Cnotes 2020/2021 NHL Season Long Trends, News, Notes, Picks !

[Udog]

NHL

Monday, April 26

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

Montreal @ Calgary
Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing Calgary
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
Calgary is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Montreal

Vancouver @ Ottawa
Vancouver
Vancouver is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Ottawa's last 10 games at home
Ottawa is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games

Colorado @ St. Louis
Colorado
Colorado is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Colorado is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado

Carolina @ Dallas
Carolina
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
Carolina is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home

Florida @ Nashville
Florida
Florida is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville
Nashville is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Nashville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

Edmonton @ Winnipeg
Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Edmonton's last 10 games
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games when playing at home against Edmonton

Anaheim @ Los Angeles
Anaheim
Anaheim is 18-3 ATS in its last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing at home against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Los Angeles's last 9 games

Arizona @ San Jose
Arizona
Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Arizona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Jose's last 11 games when playing at home against Arizona


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

[Udog]

Tuesday’s 6-pack
Odds to win the Big X football title this fall:
4-5— Oklahoma
5-2— Iowa State
7-2— Texas
7-1— Oklahoma State
22-1— West Virginia
28-1— Kansas State, TCU
40-1— Baylor, Texas Tech
150-1— Kansas
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 572,201
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“Aaron’s (Rodgers) our guy. He’s going to be our quarterback for the foreseeable future.”
Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst

Tuesday’s quiz
When Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win for the A’s in 1968, which future Hall of Famer knocked in three of Oakland’s four runs?

Monday’s quiz
Seven active NFL QB’s have thrown six TD passes in a game:
Brady, Fitzpatrick, Foles, Mahomes, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Trubisky

Sunday’s quiz
Nick Foles is the only active NFL quarterback who has thrown 7 TD’s in a game.

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

Tuesday’s quiz: Nobody asked me, but……..

13) Giants 12, Rockies 0— Rough day for the Colorado franchise; their GM jumped/got pushed, then they went out and trailed 9-0 in the 2nd inning in San Francisco.

Will the next GM decide whether or not to trade Trevor Story, or is the owner deciding that? Right now, the franchise appears to be a mess.

12) Texas Longhorns have already poached four basketball players from other schools:
— Creighton, Kentucky, Utah, Vanderbilt.

Or, as Jerry Tarkanian famously said, “I prefer transfers; their cars are already paid for”

Thats the new thing in college basketball; don’t recruit freshmen, steal other team’s players.

11) Sometimes great things happen by accident.

Week 8 of the 1984 NFL season, 49ers are in Houston to play the Oilers; coach Bill Walsh is bored the night before the game, is watching the local Houston news in his hotel room, when he sees the highlights of a small college football game played that day.

Thats where Walsh discovered Jerry Rice, watching the local news in his hotel room.

10) One of the best ongoing arguments is debating which quarterback was better than all the others, because everyone uses different criteria to decide.

I’ve had this debate with several different people; it is always fun.

9) Atlanta Braves won the last 60 times they’ve led after 8 innings, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

8) Back in 1985, Michael Jordan’s contract with Nike said that if Nike didn’t sell $4M in Air Jordans by Michael’s third year in the NBA, Nike could end the deal.

In the first month Air Jordans were on sale, in six test markets, Nike sold $29M worth of Air Jordans.

7) So far this young season, teams have stolen 28 bases against the Dodgers; no other team has given up more than 15 stolen bases.

6) This week in 1904, Jack Chesbro won his first game of the season; he went on to go 41-12 that year, starting 51 of the 55 games he appeared in. 41 wins is definitely a record that will never, ever be broken.

5) Bill Fralic was an offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons in the 80’s; he was the second pick in the 1985 draft. As part of his contract, Fralic is still getting paid $150,000 a year, and will be for the rest of his life. Pretty good deal.

4) Ryan Griffin has been the Tampa Bay Bucs’ backup QB the last six years, winning a Super Bowl ring last year, making into Hard Knocks a few years ago. This fall, Griffin will be the first QB ever to be on the Buccaneers’ roster seven years in a row.

Here’s the thing; in these last six years, Griffin threw a total of four passes.

3) Happy birthday this week to a couple of legends; Al Pacino turned 81 years old, Carol Burnett turned 88.

2) Shohei Ohtani is hitting .300 in his first 80 at-bats this season; he is also 1-0, 3.29 in three starts pitching, making him a very unique two-way player.

Monday night in Arlington, Ohtani went 2-3, scored three runs, knocked in two, and pitched five innings as the Angels beat Texas 9-4. When Ohtani pitches and bats, the Angels can’t have a DH, so when Ohtani gave up four runs in the first inning, Joe Maddon had to be a little queasy.

But Ohtani blanked Texas out in innings 2-5; he is an interesting player.

1) NFL Network has run some half-hour shows this week, dealing with each year’s draft; I hadn’t seen all of them before, but they’re very well done and worth watching, a history of the league, lot of good nuggets, some of which will undoubtedly make it into this space.

[Udog]

19BOSTON -20 PITTSBURGH
BOSTON is 4-9 ATS (-10.9 Units) against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game in the current season.

21BUFFALO -22 NY RANGERS
BUFFALO is 7-33 ATS (-29.3 Units) off a loss by 2 goals or more to a division rival in the last 3 seasons.

23DETROIT -24 COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS are 1-10 ATS (-11.9 Units) against poor possession teams-averaging 3+ less shots on goal than opp in the current season.

25NY ISLANDERS -26 WASHINGTON
NY ISLANDERS are 2-9 ATS (-8.4 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.

27PHILADELPHIA -28 NEW JERSEY
NEW JERSEY is 0-12 ATS (-12.8 Units) in home games against good offensive teams - >=29 shots on goal, convert >=17% pp in the current season.

29FLORIDA -30 NASHVILLE
NASHVILLE is 22-11 ATS (11.7 Units) against horrible power play killing teams-opp score on >19% of chances in the current season.

31TAMPA BAY -32 CHICAGO
CHICAGO is 9-1 ATS (7.9 Units) in home games off a home loss against a division rival over the last 2 seasons.

33CAROLINA -34 DALLAS
DALLAS are 3-13 ATS (-13.6 Units) in home games against good offensive teams - >=29 shots on goal, convert >=17% pp in the current season.

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel

Tuesday, April 27

[Udog]

NHL

Tuesday, April 27

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

Buffalo @ NY Rangers
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games on the road
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Buffalo
NY Rangers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Buffalo

Boston @ Pittsburgh
Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

Detroit @ Columbus
Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Columbus
Detroit is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing Detroit

NY Islanders @ Washington
NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of NY Islanders's last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Islanders's last 11 games
Washington
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 9 games
Washington is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing NY Islanders

Philadelphia @ New Jersey
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Jersey's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New Jersey's last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

Tampa Bay @ Chicago
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games when playing Chicago
Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 15 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Florida @ Nashville
Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 6 games on the road
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
Nashville
Nashville is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Nashville is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

Carolina @ Dallas
Carolina
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Carolina's last 9 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Carolina is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
Dallas
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Dallas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home


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

[Udog]

Wednesday’s 6-pack
States with the biggest (legal) sports betting handles in March:
$860M— New Jersey
$641M— Nevada
$560M— Pennsylvania
$384M— Michigan
$317M— Indiana
$301M— Colorado
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 572,201
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“I do feel like I’m being targeted every night. I have felt like I’ve been targeted, but I am just going to continue to play as hard as I can, I want the Philly fans to know that I am out there giving 130 percent every night. The calls might not go my way, I might seem a little frustrated, but I am out there to help this team win a championship.”
Dwight Howard, who has 15 technical fouls this season

Wednesday’s quiz
Who was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series?

Tuesday’s quiz
When Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win for the A’s in 1968, the future Hall of Famer who knocked in three of Oakland’s four runs was……..Catfish Hunter. This was five years before the DH. Catfish was a pretty good hitter.

Monday’s quiz
Seven active NFL QB’s have thrown six TD passes in a game:
Brady, Fitzpatrick, Foles, Mahomes, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Trubisky

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

Wednesday’s Den: Mid-week musings

13) Julius Erving listed his top two all-time NBA teams; they raised some eyebrows.
1st team:
— Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain

2nd team:
— Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Again, this is Julius Erving saying this, not me. We all have our own opinions.

12) Indians 7, Twins 4:
— Minnesota was 36-24 last year; they’re 7-15 this year.
— Twins are 0-7 in one-run games, 0-5 in extra innings.
— Franmil Reyes hit two homers for Cleveland.

11) Dodgers’ 1B Max Muncy had a stretch over the weekend where he reached base nine out of ten times, but problem is, he didn’t have any hits in that span, just 8 walks and a HBP.

In his last nine games, Muncy is 1-26, with 12 walks.

10) These Kentucky Derby notes are from ESPN’s Chris Fallica:
— Last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby from the #14 post? 1961 (Carry Back)
— Since then, eight horses from the 14-post have been top three betting choices.
— Last five years, the 14-post has been a top-4 betting choice all five years, but only one of those horses cracked the trifecta.

9) Dallas 133, Golden State 103
— Mavericks ended the first quarter on a 25-0 run.
— Dallas made 18-35 shots behind the arc.
— Apparently Golden State had been playing better since they stopped practicing; their last practice was April 8, but they got squashed in this game.

8) 38-year old Arthur Smith is the Atlanta Falcons’ new head coach; his father is the guy who founded FedEx. The younger Smith played college football at North Carolina, was recently the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.

7) Blue Jays 9, Nationals 5:
— Vladimir Guerrero Jr becomes youngest player in MLB history with a 3-HR, 7 RBI game.

6) Baseball stuff:
— Bronx Bombers acquired LHP Wandy Peralta and a player to be named later from San Francisco Giants in exchange for OF Mike Tauchman.
— Reliever Jerry Blevins retired after a 13-year career, spent with four teams.

5) 29-year old Drew Valentine is the new basketball coach at Loyola Chi, replacing Porter Moser, who bolted to Oklahoma. Valentine graduated from college only eight years ago.

4) NHL is going to get a lot more exposure, with NBC Sports Network going off the air this summer. NHL has new deals with ESPN/Turner; will Charles Barkley give his hockey picks before games?

3) 529 different players have played in at least one NBA game this season.

2) There is going to be a 6-team baseball draft league, leading up to July’s amateur draft, with all six managers being former major league players. Amateur players who are hoping to be drafted will play ball; I’m assuming they’ll use wooden bats, which they don’t use in college.

Baseball draft has traditionally been the first week in June, with the short season leagues getting underway couple weeks later, but those leagues are out of business now, as MLB took over the minor leagues, starting this season.

1) If you’ve hit more sacrifice flies than you’ve been walked/hit bye pitch, then your on-base %age will actually be lower than your batting average. Sacrifice bunts don’t count as at-bats, but sacrifice flies do.

[Udog]

35VANCOUVER -36 OTTAWA
OTTAWA is 150-140 ATS (-4 Units) in home games after covering 4 or 5 of their last 6 against the spread since 1996.

37ST LOUIS -38 MINNESOTA
MINNESOTA is 17-3 ATS (14.3 Units) in home games against mistake free teams - opponents average <=4 power plays/game in the current season.

39TORONTO -40 MONTREAL
MONTREAL is 16-24 ATS (-18.2 Units) against mistake free teams - opponents average <=4 power plays/game in the current season.

41EDMONTON -42 WINNIPEG
EDMONTON is 22-5 ATS (16 Units) against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the current season.

43COLORADO -44 VEGAS
VEGAS are 17-3 ATS (12.3 Units) against poor power play killing teams - opp score on >17.5% of chances in the current season.

45ANAHEIM -46 LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES are 70-87 ATS (-25.7 Units) in home games off an home win scoring 4 or more goals since 1996.

47ARIZONA -48 SAN JOSE
ARIZONA is 7-2 ATS (4.8 Units) after allowing 5 goals or more in the current season.

[Udog]

NHL

Wednesday, April 28

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

Vancouver @ Ottawa
Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Vancouver's last 7 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 5 games on the road
Ottawa
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Ottawa's last 11 games at home

St. Louis @ Minnesota
St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
St. Louis is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

Toronto @ Montreal
Toronto
Toronto is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games at home
Montreal is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Toronto

Edmonton @ Winnipeg
Edmonton
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Edmonton's last 8 games on the road
Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 9 games when playing at home against Edmonton
Winnipeg is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Edmonton

Colorado @ Vegas
Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing Vegas
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vegas
Vegas
Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games

Anaheim @ Los Angeles
Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Anaheim is 18-4 ATS in its last 22 games on the road
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing at home against Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing Anaheim

Arizona @ San Jose
Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing San Jose
Arizona is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games


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

[Udog]

Been waiting all morning for Arizona/San Jose to be added. If they ever remember it and update, I'll add it.....

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, April 28

[Udog]

Thursday’s 6-pack
Odds for this week’s Valspar Championship:
17-2— Justin Thomas
10-1— Dustin Johnson
20-1— Paul Casey, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Reed
22-1— Corey Conners
28-1— Scottie Scheffler
31-1— Russ Henley, Sungjae Im, Louis Oosthuizen
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 573,420
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“………like an explosion. It’s like you almost go into shock. You think, ‘Is the next one the one that’s going to take me out?’”
Former umpire Dale Scott, describing getting hit in the mask by a foul tip

Thursday’s quiz
Who is the last player the Rams drafted in the first round?

Wednesday’s quiz
Terry Collins was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series.

Tuesday’s quiz
When Catfish Hunter threw a perfect game in a 4-0 win for the A’s in 1968, the future Hall of Famer who knocked in three of Oakland’s four runs was……..Catfish Hunter. This was five years before the DH. Catfish was a pretty good hitter.

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

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..

13) NFL Draft will happen in Cleveland Thursday-Saturday; six years ago, the NFL pushed back its draft to help promote the movie Draft Day, but Radio City Music Hall wasn’t available for the later date, so they took the NHL’s lead and moved the draft to Chicago that year.

They quickly realized they had stumbled upon a great idea, moving the draft around the country, mostly to cities that will never host a Super Bowl. It is good for the league.

12) Thursday is just the first round; Rams haven’t had a first round pick since 2016, so my laptop will be doing double duty- there are five baseball games tonight, too.

11) Carolina Panthers are switching to FieldTurf in their home stadium this year, leaving the NFL with 14 artificial turf fields, 16 grass fields (two stadiums are shared by teams).

10) Carolina traded QB Teddy Bridgewater to Denver Thursday, getting a 6th-round pick from the Broncos. Panthers acquired Sam Darnold from the Jets, making Bridgewater expendable.

Someone posted a betting ticket on Twitter, where a guy wagered $1,000 at 20-1 odds a few weeks ago, that Bridegwater would take the Broncos’ first snap from center in September. He is either really smart, really lucky or he had some inside knowledge.

9) Suns 109, Clippers 101— Phoenix clinches its first playoff appearance in 11 years; Monty Williams has to be NBA Coach of the Year, right?

8) Chicago White Sox are 12-10 so far this year, but if you bet them in first 5 innings play, then they’re 15-2-5; they’ve trailed only two of 22 games after the 5th inning. Their bullpen hasn’t been good. Chicago is 2-7 in games where the winning run scored from the 7th inning on.

7) I am convinced that major league umpires have been schooled to call more strikes on check swings this season, probably to quicken pace of play. MLB wants quicker games, but they also want more scoring; can’t have both of those things, fellas.

6) Nolan Ryan struck out seven guys late in his career, whose fathers he had struck out earlier in his career.

5) Braves 10, Cubs 0— Chicago used three position players to pitch in this game; they’re 10-14 and in last place in the NL Central. Maybe I’m just a miserable older person, but if my team was losing 10-0, I wouldn’t be yukking it up while the first baseman pitched. I understand that it is a long season and all, but the Cubs don’t look like a team that cares a whole lot.

4) Red Sox 1, Mets 0— Mets scored one run the last two nights; they’ve scored a total of 13 runs in Jacob deGrom’s five starts, and he knocked in a couple of those himself.

Fans are booing Francisco Lindor already; who is going to be the first guy who gets booed who says he misses last year’s cardboard cutouts?

3) Ole Miss fired offensive line coach/running game coordinator Randy Clements, three days after its spring football game. The firing was for football reasons and not related to any off-the-field issues, but Ole Miss led the SEC in rushing yardage last year.

Must be an interesting story tucked away in there somewhere.

2) End of this month meant scouring the Extra Innings Package, trying to find a decent pitcher to add to my fantasy squad. You never have pitching in keeper leagues, especially this year, when younger pitchers might hit an innings limit later on and get shut down for the year.

Long time ago, maybe 10-12 years ago, I had this guy pitching for the Padres; my pitching staff had fallen apart and I was clutching at straws trying to find capable pitchers. It wasn’t going well; this guy was pitching against Arizona and Tom Candiotti was the TV analyst.

Candiotti spent about two innings explaining why this guy would never be an effective starting pitcher in the majors; I went to my computer and cut the guy, while he was still pitching in the game. Candiotti was right; the guy wound up going 4-10 for San Diego that year.

1) Haven’t decided yet what format tomorrow’s den will take; there will be a ton of info to go thru, as all four team sports, plus golf are going on. If I do a running diary, it is more likely to be Friday than tonight.

It is good to be getting back to normal, that’s for sure.

[Udog]

49NY ISLANDERS -50 NY RANGERS
NY ISLANDERS are 2-10 ATS (-9.6 Units) in road games against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game in the current season.

51PHILADELPHIA -52 NEW JERSEY
NEW JERSEY is 1-13 ATS (-11.6 Units) in home games against good offensive teams - scoring 2.85+ goals/game in the current season.

53DETROIT -54 CAROLINA
CAROLINA is 5-8 ATS (-13.2 Units) when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 25% to 40%) in the current season.

55PITTSBURGH -56 WASHINGTON
PITTSBURGH is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent of 2 goals or more in the current season.

57BUFFALO -58 BOSTON
BUFFALO is 7-34 ATS (-30.4 Units) off a loss by 2 goals or more to a division rival in the last 3 seasons.

59FLORIDA -60 CHICAGO
FLORIDA is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) after allowing 3 goals or more 3 straight games in the current season.

61CALGARY -62 EDMONTON
CALGARY is 4-10 ATS (-9.3 Units) in road games against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal in the current season.

75DALLAS -76 TAMPA BAY
DALLAS are 8-23 ATS (-18.4 Units) against good offensive teams - >=29 shots on goal, convert >=17% pp in the current season.

77VANCOUVER -78 TORONTO
VANCOUVER is 22-14 ATS (16.3 Units) against good offensive teams - scoring 2.85+ goals/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

79ST LOUIS -80 MINNESOTA
MINNESOTA is 17-3 ATS (14.3 Units) in home games against mistake free teams - opponents average <=4 power plays/game in the current season.

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, April 29

[Udog]

NHL

Thursday, April 29

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

Buffalo @ Boston
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo

Detroit @ Carolina
Detroit
Detroit is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Detroit is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games at home
Carolina is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games

Philadelphia @ New Jersey
Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Jersey's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia

NY Islanders @ NY Rangers
NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of NY Islanders's last 17 games on the road
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
NY Rangers is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

Pittsburgh @ Washington
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games when playing Washington
Washington
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 10 games

Dallas @ Tampa Bay
Dallas
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

Vancouver @ Toronto
Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Vancouver's last 14 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver

Florida @ Chicago
Florida
Florida is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 7 games on the road
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games at home
Chicago is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Florida

St. Louis @ Minnesota
St. Louis
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Minnesota
St. Louis is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home
Minnesota is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

Calgary @ Edmonton
Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games on the road
Calgary is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Edmonton's last 12 games


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

[Udog]

Friday’s 6-pack
NFL leaders in passing yardage last year:
4,823— Deshaun Watson, Hst
4,740— Patrick Mahomes, KC
4,633— Tom Brady, TB
4,581— Matt Ryan, Atl
4,544— Josh Allen, Buff
4,336— Justin Herbert, LAC
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 573,420
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
“If we did draft a quarterback, it’s a good room for sure. Both (Dalton/Foles) have a lot of experience. A lot of different experiences, too. Which is good. The coaching staff that we have is strong as well. … But, again, we’re just going to take the best players throughout this draft.”
Chicago Bears’ GM Ryan Pace, who drafted a quarterback with the 11th pick

Friday’s quiz
Who was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ QB the last time they played a playoff game, in 2017?

Thursday’s quiz
Jared Goff is the last player the Rams drafted in the first round, in 2016.

Wednesday’s quiz
Terry Collins was the Mets’ manager, last time they played in a World Series.

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

Friday’s Den: Wrapping up the first 20 picks of the NFL Draft

— First job tonight was to decide which channel to watch the draft on; NFL Network had a concert on, ESPN had four or five commercials for the NBA. No bueno; back to the Extra Innings package until they start picking players.

— There were reports this afternoon that Aaron Rodgers wants the Packers to trade him, which would be tumultuous.

— Quick reminder that the NFL season is now 17 games long.

— There are tons of people outside on a rainy night in Cleveland to watch all this draft stuff happen; having the draft in Las Vegas seems like a much better idea.

— Well, ESPN made the decision for me; they have Mike Greenberg hosting their coverage, so it is off to the NFL Network.

— It is 8:10 and there is still a damn band playing in Cleveland; start the draft!!! In happier news, Kris Bryant just doubled for the Cubs/Armadillos. Cubs lead 4-0 in the third.

— Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock; Urban Meyer is their new coach. You get the feeling this is an all-or-nothing deal for Meyer, he’ll either win really big or he won’t finish his first season. Whatever, thanks for the Jaguars for getting him off of TV, where he was terrible- zero personality.

— Why is Jacksonville taking the whole 10:00 to make their pick?

— Eric Lauer is pitching for Milwaukee tonight, his first start of the year. Lauer is 14-19, 4.75 in 57 career games (54 starts), but he is 5-0, 2.11 in seven starts against the Dodgers, which makes no sense.

— Daniel Jeremiah just said that when the Jets upset the Rams last year, which put the Jaguars in position to pick first in this draft, that Jacksonville sold a ton of season tickets right after. Its the least the Rams could do for Jacksonville- they traded star CB Jalen Ramsey to the Rams.

— OK, now that Trevor Lawrence is a Jaguar, how long before he starts?

— Jets have a new coach, they traded their QB, they have the #2 pick. Everyone in their draft room has a suit jacket on; things in Jacksonville were way more casual.

With the #2 pick, Gang Green selects Zach Wilson; going from BYU to New Jersey qualifies as worlds colliding.

Someone just called Wilson “…….borderline cocky” Hmmmmm

There is a woman in a Jets sweatshirt sitting in an easy chair behind Roger Goodell’s pedestal.

— It irritates me when I hear an analyst say “He’s a winner” because for every winner, there has to be a loser, and I don’t think anyone is pre-ordained to be a loser.

— 49ers have the third pick in the draft; they take QB Trey Lance, who started 17 games for a I-AA team, playing only one game last year for North Dakota State. Carson Wentz also played for the Bison; what does this mean for Jimmy Garoppolo?

North Dakota State has a third QB in the NFL, Easton Stick, who is a backup with the Chargers, or at least he was before they got Chase Daniel. Must be a fun time to recruit quarterbacks at North Dakota State.

— Great stat they just said on TV; last ten QB’s to win the Super Bowl all threw 1,200+ passes in college; Trey Lance threw 318.

— Atlanta Falcons take TE Kyle Pitts with the 4th pick; his college coach Dan Mullen is sitting there in the draft room with him, getting some free TV time. Matt Ryan must like this pick.

Pitts is the highest drafted tight end ever.

— Bengals take Ja’Marr Chase, the LSU WR who didn’t play last year; he is reunited with his old LSU QB Joe Burrow. Explosive receiver; opting out of last year didn’t cost him any money.

— When was last time the first five picks all went to players on the offensive side of the ball?

— Miami has the 6th pick; they take WR Jaylen Waddle from Alabama, the second WR in row who was wearing sunglasses backstage. Chase took his shades off when he went on stage; Waddle kept his on. Six offensive players in a row, which ties the all-time record.

We are told that Waddle is very fast, a good feature for a WR. Are there slow WR’s?

— Detroit Lions are on the clock; they have a new everything- coach, GM, QB. They’ve won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era; that’s 55 years.

Lions were very good in the 1950’s; they won three titles back then, before I was alive.

People in Detroit’s draft room are hugging each other like they just won the Super Bowl, so they got someone they didn’t think they’d get- OT Penei Sewell from Oregon, which has to make Jared Goff a happier guy. Quarterbacks need their blind side protected.

— Carolina Panthers take CB Jaycee Horn with the 8th pick, the first defensive player taken; he is described as “chippy, competitive; talks a lot on the field”

— 87-year old Bob Uecker still does commercials on Brewers’ TV in Milwaukee for Usinger’s, a sausage company; he is an amazing guy, so funny. Still does Brewers’ home games on the radio.

— Denver Broncos are up next; they take a CB from Alabama whose dad also played in the NFL. Guess they’re serious about starting Teddy Bridgewater at QB this fall, though I also just read a thing on the Interweb about Denver trading for Aaron Rodgers.

They just showed Justin Fields’ family on TV, sitting at home; his parents don’t look happy. Someone needs to tell them that there were six QB’s taken in the 1983 Draft, and Dan Marino was #6 of the six, so you never know what the future will hold.

Yup, Dan Marino was 27th pick in the draft, which is why this is a fascinating process.

They also showed Alabama QB Mac Jones, sitting by himself in the draft room with his phone, probably wondering “Who the bleep told me to come here?!?!?!”

— Dallas Cowboys are on the clock; they traded the pick to Philadelphia, who take DeVonta Smith, the Alabama WR who is also reunited with his college QB, Jalen Hurts.

Not often two division rivals make a trade like that; Eagles only moved up two slots, but they bypassed the Giants, who may have wanted Smith.

— Cowboys got a third round pick to drop back two slots.

— Giants traded the #11 pick to Chicago, which takes Ohio State QB Justin Fields, bad news for Andy Dalton/Nick Foles.

— Dallas finally gets to pick; they take a LB from Penn State, which means Stephen Jones made the pick, not his father, who prefers flashier choices.

— Damn, to drop back nine slots in the draft, Giants got:

— 5th round pick (164th overall) in this draft.

— Bears 4th round pick 2022.

— Bears’ first round pick in 2022.

Seems like a pretty good haul, if they connect with those picks.

— Chargers have a new coach and a young QB; they took a tackle from Northwestern; when you have a good, young QB, you make sure he is well-protected.

— Lot of trades; Jets traded with Minnesota to move up from #23 to #14- they took Alijah Vera-Tucker, a guard from USC. You draft a young QB, you make sure he is well-protected.

— Patriots take QB Mac Jones from Alabama, who was expected to go a lot higher. Belichick and Nick Saban are good friends, so this makes sense.

— With the 16th pick, Arizona Cardinals take Zaven Collins, a LB from Tulsa.

— This is the first time I can remember where the draft was held before the schedule for next year was released- that comes out May 12. Seriously, for like an hour, I put everything aside as soon as the schedule comes out.

I get my second vaccination May 14; when I get home from that, I’ll be looking online for flights and hotel rooms for my first vacation in two years. Have to pick a good NFL weekend, or maybe even two weekends; we’ll see. Football weekends in Las Vegas are lot of fun.

— Las Vegas Raiders took a tackle from Alabama; lot of Crimson Tide guys getting picked.

— Miami Dolphins are picking again; they take a defensive end from Miami FL, who apparently returned punts for his high school team. Must be a very good athlete.

Last year, only 34% of players in the NFL were guys drafted in Rounds 1-3; the GM/scouts are so important in pro football. Thats why Saturday is a very important day- you can find diamonds in the rough at the end of the draft, guys who make a big difference.

— Washington takes a LB from Kentucky; they had taken a defensive lineman in the first round the previous four years, so at least they change things up some.

Washington needs to come up with a nickname, an actual mascot. It can’t be that difficult; as a matter of fact, I’ll do it for them— Washington RedTails, honoring pilots from World War II.

They made a movie about the RedTails; they could keep everything pretty much the same, the team song, the colors, all that. Simple stuff.

— Last item of the night, then I’m off to write the baseball article; with the #20 pick, Giants take Kadarius Toney, a WR from Florida. Graphic says “inconsistent hands” always a solid quality for a receiver.

Oy.

I’ll be back tomorrow, with more of this jocularity. Guy I used to know made fun of me because I like watching the draft; it was freakin’ rude, because we all like different stuff, and that’s what makes life interesting.

[Udog]

65WINNIPEG -66 MONTREAL
WINNIPEG is 8-1 ATS (6.9 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 in the current season.

69SAN JOSE -70 COLORADO
SAN JOSE is 49-68 ATS (-25.8 Units) after one or more consecutive overs in the last 3 seasons.

71LOS ANGELES -72 ANAHEIM
ANAHEIM is 1-14 ATS (-13.3 Units) in home games against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game in the current season.

73VEGAS -74 ARIZONA
VEGAS are 19-2 ATS (15.9 Units) against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game in the current season.




NHL
Dunkel

Friday, April 30






NHL

Friday, April 30

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

Winnipeg @ Montreal
Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games when playing Montreal
Winnipeg is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games at home

San Jose @ Colorado
San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games
San Jose is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games on the road
Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose

Los Angeles @ Anaheim
Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Anaheim's last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

Vegas @ Arizona
Vegas
Vegas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Vegas is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Arizona
Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Arizona's last 14 games at home


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