Cnotes National Hockey League November Rated Plays - Trends - News - Etc. !!

[CNOTES]

NHL SUNDAY'S RESULTS:




1 -0..................................*****


1 - 1..................................DOUBLE PLAY


0 - 1..................................TRIPLE PLAY


0 - 2..................................OCTOPLAY




OVERALL RATED PLAYS


*****.....................................23 - 20 - 1.....................+ 1.47


double play..............................35 - 25.........................+ 21.20


triple play................................17 - 11............................+ 2.55


octoplay..................................11 - 10.............................- 7.60

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack


Westgate Super Contest (1,727 entrants-- prize pool is $2.5M)
six most popular picks in Week 8 season record: 25-22-2


6) Steelers even (462)-- Big Ben returns against the unbeaten Bengals- L.


5) Broncos +3 (470)-- Battle of unbeatens, both coming off of byes- W.


4) Bears +1.5 (499)- Vikings lost their last seven visits to Windy City- L.


3) Packers -3 (511). Lot of opinions both ways on this game- L.


2) Jets -2.5 (530)-- Jets will miss center Mangold if he can't go here- L.


1) Cardinals -5 (538)-- Arizona's last game before its bye week- W.


**********


Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday.....


13) Saints 52, Giants 49 OT-- Drew Brees threw for seven TDs; he had 300 passing yards......at halftime, 511 for the game. Weird stat: Giants scored 42 points but were only 1 for 8 on third down- they scored 21 straight points in 4th quarter to take lead, but Saints scored 10 points in last 0:36. Game swung on facemask penalty on Giants punter Wing that set up game-winning FG.


12) Chiefs 45, Lions 10-- Why did I get up at 9:29am to watch a Jim Caldwell team get pummeled? Chiefs were 8-13 on third down, ran for 206 yards. Not sure why the Lions fired three coaches before the London trip, when they have a bye week now?


11) Vikings 23, Bears 20-- Minnesota had lost seven in a row in Chicago, but they scored 10 points in last 1:49 for win, with rookie WR Diggs catching 40-yard TD that tied game in dramatic fashion. Last four Chicago tilts were decided by 3 or less points.


10) Bucs 23, Falcons 20 OT-- FOX analyst Charles Davis defended Lovie Smith's choice to go for it on his own 39 on 4th-and-1 with 2:00 left and a 20-13 lead- when the Bucs failed, Falcons had short field and tied game. Whole thing became moot when Tampa won in OT, but Smith made a foolish decision and got away with it.


9) Rams 27, 49ers 6-- Rookie RB Gurley is the real deal; rest of the Rams' offense is a work in progress- their defense is stellar, which is why Rams are 4-3. St Louis offense had two TDs of 60+ yards in this game, first time they've done that since 1961. Refs in this game think people paid to watch them throw flags-- too many cheap penalties.


8) Cardinals 34, Browns 20-- Arizona scored last 27 points of this game; they head into their bye at 6-2; they were -3 in turnovers in both losses. Cleveland has now lost five of its last six games-- seven of their eight games have gone went over total. NFC teams are now 18-13 against the AFC so far this season.


7) Royals 7, Mets 2 (12)-- I have no problem with Mets leaving Harvey in for ninth inning; he was mowing the Royals down. You can make the right decision and have it turn out the wrong way. Thats what makes coaching/managing such a challenging and interesting profession. Everyone's a freakin' genius the next day.


6) Bengals 16, Steelers 10-- Big Ben had Steelers in red zone at end of game but 7-0 Bengals held on for the win, in game where teams were combined 7-26 on 3rd down- each team had ten penalties. Last six Pittsburgh games stayed under total. While I am here, the Steelers' throwback uniforms are simply awful, like old prison garb.


5) Ravens 29, Chargers 26-- San Diego's defense/special teams aren't doing much to help the offense; 53 of Chargers' last 66 drives started 80+ yards from goal line; in last six games, San Diego started one drive in opponent territory- the foes started 12 drives in Charger territory. Hard to win that way.


4) Texans 20, Titans 6-- Captain Obvious checked in to inform us that the NFL has a shortage of quality QBs; rookies are starting right out of college now, which makes it a sink or swim situation, rather than a developmental one. Titans have 36 points in four post-bye games, after losing 35-33 to Colts in their pre-bye game- they're 2-20 in last 22 games overall, since upsetting Chiefs on Opening Day, 2014. .


3) Raiders 34, Jets 20-- Fitzpatrick hurt his left thumb early in game; Deion Sanders had the onions to criticize him for coming out, since it wasn't his throwing hand. Guy has torn ligaments in the thumb-- Deion is stealing $$$ on TV. Jets are screwed now; Geno Smith also got banged up but he sucks anyway, so they need to find a QB out on the street who can help them, if Fitzpatrick needs surgery. Good luck there.


2) Seahawks 13, Cowboys 12-- Dallas is 0-5 without Romo but dammit, they're still on national TV each and every week. Both teams were futile in red zone; five FGs on five red zone drives. Observation: Russell Wilson got tossed out of bounds by #90 on Dallas, a clean hit but a hard one- no Seahawks ran over to help him. Hmmm.....


1) Broncos 29, Packers 10-- Green Bay was in wrong place at wrong time, on a night where Denver honored their beloved owner. Broncos are now 7-0 with Manning going back to Indianapolis next week. Packers are OK, as long as Matthews' injury isn't too bad- they go to Carolina next week.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, November 2

Hot teams
-- Dallas Stars won eight of their last nine games.
-- Kings won last seven games, allowing nine goals. Chicago won its last five home games, allowing a total of four goals.

Cold teams
-- Toronto lost its last six games, scoring nine goals.
-- Flyers lost last three games, scoring five goals. Canucks lost five of last seven games.

Series records
-- Maple Leafs won five of last six games with Dallas.
-- Kings lost four of last six games with Chicago.
-- Flyers lost six of last seven games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Eight of last ten Dallas games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-0-2 in last nine Chicago-LA games.
-- Last three Vancouver games went over the total.




NHL

Monday, November 2

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

7:30 PM
DALLAS vs. TORONTO
Dallas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Dallas's last 18 games on the road
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games

8:30 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Los Angeles's last 9 games when playing Chicago
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games when playing Los Angeles
Chicago is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

10:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. VANCOUVER
Philadelphia is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Philadelphia is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Vancouver
Vancouver is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Vancouver's last 12 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Monday, November 2


Canadiens G Price out at least a week

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will be out for at least a week with a lower-body injury, the team announced Sunday.

Price was hurt during the Canadiens' 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Mike Condon, a 25-year-old rookie, was to start in place of Price on Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. The Canadiens called up goalie Dustin Tokarski from St. John's of the American Hockey League while Price is sidelined.

Price, last season's Vezina and Hart Trophy winner, had a 2.01 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage in eight games to start the 2015-16 season.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Monday, November 2


Los Angeles @ Chicago

Game 3-4
November 2, 2015 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
11.244
Chicago
12.756
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
-125
5
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
(-125); Over

Philadelphia @ Vancouver

Game 5-6
November 2, 2015 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
11.187
Vancouver
12.671
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Vancouver
by 1 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Vancouver
-160
5
Dunkel Pick:
Vancouver
(-160); Over

Dallas @ Toronto

Game 1-2
November 2, 2015 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Dallas
12.861
Toronto
10.448
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 2 1/2
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-165); Under

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, November 2

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

DALLAS (9-2-0-0, 18 pts.) at TORONTO (1-7-0-2, 4 pts.) - 11/2/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 26-14 ATS (+42.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 24-18 ATS (+46.2 Units) in road games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 14-6 ATS (+20.6 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 38-26 ATS (+65.9 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs since 1996.
DALLAS is 9-3 ATS (+12.7 Units) in road games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 15-5 ATS (+21.5 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 31-61 ATS (-52.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 9-26 ATS (+39.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 8-26 ATS (+39.3 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 3-1 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 3-1-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

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

LOS ANGELES (7-3-0-0, 14 pts.) at CHICAGO (6-5-0-0, 12 pts.) - 11/2/2015, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 47-45 ATS (-18.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 16-24 ATS (-10.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 42-22 ATS (+7.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 11-1 ATS (+9.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 19-22 ATS (-17.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-5 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-5-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.2 Units)

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

PHILADELPHIA (4-4-0-2, 10 pts.) at VANCOUVER (5-2-0-4, 14 pts.) - 11/2/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 6-16 ATS (-11.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 12-28 ATS (-24.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-15 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 156-98 ATS (+37.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 9-14 ATS (-12.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 4-8 ATS (-11.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 3-1 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 3-1-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Stars (9-2) at Maple Leafs (1-7)
Date: November 02, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

As the soaring Dallas Stars embark on a weeklong road trip, their first stop doesn't appear to be too big an obstacle.


The Stars look to continue one of the best starts in franchise history in Monday's matchup with a Toronto Maple Leafs team still in search of the second win of the Mike Babcock era.


Dallas (9-2-0) enters a four-game trek against Eastern Conference foes having won eight of nine to match its best record after 11 games, set in 1996-97 and equaled in 2006-07.


'This has been an amazing start,' goaltender Antti Niemi said. 'And I think we can play even better than this with more hard work.'


An ability to win close games has been a constant throughout the surge. After rallying for home victories over Anaheim and Vancouver last week, the Stars received third-period goals from Antoine Roussel and Tyler Seguin to record a 5-3 decision Saturday over San Jose and improve to 8-0-0 in games decided by two or less.


"We've got a lot more confidence going into the third this year," defenseman Jason Demers told the NHL's official website. "We feel we are more resilient with the guys we've added this year, Niemi, Johnny (Oduya) and (Patrick) Sharp. They bring that calmness and experience."


Sharp has four goals and an assist during the three-game winning streak and John Klingberg has two goals and seven assists over a seven-game point streak, the longest by a Stars defenseman since Sergei Zubov's nine-game run from March 24-April 15, 2006.


Toronto (1-7-2) finds itself on the opposite end of the spectrum, having scored just nine goals over an 0-5-1 stretch. The Maple Leafs own the league's worst power play at 7.4 percent and are 0 for 17 in such situations over the last seven games.


The Leafs managed just 21 shots in Saturday's 4-0 setback to Pittsburgh that marked Phil Kessel's return to the Air Canada Centre since Toronto traded the high-scoring forward in July.


'I believe you have a responsibility as a good pro to bring it every day. And when adversity hits, you dig in a little bit harder and you stay with your structure and you stick with the program," said Babcock during a terse postgame press conference. "I didn't think we gave our fans that (Saturday) at all.'


Toronto's 2.0 goals per game also ranks near the bottom of the NHL, while the Stars possess the league's top two point leaders in linemates Jamie Benn (17) and Seguin (16).


The Maple Leafs have won five of six from Dallas over the previous four seasons, however, and the Stars are 0-2-1 in Toronto since an 8-2 rout on Dec. 23, 2008.


Jonathan Bernier started both of Toronto's 2014-15 victories over the Stars and made 43 saves in a 4-0 win in Dallas on Dec. 23. He allowed six goals while starting consecutive contests on Friday and Saturday, though, and could give way to James Reimer for this one.


Niemi improved to 6-1-0 this season after registering 26 saves against his former San Jose team and is 5-1-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average in six career starts against Toronto. He'll likely split duties with Kari Lehtonen on a back-to-back that concludes Tuesday in Boston.


Lehtonen posted a 4.12 GAA in two losses to the Leafs last season and hasn't played since being pulled early in the second period of a 6-2 defeat to Florida on Oct. 24.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Kings (7-3) at Blackhawks (6-5)
Date: November 02, 2015 8:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks should be happy to be back at the United Center, but they might not be too thrilled about the opponent that awaits them.


The Los Angeles Kings come rolling into Chicago looking for an eighth straight win Monday night, while the Blackhawks will try to stop that surge with a sixth consecutive victory on home ice.


Los Angeles (7-3-0) opened the season with three ugly losses but has rattled off seven consecutive wins to rise to the top of the Pacific Division.


The NHL's hottest team has ridden its defense and goaltending to the league's second-longest winning streak thus far behind Montreal's season-opening nine-game spurt.


The Kings have allowed only nine goals during their streak after coughing up 12 in their opening three losses. Maybe the biggest reason is the man who's been in net for six of those games.


Though he allowed three goals in Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory over Nashville, Jonathan Quick has a 1.31 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in this hot stretch.


For Quick to keep that up, he'll have to do it against a team he's struggled to stop. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner has an .885 save percentage in his last 12 starts against Chicago (6-5-0), two-thirds of which have come in the postseason.


But Quick has an improving Los Angeles attack in front of him. The Kings have scored 18 goals in five games after putting up six in their first five. Tyler Toffoli has eight of Los Angeles' 22 goals during the winning streak, including two against the Predators before Jeff Carter won it in overtime.


'We're playing with a lot of confidence,' said Drew Doughty, who picked up the assist on Carter's goal. 'We're trying to do all the right things, and we need to continue winning.'


An added boost would be a victory over a Chicago team that has had the Kings' number in regular-season play. The Blackhawks have won five of six during the season since the start of 2013-14, outscoring Los Angeles 20-10.


Chicago is still without Duncan Keith (knee) for a few more weeks, and in the last two games his absence has shown. After surrendering two goals in three wins without Keith, the Blackhawks have allowed eight in consecutive road losses - including three in the first period of Friday's 5-4 loss at Minnesota.


"You win in this league by how well you check and how well you play without the puck," coach Joel Quenneville told the team's official website. "But it's two nights where we've given up some goals... Those things can't happen if you want to be successful."


Chicago will be home for four of its next five, where it's allowed four total goals during a five-game winning streak. Blackhawks opponents are 1 for 15 on the power play at the United Center this season.


Chicago converted its only chance with the man advantage against Minnesota and also got a pair of goals from Jonathan Toews. The captain has all four of his goals in the past four games.


Toews has 16 goals and 21 assists in 39 career games against Los Angeles, including the playoffs.


Corey Crawford figures to be back in net for the Blackhawks. He is 3-5-0 with an .872 save percentage over his last eight starts against the Kings dating to Game 2 of the 2014 Western Conference finals.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Flyers (3-4) at Canucks (4-2)
Date: November 02, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Jared McCann had a significant hand in Vancouver's first home win of the season and he's getting a chance to stick around for more games in front of the Canucks fans.


The rookie will try to boost his team to another victory on its own ice Monday night against the slumping Philadelphia Flyers.


McCann scored a pair of first-period goals in a 5-1 rout of previously 9-0-0 Montreal on Tuesday, helping end Vancouver's 0-2-3 start at home. The 19-year-old center tallied his team-best fifth goal in a 4-3 victory Friday in Arizona, and the Canucks (5-2-4) rewarded him for his play this week by deciding to keep him on the roster instead of sending him back to his junior league team.


Vancouver also chose to keep winger Jake Virtanen, who has two assists during the team's 2-0-1 stretch. Virtanen was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2014 draft and McCann was the 24th.


"Both guys deserve to be here, and saying that, there is still lots to learn," coach Willie Desjardins said. "That's one thing we are counting on, that by January we are going to have an even better player."


The two players will try to pay the Canucks back by helping them win two in a row for just the second time this season. Vancouver won back-to-back games Oct. 12 and 13.


"They both have been really good for us so far, but it's only a small sample. Now that they're here for the long run, we need them to step up and play big minutes for us every game," forward Alexandre Burrows said.


The Canucks swept last season's two meetings with Philadelphia (4-4-2) by a combined 8-1 margin. Burrows scored a pair of third-period goals in a 4-1 home win March 17, including the tiebreaker with 13:16 remaining.


The Flyers lost 3-1 to Buffalo in the opener to a five-game trip, falling to 0-2-1 in their last three and 1-2-1 away from home. They only avoided a shutout when Mark Streit scored with 3:26 remaining, and have been outscored 17-9 on the road.


The team has also struggled on special teams lately, going 0 for 10 on the power play in its last four overall contests and allowing six goals in 19 times short-handed in its past five.


"I think there are a lot of things that aren't clicking right now," general manager Ron Hextall said. "I think the special teams are losing that battle. That's a big one. That's a huge one. That's one that's hurting us right now. We need to get it corrected soon."


Scoring more goals could prove difficult if Philadelphia has to face Ryan Miller. He has shutouts in each of his last two matchups with the Flyers, stopping 30 shots in a 4-0 win in Philadelphia on Jan. 15.


Burrows has three goals and five assists in a six-game point streak against the Flyers. Daniel Sedin has tallied four goals and 12 assists in his last 10 matchups.

 

[CNOTES]

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2


Game Score Status Pick Amount


Dallas - 7:30 PM ET Dallas -141 500 OCTOPLAY
Toronto - Over 5.5 500


Los Angeles - 8:30 PM ET Los Angeles +105 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Chicago - Under 5 500


Philadelphia - 10:00 PM ET Vancouver -155 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Vancouver - Under 5 500




TO ALL WHO VIEW MY NHL THREAD I'LL BE ON VACATION THE NEXT 2 WEEKS AND WILL TRY TO POST MY RATING OF GAMES WHEN POSSIBLE.......
TO ALL TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK !!

 

[indiana]

C/note.........enjoy the two weeks and have a great time............you will be missed those two weeks.........indy

 

[CNOTES]

Wednesday's six-pack


NFL trends with Week 11 around the corner........


-- Dallas covered eight of their last 12 road games.


-- Lions covered twice in their last twelve games.


-- Colts covered eight of last ten post-bye games.


-- 49ers are 2-7-1 vs spread in their last ten post-bye games.


-- Arizona is 15-6 against spread in its last 21 games overall.


-- Minnesota covered its last eight games.




Wednesday's List of 13: Thoughts from the basketball marathon


13) If any of this doesn't make sense, its because I skipped sleep last night to watch a lot of college basketball. Think I slept for an hour of the Dayton game, which was a terrible game-- Alabama is awful. Here are some of my thoughts from the first five days of the college basketball season.


12) Kentucky 74, Duke 63-- Watching basketball without sound can be revealing; I watched about half of this game while having dinner at a bar. You see contact around the basket and you wait for the action to stop and it doesn't-- Duke was KILLING the Kentucky guys around the basket but very few fouls were called, then Coach K is bitching at a ref during a TV timeout. Duke took 23 FTs, Kentucky 18.


11) The new rules have been a huge success so far; they've promoted a much more free-wheeling style of play-- lot less flopping in the lane, which was needed. Tired of seeing inferior players flopping to draw fouls on guys they can't guard otherwise.


10) Maryland 75, Georgetown 71-- Hoyas led by 7 in second half but Terps came on down stretch, in renewal of local rivalry that hadn't been played in years. I give credit to JTIII for playing this game; his dad can't agree with it. When he coached the Hoyas, they almost never played a quality opponent in their pre-conference schedule.


9) Hawai'i 76, Nevada 75-- This was the best game I've seen this week; too bad it was a 4am tipoff here at Armadillo World HQ. Rainbows led by 12 at half, but Nevada PG Marqueze Coleman scored 32 points in the second half and teams traded hoops in last few minutes, the lead changing with every basket. Nevada is going to be a force in the Mountain West in years to come, with Eric Musselman on the bench.


8) ESPN under-utilizes analyst Adrian Branch, the former Maryland star who is easy to listen to and says some good stuff- he did the game in Hawai'i. He told a story about how his parents live near Washington DC-- they TIVO'd the game instead of staying up until 6am to hear their son broadcast it live. He was laughing about it.


7) Oklahoma 84, Memphis 78-- Sooners made 11-26 from arc; this is solid road win for them, against an athletic, improved Memphis team. Dedric Lawson had 22 points, 15 rebounds for Memphis-- his brother is also on the team and his dad is an assistant coach. As well as young Lawson played, they should give his mom a job, too.


6) Tulsa 77, Wichita State 67-- Good upset for everyone in the AAC. Frank Haith has been coach at Miami/Missouri; not sure why he went from Mizzou to Tulsa, but his teams usually do pretty well.


5) East Tennessee State 103, Green Bay 90-- Many years ago, before the basketball marathon started, we used to joke that teams would play at 3am if TV wanted them to, because teams love to be on TV. We thought this was very funny.


Fast forward to 2015 and this game was a 6am tipoff; Buccaneers had lot of energy, are lot more athletic than Green Bay and they seem to argue with each other a lot on the court, but I'll say this-- they had a 2-on-0 break one time and guy with the ball passed it to his teammate, so he could dunk it. Thats usually a sign of good team chemistry.


4) Michigan State 79, Kansas 73-- Tom Izzo did at least three interviews during this game, one at halftime, two while the clock was running. Think he'd do that during Big 14 league play? Its all about recruiting. This turned out to be a really good game, with two of the all-time great coaches. Seemed more like March than November.


Kansas has a kid named Check Diallo who is a very bright kid from another country but he hasn't been cleared by the NCAA yet-- it makes no sense. The kid is obviously bright; he knows several languages-- let him play already.


3) Long Beach State 66, BYU 65-- Announcers kept praising Long Beach for playing a hard non-league schedule; they do it because they get guarantee money to play (lose) games at Arizona-Duke-Oregon with lot of that money going to keep coach Monson from leaving Long Beach for greener pa$ture$.


If they let Monson walk and hired a younger coach who made maybe 1/3 as much $$$, they wouldn't have to schedule automatic losses and their players might have more confidence. I'm wondering how it would affect their recruiting-- its not like Monson is John Wooden or Dean Smith-- would they still recruit well with a lesser schedule in November and December?


If I'm paying Monson $600K to coach in the Big West, I'd expect more league titles than he has been producing, I guess thats my main point.


2) I'm 55 so I remember the way basketball used to be; its funny now that players have to call all live-ball timeouts, coaches have to get the players' attention for them to call timeouts. Kids are used to the coach bailing them out with timeouts; now they'll have to do it themselves.


1) If I learned one main thing this week, it is this: you damn well better have good guard(s) who can get to the basket with their dribble. Defenders aren't allowed to impede much anymore and that makes a good ballhandler worth his weight in gold.

 

[CNOTES]

Pro Hockey Trend Report


VANCOUVER (7-6-0-6, 20 pts.) at WINNIPEG (8-9-0-2, 18 pts.) - 11/18/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 2-8 ATS (-7.2 Units) after a non-conference game this season.


Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 4-2 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 4-2-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.8 Units)




WASHINGTON (11-4-0-1, 23 pts.) at DETROIT (9-8-0-1, 19 pts.) - 11/18/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 34-18 ATS (+12.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 23-31 ATS (-18.9 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-3 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 4-3-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)




CHICAGO (10-7-0-1, 21 pts.) at EDMONTON (6-12-0-0, 12 pts.) - 11/18/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 292-312 ATS (-140.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 153-158 ATS (-63.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
EDMONTON is 59-123 ATS (-180.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 40-58 ATS (-32.5 Units) in home games in November games since 1996.
EDMONTON is 14-42 ATS (+71.3 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 31-48 ATS (-30.2 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
EDMONTON is 23-70 ATS (+127.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 11-40 ATS (+79.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.


Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-1 (+3.9 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-1-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.2 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL knowledge


Hot teams
-- Washington won five of its last eight games.
-- Blackhawks won three of their last four games.


Cold teams
-- Winnipeg lost last six games, scoring ten goals. Canucks lost six of their last seven games.
-- Red Wings lost four of their last six home games.
-- Edmonton lost four of its last five games.


Series records
-- Canucks won seven of last nine games with Winnipeg.
-- Washington won six of last nine games with Detroit.
-- Blackhawks won seven of last eight games with Edmonton.


Totals
-- Four of last five Vancouver games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Washington games.
-- Six of last seven Chicago-Edmonton games went over.

 

[CNOTES]

Chicago
@
Edmonton
Game 5-6
November 18, 2015 @ 9:30 pm


Dunkel Rating: Chicago
12.153
Edmonton
10.214
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Chicago
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Chicago
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago
(-165); Under




Vancouver
@
Winnipeg
Game 1-2
November 18, 2015 @ 7:30 pm


Dunkel Rating: Vancouver
11.526
Winnipeg
10.062
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Vancouver
by 1 1/2
4 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Winnipeg
-130
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Vancouver
(+110); Under




Washington
@
Detroit
Game 3-4
November 18, 2015 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating: Washington
11.153
Detroit
12.536
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total: Detroit
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total: Washington
-125
5
Dunkel Pick: Detroit
(+105); Over

 

[CNOTES]

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


VAN at WIN 07:30 PM


WIN -110 DOUBLE PLAY


O 5.5




WAS at DET 08:00 PM


DET +115 *****


U 5.0




CHI at EDM 09:30 PM


EDM +153 DOUBLE PLAY


O 5.5

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sharks (9-8) at Flyers (5-8)
Date: November 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Playing on the opponent's home ice has been a boon to the San Jose Sharks. That's long been the case in Philadelphia.


The Sharks haven't lost there in nearly 15 years as they enter Thursday night's visit seeking their longest road winning streak since 2011, and the Flyers are trying to avoid their worst stretch at home since that same year.


Being on the road has been much kinder to San Jose (10-8-0) than playing at home, where the club is 3-5-0. The Sharks are perfect halfway through a season-high, six-game trip and have posted four consecutive one-goal victories on the road overall.


They haven't had a longer win streak away from home since Oct. 21-29, 2011.


"Each night's important and so far on this road trip they've been good quality wins for us. Good team wins," captain Joe Pavelski told the club's official website. "A lot of guys that contributed and that's what you need. The biggest thing is guys are showing up. Everyone's contributing and we're getting that solid effort from everyone."


Seven players have scored during the trip and 15 have posted at least one point. Pavelski leads the way with five.


"We're talking about having everybody involved," Patrick Marleau said after scoring the go-ahead goal in Tuesday's 5-4 victory at Boston. "It takes everybody to win, and that's what you want. You don't wanna have some guys going and some guys not. You want everybody in it, pulling the same direction and getting those Ws."


They've gotten plenty against the Flyers. San Jose has won 12 of 13 in the series, including seven consecutive victories in Philadelphia - three in shootouts. Preceding that run, the Sharks played to a tie there, pushing their unbeaten streak on the Flyers' home ice to Dec. 21, 2000.


It's been a while since Philadelphia won there, mired in a five-game home losing streak which is the club's worst since a six-game skid March 12-April 3, 2011.


Yet, the Flyers (6-8-4) came away encouraged from their latest home loss, 3-2 in a shootout to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Coach Dave Hakstol said his team "played hard and we played well" after recording 38 shots - its most in three weeks - and taking only two penalties.


"That was the first time in 18 games that we played good hockey," winger Jakub Voracek said. He had a second straight two-point game after having only five points through the first 16 contests.


Steve Mason made a season-high 38 saves but suffered his fifth loss in six starts. He's dropped three straight to the Sharks, including a 3-2 shootout loss March 28 at Philadelphia in the clubs' last meeting.


Pavelski scored that night and has six goals in his last four games there.


Five of his team-leading 18 points have come on the power play, an area which further shows San Jose's propensity for better play outside northern California. The Sharks are 8 for 32 on the road after scoring twice Wednesday and remain the NHL's only team without a power-play goal at home (0 for 21).


That trend could continue against a Philadelphia penalty-killing unit which is among the league's worst (75.4 percent) after allowing power-play goals in five of its opponents' last 10 chances.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Stars (15-4) at Capitals (11-4)
Date: November 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

The Dallas Stars are tied atop the NHL's overall standings, and a large portion of their points have been earned in Eastern Conference arenas.


After nine of their first 10 away from home have come against teams in the East, the Stars face another when they visit the Washington Capitals on Thursday night seeking their longest road winning streak in two years.


Dallas (15-4-0) is tied with Montreal and the New York Rangers with 30 points, including a league-best 16 on the road built entirely on an 8-1-0 road record versus the East. The Stars extended their away streak to four with Tuesday's 3-1 win at Buffalo.


They haven't won five straight outside Dallas since taking six in a row Nov. 3-17, 2013, and their recent history against the Capitals (12-4-1) offers no reason to think they can't match that. Dallas is 14-1-2 in the last 17 meetings after winning seven in a row, including its previous four in the nation's capital.


Coach Lindy Ruff, however, isn't concerned with history.


"There's just not an easy game in this league. Everybody knows who we're going to have to deal with and what he can bring," Ruff said, alluding to Alex Ovechkin. "We know that (goaltender Braden) Holtby has been very good for them, whether we get him or not. I look at three real solid lines and an energy line that can give you some problems."


Holtby had 25 saves before Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 45 seconds into overtime to give the Capitals a 2-1 win at Detroit on Wednesday that improved them to 4-1-1 in their last six. Both of Washington's overtime wins have come on goals from Kuznetsov, who leads the club with 18 points.


"Kuzy in overtime has been outstanding," coach Barry Trotz said. "You give him some time and space and he's pretty good. He has that deceptive skating style. It doesn't look like he's moving his feet but he's going faster all the time."


It's unclear whether Trotz will turn to Holtby on consecutive days for the first time this season. Backup Philipp Grubauer's three starts have all come in the second game of back-to-backs, and he's 2-0-1 with a 2.59 goals-against average.


Ruff's focus is on limiting Ovechkin, who has no points while taking 26 shots over the last four games after getting eight goals and eight assists in the first 12. The star left wing has five goals and three assists in 10 career meetings with Dallas.


"His one-timer from that other side. He's a physical force, but our discipline and our penalty killing are going to be big," Ruff said. "We can't give him the one-timer or the shots from the flank. He can score from 50 feet above the line. He can score from five feet above the line."


Ovechkin's 483 goals are tied with Sergei Fedorov for the NHL's career lead among Russian-born players.


T.J. Oshie is dealing with a dry spell of his own, getting only one point in eight games after collecting eight over the first nine. The right wing, though, has 20 points in 22 career meetings with the Stars, including four in the last two.


Dallas' Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn are second and third in the league in scoring with 27 and 26 points, respectively. Seguin's goal Tuesday was assisted by Benn, and they've combined for 28 points in the nine road games against the East.


Benn has seven points in the last five meetings with Washington, while Seguin has five in the past four.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wild (10-4) at Bruins (8-8)
Date: November 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

Road games have been a big problem for the Minnesota Wild, while the Boston Bruins can't seem to get their act together on home ice.


One of those trends will continue when the Wild complete a four-game trip Thursday night against the struggling Bruins.


Minnesota failed to record a point for the first time in five games without star forward Zach Parise with Tuesday's 4-3 loss in Pittsburgh. The Wild went 3-0-1 in their first four without Parise, who sprained his MCL in a loss to Nashville on Nov. 5 but remains tied for the team lead with seven goals.


The loss dropped Minnesota to 1-3-3 in its last seven away games and continued a disturbing trend of slow starts.


The Wild haven't held a lead in regulation in their last three games and have led for just 1 minute, 12 seconds during that seven-game road stretch. They have conceded the first goal in all but one of their nine road games.


"It's a bad trait we have going right now," defenseman Ryan Suter told the team's official website. "Giving up the first couple of goals, and then trying to fight our way back."


Devan Dubnyk has clearly been more comfortable at home. He's 7-1-0 with a 2.14 goals-against average at the Xcel Energy Center and 3-3-2 with a 2.96 GAA everywhere else.


The four goals Dubnyk allowed Tuesday matched his season high and he's 0-4-0 with a 5.56 GAA lifetime against Boston. Backup Darcy Kuemper hasn't played since Oct. 25.


The Bruins, though, have lost five of seven and dropped to 2-6-1 at home following Tuesday's 5-4 defeat to San Jose. Loui Eriksson's goal early in the second period gave them a 3-2 lead before the Sharks went ahead for good with the next three scores, the last two on the power play.


'Sloppy tonight - sloppy. Really, that's the only word I can find right now,' coach Claude Julien said. 'We have to deal with certain things and I plan on dealing with internally, but certainly not going to start elaborating here.'


Boston's home record is its worst after nine games since it opened 1-5 with three ties in 1996-97.


After stopping 22 of 23 shots in a 3-1 win over Detroit on Saturday, Tuukka Rask was beaten five times on 28 shots. He's allowed five goals or more in five of his 13 starts and his 3.18 GAA is nearly a goal higher than last year's 2.30.


While Rask has been far from sharp, his penalty killers haven't provided much help. The Bruins have given up 12 power-play goals in the last nine games and rank last in the league by far with a 70.8 kill percentage.


'If we're going to start putting a few wins together we have to have everyone going every night," forward Brad Marchand said. "We can't have any passengers at all. If we have one then it's enough to cost us a game and right now we have way too many.'


The Wild are 4-1-2 in the last seven meetings and have won seven of eight in Boston since joining the league in 2000-01.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Avalanche (7-10) at Penguins (10-7)
Date: November 19, 2015 7:00 PM EDT

As Evgeni Malkin delivered a wake-up call to the desperate Pittsburgh Penguins this week, the Colorado Avalanche practically slept through their latest road challenge.


The Avalanche hope to answer the call on Thursday night when they visit the Penguins.


Malkin called out his team following a 4-0 loss at New Jersey on Saturday, Pittsburgh's third defeat in four games. A players-only meeting followed, and after two days off, the Penguins (11-7-0) looked like a different team against Minnesota on Tuesday.


Malkin backed up his words with two goals and a pair of assists during the 4-3 home victory after totaling just two points in his previous seven games.


"He's such a good player," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury told the team's official website. "He's so dangerous, so good and he just showed what type of guy he is."


Malkin, who has at least one point in seven of eight games against Colorado, is hoping Tuesday's performance is more telling of the team's offense.


The Penguins averaged just 2.06 goals through the first 17 games despite a plethora of offensive talent. The power play looked better against the Wild with a pair of goals on six chances, but the Penguins' 14.3 percent success rate still lags toward the bottom of the league.


'It's still not perfect but it's a little bit better," Malkin said. "... and I hope we all understand what's starting to go on on the team and support each other and start winning.'


Pittsburgh did suffer the loss of defenseman Olli Maatta after he was drilled in the back by Nino Niederreiter midway through the second period. The 21-year-old, who played 20 games last season while fighting through a cancer scare and shoulder surgery, slammed through an open doorway and left the ice with help from trainers.


Maatta, who was released from the hospital Wednesday, is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with what the Penguins call an upper-body injury.


The Avalanche are 16-5-3 with three ties against Pittsburgh since moving to Denver in 1995-96, but 2-3-3 in the last eight meetings. The Penguins have won four of five in Pittsburgh.


The Avalanche (7-10-1) outscored opponents 13-3 during a season-high three-game win streak to open a seven-game trip, but their momentum came to a crashing halt with Tuesday's 5-1 loss at Toronto.


Reto Berra began the trip with 89 saves on 92 shots in place of injured starter Semyon Varlamov, but Berra was pulled in the third period against the Maple Leafs after allowing four goals on 26 shots.


The Avalanche surrendered four power-play goals on five opportunities and also gave up one short-handed.


'I guess we just had an off night,' coach Patrick Roy said. 'Tonight was one of our worst performances. They scored four power-play goals and one short-handed goal, and that was the story of the game.'


Varlamov, who is 3-6-1 with a 3.26 goals against average, is day to day with a groin injury he suffered in practice in Philadelphia last week. Berra has a 1.86 GAA during a stretch of five straight starts.


Fleury is 7-3-0 with a 2.12 GAA against the Avalanche for his career, stopping 29 shots in a 1-0 victory Dec. 18 in the most recent matchup in Pittsburgh. Blake Comeau, now with Colorado, scored the lone goal in that contest.


This has been a very good matchup for Penguins forward Phil Kessel, who has seven goals and nine points in his last seven games against the Avalanche.