Cnotes NHL February 2015 Trends/Stats/News Etc...All you know B4 Wagering !

[CNOTES]

Preview: Blues (31-13) at Capitals (25-14)


Date: February 01, 2015 1:00 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals failed to build on their only victory in the past two weeks and could have a challenge getting back in the win column Sunday despite returning home.


The Capitals will welcome the red-hot St. Louis Blues, who will seek a season-high fourth consecutive road win and their 10th in 11 overall.


Washington (25-14-10) is 1-3-2 in its last six and beat Pittsburgh 4-0 on Wednesday for that lone victory. The Capitals were then edged 1-0 in overtime in Montreal on Saturday despite outshooting the hosts 17-6 in the second period and 36-30 for the game.


"I thought both goaltenders played real good," coach Barry Trotz said. "I thought we played a solid road game. We just couldn't find the back of the net.


"We hit three posts and had a number of good chances. I don't think we gave up a whole lot. I was pretty happy with the way we played."


Washington is 8-0-1 in its last nine home games, with the lone defeat coming in a shootout with Edmonton on Jan. 20. The Capitals, though, will face a Blues team that's 9-0-1 in its last 10 and aiming for its first four-game road win streak since a five-game run March 2-15.


St. Louis (31-13-4) has claimed its past two victories in shootouts and rallied from an early two-goal deficit for a 5-4 win over Nashville in the first of those Thursday. The Blues blew an early two-goal lead in Carolina on Friday before Kevin Shattenkirk tallied the winner in the extra session for the second straight night in a 3-2 victory.


"I think our goal ... was to have a really solid road effort. I think we did that and were able to stick with it once they got their two goals and keep pushing," Shattenkirk said. "Now, we need to rest up and be ready for a tough Washington team."


David Backes, Patrik Berglund and Jaden Schwartz each had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the visiting Capitals on Nov. 15, the Blues' second in the last six matchups.


"I think that game was a huge eye-opener for us as a group. We realized that we had a lot to do to improve and be a team that could be at an elite level," Washington goaltender Braden Holtby said. "St. Louis really played well and had us on our heels. I think tomorrow it's going to be a lot different. I think we have the capability to do that to them."


St. Louis is 1-3-1 in its last five visits to Washington, including a 4-1 loss in the latest one Nov. 17, 2013.


Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored the first two goals in that game, and he has five goals and nine assists in 10 career matchups. He had 15 goals and four assists in the 17 games before Saturday's loss.


Backes has totaled eight goals and eight assists in a career-high, nine-game point streak. He has three goals and two assists in nine lifetime matchups with Washington.


Berglund and Jori Lehtera, who scored a goal in the win in November, both sat out Friday's victory because of upper-body injuries suffered in the win over Nashville.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Coyotes (17-25) at Canadiens (31-13)


Date: February 01, 2015 1:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price is certainly in the running for the Vezina Trophy, and he's making a case for the Hart Trophy, too.


Price has looked every bit like an MVP against the Arizona Coyotes over the years.


Coming off back-to-back shutouts, Price tries to improve to 7-0 in the series as the surging Canadiens host the Coyotes on Sunday.


Price has stopped a combined 60 shots in consecutive 1-0 wins over the Rangers on Thursday and Washington on Saturday. He tied Hall of Famer Patrick Roy for fifth on the team's all-time shutout list with 29 after Max Pacioretty scored 3:08 into overtime against the Capitals.


Price has compiled a 1.43 goals-against average in winning five straight and 13 of his last 16 starts. He's surrendered two goals or fewer in all but one of those appearances,


"He's amazing. He's so humble. He just comes to the rink and does his job. A guy like that doesn't have to open his mouth once to be the best leader on this team," Pacioretty, who also provided all the offense against New York, told the team's official website. "The way he shows up, the way he handles himself, the way he carries himself, he's the backbone of this team.


"You get goose bumps when you're stepping out of the tunnel because you want to step up for him."


With 67 points, the Canadiens (32-13-3) are one in back of Tampa Bay for the Atlantic Division lead with three games in hand. They are an NHL-best 15-3-1 since Dec. 9.


Montreal has won five in a row, with the last four all coming by one goal.


"We're all making contributions. It's a team sport. Guys are doing their part," Price said. "I'm relying on the guys around me and they're relying on me. Right now, we've got a perfect harmony going."


Price's success shouldn't come as much of a surprise to the Coyotes (17-26-6), who haven't been able to get much past the star goaltender. Price has won each of his six starts against Arizona behind a 1.65 GAA, surrendering one or two goals in each.


Montreal had won nine straight in the series before dropping the last meeting, 5-2 at Arizona on March 6. Mike Smith made 24 saves for the Coyotes, improving to 3-1-3 with a 2.20 GAA against the Canadiens.


While Price ranks among the leaders at his position in several key categories, Smith is having a season he'd rather forget. Smith's 21 losses are the most in the NHL, and he owns a league-worst 3.49 GAA.


Smith stopped just 15 of 20 shots before getting pulled in favor of rookie Louis Domingue during Saturday's 7-2 loss at Ottawa.


'Where we are with some key veterans out and playing some young players, the bottom line is your goaltender has to be good for you and ours wasn't good," coach Dave Tippett said.


Defenseman Zbynek Michalek scored his second goal of the season for Arizona, which dropped to 1-6-2 in its last nine.


"It's not how we want to be. We want to be a hard team to play against," Michalek said. "I just was embarrassed and I think everybody should feel the same way. There's no excuses."


The Coyotes franchise has been outscored 100-43 in going 1-19-1 with two ties in its last 23 visits to Montreal.


Pacioretty leads the Canadiens with 23 goals and 40 points, 28 of which have come in 24 home games. Montreal is 17-5-2 on its own ice.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Predators (31-11) at Penguins (28-13)


Date: February 01, 2015 2:00 PM EDT

James Neal didn't know what to expect after an offseason trade sent him from an established group with multiple stars in Pittsburgh to a Nashville club undergoing a major overhaul.


His contributions have helped the Predators become a surprise contender, and he insists he'll be treating his first visit to the Steel City since the deal as just another trip as Nashville looks to avoid a sixth straight loss to the Penguins on Sunday.


Neal flourished in three-plus seasons with Pittsburgh, scoring at least 21 goals in each full campaign and recording a career-high 40 in 2011-12. Following the disappointment of a second-round playoff exit, general manager Jim Rutherford dealt Neal to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to gain depth on the wing.


The Predators (31-11-6) were more than happy to acquire the high-scoring Neal, who has combined with fellow newcomer Mike Ribeiro, standout youngster Filip Forsberg and first-year coach Peter Laviolette to help guide Nashville to the top of the top of the Central Division.


Nashville, though, is 1-2-2 since winning five straight after falling 3-0 at Colorado on Friday.


"Our focus is trying to find a win every night," Neal, who has 16 goals and 12 assists, told the team's official website. "Teams are fighting to get in the playoffs every night here, so we're going to be coming up against a lot of desperate hockey clubs. We have to be just as desperate as they are."


Neal faced his former club for the first time Oct. 25, and the Penguins picked up a 3-0 victory in Nashville for its fifth straight win in the series. He said that contest is helping make this trip to Pittsburgh much easier.


"I'm not too worried about it or thinking about it too much," Neal said. "I think playing them in Nashville kind of washed that away and I really haven't looked back. We've been having great success here, and it's really all I'm focused on."


Pittsburgh (28-13-8) likely won't get caught up in the moment either as it fights to get back on track. It has gone 2-3-2 since last winning back-to-back games on Jan. 10 and 13.


Simon Despres scored in overtime to give the Penguins a 2-1 victory Friday.


'The way things have been going lately, we could have just accepted this as a loss, but we all stayed with it,' said Chris Kunitz, who tied it with a power-play goal with 3:11 left in regulation. 'We stayed with it, stayed focused, kept the pressure on.'


Sidney Crosby had an assist - his only point in his last four games. He had a goal and two assists in the first meeting with Nashville, while Evgeni Malkin scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves to give him a 1.19 goals-against average while winning five straight against the Predators.


Hornqvist, who has 14 goals and 16 assists, had an assist in his first contest against his former team after spending his first six seasons with Nashville. He has one goal in three games following an 11-game absence with a lower-body injury.


Malkin will miss his fifth straight contest with a groin injury but could return Wednesday against Edmonton.


Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne remains out with a knee problem, and Marek Mazanec made his first start of the season against the Avalanche. Carter Hutton, who is 2-1-2 with a 3.40 GAA since Rinne went down, could be back in net for this contest.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wild (22-20) at Canucks (27-17)


Date: February 01, 2015 3:00 PM EDT

The Vancouver Canucks ended their longest home losing streak of the season by taking care of a last-place team and another one visits Sunday.


The Minnesota Wild, though, have been successful of late and will try to keep their momentum going in the first of three matchups with the Canucks in 16 days.


Vancouver (27-17-3) snapped a three-game slide on its own ice and avoided dropping its third in a row overall with a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Friday. Ryan Miller made 20 saves against his former team, and five different players scored for the Canucks, who totaled three goals in their prior three games.


Vancouver scored twice on the power play - matching its total in 28 attempts over the last nine games - but gave up two goals while short-handed after killing off 32 of its prior 35 penalties.


"It was a big win for us and a lot of guys scored, which can help us in other parts of our game, but I don't think we were pleased with the game overall," forward Henrik Sedin said.


The Canucks will try for a more complete performance against the cellar dwellers in the Central Division, but Minnesota (22-20-6) is 4-1-1 in its last six and 3-0-1 in its past four road games. The Wild have a chance to complete a three-game sweep of Western Canada, and they're three points behind Colorado and Dallas in the division.


Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves in a 1-0 win over Calgary on Thursday, his second shutout in six games with Minnesota after being acquired from Arizona on Jan. 14.


Zach Parise scored the lone goal, giving him six in his last six games.


"I was happy with the way my game was in Arizona so I wanted to really concentrate on sticking with the same things I was doing there that was helping me be successful there," said Dubnyk, 4-1-0 with a 1.66 goals-against average for the Wild.


While with the Coyotes, Dubnyk stopped 35 shots in a 5-0 win in Vancouver on Nov. 14 and gave up three goals on 29 shots in relief in a 7-1 drubbing at Rogers Arena on Dec. 22.


The Wild will face their former Northwest Division rivals three times in the next eight games and return to Vancouver to finish that stretch on Feb. 16.


"Certainly, we'll have the opportunity to get very familiar with each other again," coach Mike Yeo said. "New coach for them but a lot of the same players and a lot of the same rivalry still exists. I think they're having a great season. We're looking forward to the challenge."


If it's unknown if Yeo will have star defenseman Ryan Suter available for the first meeting this season with Vancouver. Suter, who reportedly has a lower-body injury, did not practice Saturday in Vancouver, and Justin Fontaine is out due to a groin injury suffered in Thursday's victory.


Fontaine had the shootout winner in Minnesota's most recent visit to the Canucks, a 2-1 victory Feb. 28. The Wild have won their last two games there after losing 11 in a row.


Vancouver snapped a four-game overall skid in the series with a 5-2 win in Minnesota on March 26.


Parise has four goals and one assist in his last five matchups with Vancouver, and Charlie Coyle has three goals in his past four.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- NC State 81, Georgia Tech 80 OT-- Check out the highlights for Trevor Lacey's buzzer-beating 3-pointer that won this game in OT.

-- Duke 69, Virginia 63-- Duke scored 35 points on their last 15 possessions.

-- Biggest Upset of Day: Towson (+11) won 86-72 at fading Hofstra.

-- Pepperdine 67, St Mary's 62-- Marty Wilson is turning the tide with his Waves.

-- Cleveland State 76, Green Bay 62-- Quagmire at top of Horizon standings.

-- Sacramento State 70, Montana 69-- Hornets were down 8 with 3:03 left; they're on top of Big Sky standings.

**********

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Finally it is Super Bowl Sunday.....

13) Lets get the unpleasant stuff out of the way first. If you read this space at all, you know that I'm a Ram fan and Kurt Warner was obviously one of my all-time favorite players, so I'm disappointed the voters bypassed him this year for the Hall of Fame, as well as Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, all ex-Rams.

12) Just to re-hash facts, which apparently aren't very important because it is hard to compare a QB to an offensive lineman, there have been 48 Super Bowls, which is 96 QBs: #1, #2, #3 on the Super Bowl passing yardage list is same person, the same guy who led the tying or go-ahead TD drives in the last 3:00 of all three games.

Kurt Warner.

11) Steve Young got in in his first year of eligibiity; he had an 8-6 playoff record in the NFL, had a 3-16 record when he played for the woeful Bucs. He inherited a great team from Joe Montana and went 8-6 in playoff games. Kurt Warner played for two cruddy franchises and went 9-4 in playoff games. Yet Young got in on his first shot.

Enough about that, because I could go on for a while. Elsewhere......
10) Kid at Virginia won $18K by making a halfcourt shot during ESPN's GameDay.

9) VCU lost the heart of its defense, Briante Weber, who tore his MCL/ACL and is done for the season. Sad thing; tough way for a college career to end.

8) Why are there so many razor commercials on TV? Anyone?

7) Apparently Bill Walton called former President Richard Nixon "the prince of darkness": during the Colorado-UCLA game Saturday night. DirecTV doesn't carry the Pac-12 network, so I didn't hear this myself. Walton is tremendous on TV, but if he is going to go on political rants, will be interesting to see how long he lasts.

6) Cal Poly basketball coach Joe Callero is one of 16 children. Oklahoma City big guy Steven Adams is the youngest of 17 kids. Do familises this like live in a hotel? How do you remember all the kids' names?

5) Junior Seau will be the 12th USC Trojan to get inducted into Canton.

4) There was a furor on Twitter late Saturday night when it came out that an MVP vote was cast for Seahawk LB Bobby Wagner, who missed five games this year and is not close to being the MVP of anything.

Not Aaron Rodgers or JJ Watt, but Bobby Wagner. Oy.

It got even weirder when someone found out who voted for Wagner. Twitter got very quiet-- it was Tony Dungy. Not too many folks seemed anxious to rip him for it, but they did seem mystified by it.

3) If you live near a Sonic fast food place, they have half-price foot long hot dogs on Monday, to commemorate Groundhog Day, or KL Wheat's birthday.

2) Now Dan Rooney wants a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. We're getting eight inches of snow here in upstate New York the next couple days. If the NFL keeps screwing around with cold weather Super Bowls, eventually they'll have a weather debacle on their hands- they narrowly missed one last year.

1) This is a weird time of year; its middle of the night and I'm watching live tennis, golf from the other side of the world. At least it is warm somewhere. Pitchers, catchers report in less than three weeks; spring is getting closer!!!

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, February 1

Hot teams
-- Montreal won its last five games, last two both 1-0 games.
-- Blues won nine of their last ten games.
-- Minnesota lost four of its last six games, allowing one goal in last two. Canucks also won four of their last six games.

Cold teams
-- Coyotes lost eight of their last nine games.
-- Washington lost five of its last six games.
-- Predators lost four of their last five games. Penguins lost five of last seven.

Series records
-- Canadiens won seven of last eight games with Minnesota.
-- Caps lost four of last five visits to St Louis.
-- Penguins won their last five games to Nashville.
-- Canucks lost four of last five games with Minnesota.

Totals
-- Seven of last eight Montreal games went under. Nine of last eleven Arizona road games went over.
-- Six of last eight Washington home games stayed under.
-- Eight of last eleven Nashville road games went over.
-- Six of last seven Vancouver home games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Arizona is 3-4 if it played the night before. Montreal is 6-4, 0-1 at home.
-- Washington is 2-7 if it played the night before, 2-1 at home.




NHL

Sunday, February 1

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Trend Report
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1:00 PM
ARIZONA vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Arizona's last 20 games when playing Montreal
Arizona is 1-11-3 SU in its last 15 games ,when playing Montreal
Montreal is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Montreal's last 8 games

1:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. WASHINGTON
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games

2:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. PITTSBURGH
Nashville is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Nashville's last 7 games
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games

3:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. VANCOUVER
Minnesota is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Minnesota is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Vancouver is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Minnesota


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NHL

Sunday, February 1

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What bettors need-to-know: Wild at Canucks
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Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Canucks

The Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks meet for the first of three February meetings Sunday at Vancouver. The Wild are attempting to climb back into the playoff race with points in five of their last six games as they wrap up a four-game road trip. Vancouver is two contests into a six-game homestand as it tries to improve on a 6-6-0 January.

The Wild’s recent run of strong play (4-1-1) can be linked to their acquisition of goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who has started each of their last six games. Ryan Miller is expected to make his seventh straight start for the Canucks, who sit third in the Pacific Division. Minnesota has victories in its last two games but has not won three straight since November.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Wisconsin, Sportsnet Pacific

ABOUT THE WILD (22-20-6 SU, 20-23-5 O/U): Justin Fontaine missed most of the third period on Thursday with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Sunday. Zach Parise has six goals in his last six games and leads the team with 20. Jason Pominville led all Minnesota players with 11 points in January.

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (27-17-3 SU, 19-25-3 O/U): Derek Dorsett missed Friday’s game with an upper-body injury and is not expected to play Sunday. Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin are tied for the team lead with 40 points apiece. Defenseman Ryan Stanton has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, February 1

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ST LOUIS (31-13-0-4, 66 pts.) at WASHINGTON (25-14-0-10, 60 pts.) - 2/1/2015, 1:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 2-1 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 2-1-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

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ARIZONA (17-26-0-6, 40 pts.) at MONTREAL (32-13-0-3, 67 pts.) - 2/1/2015, 1:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 1-1-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.3 Units)

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NASHVILLE (31-11-0-6, 68 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (28-13-0-8, 64 pts.) - 2/1/2015, 2:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 31-17 ATS (+9.7 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 36-24 ATS (+61.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 169-153 ATS (+328.7 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 8-0 ATS (+8.0 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
PITTSBURGH is 7-12 ATS (-11.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 3-0-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.0 Units)

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MINNESOTA (22-20-0-6, 50 pts.) at VANCOUVER (27-17-0-3, 57 pts.) - 2/1/2015, 3:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 0-6 ATS (-7.6 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
MINNESOTA is 7-17 ATS (-10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MINNESOTA is 11-3 ATS (+7.4 Units) after shutting out their opponent in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 121-122 ATS (-29.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 19-34 ATS (+58.1 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 4-3 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 4-3-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Minnesota at Vancouver
The Wild head to Vancouver today to face a Canucks team that is coming off a 5-2 win over Buffalo and is 9-5 in its last 14 games after scoring 4 goals or more in the previous game. Vancouver is the pick (-145) according to Dunkel, which has the Canucks favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Vancouver (-145). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1

Game 1-2: St. Louis at Washington (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 12.616; Washington 11.558
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 3-4: Arizona at Montreal (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 9.485; Montreal 12.175
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 2 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 5-6: Nashville at Pittsburgh (2:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.787; Pittsburgh 10.904
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-175); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+155); Over

Game 7-8: Minnesota at Vancouver (3:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 11.387; Vancouver 12.775
Dunkel Line & Total: Vancouver by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Vancouver (-145); Under

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Football is over, spring training starts in 18 days. Here are some fantasy ratings from Sporting News baseball magazine......:

-- C-- Posey-Lucroy-Molina-Ramos-Mesoraco

-- 1B-- MCabrera-Goldschmist-Encarnacion-Abreu-AGonzalez

-- 2B-- Cano-Altuve-Gordon-Rendoin-Kinsler-Kipnis

-- SS-- Tulowitzki-Ramirez-Reyes-Desmond-Castro

-- 3B-- Beltre-Donaldson-Longoria-Wright-CSantana-Rendon

-- OF-- Trout-Stanton-McCutchen-Gomez-CGonzalez-Bautista

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a super Sunday......

13) Darrell Bevell is Seattle's offensive coordinator; he played QB for Wisconsin in college, playing for Barry Alvarez, one of the most run-oriented coaches in the last 30 years. Bevell will now be forever known as the guy who lost a Super Bowl when he threw the ball from the 1-yard line when Seattle has Marshawn Lynch and a running QB, and a timeout in their pocket. Not only was it ill-advised, it didn't work.

By the way, when I say ill-advised, I mean stupid. Not only that, it didn't work. If it is stupid and it works, the guy is still a hero, but if it doesn't.....

12) Bevell is no idiot; he has been in the NFL since 2000, but you have to wonder if this will prevent him from getting a head coaching job. How do you sell to your fans "We just hired the guy who threw the ball on the 1 when he had Marshawn?"

11) Russell Wilson's interception was the first one thrown from the one-yard line by any QB in the NFL this season. Thats out of 111 dropbacks from the one.

10) It was only the third time all season the Seahawks dropped back to pass from the one-yard line. Thanks to KC Joyner for those last two nuggets.

9) Gene Steratore didn't ref the Super Bowl, but he did ref Wisconsin-Iowa and Michigan-Michigan State basketball games this weekend. Funny how NFL refs throw flags like madmen all season, but in the Super Bowl where TV ratings are a priority, they keep them stuffed in their pockets. Go figure.

8) Seattle WR Chris Matthews is the 4th receiver whose first NFL catch came in a Super Bowl; he spent part of this season working in a Foot Locker. Maybe the Jets should've signed Matthews from Foot Locker and not traded for Percy Harvin, saving a high draft pick in the process.

7) There is a disturbing program called Friday Night Tykes on the Esquire Network about youth football in Texas. I spent eight bizarre springs coaching Little League and it is not something I miss-- people get crazy where their kids are concerned.

6) Patriots have not scored a first quarter point in all six Brady/Belichick Super Bowls, but they won four of the six, with all six decided by 4 or less points.

5) In fairness to coach Bevell, Marshawn Lynch had five previous runs from the one-yard line this season and had scored only one touchdown, so there is that. Still think it was a dumb play call, but there was logic behind it, obviously.

4) Five of the seven WRs who caught a pass in this game were undrafted free agents. Maybe personnel guys are as important or more important than the coaches?

3) Seattle's Bruce Irvin got tossed for being an instigator in a scuffle after the Pats took a knee after the INT; he is the first player ever ejected from a Super Bowl.

2) Pete Carroll showed class by taking reposibility for the fateful play call, but it will be interesting to see going forward, which coaches leave and stay in Seattle. Dan Quinn will be going to Atlanta as head coach Tuesday; would be take Bevell with him? Would the Seahawks block Bevell from leaving?

1) At the end of the day, the NFL wins by having a memorable game cap a season where far too many off-field stories overshadowed the game on the field.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Winnipeg at Calgary
The Jets head to Calgary tonight following a 5-2 loss to Dallas on Saturday and come into the contest with an 11-6 record in their last 17 games after allowing 4 or more goals in the previous game. Winnipeg is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Jets favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+105). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Game 51-52: Florida at NY Rangers (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 10.539; NY Rangers 12.368
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-230); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (-230); Over

Game 53-54: Winnipeg at Calgary (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 11.543; Calgary 10.122
Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-125); 5
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (-105); Over

Game 55-56: Edmonton at San Jose (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Edmonton 10.575; San Jose 12.032
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-260); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-260); Under




NHL
Long Sheet

Monday, February 2

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FLORIDA (21-16-0-10, 52 pts.) at NY RANGERS (28-15-0-4, 60 pts.) - 2/2/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 196-195 ATS (-87.7 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 122-123 ATS (-64.5 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 98-102 ATS (-59.3 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 105-112 ATS (-78.6 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 5-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 5-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.6 Units)

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WINNIPEG (26-17-0-8, 60 pts.) at CALGARY (27-20-0-3, 57 pts.) - 2/2/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 27-23 ATS (+63.8 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 14-5 ATS (+8.2 Units) after a division game this season.
WINNIPEG is 9-5 ATS (+16.3 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 17-14 ATS (+37.3 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
WINNIPEG is 28-18 ATS (+47.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 2-2 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 2-2-0 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=+2.2 Units)

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EDMONTON (13-28-0-9, 35 pts.) at SAN JOSE (27-17-0-6, 60 pts.) - 2/2/2015, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 13-37 ATS (+67.8 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 2-18 ATS (+28.3 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 2-17 ATS (+29.4 Units) after a division game this season.
EDMONTON is 7-27 ATS (+48.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
EDMONTON is 3-20 ATS (+33.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 17-50 ATS (+100.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-1 ATS (+7.5 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
SAN JOSE is 26-28 ATS (-17.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-2 (+5.8 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 9-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.5 Units)

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NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, February 2

Hot teams
-- Rangers won seven of their last nine home games.
-- Flames won seven of their last nine games.
-- San Jose won last three games, allowing five goals.

Cold teams
-- Panthers lost six of their last seven games.
-- Winnipeg is 0-3 vs All-Star break, allowing 15 goals.
-- Oilers are 3-5 in their last eight games.

Series records
-- Rangers won their last four games with Florida.
-- Flames won five of last seven games with Winnipeg.
-- Sharks won nine of last eleven games with Edmonton.

Totals
-- Five of last six Ranger home games stayed under total.
-- Seven of last nine Calgary home games stayed under.
-- Five of last six San Jose home games went over total.

Back-to-back
-- None




NHL

Monday, February 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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7:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. NY RANGERS
Florida is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Florida is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games at home
NY Rangers are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games at home

9:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. CALGARY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games
Winnipeg is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Calgary
Calgary is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

10:30 PM
EDMONTON vs. SAN JOSE
Edmonton is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games
Edmonton is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
San Jose is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Edmonton

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Monday, February 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jets at Flames: What bettors need to know
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winnipeg Jets at Calgary Flames (-120, 5)

After facing little resistance during a five-game winning streak, the Winnipeg Jets have seen their defense spring a leak to the tune of allowing five goals in each contest during their current three-game slide. The Jets look to fly right when they open a two-game road trip against the Calgary Flames on Monday. Both clubs occupy fourth place in their respective divisions and are clinging to the wild-card slots in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Calgary, which is three points behind Winnipeg in the standings, authored its league-best ninth victory when trailing after two periods as it scored four times in the final session to post a 4-2 triumph over provincial-rival Edmonton on Saturday. "Obviously, right now, we're rolling and it's been a fun go here lately," said Lance Bouma, who recorded his first career two-goal performance to send the Flames to their sixth victory in eight outings. Mason Raymond, who had an assist versus the Oilers, scored and set up two goals in Calgary's 4-1 triumph over Winnipeg on Oct. 19.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), RSW (Calgary)

ABOUT THE JETS (26-17-8 SU, 26-22 O/U): A porous penalty kill has plagued Winnipeg, which has allowed its opponents to convert 7-of-13 power-play opportunities during the losing skid after denying all but one of 20 chances in the previous five contests. "We're slow on our kill right now. It's a confidence thing," coach Paul Maurice told the Winnipeg Sun following his team's 5-2 setback to Dallas on Saturday. Captain Andrew Ladd collected a goal and an assist versus the Stars, with his 18th tally pulling him into a tie for the team lead with Bryan Little.

ABOUT THE FLAMES (27-20-3 SU, 22-27 O/U): Defenseman Dennis Wideman joined rookie Johnny Gaudreau by scoring and setting up a goal in his last meeting with Winnipeg. Wideman, who resides one goal shy of his career-high 13 during his 2008-09 season in Boston, had an assist versus Edmonton and has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last nine games. Jonas Hiller, who owns a 1-2-1 career mark against Winnipeg, has stopped 79-of-84 shots in his last four appearances after yielding six goals versus Florida on Jan. 9.


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NHL

Monday, February 2


Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers - Prob Mon

Lunqvist was hit in the throat by a puck last game but is expected to play Monday against the Panthers.


Rangers enjoying recent success versus Panthers

The New York Rangers will welcome the Florida Panthers into Madison Square Garden with open arms Monday. The Rangers have won four-straight meetings with the Panthers, including a 5-2 win in Florida on New Year's Eve.

At the time of writing, the Rangers were tabbed as -201 favorites and oddsmakers have a total of 5 for the matchup.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Monday, February 2


NHL roundup: Blues hold off Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin became just the fifth player in NHL history to record 30 goals in each of his first 10 NHL seasons, but his two goals were not enough to stop the streaking St. Louis Blues on Sunday in a Super Bowl appetizer.

Left winger Alexander Steen also recorded two goals and an assist and right wingers Dmitrij Jaskin and Vladimir Tarasenko added goals to lead the Blues to a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Capitals.

The Blues played most of the game without defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who left early in the first period with a lower-body injury, and the final 34:35 without captain David Backes, who received a game misconduct for boarding early in the second period.

St. Louis' ability to kill that five-minute penalty went a long way in stretching their points streak to 11 games (10-0-1). The Blues (32-13-4) allowed the Capitals (25-15-10), ranked fourth in the NHL on the man-advantage, just two shots on the extended power play.

Predators 4, Penguins 0

PITTSBURGH -- Carter Hutton recorded his first shutout of the season and defenseman Roman Josi had a goal and an assist as Nashville blanked Pittsburgh to hold on to first place in the Central Division.

Hutton, who has been filling in for star goaltender and MVP candidate Pekka Rinne, made 21 saves. It was Hutton's second career shutout -- the other one coming last April 5 against San Jose.

Rinne missed his seventh straight games with a knee injury. Hutton has started six times in that stretch and posted a 3-1-2 record.

Left wingers Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom and center Mike Fisher also scored for the Predators (32-11-6). Center Filip Forsberg had two assists.

The Penguins (28-14-8) fell to 2-4-2 in their last eight games.

Coyotes 3, Canadiens 2

MONTREAL -- Left winger Lauri Korpikoski's second goal of the game lifted Arizona over Montreal.

Goaltender Louis Domingue, making his first NHL start, stopped 18 shots for the Coyotes (18-26-6), who managed just their second win in their last 10 games. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored for Arizona.

Netminder Dustin Tokarski made 29 saves for Montreal, which saw its five-game winning streak snapped.

Left winger Alex Galchenyuk scored both goals for the Canadiens (32-14-3).

Wild 4, Canucks 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Minnesota scored goals two minutes apart in the second period then held off a late Vancouver rally to win.

Left wingers Thomas Vanek, Zach Parise and Jason Zucker and defenseman Jared Spurgeon scored for Minnesota, and center Mikael Granlund added two assists. The Wild have won five of their last seven games. The Wild improved their record to 23-20-6 for 52 points.

Left wingers Ronalds Kenins and Daniel Sedin scored for Vancouver, which has lost three of its last four games is 27-18-3 for 57 points.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Jon Lester pitched 219.2 innings LY and never threw a pickoff throw to first base the entire season. No need to have a good move if no one ever sees it.

-- Atlanta Hawks lost in New Orleans, ending their 19-game winning streak.

-- Cavaliers have won 11 in a row; don't hear anything about them anymore.

-- Toronto Maple Leafs lost their last nine games, scoring a shockingly low seven goals during the losing streak.

-- There are 187 sports book locations in the state of Nevada.

-- Underdogs were 8-0 vs spread in NBA last night; under was 7-1.

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Random stuff on a frigid night.....

13) We had a foot of snow here in upstate New York the last 36 hours and as I type this is six below zero outside. Awesome. I'm not a big fan of winter.

12) Was Monday the easiest day ever to be a radio talk show host? Sit there, take calls about how dumb the Seahawks were, agree with everything that is said, play some commercials, collect your money and go home. Almost as easy as handing the ball to your best running back when you have the ball on the 1-ya-- oh, forget it.

Maybe critique some of the Super Bowl commercials too, but I'm not a commercial watcher, though I like the Harry Chapin song they played during one commercial.

11) Tigers' DH Victor Martinez was intentionally walked 28 times last year, most ever for a switch hitter. I'm hoping they bat Cespedes behind Victor this year.

10) Someone named Scott Walker is running for President. Apparently he is the governor of Wisconsin-- his Wikipedia page says he went to Marquette but makes no mention of him graduating from there. When was the last time a US President wasn't a college graduate? He had a 2.59 GPA when he left school.

9) Halftime score from Saturday: Temple 28, Tulane 8. Green Wave isn't a bad team either, but long road trips and day games in different time zones lead to bad games. If you score eight points in a half, it is time to roll the balls out and lets the kids run up and down rather than lose scoring less than 50 points.

8) Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins' son is a contributor as a freshman at Michigan; he wears his dad's number 24, but I guess they decided the kid would be better off not playing for his father. He would help Stanford, too.

7) Mets signed Lucas Duda to a $4.2M contract for this year, avoiding arbitration. If you were unsure whether this is a great country, that should clinch it for you.

6) Doc Rivers was complaining a little Monday about his team's current 8-game road trip, which was caused by the Grammys being at Staples Center Sunday night. Kings and Lakers are on long road trips too, but Kings' trip is only four games, the Lakers' only five. People that oiwn Staples own part of the Lakers/Kings, but they don't own any part of the Clippers.

5) Clippers led Brooklyn 96-87 with 1:40 left last night, but lost 102-100; games like this could haunt LA when the playoffs roll around, if they wind up playing a Game 7 on the road somewhere.

4) Nets have good uniforms, but also the simplest: just black-and-white, no third color but they're really nice. Apparently starting in March they're going to be wearing throwback uniforms to honor the old ABA Nets, red, white and blue.

3) Every time I see Chris Paul play, I am reminded of this story:

Paul was tight with his grandfather, who was a big Wake Forest fan, so he was happy when his grandson committed to play for the Deacons, but the grandfather passed away late in Paul's senior season in high school, way too early at age 61.

In Chris Paul's last high school home game, he scored 61 points, then when he was taken out of the game, he collapsed in uncontrollable grief as he walked to the bench. To this day, it is one of the most emotional scenes I've ever seen, anywhere.

2) Jermaine Kearse made one of the greatest catches in NFL history at a huge time in a Super Bowl, but now he is just a footnote in history. Hell, David Tyree wrote a book after his catch in a Super Bowl. Losing team doesn't write many books.

1) Five kids went to the Cal-Davis game Saturday dressed as bananas; they sat in the front row, got on TV a lot and rooted like hell for the Aggies, who rallied late to beat Cal Poly in overtime. Not many NBA fans dress up as bananas; thats one of the big differences between college and pro ball. College fans are more enthuisiastic.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, February 3

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OTTAWA (20-19-0-9, 49 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (19-22-0-9, 47 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 14-28 ATS (-15.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 75-50 ATS (+18.0 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NEW JERSEY is 11-23 ATS (+36.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
NEW JERSEY is 2-13 ATS (+18.9 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 6-2 (+4.9 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 6-2-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)

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ARIZONA (18-26-0-6, 42 pts.) at COLUMBUS (21-24-0-3, 45 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 98-82 ATS (+14.4 Units) in home games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 36-25 ATS (+64.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 19-7 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 3-3 (+0.4 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 3-3-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (21-16-0-12, 54 pts.) at WASHINGTON (25-15-0-10, 60 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 21-28 ATS (-21.3 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 5-15 ATS (-12.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
LOS ANGELES is 3-8 ATS (-8.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
LOS ANGELES is 4-11 ATS (-8.9 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 6-12 ATS (-11.1 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 7-12 ATS (-13.1 Units) in non-conference games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 62-55 ATS (+126.8 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 4-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home games on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 1-6 ATS (-10.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 2-0-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

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FLORIDA (21-17-0-10, 52 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (32-16-0-1, 65 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 5-2 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 5-2-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+5.0 Units)

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BUFFALO (14-33-0-3, 31 pts.) at MONTREAL (32-14-0-3, 67 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 35-97 ATS (+207.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 6-36 ATS (+83.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 0-12 ATS (+25.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
BUFFALO is 13-46 ATS (+97.6 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 32-17 ATS (+76.9 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 41-29 ATS (+0.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 35-20 ATS (+8.5 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 13-5 ATS (+7.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
BUFFALO is 250-206 ATS (+28.6 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
BUFFALO is 195-188 ATS (+399.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 5-7 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-5-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.9 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (32-15-0-4, 68 pts.) at ST LOUIS (32-13-0-4, 68 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-1 (+0.1 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 1-1-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.3 Units)

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TORONTO (22-25-0-4, 48 pts.) at NASHVILLE (32-11-0-6, 70 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 4-16 ATS (+24.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
TORONTO is 1-12 ATS (+16.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 2-10 ATS (+13.8 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 8-19 ATS (+27.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 3-12 ATS (-9.0 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
NASHVILLE is 32-17 ATS (+61.8 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 17-5 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TORONTO is 323-342 ATS (+712.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
TORONTO is 87-101 ATS (+235.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 2-1 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 2-1-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)

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CHICAGO (31-17-0-2, 64 pts.) at MINNESOTA (23-20-0-6, 52 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 35-37 ATS (-24.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 13-17 ATS (-17.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 31-26 ATS (-20.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 6-12 ATS (-17.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 11-4 ATS (+6.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 7-14 ATS (+21.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
MINNESOTA is 8-17 ATS (-9.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 15-7 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 15-7-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-1.9 Units)

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COLORADO (21-18-0-11, 53 pts.) at DALLAS (23-19-0-7, 53 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 4-15 ATS (+24.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
COLORADO is 76-63 ATS (+7.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 38-25 ATS (+10.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 40-16 ATS (+18.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 16-4 ATS (+10.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 4-14 ATS (-13.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
DALLAS is 5-12 ATS (+18.5 Units) after a division game this season.
DALLAS is 3-11 ATS (-11.9 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 7-3 (+3.6 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 7-3-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.4 Units)

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

WINNIPEG (26-18-0-8, 60 pts.) at VANCOUVER (27-18-0-3, 57 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WINNIPEG is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
WINNIPEG is 28-19 ATS (+48.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 121-123 ATS (-30.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 19-35 ATS (+56.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 2-1-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

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CAROLINA (17-26-0-6, 40 pts.) at ANAHEIM (32-12-0-6, 70 pts.) - 2/3/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 5-21 ATS (+36.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 51-101 ATS (+173.2 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 93-52 ATS (+163.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 1-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, February 3

Hot teams
-- New Jersey won three of its last four games.
-- Canadiens won five of their last six games.
-- St Louis won five in row, 10 of last 11 games. Lightning won five of last six games.
-- Chicago is 12-1 in game following its last 13 losses. Wild won five of last seven games.
-- Dallas Stars won four of their last six games.

Cold teams
-- Senators lost four of last five road games.
-- Florida lost seven of its last eight games. Islanders lost last two games 5-2/4-1.
-- Kings lost eight of their last ten games. Washington lost six of its last seven.
-- Coyotes lost eight of their last ten games. Columbus lost three of last four.
-- Sabres lost their last fourteen games.
-- Toronto lost its last nine games, scoring seven goals. Predators lost four of last six games.
-- Colorado is 3-5 in its last eight games.
-- Winnipeg is 0-4 since All-Star break, outscored 20-9. Canucks lost three of last four games.
-- Carolina lost its last two games, scoring three goals. Anaheim lost its last two, 6-3/4-1.

Series records
-- Devils lost six of last eight games with Ottawa.
-- Islanders won six of last eight games with Florida.
-- Kings won last four games with Washington, last two in SOs.
-- Blue Jackets won three of last four games with Arizona.
-- Canadiens won six of last eight games with Buffalo, but lost last two.
-- Blues won three of last four games with Tampa Bay.
-- Predators won three of last four games with Toronto.
-- Blackhawks won their last five games with Minnesota.
-- Avalanche won five of last six games with Dallas.
-- Canucks won four of last five games with Winnipeg.
-- Ducks won three of last four games with Carolina.

Totals
-- Under is 4-0-1 in last five New Jersey home games.
-- Four of last five Islander home games went over.
-- Six of last eight Washington home games stayed under.
-- Nine of last eleven Arizona road games went over.
-- Eight of last ten Montreal home games stayed under.
-- Last seven Tampa Bay road games went over.
-- Six of last seven Toronto road games stayed under.
-- Under is 11-4-2 in last 17 Chicago road games.
-- Seven of last nine Colorado road games stayed under.
-- Six of last seven Vancouver home games went under.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten Carolina road games.

Back-to-back
-- Florida is 2-3 if it played the night before.
-- Winnipeg is 3-3 if it played the night before.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Tuesday, February 3

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

7:00 PM
ARIZONA vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Arizona is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Columbus is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Arizona

7:00 PM
FLORIDA vs. NY ISLANDERS
Florida is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games
NY Islanders are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 5 games when playing Florida

7:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. WASHINGTON
Los Angeles is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Los Angeles is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Washington is 1-7-1 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing at home against Los Angeles

7:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. NEW JERSEY
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Ottawa's last 9 games
Ottawa is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of New Jersey's last 22 games when playing Ottawa

7:30 PM
BUFFALO vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone OVER in 16 of Buffalo's last 22 games
Buffalo is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Buffalo

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. MINNESOTA
Chicago is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Chicago is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games at home
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago

8:00 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of St. Louis's last 13 games at home

8:00 PM
TORONTO vs. NASHVILLE
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Nashville is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

8:30 PM
COLORADO vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Colorado's last 9 games on the road
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Dallas's last 14 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games at home

10:00 PM
CAROLINA vs. ANAHEIM
Carolina is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Anaheim's last 8 games when playing Carolina
Anaheim is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

10:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. VANCOUVER
Winnipeg is 1-5-1 SU in its last 7 games ,when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Tuesday, February 3


NHL roundup: Rangers double up Panthers

NEW YORK -- Defenseman Dan Boyle's fluky third-period goal proved to be the difference, and the New York Rangers held off the Florida Panthers 6-3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

Boyle's goal at 8:10 was a seemingly harmless fling to the net that deflected off the stick of Panthers defenseman Willie Mitchell and past goaltender Roberto Luongo for the deciding goal.

Right winger Mats Zuccarello and left winger Rick Nash provided insurance goals, with Nash collecting his second of the night and his league-leading 31st overall. The Rangers also received goals from left winger Kevin Hayes, defenseman Marc Staal and right winger Mats Zuccarello. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves to earn the win.

Left winger Aleksander Barkov and centers Dave Bolland and Brandon Pirri provided the scoring for Florida. Luongo turned aside 32 shots in defeat.

Flames 5, Jets 2

CALGARY, Alberta -- Defenseman Raphael Diaz posted the game-winner with his first goal for Calgary. He scored on a power-play slap shot from the point at 4:24 of the third period for a 3-1 lead.

Wingers David Jones, Mason Raymond and Brandon Bollig and center Sean Monahan also scored, and center Joe Colborne added two assists for Calgary, which won for the seventh time in nine games. Bollig's insurance goal was also his first for the Flames.

Center Bryan Little had a goal and an assist, and right winger Blake Wheeler also lit the lamp for the Jets, who lost their fourth in a row.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Los Angeles at Washington
The Kings head to Washington tonight and come into the contest with a 5-15 record in their last 20 road games when the total is set at 5 or less. Washington is the pick (-140) according to Dunkel, which has the Capitals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Washington (-140). Here are all of today's NHL picks.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Game 1-2: Ottawa at New Jersey (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 11.363; New Jersey 12.768
Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-120); 5
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (-120); Over

Game 3-4: Arizona at Columbus (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 11.408; Columbus 10.115
Dunkel Line & Total: Arizona by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Columbus (-185); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+165); Under

Game 5-6: Los Angeles at Washington (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 10.523; Washington 12.106
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-140); 5
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-140); Over

Game 7-8: Florida at NY Islanders (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida 10/409; NY Islanders 11.887
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Islanders by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 9-10: Buffalo at Montreal (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Buffalo 8.847; Montreal 11.252
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 2 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-380); 5
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-380); Over

Game 11-12: Tampa Bay at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 11.603; St. Louis 12.609
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 13-14: Toronto at Nashville (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 9.376; Nashville 11.700
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 2 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Nashville (-200); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (-200); Under

Game 15-16: Chicago at Minnesota (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 10.504; Minnesota 11.611
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-135); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+115); Under

Game 17-18: Colorado at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado 12.031; Dallas 11.098
Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas (-170); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+150); Under

Game 19-20: Winnipeg at Vancouver (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 10.277; Vancouver 11.855
Dunkel Line & Total: Vancouver by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-165); 5
Dunkel Pick: Vancouver (-165); Over

Game 21-22: Carolina at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Carolina 10.535; Anaheim 12.011
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-230); 5
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (-230); Over

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Kentucky is the last unbeaten in college basketball; since 1985, the last unbeaten has won the national title twice: '99 UConn, '06 Florida.

-- Looks like Dick LeBeau will sign on with Tennessee as a defensive assistant and that is good news for Ken Whisenhunt and the Titans.

-- Maximum salary in the WNBA is $107,000; Diana Taurasi makes $1.5M over in Russia (seriously? wow!!!) and will skip the WNBA season this summer.

-- Texas G Javan Felix (concussion) won't play tonight when the Longhorns host Oklahoma State in a Big X revenge game in Austin.
The next series of numbers are from the fine football writer Bill Barnwell:

-- NFL teams dropped back to pass 112 times from the 1-yard line this year: 66 TDs (59.5% success rate), three sacks, one fateful interception.

-- NFL teams tried 223 running plays from the 1-yard line this year: 129 TDs, (57.8% success rate), two turnovers on fumbles.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........

13) Today is National Signing Day in college football; at 2:30, Cordell Broadus will announce his college choice-- he is Snoop Dogg's son. If the young man chooses to go to school at LSU (Odell Beckham Jr has to be helping LSU recruit WRs, right?), this would team Snoop Dogg and our man Les Miles as the unlikeliest of allies. Whoever is in charge of these things, please make this happen!!!!

12) ESPNU has 11 hours of coverage today, making this one of the few days of the entire year that I might be awake at 8am. Maybe.

11) The great Bill Raftery will team with Jim Nantz, Grant Hill in calling this year's Final Four. This is great news, because Raftery is awesome, but what a kick in the teeth to Clark Kellogg, the deposed #1 analyst who obviously isn't thought highly of by whomever is in charge. Haven't heard Hill enough yet to form an opinion. Seems like every single Duke alum is either a TV announcer or a head coach.

10) NBA All-Star break is longer this year; there are full schedules on Feb 11 and Feb 20, one game on the 12th and two on the 19th, so for 24 of the 30 teams, it is at least an eight-day break, almost twice as long as normal.

9) Unusual to see the Clippers' Jamal Crawford at the Celtic-Knick game; apparently the Clips stayed an extra night in NYC after losing to the Nets Monday- they play in Cleveland Thursday. Dangerous to let NBA players loose for an off-night in NYC, but Doc Rivers seems to do some things to make the season more enjoyable for his team. Not sure it helps them win more, but it probably makes them happier.

8) Crawford has curiously played for 17 head coaches in his 15-year career.

7) Syracuse 72, Virginia Tech 70-- ESPNU announcer, former Providence coach Tim Welsh was once a Syracuse assistant; when TV guys have neetings with coaches, do opposing coaches get paranoid about alliances between TV guys and the other team, like when the Redskins are on Monday Night Football and Jon Gruden's brother is coaching Washington? I know I would be.

Welsh spent a lot of the second half bitching about the refs, as Syracuse battled back from a double digit deficit, but he has taken up Jay Bilas' cause of scrutinizing the refs to the point of annoyance this season, not just in this game.

Virginia Tech gagged this game away, not getting a shot on their last two possessions in a game they led by 13 with 5:32 left.

6) Boise State 68, Utah State 63-- Broncos' first-ever win in Logan.

5) Browns' WR Josh Gordon caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards in 2013, but has had substance abuse issues and is now suspended for all of 2015, which is very sad. Young man should be having the time of his life, one of the best at his profession but he can't even play now. He shouldn't have to work a day in his life other than being a football player, but that seems unlikely now.

4) Why is Russell Wilson going to Texas Rangers' spring training? Whats the point? He is finally about to break the bank with the Seahawks and he feels the need to go play baseball? What if he blows his knee out? Then what? And why would Texas want him there? He is not that big a baseball prospect; he hit .229 in 93 minor league games in the Colorado system, in A ball.

3) The Caribbean Series is on TV, but it is on ESPN Desportes, which I don't have seeing as I....."no habla Espanol". These games should be on for everyone, even if we just see the games with graphics and no announcers- lot of people would watch. It is the dead of winter; baseball would be great to see, but what can you do?

2) Speaking of baseball on TV, SEC Network is going to have a lot of college baseball starting in a couple weeks, which is good news. Always weird to hear aluminum bats making contact with the ball on TV, but this is a good development.

1) Josh Hamilton is out 6-8 weeks after shoulder surgery; his signing hasn't gone well for the Angels- he's knocked in only 123 runs in 240 games with the Halos, after he knocked in 506 runs in 647 games with Texas.

 

[CNOTES]

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Lookahead spot

The San Antonio Spurs can’t help but look ahead to their upcoming “Rodeo Road Trip” which pushes the Spurs out of the AT&T Center for most of the month of February. San Antonio will be on the highway for a nine-game stretch that takes the Spurs all the way out East and then back West in a span of 20 days. However, while the Rodeo Trip would fall under our regular “Schedule Spot”, San Antonio’s inability to stay focused before the annual trip is an absolute lookahead.

Over the past three seasons, including 2015, the Spurs have suffered an ATS slump just before heading off on that extended away trek. In 2013, San Antonio went a perfect 6-0 SU but only 2-3-1 ATS. Last season, they flopped to a 1-3 SU mark and failed to cover in each of those games. And this year, the defending NBA champs are 3-2 SU and 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games, with Orlando coming to town Wednesday. San Antonio has one more home stand after that, hosting Miami Friday, before opening the Rodeo Trip in Toronto Sunday.

Letdown spot

The Wisconsin Badgers haven’t had much time to catch their collective breathes with the frantic pace of the Big Ten. The Badgers were on the road for two tough games – at Michigan and Iowa – last week and return home to face No. 25 Indiana Tuesday night. Wisconsin is just 3-5-1 ATS since the beginning of conference play and that once gigantic home-court edge in the Kohl Center is slipping, with a 1-3-1 ATS mark in their last four in Madison.

The Badgers will finally get a chance to relax – somewhat – against the Northwestern Wildcats this weekend. Northwestern sits at the bottom of the Big Ten, going just 1-7 SU in conference play so far. The Wildcats do, however, present some great value on the road, where they are perfect 6-0 ATS heading into Tuesday’s tilt in Nebraska. Northwestern was blown away by Wisconsin 81-58 at home on Jan. 4, so the Badgers could get caught putting their feet up with a large spread likely looming in Saturday’s game.

Schedule spot

The Anaheim Ducks are hopping the country for a five-game road trip, which opens in Nashville Thursday. The Ducks will be playing the first three stops of this trip in four nights, taking on the Predators, Washington Capitals (Friday), and Tampa Bay Lightning (Sunday) - three opponents that love to push the pace and keep goaltenders busy.

Nashville ranks third in shots on goal in the NHL (32 per game), while Washington boast the league’s third-best power play (23.5 percent), and Tampa Bay nets a league-high 3.2 goals a game. That’s a whole lot of offense to handle in that short span. After that, the Ducks finish up at Florida Tuesday and at Carolina Thursday – two teams on the other end of that offensive scale.