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. "It was great for (Jones). Our group has never lost faith in him. I think we knew he was capable of this, and we needed him tonight and he was our best player."

San Jose improved to 35-0 this season when allowing two goals or fewer in a game.

Hertl, who has scored five goals in the series, including three in the past two wins, wasn't far behind. He raised more than a few eyebrows with some bulletin-board material with his postgame comments after the Game 5 victory when he predicted the Sharks would be back in San Jose for a Game 7 "because we are a better team than them."

"Tomas wears his heart on his sleeve, and I don't know how that rolled out, whether it was social media or whatever, but it was ridiculous," DeBoer said. "There was no guarantee made. It was an emotional guy with English as his second language (Hertl is from the Czech Republic) ... just professing his confidence in our group. He did that, and he delivered."

Hertl, who refused several questions from the media after Game 6 when it came to Game 7 predictions, instead turned the focus on the play of Jones.

"He was unreal," Hertl said. "He had (58) saves. ... We can just thank him that we're still alive.

"After this huge win, we just have to finish. It will be really hard, but that's what you play hockey for, games like this. And now it's Game 7. There can be nothing better than to play a Game 7. And I can't wait for it."

**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 07:50 AM

9Toronto -10 Boston
TORONTO is 20-22 ATS (-17.5 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the 2nd half of the year in the current season.

11Vegas -12 San Jose
VEGAS are 4-16 ATS (-12.5 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.

NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, April 23

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TORONTO (49-31-0-8, 106 pts.) at BOSTON (52-27-0-9, 113 pts.) - 4/23/2019, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 49-39 ATS (-14.4 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 23-26 ATS (-20.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 20-6 ATS (+10.3 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 15-8 ATS (+23.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 291-246 ATS (-155.2 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 14-11 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 14-11-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
12 of 23 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.3 Units)

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VEGAS (46-34-0-8, 100 pts.) at SAN JOSE (49-30-0-9, 107 pts.) - 4/23/2019, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
VEGAS is 12-8 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
VEGAS is 12-8-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
13 of 20 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.4 Units)

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NHL

Tuesday, April 23

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

Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 7 games
Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Vegas is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games on the road
Vegas is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vegas's last 8 games when playing San Jose
Vegas is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vegas's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 4-14 ATS in its last 18 games
San Jose is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games
San Jose is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing Vegas
San Jose is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas

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**Udog** · 04-23-2019, 09:44 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 23

Toronto @ Boston

Game 9-10
April 23, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
11.376
Boston
9.921
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1 1/2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+120); Under

Vegas @ San Jose

Game 11-12
April 23, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Vegas
11.261
San Jose
9.739
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vegas
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Vegas
(-105); Over

Announcement

Tuesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

Tuesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 4/23

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