Friday's Trends and Indexes - 3/28 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, March 28

Toronto at Philadelphia, 7:05 ET
Toronto: 4-14 SU in road games after 1 or more consecutive losses
Philadelphia: 11-1 SU in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game

Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7:05 ET
Pittsburgh: 0-8 SU off 2 or more consecutive home losses
Columbus: 20-12 SU second half of the season

Chicago at Ottawa, 7:35 ET
Chicago: 5-16 SU in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more
Ottawa: 13-21 SU in home games

Nashville at Dallas, 8:35 ET
Nashville: 9-2 SU in road games off a home win by 2 goals or more
Dallas: 9-2 SU in home games off a road loss

NY Rangers at Calgary, 9:05 ET
NY Rangers: 8-1 SU in road games after playing 2 consecutive home games
Calgary: 25-46 SU off a close loss by 1 goal to a division rival

Anaheim at Edmonton, 9:35 ET
Anaheim: 37-16 SU as a favorite
Edmonton: 4-18 SU vs. division opponents

[Udog]

NBA

Friday, March 28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grizzlies at Warriors: What bettors need to know
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of several team nipping at the heels of the Golden State Warriors in the race for playoff positioning. The Warriors will try to put some of their off-court problems behind them and maintain their grip on the No. 6 spot when they host the Grizzlies on Friday. Golden State coach Mark Jackson reassigned assistant Brian Scalabrine to the D-League early this week - the second time in as many seasons he has reportedly had trouble with assistants.

The Warriors and the Grizzlies are locked in a five-team battle for the last four spots in the Western Conference now that No. 5 Portland has drifted back to the pack. Memphis is one game behind Golden State and a half-game clear of surging Phoenix with the Dallas Mavericks in the mix as well. The Warriors have been off since a 99-90 home loss to a San Antonio Spurs team that did not play Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili, after which Jackson held a 30-minute meeting with his assistants. Scalabrine’s demotion was announced on Tuesday due to what Jackson termed a “difference in philosophies.”

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Memphis), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (43-28): Memphis started turning it on in mid-February and is 16-5 over its last 21 games while leaning on its defense. The Grizzlies have not allowed an opponent to reach 100 points since Mar. 5 and are surrendering an average of 84 points over the last six contests while going 5-1 in that span. Memphis began a five-game road trip by battling back from a 16-point deficit to secure a 91-87 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The Grizzlies get shots at improving their positioning in the West against Golden State and Portland before taking on Denver and Minnesota on the trip.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (44-27): Golden State had a three-game winning streak come to an end with the loss to the Spurs but is 13-5 since the All-Star break and is still one of the better teams in the West when healthy. “We’re still playing pretty good basketball,” Stephen Curry told reporters. “We want, obviously, to protect homecourt, that’s the mission the rest of the way. But we’re feeling pretty good and we’re not going to get discouraged. This is a great basketball team that’s got great things in mind.” The Warriors will play six of their final 11 games at home, including two more on the current homestand.

TRENDS:

* Grizzlies are 11-2-1 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
* Warriors are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Road team is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
* Under is 7-1 in Grizzlies last eight overall.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Warriors F Andre Iguodala (knee) is expected to return from a three-game absence.

2. Memphis had taken 11 straight in the series before Golden State secured a 108-82 road win on Dec. 7.

3. Curry is averaging 27.6 points while shooting 48.6 percent from 3-point range in the last five games.


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

[Udog]

NHL

Friday, March 28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penguins at Blue Jackets: What bettors need to know
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets (-110, 5.5)

The Columbus Blue Jackets look to gain an advantage in the race for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot on Friday when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are trying to clinch a playoff berth for the eighth consecutive season. Columbus is locked in a four-way tie but has a game in hand, while Pittsburgh is stuck at 97 points after dropping its last three contests. The Penguins can complete a five-game regular-season series sweep against the Metropolitan Division-rival Blue Jackets.

Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will vie for his first victory in six starts after resting on Thursday against Los Angeles. The Penguins have five regulation wins in 19 games since the beginning of February (8-8-3), but still hold an 11-point lead atop the division. Columbus is 20-13-3 at Nationwide Arena but has one victory in its last four home games.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ROOT, Fox Sports Ohio

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (46-22-5): Losing Evgeni Malkin for two-to-three weeks due to a foot injury has hurt Pittsburgh’s offense, which has generated four goals over the last three games. Captain Sidney Crosby recorded his league-leading 96th point on Thursday and will be counted on to continue producing while Malkin is out. Defenseman Paul Martin has resumed skating but will continue to miss time with a broken hand suffered at the Olympics.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (37-29-6): Sergei Bobrovsky missed practice on Thursday after being pulled from Tuesday’s game with an illness and is questionable to start against the Penguins. Rookie defenseman Ryan Murray has been skating on his own for the first time since undergoing knee surgery and could rejoin the Blue Jackets if they make the playoffs. Ryan Johansen is one goal away from reaching 30 for the first time in his career after entering the season with 14 tallies in his previous two.

TRENDS:

* Over is 7-1 in the last eight meetings in Columbus.
* Penguins are 13-4 in their last 17 vs. Metropolitan.
* Blue Jackets are 11-5 in their last 16 home games.
* Under is 5-1 in Blue Jackets last six overall.

OVERTIME:

1. The Penguins have outscored the Blue Jackets 14-6 in their season series.

2. Columbus has a mediocre 13-12-1 record against divisional opponents, while Pittsburgh is looking for its 20th victory.

3. Crosby has 16 points in 10 career contests against the Blue Jackets.


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