Da Bum's 2019-2020 NHL Picks/News/Trends/Best Bets - Thru The Stanley Cup !

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

COL at TOR 07:00 PM
COL +107
O 6.5

STL at PIT 08:00 PM
STL +104
O 6.0

OTT at EDM 09:30 PM
OTT +173
O 6.5

WAS at LA 10:00 PM
O 6.5

[StarDust Bum]

Jarry stops 28 shots, Penguins beat Blues 3-0
December 4, 2019

PITTSBURGH (AP) Stefan Noesen celebrated his return to the NHL with his first goal of the season and the banged up Pittsburgh Penguins handed the St. Louis Blues their first regulation road loss since before Halloween with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday night.

Noesen, a five-year veteran who signed a minor-league deal with the Penguins in the offseason, pounded home a rebound off a Jared McCann shot with 39 seconds left in the second period for his first goal since last March when he played for New Jersey.

Teddy Blueger scored 39 seconds into the game to give the Penguins the early lead and Alex Galchenyuk's second of the season early in the third period provided Tristan Jarry all the cushion he needed.

Jarry stopped 28 shots to post his third career shutout as the Penguins drew a measure of revenge after getting blown out by the defending Stanley Cup champions last weekend.

Jordan Binnington finished with 30 saves for St. Louis, but the Blues saw their 10-game road point streak end against a patchwork Pittsburgh lineup missing a handful of key contributors. Forwards Sidney Crosby, Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist and defenseman Brian Dumoulin all out of the lineup due to injuries and defenseman Jack Johnson was a late scratch after falling ill before the opening faceoff.

Pittsburgh, however, survived thanks in large part to Jarry, who withstood a major second-period push from the Blues to hand St. Louis its first regulation road loss since Oct. 26. The Blues were one win shy of tying the franchise record for longest road point streak set during the 1999-2000 season but fell behind early and never caught up.

Blueger gave the Penguins the early lead when he deflected Marcus Pettersson's point shot over Binnington's left shoulder for his third of the season and first since Oct. 22. Pittsburgh peppered Binnington relentlessly but Binnington hung in there and St. Louis responded with sustained pressure in the second against a group of Penguins defensemen that included Chad Ruhwedel, Juuso Riikola and Zach Trotman - who had played 25 games combined coming in.

Jarry preserved the lead thanks to a handful of sharp saves and the Penguins received a late boost when the goal-scoring touch that propelled Noesen's hot start in the minors followed him to the NHL. McCann fired a low, hard shot from the left circle that smacked off Binnington's pads and right to Noesen on the doorstep. He slammed the puck into the empty net to make it 2-0 and celebrated with a guttural scream while getting mobbed by his linemates.

Galchenyuk, who had scored just once in his first 18 games with Pittsburgh after being acquired from Arizona in a blockbuster offseason trade in exchange for popular forward Phil Kessel, broke in alone on Binnington and stuffed the puck over Binnington's blocker 4:59 into the third. Jarry did the rest while winning for the fourth time in his last five starts.

NOTES: St. Louis scratched D Robert Bortuzzo and F Austin Poganski. ... Rust skated on Wednesday morning and could be nearing a return after getting hurt during practice on Friday. ... St. Louis went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Penguins were 0 for 5 with the man advantage.

UP NEXT

Blues: Hosts Toronto on Saturday. St. Louis won its first meeting with the Maple Leafs 3-2 on Oct. 7.

Penguins: Faces Arizona on Friday night for the first time sending Kessel, who played a pivotal role in the Pittsburgh teams that won consecutive Stanley Cups in 2016 and 107, to the Coyotes in June.


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Nichushkin lifts Avalanche past Maple Leafs 3-1
December 4, 2019

TORONTO (AP) Valeri Nichushkin scored a short-handed goal in the third period, lifting the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Joonas Donskoi also scored and Philipp Grubauer stopped 38 shots for the Avalanche.

Zach Hyman scored for Toronto and Frederik Andersen, starting on consecutive nights for the first time since January 2017, had 27 saves.

After killing off Jake Muzzin's four-minute penalty for high-sticking early in the third, thanks in large part to a big stop by Andersen on Donskoi, the Maple Leafs' first man advantage turned into a disaster.

Jason Spezza's stick shattered on a shot and as the Toronto center tried to keep the puck in with his feet at the blue line, he got caught up with Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly. That allowed Nichushkin to move in all alone and bury his third goal of the season upstairs at 6:40.

Toronto, which had Mitch Marner back after he missed 11 games with a high ankle sprain, pushed as the period wore on and pressed late, but couldn't get anything past Grubauer with Andersen on the bench before Donskoi iced it into an empty net with 79 seconds left.

The Maple Leafs were coming off Tuesday's embarrassing 6-1 loss at Philadelphia - performance where Toronto was in the game in the third period only to fall apart in the waning minutes.

Star center Auston Matthews said the team ''quit'' with the game out of hand, leaving Andersen hung out to dry on two late goals 12 seconds apart in the final minute. Sheldon Keefe - in just his sixth game as head coach - addressed the team immediately after the final buzzer in Philadelphia.

Andersen then told his coach he wanted to play against Colorado even though backup Michael Hutchinson was originally scheduled to get the start.

This game marked Avalanche center Nazem Kadri's return to Scotiabank Arena for the first time since an offseason trade from Toronto to Colorado in exchange for defenseman Tyson Barrie and forward Alexander Kerfoot. Kadri, the seventh pick in the 2009 NHL draft, had 161 goals and 196 assists in 561 games with the Maple Leafs.

MacKinnon opened the scoring at 10:52 of the second period on the first power play of the night. After the Avalanche gained the zone, Mikko Rantanen snapped a cross-ice pass to MacKinnon, who had time to shoot into the top corner on Andersen from the faceoff dot for his 18th.

Toronto responded just 1:50 later when Kerfoot fed a no-look pass in front for Hyman to redirect past Grubauer for his third.

Andersen had the fans at Scotiabank Arena chanting his name earlier in the period following consecutive pad saves on Nichushkin.

Rookie scoring leader Cale Makar came close to getting on the board off the rush in the first, but Andersen was there to deny the slick defenseman before Matthews had a good chance from a tight angle moments later.

Keefe, who came in 4-2-0 in his six games behind the bench since replacing Mike Babcock on Nov. 20, added a wrinkle later in the period when he rolled out Matthews, Marner and William Nylander on the same line for two straight shifts at 5-on-5.

NOTES: MacKinnon, now alone in fourth in NHL scoring with 44 points, has goals in five straight games. ... Colorado coach Jared Bednar said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who's been out since Oct. 26 with a lower-body injury, could return Thursday at Montreal. ... Rielly played the 500th game of his career. ... Toronto F Andreas Johnsson left the game with a leg injury after blocking a shot in the second. ... The Maple Leafs lost C Nick Shore to Winnipeg on waivers, while forward Nic Petan and defenseman Martin Marincin were loaned to the AHL's Toronto Marlies - all moves to make room for Marner's return off injured reserve.

UP NEXT

Avalanche: At Montreal on Thursday night.

Maple Leafs: At St. Louis on Saturday to open a four-game trip.

[StarDust Bum]

Ennis has goal, 2 assists as Senators beat Oilers 5-2
December 4, 2019

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Tyler Ennis had a goal and two assists as the Ottawa Senators beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Artem Anisimov, Connor Brown, Anthony Duclair and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored to help the Senators snap a five-game losing streak. Craig Anderson, returning from a lower-body injury, stopped 24 shots.

Jujhar Khaira and Oscar Klefbom had goals for the Oilers, losers of three of their last four. Mikko Koskinen gave up three goals on 12 shots before leaving in the second period. Mike Smith finished with 11 saves.

Edmonton started the scoring with just under six minutes to play in the first period. Leon Draisaitl made a nice backhand feed in front to Khaira, who scored his sixth of the season. Ottawa challenged the play, believing Sam Gagner was offside, but the goal was confirmed.

The Senators surged into the lead with two goals 12 seconds apart early in the second period.

Ottawa tied it shortly after a power play expired when Anisimov tucked a shot from in tight past Koskinen at 5:15. Then Brown beat Koskinen through the legs with a wrist shot for his first goal in 17 games at 5:27.

Ottawa made it 3-1 on a nice pass from Brown through to Ennis, who scored his eighth of the season with 8:18 remaining in the middle period. The goal chased Koskinen and brought on Smith.

Klefbom beat Anderson on a long power-play shot with 2:23 left to pull the Oilers within one.

The Senators made it 4-2 just 90 seconds into the third as Duclair picked up a wide shot behind the net and tucked it into the net for his 11th.

Ottawa kept the pressure on and was rewarded again with 8:13 left as Namestnikov was left alone in front to score his seventh.

NOTES: Ottawa has won its last six trips to Edmonton. ... Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk played in his 100th NHL game. ... Out with injuries for the Oilers were Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (hand), Zack Kassian (back) and Matt Benning (head), while the Senators were without Cody Goloubef (undisclosed), Scott Sabourin (head) and Christian Wolanin (upper body).

UP NEXT

Senators: At Philadelphia on Saturday to finish a five-game trip.

Oilers: Host Los Angeles on Friday night in the second of a four-game homestand.


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Carlson, Capitals down Kings 3-1 for fifth straight win
December 4, 2019

LOS ANGELES (AP) John Carlson scored twice, Ilya Samsonov stopped 22 shots and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Tom Wilson also had a goal as the Capitals have won five in a row for the second time this season. They won six straight Oct. 25-Nov. 9.

Blake Lizotte had a goal and Jonathan Quick made 19 saves for the Kings, who lost for the third time in their past 10 home games.

Carlson continued his strong start to December by breaking out of his own zone before placing a shot over Quick's right shoulder from the right point to put Washington up 1-0 at 4:36 of the first. It was Carlson's 100th career goal, becoming the fifth Capitals defenseman and the 13th American-born defenseman to reach the century mark.

Carlson made it 2-0 at 13:27, getting Quick to commit too early and scoring around the prone goalie.

The Kings started well before finding themselves trading chances with the Capitals, and Carlson was there to strike for his third multi-goal game and 13th multi-point game in 30 appearances this season.

Los Angeles did dig in to establish the forecheck as the game went on and got to 2-1 at 3:20 of the third. Lizotte charged in off the bench and poked in a loose puck at the near post after Samsonov could not control it behind his own net.

Wilson added an empty-netter at 18:41 to restore a two-goal margin

NOTES: Washington's T.J. Oshie had an assist to extend his point streak to four games. He has one goals and six assists in that span. . The Capitals are 7-0-3 against the Pacific Division. . Lars Eller had an assist for the second straight game. . Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom missed his seventh straight game because of an upper-body injury.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Wrap the four-game road trip at Anaheim on Friday night.

Kings: At Edmonton on Friday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY DECEMBER 5, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Arizona Coyotes Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
7:05 PM Chicago Blackhawks Boston Bruins TD Garden
7:05 PM Colorado Avalanche Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre
7:05 PM Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:05 PM New York Rangers Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena
7:05 PM San Jose Sharks Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Vegas Golden Knights New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum
8:35 PM Winnipeg Jets Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
9:05 PM Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome


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nhl december best bets and opinions (dogs and totals only )

date.....................w/l/t................%.................units

12/04/2019.............3-4-0............42.86%.............-2.50
12/03/2019.............8-5-2............61.54%...........+14.20
12/02/2019.............1-5-0............16.67%............-21.50
12/01/2019.............3-1-1............75.00%...........+10.00

totals...................15-15-3...........50.00%............+0.20

best bets

date........................ats................uni ts...................o/u...............units.............totals

12/04/2019..............2 - 1................+9.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50.............-2.50
12/03/2019..............3 - 1................+5.70..................6 - 3..............+13.50............+19.20
12/02/2019..............0 - 3................-15.00.................2 - 3...............-6.50..............-21.50
12/01/2019..............1 - 0................+5.25..................2 - 0..............+10.00...........+15.25

totals.......................6 - 5................+4.95.................11 - 9..............+5.50...........+10.45

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s 6-pack

— Purdue 69, Virginia 40— Cavaliers missing Braxton Key is a big deal.

— New Mexico 80, Boise State 78— Lobos win their conference opener.

— San Diego State 79, Colorado State 57— Aztecs, Utah State are best teams in Mountain West.

— Georgetown 81, Oklahoma State 74— Big road win for Patrick Ewing after a tough few days off the floor.

— Yale 61, Albany 52— James Jones wins a game at his alma mater.

— Villanova 80, Penn 69— Final is misleading; this was a pretty close game.

Quote of the Day:
“A lot of times when you’re playing, you have a million different things you’re having to focus in on and you can lose some of the smaller stuff. When you’re out of that [starting] role, you can kind of step back and see the little details. Watching Nick (Foles) was a great opportunity to learn.”
Jaguars’ QB Gardner Minshew

Thursday’s quiz
Who was the Chicago Bears’ coach the last time they played in a Super Bowl?

Wednesday’s quiz
14 Vice-Presidents later became President of the United States.

Tuesday’s quiz
Baltimore Ravens were last Super Bowl champ that wasn’t either the #1 or #2 seed in their conference; they were the #4 seed in AFC when they won Super Bowl XLVII.

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

13) If you’re a Mets’ fan, this could be like Christmas, New Year’s, your birthday and Hannukah, all wrapped into one. This, from ESPN:

“Steve Cohen, a billionaire who owns a small percentage of the Mets, is negotiating an agreement to increase his investment, a move that could signal that Fred/Jeff Wilpon’s longtime control of the franchise will be over within five years.

Bloomberg reported that Cohen is in talks to acquire up to 80% of the team, which would be valued at $2.6B.”

All of this is great news for Mets fans, if it turns out to be true. The Wilpons are horrendous owners; the sooner they’re gone, the better.

12) New Jersey Giants’ QB Daniel Jones has a sprained ankle, is in a walking boot; sounds like Eli Manning will get the nod for Big Blue in their game at Philly Monday nite.

11) DePaul 63, Texas Tech 60 OT— Blue Demons stay unbeaten, but they trailed for most of this game, and Tech played without Ramsey, one of their best guys.

This is DePaul’s first 9-game win streak since the 1993-94 season.

10) Utah 102, BYU 95 OT— Utes outscored BYU 24-13 on foul line, offsetting BYU’s 12-24 shooting on the arc.

9) San Francisco 49ers played in Baltimore LW, are playing in New Orleans this Sunday; they’re practicing this week at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

8) South Carolina QB Jake Bentley will transfer after missing almost all of this season with an injury; freshman Ryan Hilinski has played well, so Bentley, a 3-year starter, will finish his college career somewhere else.

7) USC will bring football coach Clay Helton back next year; the promising performance of freshman QB Slovis undoubtedly had a lot to do with that. New coach, new AD, and to be fair, Urban Meyer probably told USC he wasn’t interested in the job.

6) Colorado State fired football coach Mike Bobo, who went 28-35 as coach in Fort Collins.

5) Philadelphia Phillies gave 29-year old P Zack Wheeler a 5-year, $118M deal; Wheeler was 11-8, 3.96 in 31 starts LY, is 44-38, 3.77 in 126 career starts- he’s been hurt a lot.

Wheeler apparently turned down a bigger offer from the White Sox; when guys turn down more money to play somewhere else, thats a pretty big kick in the teeth.

4) Atlanta Braves signed soon-to-be 36-year old lefty P Cole Hamels to a 1-year, $18M deal; Hamels was 7-7, 3.81 in 27 starts for the Cubs last year.

3) Orioles traded 27-year old P Dylan Bundy to the Angels for four minor leaguers. Bundy was 7-14, 4.79 in 30 starts for a dreadful Baltimore team LY.

Angels also made a deal this week to stay in Anaheim thru 2050; the team will buy Angel Stadium and the 133 acres of surrounding land for $325M

2) Miami Marlins acquired IF Jonathan Villar from the Orioles for minor league P Easton Lucas; they also claimed 1B Jesus Aguilar off waivers from Tampa Bay.

1) NC State 69, Wisconsin 54— Badgers lost their last three games, are struggling at 4-4.

[StarDust Bum]

45ARIZONA -46 PHILADELPHIA
ARIZONA is 11-5 ATS (10.9 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

47CHICAGO -48 BOSTON
CHICAGO is 5-20 ATS (-17 Units) after 2 consecutive division games in the last 3 seasons.

49VEGAS -50 NY ISLANDERS
NY ISLANDERS are 8-0 ATS (8.3 Units) in home games against excellent power play teams- scoring on >17.5% of their chances in the current season.

51COLORADO -52 MONTREAL
MONTREAL is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) after 1 or more consecutive unders in the current season.

53NY RANGERS -54 COLUMBUS
NY RANGERS are 4-28 ATS (-26.8 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game in the last 3 seasons.

55MINNESOTA -56 TAMPA BAY
TAMPA BAY is 14-1 ATS (12.9 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.

57SAN JOSE -58 CAROLINA
SAN JOSE is 11-19 ATS (-12.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

59WINNIPEG -60 DALLAS
WINNIPEG is 7-1 ATS (5.9 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game in the current season.

61BUFFALO -62 CALGARY
CALGARY is 25-35 ATS (-26.2 Units) in home games against excellent power play teams- scoring on >17.5% of their chances in the last 3 seasons.


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NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, December 5

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ARIZONA (16-9-0-4, 36 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (16-7-0-5, 37 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 19-16 ATS (+42.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 27-26 ATS (+63.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 11-5 ATS (+18.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 264-283 ATS (-95.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.0 Units)

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CHICAGO (10-12-0-5, 25 pts.) at BOSTON (20-3-0-5, 45 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 19-38 ATS (+59.8 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 2-14 ATS (+22.1 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 0-10 ATS (+13.9 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 15-38 ATS (+58.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 236-179 ATS (-92.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-1 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 3-1-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

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VEGAS (15-11-0-4, 34 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (18-6-0-2, 38 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 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 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 2-2-0 straight up against VEGAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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COLORADO (17-8-0-2, 36 pts.) at MONTREAL (12-10-0-6, 30 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 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 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)

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NY RANGERS (13-10-0-3, 29 pts.) at COLUMBUS (11-12-0-4, 26 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 4-28 ATS (+50.3 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 2-17 ATS (+28.7 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 137-136 ATS (+297.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 6-2 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 6-2-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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MINNESOTA (13-11-0-4, 30 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (13-9-0-3, 29 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 24-36 ATS (-19.7 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 141-70 ATS (+67.5 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 14-1 ATS (+11.9 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 72-31 ATS (+15.5 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 50-17 ATS (+21.7 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 419-432 ATS (+862.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 194-216 ATS (-81.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 (+3.5 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-1-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

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SAN JOSE (15-13-0-1, 31 pts.) at CAROLINA (16-11-0-1, 33 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 18-24 ATS (-15.6 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 11-19 ATS (-11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 119-133 ATS (-57.6 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 4-1 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 4-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.1 Units)

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WINNIPEG (17-10-0-1, 35 pts.) at DALLAS (15-11-0-3, 33 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 9-1 ATS (+7.6 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 263-174 ATS (+40.9 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 233-162 ATS (+26.3 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
WINNIPEG is 17-11 ATS (+28.7 Units) in all games this season.
WINNIPEG is 17-11 ATS (+28.7 Units) first half of the season this season.
WINNIPEG is 9-2 ATS (+11.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 7-4 (+2.6 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 7-4-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.2 Units)

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BUFFALO (13-10-0-5, 31 pts.) at CALGARY (13-12-0-4, 30 pts.) - 12/5/2019, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 9-28 ATS (+46.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
BUFFALO is 2-18 ATS (+30.3 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 8-21 ATS (+36.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

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


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NHL

Thursday, December 5

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

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Carolina is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against San Jose
San Jose Sharks
San Jose is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
San Jose is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games on the road
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Carolina
San Jose is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Carolina

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Columbus is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Columbus's last 9 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
New York Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
NY Rangers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
NY Rangers is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
NY Rangers is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 5 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Rangers's last 9 games when playing on the road against Columbus

Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games
Montreal is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Montreal's last 10 games
Montreal is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Colorado
Montreal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing at home against Colorado
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Colorado is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
Colorado is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games when playing Montreal
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing on the road against Montreal

New York Islanders
NY Islanders is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
NY Islanders is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
NY Islanders is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Vegas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas's last 5 games on the road

Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 9 games
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games
Arizona is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Arizona is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tampa Bay's last 15 games when playing Minnesota
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Minnesota's last 15 games when playing Tampa Bay
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay

Dallas Stars
Dallas is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games
Dallas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Dallas is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Dallas's last 14 games at home
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
Dallas is 5-12 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Winnipeg
Dallas is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Dallas's last 23 games when playing Winnipeg
Dallas is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Winnipeg is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Winnipeg is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Winnipeg is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games on the road
Winnipeg is 12-5 ATS in its last 17 games when playing Dallas
Winnipeg is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Dallas
Winnipeg is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Winnipeg's last 23 games when playing Dallas
Winnipeg is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Dallas

Calgary Flames
Calgary is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Calgary is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games
Calgary is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games at home
Calgary is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing Buffalo
Calgary is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Buffalo
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Buffalo is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games
Buffalo is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Buffalo is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Buffalo's last 9 games when playing Calgary
Buffalo is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Calgary

[StarDust Bum]

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NYR at CLB 07:00 PM
O 6.0

CHI at BOS 07:00 PM
O 6.0

COL at MON 07:00 PM
U 6.5

MIN at TB 07:00 PM
MIN +187
O 6.5

SJ at CAR 07:00 PM
SJ +135
O 6.5

ARI at PHI 07:00 PM
ARI +130
O 5.5

VEG at NYI 07:00 PM
VEG +102
U 5.5

WIN at DAL 08:30 PM
WIN +140
U 5.5

BUF at CAL 09:00 PM
U 5.5

[StarDust Bum]

Landeskog scores in return, Avalanche beat Canadiens
December 5, 2019
By The Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) Gabriel Landeskog scored in his return from a lower-body injury and the Colorado Avalanche beat the slumping Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Thursday night.

Ryan Graves and Matt Calvert also scored and backup goalie Pavel Francouz made 39 saves to help the Avalanche win their fifth straight game and improve to 18-8-2.

Brendan Gallagher and Nick Cousins scored for Montreal The Canadiens have lost nine of 10 to fall to 12-11-6.

Cayden Primeau stopped 32 shots in his NHL debut. The 20-year-old son of former NHL player Keith Primeau played in the first of a back-to-back for Montreal, with Carey Price set to face the New York Rangers on Friday night.

BLACKHAWKS 4, BRUINS 3, OT

BOSTON (AP) - Jonathan Toews scored 54 seconds into overtime and Chicago recovered after blowing a three-goal, third-period lead to end Boston's eight-game winning streak.

Toews picked up the puck after a turnover by David Pastrnak and skated in on Tuukka Rask before backhanding it between the goalie's legs. The crowd, which thought Pastrnak had been tripped, began showering the ice with garbage.

Robin Lehner made 37 saves for the Blackhawks, who had lost six of their previous seven games. Ryan Carpenter and Dylan Strome scored 37 seconds apart at the end of the first period, and Alex DeBrincat scored off the opening faceoff of the third period to make it 3-0 - the first three-goal deficit Boston had faced all season.

ISLANDERS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, OT

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - Ryan Pulock scored a power-play goal 3:20 into overtime to lift New York past Vegas.

Cal Clutterbuck and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders. They won their seventh straight at Nassau Coliseum and snapped Vegasâ?? four-game winning streak.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 shots for his ninth win of the season.

Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Golden Knights.

Marchessault was sent off for tripping at 3:10 of OT, giving the Islanders a 4-on-3 advantage. That led to Pulockâ??s goal after New York won the faceoff in the Vegas zone.

HURRICANES 3, SHARKS 2, SO

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Andrei Svechnikov scored in the shootout, Petr Mrazek stopped San Jose cold in the tiebreaker and Carolina beat the Sharks.

Svechnikov had a goal and an assist in regulation, Jake Gardiner also scored and Warren Foegele added two assists for the Hurricanes. Mrazek stopped 28 shots.

Svechnikov had the only goal of the tiebreaker, beating Aaron Dell with a forehand to his stick side in the third round. Mrazek, who had stopped Kevin Labanc and Erik Karlsson in the first two rounds, then stuffed Logan Couture with his pads and stick to end it.

Marcus Sorensen scored and Couture added a deflected goal for the Sharks.

WILD 5, LIGHTNING 4

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists and Minnesota beat Tampa Bay for its fifth straight victory.

Joel Eriksson Ek, Jason Zucker, Carson Soucy and Victor Rask also scored for the Wild, who have an 11-game point streak (8-0-3). Alex Stalock stopped 30 shots.

Tampa Bay, which is 1-3-1 over its last five games, got goals from Erik Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev, Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves.

COYOTES 3, FLYERS 1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Phil Kessel scored two goals to lead Arizona past Philadelphia.

Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves and Conor Garland also scored for the Coyotes. They improved to 10-3-3 on the road.

Matt Niskanen scored for Philadelphia. The Flyers had won five in a row and had points in seven straight games.

RANGERS 3, BLUE JACKETS 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Artemi Panarin scored the decisive goal in his return to Columbus, leading New York past the Blue Jackets.

Panarin's goal was his team leading 13th. He left Columbus after signing a lucrative free-agent contract in the offseason with New York.

Brendan Lemieux and Jacob Trouba also scored for New York, and backup goalie Alexander Georgiev made a season-high 45 saves. Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones scored for Columbus.

STARS 3, JETS 2, OT

DALLAS (AP) - Joe Pavelski scored on the power play 2:02 into overtime in Dallas' victory over Winnipeg.

The goal came 31 seconds after Josh Morrissey went to the penalty box. Tyler Seguin picked up a rebound of his own shot and sent a backhand pass to Pavelski, who scored his sixth goal this season.

Dallas' Ben Bishop made 36 saves, 15 in the third period and overtime. Jamie Benn and Denis Gurianov scored the first two goals of the game. The Stars had lost 11 of the last 14 games against Winnipeg.

Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele tied Ã*t with third-period goals for the Jets.

FLAMES 4, SABRES 3

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Milan Lucic scored his first goal for Calgary and the Flames held on to beat Buffalo.

Tobias Rieder, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Monahan also had an assist for his first multipoint game since Nov. 7.

Interim coach Geoff Ward improved to 3-0-0 since taking over for Bill Peters.

Sam Reinhart, Jake McCabe and Jack Eichel scored for Buffalo, which earned at least one points in its previous four games. Eichel extended his points streak to 11 games (10 goals, 10 assists).

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY DECEMBER 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:05 PM Arizona Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins PPG Paints Arena
7:05 PM Chicago Blackhawks New Jersey Devils Prudential Center
7:05 PM Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers Madison Square Garden
9:05 PM Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
10:05 PM Washington Capitals Anaheim Ducks Honda Center


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


nhl december best bets and opinions (dogs and totals only )

date.....................w/l/t................%.................units

12/05/2019.............7-7-0............50.00%............+3.85
12/04/2019.............3-4-0............42.86%.............-2.50
12/03/2019.............8-5-2............61.54%...........+14.20
12/02/2019.............1-5-0............16.67%............-21.50
12/01/2019.............3-1-1............75.00%...........+10.00

totals...................22-22-3...........50.00%............+4.05

best bets

date........................ats................uni ts...................o/u...............units.............totals

12/05/2019..............3 - 2................+10.95................5 - 4..............+3.00.............+13.95
12/04/2019..............2 - 1................+9.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50.............-2.50
12/03/2019..............3 - 1................+5.70..................6 - 3..............+13.50............+19.20
12/02/2019..............0 - 3................-15.00.................2 - 3...............-6.50..............-21.50
12/01/2019..............1 - 0................+5.25..................2 - 0..............+10.00...........+15.25

totals......................9 - 7................+15.90..............16 - 13..............+8.50............+24.40

[StarDust Bum]

Friday’s 6-pack

Pitchers who threw fewest pitches/batter last year:

3.58— Brett Anderson, A’s

3.63— German Marquez, NYY

3.65— Zach Eflin Phil, Mike Soroka, Atl

3,67— Masahiro Tanaka, NYY

3.69— Sandy Alcantara, Mia

3.70— Kyle Hendricks Cubs, Joe Musgrove, Pitt

Quote of the Day:
“Come on. Is that really a possibility? They’re not really thinking about that. Are they?……I hate it. I think it’s stupid.”
Clayton Kershaw, talking about the possibility of robot umps in the major leagues

Friday’s quiz
Which retired tennis star once played a judge in an episode of Law and Order?

Thursday’s quiz
Lovie Smih was the Chicago Bears’ coach the last time they played in a Super Bowl.

Wednesday’s quiz
14 Vice-Presidents later became President of the United States.

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

Friday’s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here…..

13) Bears 31, Cowboys 24:
— Dallas drove 75 yards on 17 plays (8:57) for a TD on their first drive.
— Cowboys’ next five drives: 19 plays, 58 yards, 2 first downs, 0 points.
— Dallas lost four of last five games, but still leads NFC East at 6-7.

— Trubisky ran ball nine times for 64 yards and a TD; he threw for three TD’s.
— Bears won four of last five games; they won field position by 19 yards.
— Chicago has outscored opponents 98-30 in 3rd quarter this year.

12) There are two divisions in the ACC during football season, the Atlantic and the Coastal. The winners meet in the ACC title game, this year being held in Charlotte.

Over the last nine years, Clemson/Florida State have won the Atlantic Division every year, but over the last seven years, the Coastal Division has been won by seven different teams. The true definition of parity; seven division champs in seven years.

11) Ohio State 74, North Carolina 49— This is the first time since 1949-50 that North Carolina hasn’t scored 80+ points in any of their first eight games in a season. Tar Heels are 6-2, with both of their losses are against top 15 teams.

10) UNLV 81, Fresno State 80 2OT— Rebels have already played four OT games; this was first one they won- it was their conference opener, so it was more important than the other ones.

9) Louisiana Tech 74, Mississippi State 67— Good win for Conference USA. Tech made 10-16 on arc in this game. State made 11-23 on arc and still lost.

Auburn 81, Furman 78 OT— Furman led this game by 14 with 16:09 to play; they made 13-31 on arc, but Auburn rallies to stay unbeaten, despite turning ball over 19 times (-4).

8) Ideas for reality TV shows:
— Inside the room as they make the NFL schedule each year.
— Inside the room of a major league team approaching the trade deadline.
— Inside agent Scott Boras’ entourage during the Winter Meetings.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Milwaukee got C Omar Narvaez from Seattle for minor league P Adam Hill and a competitive balance draft pick.
— Mets got OF Jake Marisnick from Houston for two minor leaguers.

6) From ESPN.com: Over/under season win totals that already cashed:
Seahawks over 8.5
49ers over 8
Ravens over 8
Bills over 7

Chargers under 10
Eagles under 10
Falcons under 8.5
Bengals under 6

5) Former Auburn QB Joey Gatewood is transferring to Kentucky; not often a kid transfers to another school in the same league. He will be eligible to play in 2021, and hopefully, those two teams will play once or twice while he is playing for the Wildcats.

4) Michigan-Kentucky are going to play a basketball game in London next December.

3) Indiana Hoosiers are only D-I college hoop team that hasn’t played a game yet away from its home arena- they play at Wisconsin Saturday.

2) Suns 139, Pelicans 132 OT— Booker scored 44 points for the Suns, who blew a 16-point lead in 4th quarter. Four of five New Orleans starters scored 20+ points in the loss.

1) Baseball’s winter meetings are next week; a good time to think about next season and try and make some decisions about my fantasy baseball team, which had a cruddy year LY. One of the bigger decisions; what writers do I trust for information?

Last year I was reading some stuff on The Athletic, and this writer was raving about a pitcher on the Blue Jays, Trent Thornton. I didn’t have any opinion on Thornton myself, but I took a leap of faith in the writer and added Thornton, who proceeded to get treated like a piñata by hitters— his ERA on August 31 was 5.48 (he did have a solid September).

No bueno. Moral of the story: Be careful who you listen to.

[StarDust Bum]

Micthell Trubisky helps Bears beat Cowboys 31-24
December 5, 2019

CHICAGO (AP) Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears appear to be hitting their stride even if it might be too late to salvage their season.

Trubisky threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score in Chicago's 31-24 victory over Dak Prescott and the slumping Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.

In a matchup between disappointing teams that made the playoffs last season, the Bears (7-6) came away with their fourth win in five games after dropping four in a row. The Cowboys (6-7) have lost seven of 10 since a 3-0 start.

''I think it saws we're resilient,'' Trubisky said. ''We stick together. We believe in each other even when nobody else believes in us. It's a special group in that locker room. We just want to keep this feeling going.''

Trubisky shook off an early interception near the goal line to complete 23 of 31 passes for 244 yards. He matched a season high for touchdown throws and set one with 63 yards rushing. That included a 23-yard scoring dash early in the fourth quarter, making it 31-14.

Allen Robinson caught two TD passes, and Anthony Miller had one as Chicago tied a season scoring high. Khalil Mack had a sack. Linebacker Roquan Smith left the game with a pectoral injury on the opening drive, with coach Matt Nagy saying it ''doesn't look real good for him.'' But the Bears took out the NFC East leaders after beating the struggling Detroit Lions twice and New York Giants in recent weeks.

''Most teams at some point in time will hit some type of adversity,'' Nagy said. ''We went through that four-game stretch. It was difficult in a lot of different ways. ... Everybody's seeing what type of people we have on this football team. No one's flinched. We've pulled together. We've become even tighter.''

Facing a top-10 defense for the third week in a row, the Cowboys once again couldn't get their high-powered offense going.

NFL passing leader Prescott was 27 of 49 for 334 yards and a touchdown. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 81 yards - his fifth straight game under 100 - and two scores.

Michael Gallup had 109 yards receiving. Amari Cooper caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, but the Cowboys lost their third straight. They lead Philadelphia by a half-game in the division.

''I can't put a finger on it,'' Prescott said. ''I wish I could right now, if I could we wouldn't be in this situation, we would be getting over this and out of this slump, but that's the most frustrating part, we have the skill level, we have the players, we have the chemistry at times, But we're not playing together as a team, complementary enough when we need to and we need to figure it out what it is.''

TAKING CONTROL

Kept out of the end zone in a 13-9 loss at New England two weeks ago and then held to two touchdowns in falling 26-15 to Buffalo on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys went 75 yards for a score on the game's opening possession. Elliott lunged in from the 2 to cap a 17-play drive.

Dallas' Jourdan Lewis then intercepted Trubisky's pass with a neat play near the left pylon, dragging his left foot. He was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned by a replay review.

But it was all Bears after that.

Chicago tied it early in the second quarter when Trubisky hit Robinson with a 5-yard pass and took a 10-7 lead on a 36-yard field goal by Eddy Pineiro. Dallas' Brett Maher then missed a 42-yarder wide right. Chicago added to the lead in the closing seconds of the half with Trubisky's 8-yard pass to Robinson, and Miller's 14-yarder on a screen in the third made it 24-7.

FOR KICKS

Maher is 20 for 30 on field goals this season after making 1 of 2. The 10 misses are more than any other NFL kicker in a season the past four years.

INJURIES

Cowboys: WR Cedric Wilson jammed his left leg trying to catch a long pass in the closing minute. ... LB Leighton Vander Esch (neck), NT Antwaun Woods (knee) and S Jeff Heath (shoulder) were inactive.

Bears: WR Javon Wims (knee) walked off gingerly in the closing seconds of the first half after an awkward landing as he tried to make a leaping catch in the end zone. ... CB Prince Amukamara (hamstring) was inactive after being listed as doubtful. ... WR Taylor Gabriel (concussion), TE Ben Braunecker (concussion) and RT Bobby Massie (ankle) all missed their second straight game.

UP NEXT

Cowboys: Host Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 15.

Bears: At Green Bay on Dec. 15.

[StarDust Bum]

63CHICAGO -64 NEW JERSEY
NEW JERSEY is 3-9 ATS (-8.4 Units) in home games against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the current season.

65ARIZONA -66 PITTSBURGH
ARIZONA is 12-6 ATS (11 Units) versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game over the last 2 seasons.

67MONTREAL -68 NY RANGERS
NY RANGERS are 103-125 ATS (-34.5 Units) at home when the total is >=6 since 1996.

69LOS ANGELES -70 EDMONTON
EDMONTON is 0-5 ATS (-7.1 Units) against poor offensive teams - scoring <=2.55 goals/game in the current season.

71WASHINGTON -72 ANAHEIM
ANAHEIM is 0-9 ATS (-9.9 Units) at home when the total is >=6 in the last 3 seasons.




NHL

Friday, December 6

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

New Jersey Devils
New Jersey is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
New Jersey is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing Chicago
New Jersey is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Chicago
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
Chicago is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Chicago is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing New Jersey
Chicago is 4-11-1 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against New Jersey

New York Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
NY Rangers is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Montreal
NY Rangers is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 6 games when playing Montreal
NY Rangers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games
Montreal is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Montreal's last 10 games
Montreal is 11-3 ATS in its last 14 games on the road
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Montreal's last 12 games on the road
Montreal is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing NY Rangers
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
Montreal is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Pittsburgh's last 13 games when playing Arizona
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona
Arizona Coyotes
Arizona is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games
Arizona is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Arizona is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona's last 13 games when playing Pittsburgh
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh

Edmonton Oilers
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Edmonton's last 12 games
Edmonton is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Edmonton is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 6 games at home
Edmonton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Edmonton is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Edmonton is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
Los Angeles is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Los Angeles is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games on the road
Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Edmonton
Los Angeles is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Los Angeles is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games when playing on the road against Edmonton

Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Anaheim is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Anaheim's last 12 games
Anaheim is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Anaheim is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games at home
Anaheim is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Anaheim is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games when playing Washington
Anaheim is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Capitals
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games on the road
Washington is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Anaheim
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Anaheim


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NHL
Long Sheet

Friday, December 6

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CHICAGO (11-12-0-5, 27 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (9-14-0-4, 22 pts.) - 12/6/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 375-382 ATS (-153.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 91-74 ATS (+1.2 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 9-18 ATS (+30.6 Units) in all games this season.
NEW JERSEY is 9-18 ATS (+27.9 Units) first half of the season this season.
NEW JERSEY is 1-6 ATS (-6.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
NEW JERSEY is 1-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 3-1 (+2.8 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 3-1-0 straight up against CHICAGO 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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ARIZONA (17-9-0-4, 38 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (15-9-0-4, 34 pts.) - 12/6/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 20-16 ATS (+43.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 20-16 ATS (+43.4 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 6-1 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games after a non-conference game this season.
ARIZONA is 6-1 ATS (+7.1 Units) in road games in non-conference games this season.
ARIZONA is 28-26 ATS (+64.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 12-5 ATS (+19.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 35-38 ATS (-32.6 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-0 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-0-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

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MONTREAL (12-11-0-6, 30 pts.) at NY RANGERS (14-10-0-3, 31 pts.) - 12/6/2019, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 14-35 ATS (+57.0 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 3 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 103-125 ATS (-40.9 Units) in a home game where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 165-162 ATS (-78.3 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 4-3-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (11-16-0-2, 24 pts.) at EDMONTON (17-10-0-3, 37 pts.) - 12/6/2019, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 213-270 ATS (-88.7 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 29-61 ATS (+103.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 34-28 ATS (+3.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 63-79 ATS (-37.5 Units) in home games in December games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 6-11 ATS (-8.9 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 14-26 ATS (-20.5 Units) in home games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 11-20 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 10-15 ATS (-8.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 86-102 ATS (-79.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 5-5-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)

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WASHINGTON (21-4-0-5, 47 pts.) at ANAHEIM (12-12-0-4, 28 pts.) - 12/6/2019, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 299-230 ATS (+42.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 460-472 ATS (-76.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 21-9 ATS (+8.5 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 32-21 ATS (+10.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 21-9 ATS (+8.5 Units) first half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 133-85 ATS (+28.6 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 11-3 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 0-6 ATS (+6.2 Units) in a home game where the total is 6 or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 3-2 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 3-2-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.8 Units)


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NHL
Dunkel

Friday, December 6


Chicago @ New Jersey

Game 63-64
December 6, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
11.099
New Jersey
9.662
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Jersey
-140
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(+120); Over

Arizona @ Pittsburgh

Game 65-66
December 6, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Arizona
11.446
Pittsburgh
12.609
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-175
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-175); Under

Montreal @ NY Rangers

Game 67-68
December 6, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
11.582
NY Rangers
10.573
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Montreal
-115
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(-115); Under

Los Angeles @ Edmonton

Game 69-70
December 6, 2019 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
10.607
Edmonton
9.231
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Edmonton
-165
6
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(+145); Over

Washington @ Anaheim

Game 71-72
December 6, 2019 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
12.279
Anaheim
11.328
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-140
6
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-140); Under


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by: Josh Inglis


DECEMBER OF THE PENGUINS

The Metropolitan Division is possibly the most competitive in the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins are 15-9-2 but still sit in fourth place. The Pens are staying in the thick of the race thanks in part to the Eastern Conferences second-best goal differential at home (+20) and only trail the Boston Bruins for most points on home ice.

The Crosby-less Penguins (3-2 SU, 3-2 O/U last five) come into Friday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes (3-2 SU, 3-2 O/U last five) winners of their last four and most recently blanked the Cup champs 3-0 on Wednesday. Pittsburgh has taken 17 of a possible 19 points at home since October 29 and have also won five of the last six games versus Arizona including the last five contests in Pittsburgh.

Take the Pens’ 3-way ML for this Friday night matchup.


MATINEE MONEY MAKING

The Vancouver Canucks are 7-4-1 O/U at home this year and have hit the Over in eight of their last 11 games. Since November 15, the Canucks (2-3 SU, 3-2 O/U last five) sit seventh in expected goals for and 28th in expected goals against. Add that up and you get a team that has the second-most goals per game behind the porous Montreal Canadiens.

The Buffalo Sabres (2-3 SU, 3-2 O/U last five) will continue their West Coast road trip on Saturday in Vancouver as they play the second game of a three-game road trip in four nights. The Sabres are 4-2 O/U in their last six as Buffalo’s penalty kill has been near the bottom of the league for the entirety of the season.

With the Canucks scoring on 33 percent of their power plays since November 15, we are expecting some lamplighters on Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. afternoon game (1:00 p.m. in Vancouver). We will take the Over at 6.5 and hammer it if it opens at 6.


BIG DOGS BITE

Moving to Saturday night, the Los Angeles Kings (2-3 SU, 1-4 O/U last five) will take their nine-game road losing streak (as of Friday) to Calgary (4-1 SU, 2-3 O/U last five) in what will be the backend of a traveling back-to-back. L.A. has not scored more than two goals in any of its nine consecutive away losses.

Special teams are also killing the last-place Kings as they have the fourth-worst power play since Halloween and are burying their scoring chances at a 12 percent rate which is also fourth-worst.

The Flames are 0-9-1 O/U in their last 10 as only the Detroit Red Wings have scored fewer goals since November 1. With two of the lowest-scoring teams, we are taking the plunge on the Under 5.5 while also taking the Under 2.5 on the Kings’ team total. We wouldn’t call you crazy either for sprinkling a little on the Kings’ ML as the price will tempting.


SLEEPY SUNDAY SHOWDOWN

It has been tough sledding for the Winnipeg Jets’ opponents of late as the Jets are conceding just 2.2 goals against in their last 10 and 1.4 goals in their last five. On top of that, the Jets have taken 15 of a possible 20 points in their last ten and are just six points out of the top spot in the West.

The Anaheim Ducks (2-3 SU, 3-2 O/U) will play Friday night at home and then make the trip north for their Sunday matinee against the Jets (3-2 O/U, 1-4 O/U last five). The Ducks’ offense hasn’t been generating many scoring chances as they have the sixth-fewest since November 15. Honestly, don’t expect many quality chances in this game with both teams sitting in last and second-last place in shots for and both in the Top-10 in shots against over the last three weeks.

We like the Jets to keep their opponents in check Sunday and are taking the Ducks’ team total Under 2.5 as well as the game total Under 5.5.


GOALIE PROFILE: CARTER HART, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

It has been anything but a consistent season for the Flyers’ young goalie this year. Carter won his first two starts of the year, then dropped his next four, then won four straight, then lost four in a row and how he is riding a three-game winning streak. We might be able to jump on the netminder for one more victory before his system switches to losing mode.

The Flyers dropped their first game in regulation in eight games with Brian Elliott in net, meaning the Flyers management will most likely switch over to Hart for the team’s Saturday 1:00 p.m. home tilt against one of the East’s worst road teams, the Ottawa Senators.

With Hart staying hot and carrying a 1.44 goals against in afternoon games over his short career, we have no problem taking the plus-money puck line (-1.5) even in the uncommon world of early games. The Senators are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road losses while the Flyers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home wins.


INJURY UPDATE: F MITCH MARNER, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The $10.9 million man has returned to the Leafs’ lineup and saw plenty of ice time with Auston Matthews on Wednesday versus the Avalanche. The young winger looked rusty in his return which didn’t do much to spark a struggling Leaf’s offense even though the team had 26 scoring chances on 39 shots but went 1-for-12 in high danger shooting.

Things will turn around for the Leafs as they are dealing with some tough puck luck. Toronto has the second-most scoring chances for over the last 30 days but are scoring on just 11 percent of those chances (regular shots have an average of about a 8-12-percent chance of scoring).

Maybe with Marner back and a game under his belt, it will help the Leafs capitalize as they are getting great chances — third in high-danger chances for — but just not finishing. The Leafs head out on a four-game, out-of-conference road trip with a stop in St. Louis on Saturday night. The money line is hard to swallow with the Leafs’ poor special teams play of late but perhaps they get their scoring touch back against an unlikely opponent.


HAT TRICK TRENDS

• The Detroit Red Wings continue to lose, stretching their streak to double digits. Detroit is 0-6 ATS in its last six and 5-12 ATS since November. The Wings will face a hot Penguins team at home on Saturday and a puck line bet or alternative puck line may be in order.

• If you have been paying attention to totals and first-period totals, then maybe you have noticed that we are at the stretch of the year where the Unders are the majority. Looking at all 31 teams and their last 10 games, only four teams are hitting first-period Overs at 70 percent or better and 20 teams are hitting the Over 1.5 at 50 percent or worse. Looking at full-game totals, the Unders hit at 51 percent last week and 54 percent over the last month.

• The Winnipeg Jets are the most profitable team this year. Winnipeg is 17-11 SU and would have returned bettors $922 at $100 per game. The Jets’ only game this weekend is Sunday versus the Anaheim Ducks.

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ARI at PIT 07:00 PM
ARI +154
U 5.5

MON at NYR 07:00 PM
O 6.5

CHI at NJ 07:00 PM
CHI +119
O 6.5

LA at EDM 09:00 PM
O 6.0

WAS at ANA 10:00 PM
ANA +137
O 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Jarry spoils Kessel's return, Penguins beat Coyotes 2-0
December 6, 2019
By The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) Tristan Jarry spoiled Phil Kessel's return to Pittsburgh, turning aside all 33 shots to post his second consecutive shutout as the Penguins edged the Arizona Coyotes 2-0 Friday night.

Kessel helped Pittsburgh to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017 before being traded to the Coyotes in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk last summer. He received a rousing ovation during the first period and played 21 inspired minutes but couldn't solve Jarry.

Jarry won for the fifth time in six starts and is making a serious case to supplant Matt Murray as Pittsburgh's top goaltender.

Evgeni Malkin broke a scoreless tie 7:13 into the third period to put the Penguins in front. Brandon Tanev chipped in an empty netter with two seconds remaining as the Penguins won their fifth straight meeting with the Coyotes.

Antti Raanta finished with 24 saves but couldn't quite match Jarry, who stole the show during Kessel's highly anticipated return.

CANADIENS 2, RANGERS 1

NEW YORK (AP) - Nate Thompson scored with less than two minutes left in the third period and Montreal beat New York for its second victory in the last 11 games.

Brendan Gallagher also scored for the Canadiens. Carey Price made 29 saves and improved to 7-2-0 in his last nine games at Madison Square Garden.

Brendan Smith scored for the Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev made 31 saves in his second straight start in place of Henrik Lundqvist, who was feeling under the weather.

The loss was the Rangers' 17th in their last 23 games against the Canadiens since the start of 2013.

When these teams met in Montreal on Nov. 23, they played an instant classic. The Canadiens led 4-0 before the Rangers stormed back to win 6-5.

BLACKHAWKS 2, DEVILS 1, SO

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Kirby Dach scored in the fifth round of the shootout to lift Chicago over New Jersey.

Chicago won its second game in two nights. Corey Crawford preserved the victory by stopping Jack Hughes on the final shootout attempt to cap a night in which he won his 250th game. He had 29 saves.

Alex DeBrincat scored in the second period for Chicago, and Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane also connected in the shootout.

Taylor Hall scored for the Devils, who are 0-2 under interim coach Alain Nasreddine. Mackenzie Blackwood had 28 saves, but he was defenseless when Dach roofed his shootout attempt.

Nikita Gusev and Jesper Boqvist scored for New Jersey in the shootout, while Kyle Palmieri and Hall were stopped in addition to Hughes.

Hughes, the top pick in this year's draft, returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower body injury.

OILERS 2, KINGS 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) - Leon Draisaitl and Alex Chiasson each had a goal and an assist as Edmonton moved back into the top spot in the Pacific Division with a win over Los Angeles.

Mikko Koskinen made 35 saves for the Oilers (18-10-3), who improved to 8-4-2 at home.

Michael Amadio scored for the Kings (11-17-2), who have lost three straight games and 10 in a row on the road.

CAPITALS 3, DUCKS 2

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Jakub Vrana scored the go-ahead goal less than two minutes into the third period and Washington beat Anaheim in a physical battle Friday night.

Travis Boyd and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington. Braden Holtby had 24 saves.

Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique scored for Anaheim. Ryan Miller had 33 saves.

The game comes 2+ weeks after the Capitals' Garnet Hathaway was given a three-game suspension for spitting on the Ducks' Erik Gudbranson after the players paired off late in Washington's 5-2 home victory.

Gudbranson and Hathaway squared off twice Friday.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
1:05 PM Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center
4:05 PM Buffalo Sabres Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena
7:05 PM Colorado Avalanche Boston Bruins TD Garden
7:05 PM Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers BB&T Center
7:05 PM Minnesota Wild Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena
7:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings Little Caesars Arena
7:05 PM San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena
7:05 PM Toronto Maple Leafs St. Louis Blues Enterprise Center
8:05 PM New Jersey Devils Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena
9:05 PM New York Islanders Dallas Stars American Airlines Center
10:05 PM Los Angeles Kings Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome


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nhl december best bets and opinions (dogs and totals only )

date.....................w/l/t................%.................units

12/06/2019.............2-6-0............25.00%............-21.05
12/05/2019.............7-7-0............50.00%............+3.85
12/04/2019.............3-4-0............42.86%.............-2.50
12/03/2019.............8-5-2............61.54%...........+14.20
12/02/2019.............1-5-0............16.67%............-21.50
12/01/2019.............3-1-1............75.00%...........+10.00

totals...................24-28-3...........46.15%.............-17.00

best bets

date........................ats................uni ts...................o/u...............units.............totals

12/06/2019..............1 - 2................-4.05...................1 - 4..............-17.00.............-21.05
12/05/2019..............3 - 2................+10.95................5 - 4..............+3.00.............+13.95
12/04/2019..............2 - 1................+9.00..................1 - 3..............-11.50.............-2.50
12/03/2019..............3 - 1................+5.70..................6 - 3..............+13.50............+19.20
12/02/2019..............0 - 3................-15.00.................2 - 3...............-6.50..............-21.50
12/01/2019..............1 - 0................+5.25..................2 - 0..............+10.00...........+15.25

totals.....................10 - 9................+11.85..............17 - 17..............-8.50..............+3.35