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

[CNOTES]

NHL MONEYLINE


NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 34 Losses for the last two seasons (-27.05 units)


NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO using money line in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 21 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)


NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO using money line in All games second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 53 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.85 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL using money line in All games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 16 Losses for the this season (-14.35 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL using money line in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 20 Losses for the last two seasons (-16.5 units)


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


NHL PUCKLINE


NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in Road games second half of the season
The record is 5 Wins and 34 Losses for the last two seasons (-27.05 units)


NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play ON CHICAGO in All games after a non-conference game
The record is 21 Wins and 4 Losses for the this season (+16.7 units)


NHL > (51) TORONTO@ (52) WASHINGTON | 2016-03-02 19:05:00 - 2016-03-02 19:05:00
Play AGAINST TORONTO in All games second half of the season
The record is 16 Wins and 53 Losses for the last two seasons (-34.85 units)

NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL in All games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 16 Losses for the this season (-14.35 units)


NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play AGAINST MONTREAL in Road games in non-conference games
The record is 5 Wins and 20 Losses for the last two seasons (-16.5 units)


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


NHL TOTALS


NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play UNDER CHICAGO on the totalin All games in non-conference games
The record is 13 Overs and 37 Unders for the last two seasons (+24 units)


NHL > (55) MONTREAL@ (56) ANAHEIM | 2016-03-02 22:05:00 - 2016-03-02 22:05:00
Play OVER MONTREAL on the totalin Road games second half of the season
The record is 10 Overs and 1 Unders for the this season (+9.65 units)


NHL > (53) CHICAGO@ (54) DETROIT | 2016-03-02 20:05:00 - 2016-03-02 20:05:00
Play OVER DETROIT on the totalin All games after a 3 game unbeaten streak
The record is 16 Overs and 3 Unders for the last three seasons (+13.35 units)

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack


-- Stetson 82, NJIT 67-- #7-seed upsets #2-seed in Atlantic Sun.


-- Lipscomb 92, Jacksonville 89 OT-- #6-seed will face Stetson in next round.


-- Oklahoma 73, Baylor 71-- Sooners led 26-5 early, survived huge comeback.


-- Indiana 81, Iowa 78-- Hawkeyes lost five of their last six games.


-- Dayton 85, Richmond 84-- Flyers were down 11 in second half.


-- Warriors 109, Hawks 105 OT-- Golden State won its last 43 home games.


**********


Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Happy birthday to Dr Seuss......


Today would've been Dr Seuss' 112th birthday; with that in mind, I'm adding one of his quotes at end of each note today.


13) Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer is a 59-year old, overweight bald man. Druing a timeout Monday night, Mr Ballmer dunked, using a trampoline. Thanks to him, I will never wonder what it would look like if I dunked using a trampoline, seeing as I am a 56-year old, overweight bald man. If you're wondering, it wasn't pretty.


Dr Seuss: "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."


12) Golden State Warriors have now had 159 consecutive home sellouts.


Dr Seuss: "A person's a person, no matter how small."


11) Bernie Sanders raised $6M on Monday alone; he raised over $42M in month of February. He is very good at raising money.


Dr Seuss: "Oh the things you can find, if you don't stand behind."


10) Aroldis Chapman got suspended 30 games for violating the domestic violence policy; based on his $11,325,000 salary, looks like he is being docked a total of just about $2,097,222.22.


Dr Seuss: "Today I shall behave, as if today is the day I will be remembered."


9) Sam Bradford gets $36M for two years from the Eagles; good luck there. He has a 25-37-1 career W-L record, with zero playoff appearances in six years.


Dr Seuss: "From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere."


8) Tampa Bay Rays are playing the Cuban National team in Havana March 22, which is really a breakthrough in international relations.


Dr Seuss: "You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."


7) City of San Francisco raised the smoking age to 21 this week. I personally think smoking should be illegal, since it helps to kill people, but nobody asked me.


Dr Seuss: "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."


6) Spring training logistics must be interesting; so many players have to be given a chance to show themselves; its not like the egular season, when the best guys play the most. Cleveland has 22 pitchers in its big league camp; coaches ahve to script who gets how many innings and when. Takes a lot of planning.


Dr Seuss: "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."


5) Michigan loses its star player Caris LeVert for the season; he had only played one game since New Year's, but now it is offical that his college career is over.


Dr Seuss: "Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened."


4) Dillon Avare is a walk-on basketball player at Louisville who will graduate from Louisville in three years, then transfer and play at Eastern Kentucky on scholarship. Why is he at Louisville? His dad is Rick Pitino's business manager. Why is he going to EKU? EKU's coach Dan McHale used to be a manager for Rick Pitino at Kentucky.


Dr Seuss: "You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."


3) Colorado Rockies are raising fences in right-center field 8 feet and down the left field line 5 feet. They might raise all the fences for the 2017 season.


Dr Seuss: "From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere."


2) Kansas City Royals rewarded catcher Salvador Perez for his leadership and great play with a 5-year, $52.5M contract extension. Much deserved.


Dr Seuss: "Unlike someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. Its not."


1) I like to watch the credits at the end of movies; not sure why. Was watching one of my favorite movies Leap of Faith the other night and noticed this in the credits:


Cons and Frauds Consultant-- Ricky Jay


Leap of Faith is about a travelling preacher who scams people into giving him money by making them think he can heal their illnesses, or fix their problems. Not sure if the credit is a joke or if they really did have a fraud consultant, but it made me laugh.


Dr Seuss: "Step with care and great tact. And remember that life is a great balancing act."

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 2

Hot teams
-- Washington won fove of its last seven games.
-- Detroit won its last three games.
-- Anaheim won its last eight games.

Cold teams
-- Maple Leafs lost six of their last seven games.
-- Chicago lost five of its last eight games.
-- Montreal lost five of its last eight games.

Series records
-- Maple Leafs lost six of last seven games with Washington.
-- Red Wings won three of last four games with Chicago.
-- Ducks won seven of last ten games with Montreal.

Totals
-- Last four Toronto games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Detroit games stayed under total.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Anaheim games.

Back-to-backs
-- Washington is 4-7 if it played the night before.




NHL

Wednesday, March 2

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

7:00 PM
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 7 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing at home against Toronto

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Chicago is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Detroit is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games when playing Chicago

10:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. ANAHEIM
Montreal is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Anaheim is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 2

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

TORONTO (21-30-0-10, 52 pts.) at WASHINGTON (46-12-0-4, 96 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 6-2 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 6-2-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)

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

CHICAGO (39-20-0-5, 83 pts.) at DETROIT (32-20-0-11, 75 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-1-0 straight up against CHICAGO 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)

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

MONTREAL (30-28-0-5, 65 pts.) at ANAHEIM (34-19-0-8, 76 pts.) - 3/2/2016, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 5-16 ATS (-13.0 Units) in non-conference games this season.
MONTREAL is 5-13 ATS (-8.8 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ANAHEIM is 96-63 ATS (+165.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 19-6 ATS (+9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 11-2 ATS (+11.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
ANAHEIM is 37-19 ATS (+9.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 32-9 ATS (+18.3 Units) in home games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 75-35 ATS (+21.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 23-6 ATS (+13.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 68-56 ATS (+125.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 2-2 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 2-2-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.9 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, March 2


Toronto @ Washington

Game 51-52
March 2, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
9.400
Washington
12.804
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 3 1/2
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
N/A

Chicago @ Detroit

Game 53-54
March 2, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
13.013
Detroit
11.596
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A

Montreal @ Anaheim

Game 55-56
March 2, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
10.246
Anaheim
13.332
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 3
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-220
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-220); Under

 

[CNOTES]

March Record: 1 - 3 - 1. 87


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS




TOR at WAS 07:00 PM


WAS -280




CHI at DET 08:00 PM


CHI +100 BEST BET




MON at ANA 10:00 PM


ANA -207

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Oilers (24-34) at Flyers (29-22)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

It's uncertain if this season could have gone better for the Edmonton Oilers had Connor McDavid not missed significant time with a broken clavicle suffered at Philadelphia in November.


Four months to the day of that injury, McDavid and the visiting Oilers again face the Flyers while looking for a third consecutive victory Thursday night.


McDavid, the 2015 top overall pick, was hurt when he fell awkwardly and was then ridden hard into the boards late in the second period of Edmonton's 4-2 win over Philadelphia (29-22-11) on Nov. 3. Last in the Western Conference, the Oilers (24-34-7) went 14-18-5 while their young star was sidelined.


That record is actually slightly better than the club's 10-16-2 effort with McDavid, and last-place Edmonton has gone 5-8-2 since he returned Feb. 2, averaging just 1.9 goals in the last 13 contests. However, McDavid has recorded 19 of his 31 points in those 15 games and was named NHL rookie of the month for February.


The center appears poised to carry that success over to March after scoring twice in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory at Buffalo, a much-anticipated matchup with second overall pick Jack Eichel.


"He's so fast and pushes defenders back," teammate Jordan Eberle told the Oilers' official website of McDavid. "He's able to make a lot of plays that maybe a lot of us can't."


The Flyers didn't see much of that in the first meeting, with McDavid taking two shots and posting a minus-1 rating over 11 minutes.


Though it's unknown how McDavid will approach facing the team he was injured against, his primary focus is to help the Oilers win three in a row for the first time since a season-high six-game run Dec. 2-14. The only other time Edmonton won two straight road games this season was Oct. 17-18.


"It's important for us, in this next month, to keep having something to play for," McDavid said.


Ninth in the East and three points out of the final playoff spot, Philadelphia has much more to play for the rest of the way. The Flyers have earned at least one point in six of seven and are undefeated halfway through a season-high six-game homestand.


'We've got a steep hill for us to climb in order to push back into the playoffs,' said coach Dave Hakstol, whose club has twice won four straight this season. "(But) this group is pretty strong in the locker room; they're a pretty tight group."


Brayden Schenn recorded his first career hat trick and Claude Giroux had four assists in Monday's 5-3 win over Calgary. Philadelphia has averaged 3.7 goals in the past seven and is 4 for 8 on the power play in the last three.


"When the whole team is on the same page it just makes everybody's (job) much easier," Giroux told the Flyers' official website. "Right now we're playing some good hockey 'cause we're playing hard. We're playing the right way. We need to keep playing like this."


Schenn, whose final goal Tuesday was his career-high 21st, has six points on the homestand.


"He's got that talent to be able to score goals from everywhere," Giroux said. "He's a smart player and he's getting better and better every day."


Giroux and Schenn were held without a point in the loss at Edmonton.


The Oilers have totaled four goals during a three-game losing streak at Philadelphia.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Flames (26-33) at Sabres (25-31)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Hope for the future for the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames revolves around Jack Eichel and Johnny Gaudreau.


These teams have the second-worst records in their respective conferences, and the visiting Flames have lost a season-high six straight as they look to sweep the Sabres on Thursday night.


Buffalo (25-31-8) and Calgary (26-33-4) won't be going to the postseason. That's something the Sabres likely expected after four straight absences resulted in them selecting second in the draft and choosing Eichel. It's more disappointing for the Flames, who ended a five-season playoff drought in 2014-15 and defeated Vancouver in the first round.


In any case, Thursday's matchup will feature two of the NHL's rising young talents in Eichel and Gaudreau. They each won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country, with Gaudreau claiming that honor in 2014 for Boston College and Eichel the next season for Boston University.


Gaudreau was the star when they first met with the winning goal with 4:50 left in a 4-3 victory Dec. 10, also assisting on Sean Monahan's go-ahead score with 10:35 remaining. Eichel was held without a point.


The Sabres rookie has failed to add to his 41-point total in five straight after Tuesday's 2-1 overtime home loss to Edmonton, in which top overall pick Connor McDavid scored the winner.


'We didn't play well at all,' Eichel said. 'It started with the way we came out. We just didn't do a lot of good things as a team."


Eichel's five-game point drought has coincided with Ryan O'Reilly going down with a lower-body injury Feb. 19. O'Reilly leads the Sabres with 49 points, and Eichel had five points in a four-game run in the last four games they played together.


Buffalo is enduring a 1-3-1 stretch, but that's better than Calgary's recent play. The Flames are 0-5-1 in their skid after falling 2-1 at Boston on Tuesday.


Gaudreau came up empty as his eight-game streak in which he amassed 12 points ended. Rookie defenseman Jakub Nakladal scored the lone goal.


Nakladal won't be the only young player seeing action down the stretch. Garnet Hathaway has played twice as a rookie while Jyrki Jokipakka made his Flames debut Tuesday after being acquired from Dallas.


"We're going to see a lot about the character on this hockey club," coach Bob Hartley told the team's official website. "We have a lot. Guys like Jokipakka and Hathaway and all those guys, they are coming in and they want to make a name for themselves and we have some players that need to put some money in the bank. There is no reason to quit and obviously we're not going to accept anyone quitting."


Four defeats during the slide have been by one or two goals.


"Nobody likes losing and that's what has been happening here lately," Gaudreau said. "We have to change it. I think four or five games could have been the opposite way around."


The Flames acquired goaltender Niklas Backstrom from Minnesota on Monday, but Jonas Hiller is expected to start.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Rangers (37-20) at Penguins (32-22)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Rangers' troubles on the road appear to be over, and that turnaround already includes a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.


The Rangers look to continue their recent domination of the Penguins by matching their longest winning streak in the all-time series Thursday night.


New York is second in the NHL with a 23-6-3 home record, but the club was having a tough time carrying that success onto the road until recently. The Rangers (37-20-6) have won five of their last six away from Madison Square Garden following a 4-12-2 stretch that included giving up an average of 3.44 goals.


They've yielded just 12 goals over the last six on the road, including a 3-0 win at Pittsburgh on Feb. 10 that extend their winning streak there to four games.


New York is 11-1-1 in the last 13 overall meetings, including playoffs. The Rangers have a chance to win five straight against the Penguins for the third time in series history and first since 1973-74.


They're still not taking Pittsburgh lightly, and that's likely due to its 9-2-0 record in its last 11 home games.


"They've been playing well of late, but it's always a big challenge, no matter what, playing Pittsburgh," goaltender Henrik Lundqvist told the team's official website.


Lundqvist has a 1.35 goals-against average while starting each of the last 13 matchups with the Penguins, and he stopped all 34 shots he faced last month. He's allowed just three goals on 119 shots over the last four meetings.


Lundqvist should be back in net after being rested Monday in favor of backup Antti Raanta, who had 26 saves in a 2-1 win over Columbus.


The game marked Eric Staal's Rangers debut a day after he was acquired in a trade with Carolina, but he didn't factor in the scoring and only had one shot.


"He's well-prepared, been around the league for a handful of years now, so he'll adjust," captain Ryan McDonagh said. "He's already getting up to speed quick, asking questions and making sure he's on the same page as everybody. It's a great sign. He's coming around fast."


Staal has averaged a point over 46 career regular-season meetings with Pittsburgh, but he's failed to get any in two this season.


While the Rangers are 11 points clear of the postseason cutoff in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins (32-22-8) are just three in front of Philadelphia for the second wild-card position.


They squandered a two-goal lead to fall 3-2 at NHL-leading Washington on Tuesday in a possible first-round playoff preview. Pittsburgh had a tough time adjusting to the Capitals' physical play, which provided postseason-like intensity.


The Penguins should expect a similar atmosphere Thursday.


"I think we put ourselves in positions to get hit," center Sidney Crosby said. "When you're going back for pucks continuously and you don't execute, they have an opportunity to gain speed and get those hits in.


"That's the type of hockey that it is this time of year."


Crosby has four points in the last two games after getting three over the previous eight. That rough stretch started with a pointless effort and a minus-3 rating against the Rangers. He's got six points over the past 13 meetings and just two in nine at home.


Evgeni Malkin missed the last meeting against New York with a lower-body injury, but he's been held off the score sheet in each of his past six matchups. He found the net Tuesday for his first goal in three games since missing 10 with the injury.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Lightning (37-22) at Senators (30-27)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Considering how well the Tampa Bay Lightning are playing, it's easy to see why they are so pleased with general manager Steve Yzerman's decision to stand pat at this week's trade deadline.


For the second time in 2016, the visiting Lightning have a chance to match a club record with an eighth consecutive victory Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators.


Two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division and riding its second seven-game winning streak since early January, Tampa Bay (37-22-4) is perfectly content to press forward as is.


"We're comfortable with each other," coach Jon Cooper told the Lightning's official website. "There's no reason to blow this up. We've got a great group of guys, and they know the standard how we want to play and we've had some success.


"I know Steve was looking if there was a piece we could have added to us or to help us out. That's why he's the reigning GM of the year because he's good at doing stuff like that, but when there's not something out there, you just don't make a trade to make a trade."


Tyler Johnson scored both goals as the Lightning won for the 18th time in 23 games Monday, 2-1 at Toronto. They won eight straight Feb. 23-March 6, 2004.


"I think you ask anyone in this locker room, we're very confident in the group that we have," said Johnson, who didn't skip a beat after taking a puck to the forehead in Sunday's 4-1 win at Boston. "We've been working hard and everything's coming together at the right moment."


Giving Ben Bishop a breather, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves to win his third consecutive start. Bishop has posted a 1.25 goals-against average during a four-game winning streak, all on the road.


Tampa Bay has yielded six goals while winning five consecutive road contests and killed all 17 penalties in the last six away from home. The Lightning can complete a sweep of their four-game trip by taking six straight road contests for the first time since 2007-08.


They outscored the Senators 9-3 to win the first two meetings at home but lost 5-1 at Ottawa on Feb. 8. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos combined for seven points in the first two games but were blanked in the defeat.


Senators forward Mark Stone had two goals and an assist Feb. 8, part of a 14-game stretch in which he has nine goals and eight assists. He assisted on the first of Jean-Gabriel Pageau's two third-period goals in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to St. Louis that ended in the 11th round of a shootout.


Ottawa (30-27-7) has gone 5-1-1 in its last seven and earned at least a point in four straight home contests, but is five points out of the final wild-card spot in East and will need to pass several teams.


"At this time of the year it's tough to feel good about yourselves after ultimately losing a game," Andrew Hammond, who stopped all 17 shots after replacing an ineffective Craig Anderson, told the NHL's official website. "That's really the position we're in right now."


Anderson has posted a 4.34 goals-against average in his last three starts but made 31 saves against the Lightning at home last month.


Pageau, who recorded a goal and two assists in that victory, has three and five assists during a six-game point streak.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Devils (30-27) at Predators (32-21)
Date: March 03, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Nashville Predators are enjoying their longest win streak of the season, one to which their top defenseman has finally contributed.


They'll vie for a sixth straight victory Thursday night as they host a New Jersey Devils team that's lost six of seven and is struggling to score.


Nashville (32-21-11) won 5-3 over Dallas on Tuesday, as Shea Weber returned with a goal and two assists after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Weber, who had gone pointless in four straight, scored his team-best 12th power-play goal.


'The way the guys were playing while I was out, I was a little nervous to come back,' Weber said. 'I didn't want to be the reason we lost the game, so it was a big win. I thought the guys did a good job."


Filip Forsberg was held without a point after posting two hat tricks in his previous three games. He'll try to score for the first time in four games against the Devils.


That didn't mean he failed to make an impact on a line with Craig Smith and Mike Ribeiro. Smith had a goal and an assist to give him five points in two games and Ribeiro's assist gave him four in two games and 13 in his last 13.


"The Ribeiro line for me was just flying," coach Peter Laviolette said. "A lot of confidence, a lot of speed and they're making things happen when they're out there on the ice."


New Jersey (30-27-7) is searching for answers in the opener of a two-game trip after another listless performance in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Carolina. The Devils have scored twice in their three-game slide.


Coach John Hynes doesn't have a solution at the moment.


"I think that's a good question, what's missing," Hynes said. "What's missing is we haven't been good enough to get the end results as of late. It's something that we'll continue to work at."


The Devils average a league-worst 2.2 goals along with the fewest shots per game at 24.6.


"I think one of the things we gotta do a better job of is shoot the puck more," Hynes said.


Kyle Palmieri, with a team-high 23 goals, has none in the last three games. Adam Henrique ended a seven-game goal drought with his 20th Tuesday.


New Jersey could receive an offensive boost Thursday with Devante Smith-Pelly expected to make his club debut after being acquired from Montreal on Monday. Smith-Pelly has six goals and six assists in 46 games this season.


Defenseman David Warsofsky, claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Monday, might also make his New Jersey debut.


Cory Schneider has started the Devils' last seven games with a 3.35 goals-against average. He and Keith Kinkaid will likely split the starts on this trip that includes Friday's matchup with the Stars.


"We gotta get on the road trip and see if we can find a way to be better against Nashville," Hynes said.


Pekka Rinne has won his last four starts for Nashville and made 22 saves in a 3-1 victory at New Jersey on Oct. 13, with defenseman Roman Josi scoring twice.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Islanders (34-20) at Jets (26-32)
Date: March 03, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The New York Islanders weren't particularly pleased with their latest win, but the Winnipeg Jets probably wouldn't mind stumbling upon one under such circumstances right about now.


The Islanders play the sixth of a seven-game road trip Thursday night in Winnipeg, and the Jets need a win to avoid matching their worst home losing streak since moving from Atlanta.


New York's 3-2 win in Vancouver on Tuesday got it to 4-1-0 to start the trip, though it was outshot 33-24, had only nine shots through 40 minutes, and all three of its goals went in off Canucks defensemen.


"The positive thing is you end up winning it," said Thomas Hickey, who had the game-winning goal for his second in three games and added an assist. "But to a man in here I think we all understand that's not going to win too many hockey games. Our goalie sort of bailed us out there and we got lucky."


More often than not, however, the Islanders (34-20-7) have been earning their wins. They've allowed 11 goals over a 5-1-1 span, and though they gave up a power-play goal to the Canucks, their league-leading penalty kill has taken care of 24 of 27 chances (88.9 percent) in the last 11 games.


Strong goaltending has also had something to do with it as Thomas Greiss played for the first time in nearly two weeks and made 32 saves. Starter Jaroslav Halak figures to face the Jets and has a 1.24 goals-against average over a 3-1-0 span since giving up six goals in a loss to Carolina on Feb. 13. Halak has won his only two career games in Winnipeg with a 1.92 GAA.


He wasn't in goal when the Islanders opened the season series with a 4-2 home win on Oct. 12, and they've won the last three meetings in Winnipeg as part of a 6-0-2 road span against the Winnipeg-Atlanta franchise.


That fits with how the Jets (26-32-4) have played at home recently. Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Florida was their fifth straight there, and the only time since moving from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season they've gone beyond this was a 0-3-3 span from Nov. 18-Dec. 14, 2013. The latest streak has come all in regulation as part of a 2-10-0 home stretch since the calendar turned to 2016.


"Just one of those things," Dustin Byfuglien said. "We try. It's not because of lack of effort. It's just, things ain't gone our way."


The defenseman scored to extend his point streak to a season-best six games, and he has five goals and 10 assists in his last 15 contests.


Winnipeg led 2-1 entering the third period but gave up two goals in the final 20 minutes. Over the last five games, it's been outscored 10-4 in the third period, which accounts for more than half of the 18 goals the Jets have given up in that span.


"We didn't play the third period the way we played the first two," coach Paul Maurice told the team's official website. "We were much better through two periods defensively, and that was the foundation of what we had going."


It was the sixth straight game they've surrendered at least three goals. Ondrej Pavelec has a 3.52 GAA over a 0-3-1 span, while Michael Hutchinson's last four games have produced a 1-2-0 record and a 3.32 GAA. Pavelec has yielded at least three goals in each game of a 1-3-2 stretch against the Islanders.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Panthers (36-19) at Avalanche (32-29)[/B]
Date: March 03, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Separated by almost 20 years in age, Jaromir Jagr and Reilly Smith are big reasons the Florida Panthers lead the Atlantic Division.


While Smith looks to increase his career-high goal total, Jagr could achieve another milestone as the Panthers try to win back-to-back road games for the first time in almost two months Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.


Smith scored twice and Jagr provided the go-ahead goal as Florida (36-19-8) avoided a third consecutive defeat and regained sole possession of the Atlantic lead with Tuesday's 3-2 win at Winnipeg.


Jagr, who turned 44 last month, and Smith, who will be 25 on April 1, share the team lead with 21 goals. Smith's second Tuesday set a career best in his fourth full NHL season and first with Florida.


'It's awesome when you join a new team and you're able to contribute like this,' said Smith, two points shy of matching his 40 with Boston last season. 'Obviously, I've been given a great opportunity here and I've tried to do my best not to squander it.


"I'm playing with great players. It seems like they're trying to set me up all the time."


Jagr's sixth point in six games left him two behind Gordie Howe (1,850) for third all-time. Though Smith doesn't usually share the same shift as Jagr, he's no less in awe of the Panthers' points leader and future Hall of Famer.


'It's ridiculous, honestly,' Smith said. 'You've kind of got to think twice, just because you don't want to squander the moments you have with pretty much a living legend, right? He's done a great job for our team this year.'


Though the Panthers are amid a 4-1-2 stretch overall, they have lost six of nine road games since winning a team-record six straight Dec. 15-Jan. 10. Florida had lost in Columbus and Minnesota to begin a five-game trip before winning Tuesday.


The Avalanche (32-29-4) are among the league's worst home teams at 14-14-4 and have fallen out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference by losing three of four overall.


Eleven of the 19 goals they've allowed during that stretch have come in the third period. Minnesota scored three times, two into an empty net, in the third of Colorado's 6-3 loss Tuesday.


Semyon Varlamov has a 4.80 goals-against average in his last three starts and was pulled after giving up three on 12 first-period shots Tuesday. That's given Avs coach Patrick Roy reason to start Calvin Pickard in this contest.


Pickard, who stopped 15 of 16 shots in relief against the Wild, has won two straight starts and owns a 1.94 GAA in his last four appearances.


"(Pickard) is probably going to play the next game," Roy told the team's official website. "I'm not going to throw Varly under the bus here. There are highs and lows in a career, and those things happen. Right now, it's bit of a tougher time for him and Picks has been playing really well."


Colorado's Jarome Iginla scored his 19th goal of the season Tuesday to tie Dino Ciccarelli for 17th place all-time with 608. Iginla, who turns 39 in July, had a five-game point streak against Florida snapped in a 4-1 road loss Oct. 27.


Roberto Luongo made 31 saves that night to improve to 8-1-0 with a 1.53 GAA in his last nine starts against the Avalanche. He's 14-1-2 against them since the beginning of 2009-10, including 6-0-1 in Denver. Luongo has a 1.82 GAA in his last five games overall.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Sharks (34-22) at Canucks (24-26)
Date: March 03, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks seem poised to reach the playoffs while the Vancouver Canucks are not, although this week may feel sort of like a postseason series for both.


They play the second of three meetings in a seven-day span Thursday night in Vancouver, as the Canucks will try to slow down the red-hot Joe Pavelski better than they did a few days ago.


San Jose is brimming with confidence thanks to a 7-2-2 surge that has boosted its playoff chances. Joe Thornton has 16 points in that span and Pavelski 10.


'You can just feel the energy that the team brings every night,' center Chris Tierney said. 'We're in a good spot right now and hopefully we build up to the playoffs and try to make a run at it.'


The Sharks (34-22-6) have won consecutive games in which Pavelski has five points, including one goal and one assist in Sunday's 4-1 victory at Vancouver. The Canucks (24-26-12) took the lead into the third period before the Sharks responded with four players scoring.


San Jose had five players score in Monday's 6-2 victory over Montreal, with two goals by Pavelski.


'Any night it can be another line doing the damage," Thornton said. "It's fun to be a part of, and when you're winning it's obviously fun. We've got a real deep team and it's an exciting team to watch right now.'


It's a team that the Canucks will also watch Saturday night in San Jose to complete this odd bit of scheduling.


Vancouver is enduring a 2-6-0 stretch that has likely doomed any hopes of returning to the postseason. The Canucks fell to 2-2-0 on a five-game homestand with Tuesday's 3-2 defeat to the New York Islanders despite a 33-24 edge in shots.


Captain Henrik Sedin says that Vancouver fans need to remain patient. The Canucks have indicated they may give increased ice time to rookies Jake Virtanen and Brendan Gaunce down the stretch.


'You've got to look at the big picture,' Sedin said. 'That's to realize where we are as a team with the (young) guys we have. You've got to look forward and try to come in every day and teach and be positive and try to get better. We can't lay down flat and just play out the rest of the season."


Sedin has 11 points in his last nine games while brother Daniel has 10 in the past eight.


Jannik Hansen, third on the team with 32 points, is uncertain after sitting out Tuesday with an undisclosed injury. Fellow winger Radim Vrbata, who is fifth with 24 points, has missed the last three games with a lower-body injury.


Sunday's game continued an unusual trend in this series in which the visiting team has taken the last nine matchups. The Canucks are 0-4-2 in their last six at home against the Sharks.


San Jose's Martin Jones had never faced Vancouver before he made 23 saves earlier this week. The Canucks' Ryan Miller has allowed eight goals in losing his last two starts to the Sharks after beating them seven straight times.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Blackhawks (40-20) at Bruins (35-23)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The remaining games on Boston's homestand feature the clubs favored to face each other in the Stanley Cup Final, which isn't exactly ideal for a Bruins team that possesses the worst home record of any Eastern Conference team that's currently in playoff position.


The Chicago Blackhawks' schedule isn't exactly doing them any favors, either.


Chicago returns to Boston for the third time since celebrating its 2013 championship on the TD Garden ice looking to send the Bruins to their second loss during their home stretch Thursday night.


The Bruins (35-23-6) are four points back of first-place Florida in the Atlantic Division, but moving up to open the playoffs at home actually could turn out to be a disadvantage. They've gone 14-16-3 in Boston and opened a four-game homestand with a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.


Patrice Bergeron scored on the power play late in the third period Tuesday to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory over Calgary, and they're likely in for a couple more tough ones before hitting the road.


After this contest with West-leading Chicago (40-20-5), NHL-best Washington visits Saturday to complete the homestand. Boston then begins a stretch of 10 of 13 on the road with a back-to-back set against Florida and Tampa Bay.


"We do have some tough games coming up, so this is pretty good for our team playing against the best teams in the league," forward David Krejci told the team's official website. "We're going to have to play our best game and we'll see where we're at, but we obviously believe in this group."


Boston will be shorthanded for the next four after forward Zac Rinaldo sat out Tuesday for the first of a five-game suspension he received for an illegal hit on Lightning forward Cedric Paquette. Coach Claude Julien realizes the upcoming schedule would be difficult even if his squad was at full strength.


"Let's focus on Chicago, put your energy towards that game. Let's worry about the others as we move on," Julien said. "It's always been the best approach. To me, it's the only approach to take."


Bergeron had a goal and two assists in the Bruins' 6-2 win at Chicago in the most recent meeting Feb. 22, 2015, but the Blackhawks have won three of the last four in Boston, including the clinching victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.


Chicago is a favorite to win its fourth Cup in seven years and beat the Capitals 3-2 in a possible Final preview Sunday. It followed that up with a 5-2 victory at Detroit on Wednesday to reclaim sole possession of the West lead.


NHL points leader Patrick Kane had a goal against Washington, then assisted on both of Artemi Panarin's goals and scored one of his own against the Red Wings.


Kane's three power-play points Wednesday gave him a league-most 32 with the man advantage and tied his career high of 88 overall set in 2009-10.


'Everyone has moments when they're not firing on all cylinders, but he still finds ways to contribute offensively,' captain Jonathan Toews said of Kane. 'That shows how much focus and skill he really has this year.'


Much like Boston, the Blackhawks are in the midst of a tough stretch against playoff competition. They'll face Detroit again Sunday followed by St. Louis, Dallas - which are tied for second in the West - Pacific-leading Los Angeles and playoff-hopeful Philadelphia.


Corey Crawford appears ready for the challenge having posted a 2.02 goals-against average over his last three. It's possible, though, that Scott Darling gets the call in this one to complete the back-to-back set.


Tuukka Rask has a 1.75 GAA while winning three of his last four and should get the nod for the Bruins.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Wild (29-25) at Maple Leafs (21-31)
Date: March 03, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The back-and-forth dynamic of Minnesota's season is again taking a positive swing, and competition on a two-game trip against the worst teams in the Eastern Conference could allow it to grow more significant.


The Wild visit Toronto on Thursday night, and the Maple Leafs are beginning a four-game homestand with a three-game losing streak weighing them down.


Minnesota (29-25-10), which finishes the trip in Buffalo on Saturday, defeated Colorado 6-3 Tuesday to string together consecutive wins after a three-game skid. That followed a four-game winning streak after losing eight in a row.


The win over the Avalanche lifted the Wild back into the West's final playoff spot.


"We're in a spot where if we win our games, we're going to be there," goaltender Devan Dubnyk told the team's official website. "It certainly didn't feel that way with the stretch we went on. We've got 18 games now to control our own destiny and that's a spot we're happy to be in."


Nino Niederreiter had two goals and an assist, giving the 23-year-old five goals and four assists in his last nine games. Charlie Coyle scored twice and has 11 of his 21 goals in the last 18 games. Jason Pominville scored for the second straight game and had two assists, giving him five goals and seven assists in his last eight games.


That group could have some added company with Jonas Brodin and Jason Zucker targeting returns from injury, and David Jones could debut after being traded from Calgary at Monday's deadline. Brodin has been sidelined for 13 games because of a broken foot, and Zucker has missed the last five with a concussion.


"We definitely want to stay healthy, and it's going to be competitive getting in the lineup now," interim coach John Torchetti said. "Certain guys are playing well, and you have to work to stay in there, and other guys have to wait their turn to get in.


"I like the way we're playing, and as we go along, we'll pick and choose who we feel fits in certain spots, and gets the opportunity."


The Wild beat the Maple Leafs 1-0 on Dec. 3 to extend their winning streak in the series to four games, a stretch in which Toronto has scored only three times.


The Maple Leafs (21-31-10) fell 3-2 in Washington on Wednesday and have scored four goals on their latest three-game slide with points leader Leo Komarov going without one in his last five. It's been no better on the other end with the Maple Leafs giving up an average of 3.83 goals over a 2-9-1 span.


After the latest loss, coach Mike Babcock issued something of an indirect warning to his young roster.


"I thought some of us were pretty good, and some of us got to compete harder," Babcock said. "If you're not going to compete, it doesn't matter how much skill you have, you're not going to play in the National Hockey League very long."


Jonathan Bernier faced the Capitals, so Garrett Sparks could be in goal to complete the back-to-back set. The rookie Sparks, who returned from AHL Toronto for Monday's 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay after James Reimer was traded to San Jose, hasn't allowed more than two goals in his last four NHL starts.


Dubnyk has won his two games against Toronto since joining the Wild with one goal allowed on 64 shots, including the shutout in December.


Coyle had an assist in that contest and has five points in four career games against the Maple Leafs.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Ducks (35-19) at Coyotes (27-30)
Date: March 03, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

Anaheim sat 16 points out of the Pacific Division lead six weeks ago and was just beginning to recover from a dismal start to the season after being a popular pick to make a deep postseason run.


Suddenly, the Ducks are tied atop the division and making their case as strong contenders in the Western Conference.


They'll look to extend their winning streak to 10 on Thursday night when they visit an Arizona Coyotes team trending in the opposite direction.


Anaheim (35-19-8) opened the season by scoring 10 goals in its first 10 games, losing nine of them while becoming the league's early disappointment after finishing a victory short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2014-15.


The Ducks lost to Los Angeles on Jan. 17 and the Kings extended their lead to 16 points with a victory on the 19th, but Anaheim won the next day to begin a 16-1-1 stretch.


Corey Perry scored the tying goal in the third before Jakob Silfverberg scored the only goal in the shootout to beat Montreal 3-2 on Wednesday.


Jamie McGinn scored in his debut for Anaheim, which tied idle Los Angeles for the division lead and is adding to a remarkable story as the postseason nears.


"We dug ourselves a hole early. It's nice to see where we've come," Perry said. "But at the end of the day, you still have 20 games left. You have to go out and keep pushing."


The Coyotes (27-30-6) won the first three meetings over the first six weeks of the season before Perry scored in Anaheim's 5-2 win Feb. 5, but Arizona is suffering through a dismal stretch that is making it more and more likely it will watch the playoffs from home.


Monday's 6-0 loss at Pittsburgh capped a winless five-game trip that extended the Coyotes' losing streak to six and dropped them to 5-14-2 since Jan. 14. They lost their third-leading point scorer when they traded eighth-year veteran Mikkel Boedker, who spent that entire time with Arizona, to Colorado hours before the defeat.


"It's really difficult," forward Shane Doan said. "(The trade) doesn't really matter. We were horrendous."


Veteran Alex Tanguay came over in the Boedker deal and practiced with his new teammates for the first time Wednesday, skating on a line with Antoine Vermette and Anthony Duclair. The 36-year-old had four goals and 18 assists in 52 games with the Avalanche.


Arizona sits eight points behind Minnesota for the West's final playoff spot and needs an Anaheim-like hot streak to get back in the hunt.


"I'll have the same approach I've always had - take it one game at a time and prepare as best as possible," Tanguay said. "I'm happy. There's a lot of talent here. There's a lot of young guys and a good mix of veterans.


"I've been playing an offensive role for a long, long time and I haven't had the best of years, but I feel good."


Even if Tanguay can help lift an offense that scored seven times during the trip, Louis Domingue will have to be better in net. He's posted a 4.04 goals-against average while starting each game during the losing streak and now has to contend with the red-hot Ducks, who have outscored opponents 33-18 during their winning streak.


John Gibson made 25 saves Wednesday for Anaheim, which could choose to go with Frederik Andersen in this one. Andersen is 10-0-1 with a 1.89 GAA over his starts since Jan. 13 and made 23 saves to beat the Coyotes in the last meeting.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Canadiens (30-28) at Kings (37-21)
Date: March 03, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

Six weeks ago, the Los Angeles Kings were comfortably atop the Pacific Division. That's now over, and the Kings have another matchup with the team that caught them looming large.


With a visit from Anaheim on the horizon, Los Angeles will try to avoid overlooking the struggling Montreal Canadiens while debuting its latest addition Thursday night.


The Kings (37-21-4) are tied with the Ducks for first place in the Pacific after leading by 14 points as recently as Jan. 20. Los Angeles' 8-8-1 stretch coupled with Anaheim's incredible 23-4-2 run since Christmas has the bitter rivals now deadlocked.


They'll meet at Staples Center on Saturday after Los Angeles' four-game winning streak ended with Sunday's 4-2 defeat in Anaheim. However, before the Kings make a bid for revenge, they'll host Montreal while the Ducks visit Arizona.


In an effort to add depth up front, the Kings acquired veteran forward Kris Versteeg in a trade with Carolina on Sunday. Versteeg, who has 11 goals and 33 points this season, is a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Chicago.


"I think he gives us some depth and the ability to finish and play all positions for us," coach Darryl Sutter said. "It's important. (Marian Gaborik is) out, and I think that it showed up even (Sunday) where we've been using 3 1/2 lines, basically, when you look at minutes played. Especially in back-to-backs, you need four lines, four good lines."


With Gaborik on long-term injured reserve due to a knee injury, Versteeg has a chance to make an immediate impact.


"I think you don't want to just put your toe in the water, you want to jump right in and try to play whatever way you can that will help the team immediately and make and immediate impact in whatever way that might be," Versteeg told the team's official website. "I have one goal coming here, and that's to win a Stanley Cup."


For now, Versteeg will have to be satisfied with helping the Kings to a fourth straight win at home.


Jonathan Quick has won his last two starts there, stopping 48 of 50 shots. He's 3-2-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average in his last six games, but he wasn't particularly sharp while making 25 saves against the Ducks on Sunday.


Quick has a .951 save percentage during a three-start win streak against the Canadiens, including a season-high 45-save effort in a 3-0 victory at Montreal on Dec. 17.


Goaltending remains a sore spot for the Canadiens (30-28-6), who continue to be without Carey Price (leg). That's the biggest reason why they're six points behind Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.


Montreal has given up an average of 3.68 goals while going 5-15-2 on the road in 22 games without the reigning Vezina Trophy and MVP winner.


The Canadiens lost for the seventh time in eight road games Wednesday, falling 3-2 in a shootout at Anaheim after opening this four-game trip with Monday's 6-2 defeat to San Jose.


Ben Scrivens is expected to get the nod against his former team. He's lost all four decisions with a 3.99 GAA in five road starts with the Canadiens, and is 1-3-0 with a 4.26 GAA in five career meetings with the Kings.


Alex Galchenyuk has five goals in four games after scoring twice against the Ducks. His 19 goals are one shy of his career high from last season, but he has no points in five games against Los Angeles.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack


-- St Bonaventure 98, St Joe's 90-- Marcus Posey had 47 for the Bonnies.


-- Washington 98, Washington St. 91-- Andrew Andrews also had 47 for U-Dub.


-- Ole Miss 86, Mississippi St 78-- Stefan Moody had half the Rebels' points.


-- Hartford 68, Albany 59-- #2-seed Great Danes were 18-point home favorites.


-- NC State 73, Boston College 72-- Eagles almost got their first ACC win.


-- Austin Peay 92, Tennessee Tech 72-- Minor upset in OVC tourney.


**********


Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud.......


13) RIP Mr Ray Stack-- A teacher, coach, friend, Ray passed away this week after a lengthy illness. Blessed with a booming voice and a tremendous laugh, Ray was always fun to be around-- you couldn't help but feel smarter after spending time with him.


He made an outsider feel welcome when he didn't have to; the four years Ray and I coached basketball together was one of the best experiences of my life.


RIP, Ray. It was an honor to know you.


12) Denver Broncos didn't franchise QB Brock Osweiler, meaning he becomes a free agent Wednesday; could it be that Peyton Manning might return to Denver?


11) VCU 70, Davidson 60-- Davidson coach Bob McKillop became Wildcats' coach in 1989, when VCU coach Will Wade.......was seven years old.


10) UNLV freshman Derrick Jones Jr has a 3.25 GPA, is a solid citizen, but he was declared ineligible this week because the ACT, out of nowhere, declared his test score ineligible.....on March 2. Not the NCAA, the actual ACT. Something isn't right-- why wasn't this discovered earlier? Now the kid will go pro when he isn't ready, when if it was discovered in the fall, he could've sat this year out, played next year, and his career wouldn't be screwed up. This doesn't sound like the right way to do business.


9) We talked yesterday about credits for the movie Leap of Faith, where a guy named Ricky Jay was mentioned-- turns out he is a magician that was influential in Steve Martin's career. Early on, Martin used to include magic in his comedy act, so it was a joke that Ricky Jay was listed in the credits as "Cons and Frauds Consultant".


8) Greedy bastard update-- We haven't done this for a while; I am told the price of gas in Ohio is in the $1.60's, which is great for them, but at the Mobil station closest to my house, it is still $2.13. Now there is another Mobil station about a mile from there- their price is $1.99, which makes no sense. Across the street from the place where gas is $2.13, they're selling it for $1.97, but the place has crummy parking and is harder to get in and out of, so not as many people get gas there. Go figure.


7) 36-year old Baron Davis played for the Knicks in 2012, the last time he was in the NBA; he has signed with the 76ers' D-League team, as he launches a comeback. This is going to be interesting, I guess, but do the 76ers really want him? If he can still play, what contender would take a chance on him? Four years is a long time.


6) Speaking of the D-League, the Knicks didn't offer Jimmer Fredette a second 10-day contract, which is a little unusual. I've always said he has two years on the Jazz bench coming to him, because his status as a BYU legend will allow him to end his playing career gracefully- that day may be coming sooner than he had hoped.


5) I'm enjoying spring training games during the day this week, but March is the one time of year I do not want to hear the name of players on my fantasy team on TV- it is seldom good news. Already have two pitchers hurt and a shortstop about to get the book thrown at him for a domestic violence thing. Oy.


4) Interesting contrast on ESPN-- they employ Joe Lunardi to re-configure the Field of 68 during every TV timeout, seemingly-- he works hard, his work is interesting, albeit irrelevant, but it is something to talk about. When it comes to the at-large bids, Lunardi favors taking strong mid-majors who slipped up in conference tournaments over teams from big conferences who had under-.500 records in conference.


Then there is Jay Bilas, an elitist who thinks the NCAAs should be the 68 best teams, no matter what. No automatic bids for smaller leagues-- those are the teams who make the tournament the fascinating event it is. He'd rather see the 10th-place team in the Pac-12 get in over the champ of the Southland Conference or the MAAC.


Differing opinions make for an interesting debate, but the charm of the NCAAs, and the big money it draws from CBS, is because it is truly a national tournament-- where else could Montana State play St John's, or UCLA play Stephen F Austin?


3) Heard a guy on TV say over weekend that he thought a #1 seed would get beat in first round of NCAA tournament this year- that has never happened. His partner was not agreeing with him, saying the 16-seeds have gotten worse over the years, plus two of the four 16-seeds have to win a play-in game first. Makes it harder.


2) In case you care about such things, going back to 1987, smallest pointspread in a 1-16 first round game was in 1990, when Michigan State was 15-point favorite over Murray State-- the Spartans won in overtime, as close to losing as a 1-seed has come.


1) I do think this year will be like 1988, when 6-seed Kansas won the national title, running a huge wave of luck to get advantageous matchups. Let me show you.....


1st round-- 6-seed Kansas (even) beat 11-seed Xavier 85-72
2nd round-- Kansas (-7.5) 61, beat 14-seed Murray State 61-58. Murray had upset the #3-seed NC State in its first round game.
3rd round-- Kansas (-1) beat Vanderbilt 77-64. Vandy upset #2-seed Pitt in a second round game.
Regional final-- Kansas (+2) beat Kansas State 77-58. K-State had upset the top seed Purdue in the regional semi-final.


So Kansas made the Final Four without playing the 1,2 or 3 seed in that region- that is how underdogs get to the Final Four. It could happen again.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Dunkel

Thursday, March 3


Calgary @ Buffalo

Game 7-8
March 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Calgary
11.684
Buffalo
10.073
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Calgary
by 1 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Buffalo
-130
5
Dunkel Pick:
Calgary
(+110); Over

Minnesota @ Toronto

Game 9-10
March 3, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
10.227
Toronto
11.313
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 1
6 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-175
5
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+155); Over

Tampa Bay @ Ottawa

Game 11-12
March 3, 2016 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Tampa Bay
10.669
Ottawa
11.810
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Ottawa
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-150
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Ottawa
(+130); Under

New Jersey @ Nashville

Game 13-14
March 3, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New Jersey
10.013
Nashville
11.649
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Nashville
by 1 1/2
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Nashville
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Nashville
N/A

NY Islanders @ Winnipeg

Game 15-16
March 3, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Islanders
11.587
Winnipeg
9.424
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Islanders
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Islanders
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
NY Islanders
(-135); Under

Florida @ Colorado

Game 17-18
March 3, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Florida
9.627
Colorado
10.712
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Colorado
by 1
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
-115
5
Dunkel Pick:
Colorado
(-105); Over

Anaheim @ Arizona

Game 19-20
March 3, 2016 @ 9:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Anaheim
9.669
Arizona
11.587
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 2
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-165
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(+145); Under

San Jose @ Vancouver

Game 21-22
March 3, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Jose
11.587
Vancouver
10.107
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
San Jose
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Jose
-175
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
San Jose
(-175); Under

NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh

Game 1-2
March 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Rangers
8.649
Pittsburgh
12.563
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Pittsburgh
by 4
6
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Pittsburgh
-135
5
Dunkel Pick:
Pittsburgh
(-135); Over

Montreal @ Los Angeles

Game 23-24
March 3, 2016 @ 10:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
10.716
Los Angeles
13.291
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 2 1/2
5 1/2
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Los Angeles
-240
5
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(-240); Over

Chicago @ Boston

Game 3-4
March 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
12.627
Boston
11.296
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 1 1/2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A

Edmonton @ Philadelphia

Game 5-6
March 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
11.796
Philadelphia
10.691
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Edmonton
by 1
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia
-165
5
Dunkel Pick:
Edmonton
(+145); Under