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

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Texas 61, Baylor 59 OT-- Seven players were ejected for leaving bench area after a non-scuffle after players dove on a loose ball near halfcourt.. There was jawing after the game; could be interesting if teams meet in Big X tournament.

-- James Harden is suspended for tonight's game with Atlanta after his flagrant foul in Sunday's game with Cleveland.

-- Bronx Bombers played an intrasquad game Monday with a pitching machine; not sure why. They've got a boatload of pitchers in the locker room, no?

-- Padraig Harrington won at Doral, second week in a row the #297 ranked golfer in the world won on the PGA Tour. Steve Webster is now #297 in the world.

-- Iowa State 77, Oklahoma 70-- Sooners led 37-18 at half; Iowa State had 31-4 run in second half as Hilton Coliseum went nuts.

-- Spring training games start today; its going to snow again in Albany tonite. Oy.



**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Looking at college tournament histories......

A look at some of the conference tournament histories that start this week

13) MAAC-- Siena won both the regular season and conference tournament in 2008-10, but since then, the top seed hasn't won the tournament. #1 seed lost in the semis three of last four years, in the final last year.

12) OVC-- Murray State went 16-0 in the OVC this year; they've been top seed in this tournament four times in last ten years and won it three of the four times. In last four years, four different teams won this tournament.

11) CAA-- Eight of last 11 tournament winners aren't in this league anymore; #1 seed has won it once in last four years. This year, four teams tied for top spot so Sunday's semi doubleheader should be exceptional, if top seeds all win Saturday. In last four years, four different teams have won this tournament.

10) WCC-- Gonzaga and everyone else, though Bulldogs lost their last game at home to BYU. Zags won this tournament eight of last 11 years; St Mary's won twice and San Diego once. Gonzaga is looking like a #2 seed in NCAAs; every other team is trying to play their way in, with BYU having the best shot. Cougars lost in finals last year, split six games in WCC tourney since joining the league.

9) MVC-- Wichita State/Northern Iowa are far and away the two best teams this year; top seed won this tournament last two years, after winning only twice in decade before that. Shockers/Panthers' only two losses this year came against each other. Four of last six WCC finals were decided by 4 or less points.

8) Summit-- Even though tourney is played at a neutral site, top seed has won six of last seven tournaments. South Dakota State/North Dakota State tied for top spot this year. Bison won a game in NCAA tournament last March.

7) Horizon-- Top seed won this tournament six of last ten years, but 7-9 Milwaukee won LY. Wright State lost in final last two years, but they're 3-13 this year. Valpo is top seed this year at 13-3; Green Bay 12-4, Cleveland State/Oakland 11-5. League isn't as good as it was when Butler was here.

6) Big X-- One of few leagues where teams play everyone else twice, so every game in this tournament will be a third meeting this season. Top seed won this tournament five of last eight years, Kansas wins the regular season every year, but they've "only" won the conference tournament three of the last six years.

5) Big East-- St John's plays tournament on its home floor; they're #8 in country in experience, 6th-to-last in bench minutes. Winning three days in row could be an issue. Last 11 years, lower-seeded team is 6-5 SU in tournament final. Of last seven Big East champions, only one is still in the league.

4) Big 14-- Either Michigan State or Ohio State won this tournament the last five years (OSU three, MSU two); Top-seeded Wisconsin last won this event in 2008; #1 seed won this tournament five of last eight years. Maryland went 12-4 in its first year in the league; will be weird seeing them play in this tournament, instead of the ACC.

3) Pac-12-- Arizona is obviously best program here, but they haven't won this event in last 12 years; lower-seeded team won finals in this tournament last six years, with last four tournaments won by all different teams. Last time top seed won this event was UCLA is 2008. Having tourney in Las Vegas has upgraded it.

2) SEC-- If Kentucky doesn't win this it'll be national news, but top seed won the SEC tourney only twice in last seven years. Kentucky played in four of last five finals, but lost last two as different team won this event the last four years. Five of last six finals were decided by seven or less points.

1) Mountain West-- New Mexico won this turnament last three years, but the wheels have fallen off for Lobos this season, in a down year for the league. San Diego State is the only lock for NCAAs, but Bosie State is hot and could get in with strong showing here. UNLV is host team but they haven't won this event since 2008.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, March 3

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WASHINGTON (34-20-0-10, 78 pts.) at COLUMBUS (26-32-0-4, 56 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 19-10 ATS (+6.9 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
COLUMBUS is 2-7 ATS (+2.0 Units) in home games on Tuesday nights this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 4-4 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 4-4-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.1 Units)

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NASHVILLE (41-16-0-7, 89 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (26-27-0-10, 62 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 2-1-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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CALGARY (33-25-0-4, 70 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (27-25-0-11, 65 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 6-1 ATS (+7.1 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CALGARY is 33-29 ATS (+63.5 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 35-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 67-70 ATS (-55.7 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
PHILADELPHIA is 224-226 ATS (-101.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 2-0-0 straight up against CALGARY 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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BUFFALO (19-39-0-5, 43 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (38-20-0-6, 82 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 40-105 ATS (+229.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 15-52 ATS (+111.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 251-208 ATS (+29.2 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.
BUFFALO is 94-97 ATS (+215.9 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
BUFFALO is 197-192 ATS (+409.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 301-374 ATS (+783.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 7-4 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 7-4-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.7 Units)

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TORONTO (25-33-0-5, 55 pts.) at FLORIDA (28-22-0-13, 69 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 4-21 ATS (+31.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 1-9 ATS (+11.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 2-14 ATS (+20.9 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 10-26 ATS (+39.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 5-21 ATS (+34.5 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 4-21 ATS (+35.5 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 5-15 ATS (+21.2 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
TORONTO is 9-19 ATS (-13.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TORONTO is 2-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
FLORIDA is 94-139 ATS (+252.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
FLORIDA is 169-198 ATS (-70.4 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
FLORIDA is 176-242 ATS (-73.3 Units) after a division game since 1996.
FLORIDA is 295-338 ATS (+681.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
FLORIDA is 145-186 ATS (-74.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 5-4 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 5-4-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)

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OTTAWA (27-23-0-10, 64 pts.) at MINNESOTA (33-22-0-7, 73 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 17-30 ATS (-15.0 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 2-1-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)

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NY ISLANDERS (41-21-0-2, 84 pts.) at DALLAS (27-26-0-10, 64 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 193-133 ATS (+51.9 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NY ISLANDERS are 41-23 ATS (+10.2 Units) in all games this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 20-14 ATS (+37.3 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 10-5 ATS (+16.7 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 10-5 ATS (+16.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 16-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) after a division game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 21-13 ATS (+34.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 12-3 ATS (+15.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 11-15 ATS (-5.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
DALLAS is 4-9 ATS (-8.3 Units) in home games second half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 3-8 ATS (+11.0 Units) in home games on Tuesday nights this season.
DALLAS is 13-24 ATS (-15.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 3-0 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 3-0-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.0 Units)

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ANAHEIM (40-17-0-7, 87 pts.) at ARIZONA (20-36-0-7, 47 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 101-58 ATS (+19.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 197-198 ATS (+430.2 Units) in road games second half of the season since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 39-20 ATS (+10.9 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 193-146 ATS (+23.3 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 30-12 ATS (+12.3 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 48-21 ATS (+13.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 20-43 ATS (-46.7 Units) in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 6-23 ATS (+43.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 7-5 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 7-5-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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LOS ANGELES (29-21-0-12, 70 pts.) at EDMONTON (18-35-0-10, 46 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 29-33 ATS (-20.3 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 8-19 ATS (-13.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
LOS ANGELES is 1-6 ATS (-6.5 Units) in road games on Tuesday nights this season.
LOS ANGELES is 1-7 ATS (-7.1 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
LOS ANGELES is 0-7 ATS (-8.8 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
LOS ANGELES is 10-14 ATS (-15.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
EDMONTON is 18-45 ATS (-60.8 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 1-9 ATS (+14.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
EDMONTON is 3-19 ATS (+31.6 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 151-153 ATS (-20.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 7-2 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 7-2-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.3 Units)

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SAN JOSE (31-25-0-8, 70 pts.) at VANCOUVER (36-23-0-3, 75 pts.) - 3/3/2015, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 11-3 (+7.2 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 11-3-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.5 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, March 3

Hot teams
-- Devils won five of their last seven games.
-- Tampa Bay is 7-1 in game following its last eight losses.
-- Florida won its last two games, scoring nine goals.
-- Ottawa won its last five games, allowing five goals. Minnesota won 13 of last 16 games.
-- Anaheim won five of its last six games.

Cold teams
-- Columbus lost its last six games. Washington lost three of its last four games.
-- Nashville lost its last three games, outscored 12-5.
-- Calgary lost four of its last five games. Flyers are 4-6 in their last ten games.
-- Sabres lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Toronto lost its last 16 road games; their last road win was New Year's Eve.
-- Dallas lost its last six games, allowing 30 goals. Islanders lost three of their last five games.
-- Arizona lost its last nine games.
-- Los Angeles lost last three games, scoring four goals. Edmonton lost five of last seven games.
-- San Jose lost three of its last four games. Canucks lost three of last five games.

Series records
-- Blue Jackets won four of last six games with Washington.
-- Predators won last two games with New Jersey, 3-2/3-1.
-- Flyers won six of last eight games with Calgary.
-- Lightning won six of last eight games with Buffalo.
-- Panthers won their last four games with Toronto.
-- Senators won six of last seven games with Minnesota.
-- Islanders won last three games with Dallas, scoring 18 goals.
-- Ducks won six of last eight games with Arizona.
-- Kings won seven of last eight games with Edmonton.
-- Sharks won 12 of last 15 games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Washington road games stayed under.
-- Five of last six Nashville road games stayed under total.
-- Five of last six Philly home games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Tampa Bay home games went over.
-- Last six Toronto road games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Ottawa road games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Dallas home games went over total.
-- Last three Arizona home games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Edmonton home games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven San Jose road games went over.

Back-to-back
-- Nashville is 2-5 on road if it played night before.
-- Sharks are 5-3 if they played the night before.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Tuesday, March 3

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

7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. PHILADELPHIA
Calgary is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary's last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 9 games when playing at home against Calgary
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Calgary

7:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. NEW JERSEY
Nashville is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 7 games on the road
New Jersey is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New Jersey's last 12 games at home

7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Columbus is 7-13-1 SU in its last 21 games ,when playing Washington
Columbus is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

7:30 PM
BUFFALO vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Buffalo's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Buffalo's last 11 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 11 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against Buffalo

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. FLORIDA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Florida is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

8:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. MINNESOTA
Ottawa is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing Ottawa

8:30 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. DALLAS
NY Islanders are 8-4 SU in their last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 5 games on the road
Dallas is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
Dallas is 1-4-1 SU in their last 6 games ,when playing at home against NY Islanders

9:00 PM
ANAHEIM vs. ARIZONA
Anaheim is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Anaheim is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games

9:30 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. EDMONTON
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Los Angeles's last 13 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Los Angeles is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Edmonton's last 5 games

10:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. VANCOUVER
San Jose is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing Vancouver
San Jose is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Vancouver is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing San Jose

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Tuesday, March 3


Red-hot Hammond gets start in Minnesota

Andrew Hammond will get the start in net as the Ottawa Senators visit the Minnesota Wild Tuesday, according to the team's official twitter account.

Hammond has been on an absolute tear since being called up from Ottawa's AHL team in Binghamton. The 27-year-old has appeared in six games and made five consecutive starts. He has a 5-0 record, microscopic 1.31 goals against average and formidable .957 save percentage.

The 27-year-old has backstopped the Sens to a five game winning streak, with each win coming as an underdog at the betting window. He's earned victories with the Senators as +118, +102, +180, +239 and +148 dogs.

The Senators are presently +145 while the Wild are -182.




NHL roundup: Rangers dump slumping Predators

NEW YORK -- Goaltender Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots as the New York Rangers emerged with a 4-1 victory against the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

Right winger Rick Nash, defenseman Marc Staal, left winger Chris Kreider and center Dominic Moore scored for the Rangers, who are 9-1-1 in their past 11 games. Right winger Mats Zuccarello had two assists.

The Rangers moved into first place in the Metropolitan with 84 points, tied with the New York Islanders, who lose the head-to-head tiebreaker by having played two more games.

Left winger Matt Cullen scored for the Predators, who have lost three straight for the first time this season. Goaltender Pekka Rinne made 36 saves. Nashville still holds the league's best record despite its recent 2-4-1 slide.

Blackhawks 5, Hurricanes 2

CHICAGO -- Center Jonathan Toews scored twice, leading the Blackhawks to a win over the Hurricanes. It was Toews' third two-goal performance of the season, a big plus with team scoring leader Patrick Kane out for the next 10 to 12 weeks after surgery on a broken left clavicle.

Chicago snapped a skid that reached four losses in six games. Carolina saw its three-game winning streak end.

Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, who lost three of his previous four starts, stopped all but two of Carolina's 29 shots.

Sharks 4, Canadiens 0

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Newcomer Ben Smith scored a goal and added an assist to help the Sharks earn their first win at SAP Center in nine attempts. He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in the day.

Backup goalie Alex Stalock posted his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career with 20 saves. Defenseman Brent Burns had an assist on Stalock's shutout. He batted a diving shot by center David Desharnais just before it crossed the goal line seven minutes into the final period, a play confirmed by video review.

Right winger Joe Pavelski, defenseman Matt Irwin and center Patrick Marleau also scored for San Jose. The loss snapped Montreal goalie Carey Price's franchise record 10-game winning streak. Price made 33 saves.

 

[CNOTES]

Sabres call up 3, including Grigorenko


March 3, 2015


BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - The Buffalo Sabres have recalled three forwards, including Mikhail Grigorenko, from the minors to fill their trade-depleted roster.


Tim Schaller and Jerry D'Amigo were also called up from AHL Rochester on Tuesday before the Sabres play at Tampa Bay.


The moves came a day after Buffalo dealt three forwards and goalie Michal Neuvirth in four separate deals. In return, Buffalo acquired New York Islanders backup goalie Chad Johnson, minor-league prospect Jack Nevins and four draft picks.


Grigorenko is Buffalo's 2012 first-round draft pick, who has four goals and six assists in 55 career games with the Sabres.


Schaller leads Rochester with 15 goals, and rejoins Buffalo for a third time this season.


D'Amigo has yet to play for the Sabres since being acquired in a trade with Columbus in December.




---------------------------------------------
Avs' Landeskog, McLeod fined by NHL


March 3, 2015


NEW YORK (AP) - Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog and forward Cody McLeod were fined by the league for their actions in the waning seconds of a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.


Landeskog was fined $5,000 for a punch he threw at Wild forward Mikko Koivu as both players headed to their benches with 3.3 seconds remaining. Landeskog was given a misconduct penalty.


The NHL docked McLeod $3,091.40 after he entered the game with 8.1 seconds left for the purpose of starting an altercation, the league said. The physical forward body-checked Minnesota center Mikael Granlund and then got into a skirmish with forward Charlie Coyle. McLeod drew a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, a major for fighting and a misconduct penalty.




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


Flyers trade Coburn to Lightning


March 2, 2015


PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia Flyers traded defenseman Braydon Coburn to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defenseman Radko Gudas and draft picks.


The Flyers also will acquire first- and third-round picks in the 2015 draft.


Coburn had one goal and nine points in 39 games this season for the Flyers. Coburn has 37 goals and 129 assists over his 10-year career with the Flyers and Atlanta Thrashers. He was drafted eighth overall by Atlanta in 2003 and traded to the Flyers in 2007.


Gudas has two goals and five points in 31 games.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Blues acquire D Michalek from Coyotes


March 2, 2015


ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Blues bolstered a defense that's been without All-Star Kevin Shattenkirk for a month, acquiring veteran Zbynek Michalek and a conditional third-round draft pick from the Arizona Coyotes for prospect Maxim Letunov.


The 32-year-old Michalek also is out, however, missing two weeks with a concussion. In 53 games, he has two goals and six assists and is among the top shot blockers with 130.


The 19-year-old Letunov was a second-round draft pick last year, the 52nd overall pick.


Shattenkirk is coming off abdominal surgery. He's been skating but not with the team.


The Coyotes have been rebuilding for some time, also trading Devan Dubnyk, Antoine Vermette and Keith Yandle. They picked up two forwards on waivers, Tye McGinn from the Sharks and Craig Cunningham from the Bruins.


----------------------------------------------------------
Canadiens acquire Petry from Oilers


March 2, 2015


MONTREAL (AP) - The Montreal Canadiens have made the first major move on the morning of the NHL's trade deadline day by acquiring Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers for draft picks.


The defenseman was considered one of the most likely players to be dealt before Monday's 3 p.m. EST deadline. Petry can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.


In exchange for the 27-year-old player, Montreal sent a 2015 second-round draft choice and a conditional fifth-round pick to Edmonton.


Petry had been the subject of trade talk for several weeks. He said in an interview in Toronto last month that he's playing for a ''contract moving forward'' and wants to show he's a ''guy that's going to bring intensity and bring my game day in and day out.''


--------------------------------------------------------
Bruins get Connolly from Lightning


March 2, 2015


BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Bruins have acquired forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning for second-round draft picks this year and next.


The 22-year-old Connolly has 12 goals, three assists and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games for the Lightning this season. In his career, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft has 18 goals and 14 assists in 134 games.


The deal was made early in the morning on Monday, hours before the NHL's trading deadline.


The Bruins enter the season's final stretch in eighth place in the East, two points ahead of the Florida Panthers in the race for the conference's final playoff spot.


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


Stars trade F Cole to Red Wings


March 1, 2015


DALLAS (AP) - The Dallas Stars traded forward Erik Cole to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night.


The Stars got center Mattias Janmark, defenseman Mattias Backman and a second-round pick this year for Cole and a conditional third-round pick.


The 36-year-old Cole had 18 goals and 17 assists in 57 games for the Stars this season. He has 262 goals and 264 assists in 881 games with Carolina, Edmonton, Montreal and Dallas.


''This might be one of the best years he's had,'' Stars general manager Jim Nill said.


In 2011-12, Cole had 35 goals and 26 assists for Montreal.


''I was warming up for the game here, got pulled away and found out that a deal had been reached,'' Cole told Canadian sports network TSN. ''I found a little after that I was going to be headed to Detroit. It should be a great experience with a great team that is in the playoffs.''


Janmark and Backman, both 22, have not played in the NHL.


Detroit drafted Backman in the fifth round in 2011, and Janmark in the third round in 2013. They have played mostly in their native Sweden, and logged some time with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.


Nill was Detroit's assistant general manager when the Red Wings picked Backman 146th overall, but was with the Stars when Janmark was drafted.


''I've seen Backman ever since we drafted him,'' Nill said. ''He's very close to being an NHL-ready defenseman. Janmark plays the game the right way both ways. We look forward to getting him over here and seeing where his development's at.''


This season, Janmark has 13 goals and 23 assists in 53 games for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. Backman had four assists in 18 games at Grand Rapids, and has four goals and 12 assists in 23 games for Linkopings.


Nill said Detroit would return the third-round pick if the Red Wings advance to the Eastern Conference finals.




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




Rangers acquire D Yandle from Coyotes


March 1, 2015


GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - The New York Rangers acquired a big piece in their push for another deep playoff run, picking up All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.


The Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals last season didn't wait until Monday's trade deadline to make a big move for this year's run.


The 28-year-old Yandle has been one of the NHL's best offensive-minded defensemen, a four-time All-Star who has led the Coyotes in scoring the past three seasons. He has 41 points in 63 games this season and has been the anchor of Arizona's power play unit.


New York also received defenseman Chris Summers and a 2016 fourth-round pick for defenseman John Moore, top prospect Anthony Duclair, a conditional first-round draft pick in 2016 and a second-rounder this year.


The Rangers made two more deals Sunday ahead of the trade deadline, acquiring forward Carl Klingberg from the Winnipeg Jets for forward Lee Stempniak, and picking up forward James Sheppard from the San Joe Sharks for a fourth-round pick in 2016.


Arizona agreed to retain 50 percent of Yandle's salary to complete the deal.


''It's very simple: The only way we could do a deal with the Rangers given their cap situation was to retain salary,'' Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. ''That's the reality of the world we're living in. We would not be doing this type of deal if we were acquiring a 33-year-old player, but when you talk about a 19-year-old potential first-line winger and a couple of other high-draft pick assets, you realize it's going to cost you some money to make this type of deal.''


The Rangers are third in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Montreal, and two behind the neighboring Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.


The 28-year-old Yandle has been a core member of the Coyotes since they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. An assistant captain in Arizona, he has been the subject of trade rumors for the last several seasons and was finally moved with a year remaining on a five-year, $26 million contract signed in 2011.


The struggling Coyotes were expected to be sellers at the trade deadline as they rebuild during one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Arizona, 13th in the Western Conference with 47 points, traded center Antoine Vermette to Chicago on Saturday for a 2015 first-round pick and defensive prospect Klas Dahlbeck.


''We're resetting this team,'' Maloney. ''We're gaining assets that in 3, 4, 5 years will put us in position to win the Stanley Cup.''


The 24-year-old Moore should give the Coyotes depth on the blue line. He was the 21st overall pick in the 2009 draft and had a career-best season in 2013-14, with four goals and 11 assists. Moore has a goal and five assists in 38 games this season.


The big piece of the deal for the Coyotes was Duclair.


The 19-year-old left wing was a third-round pick in 2013 and already has NHL experience, scoring a goal with six assists in 18 games with the Rangers this season. He also has nine goals and 16 assists in 20 games with Quebec of the QMJHL.


The Coyotes are hoping he can help set a foundation for the future with Max Domi, the 12th overall draft pick in 2013 who is expected to have a big impact next season. He and Duclair played on a line together for the gold-medal Canadian team in the 2015 World Junior Championships.


''Going into this reset, it's hard to get top young skilled players,'' Maloney said. ''You have to give to get.''

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Kentucky 72, Georgia 64-- Dawgs gave Kentucky everything they had, but in the end, poor foul shooting doomed them. Wildcats are now 30-0.

-- Navy 56, Army 52-- Middies end a 14-game losing streak in conference tourney games.

-- Ill-Chicago 60, Wright State 57-- Flames were down 39-20 at the half.

-- Villanova 76, Creighton 72-- Wildcats didn't look like a #1 seed in this game.

-- Northwestern 82, Michigan 78, 2OT-- Chris Collins' team is finishing strong.

-- Kansas 76, West Virginia 69, OT-- Jayhawks were 0-15 on arc, 34-43 on line; they were down 18 at one point. WVU played without both its starting guards.



**********

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

13) Great night of basketball on TV, but when midnight struck, all the favorites got out with a win; Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova. Its late in the year; everyone is tired-- players, coaches, refs. Conference tournaments will re-energize people.

12) Kentucky is good for other SEC teams; how many basketball sellouts do they get in Athens, Georgia? Wildcats most always win, but they put some big money in their rivals' pockets. Mark Fox signed a contract extension Tuesday; he is making progress, but its a big hill he is climbing.

11) It just dawned on me that I feel sorry for the poor bastard who takes Calipari's place at Kentucky; talk about impossible shoes to fill. he does a tremendous job, but has created a monster that is almost impossible to satisfy.

10) Iowa 77, Indiana 63-- Spoiled fanbase in Indy isn't thrilled with Tom Crean; on July 1, his buyout goes down from $12M to $7.5M. If Brad Stevens ever decides the NBA isn't for him, the coffers will open to lure Stevens to Bloomington.

9) Maryland 70, Rutgers 60-- Thirteen losses in a row for Rutgers, whose move to the Big 14 hasn't gone well. Lot of good ballplayers in New Jersey; how about recruiting some of them? Maryland on the other hand; they're a pleasant surprise.

8) Middle Tennessee is 15-14, 8-8 in C-USA, but they could be a lot better. Here are the Blue Raiders' last three losses:
-- Lost 71-68 at Rice, in double overtime.
-- Lost 57-56 at North Texas; led by 19 at the half.
-- Lost 100-95 at UAB, in triple overtime.

7) Chip Kelly already has nine ex-Oregon players on the Eagles, after he traded his star running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for Kiko Alonso. Kelly dumped DeSean Jackson last year, now McCoy is gone. Will he try to trade up to take former Oregon QB Mariota in the draft? If he does, hope he trades Nick Foles to St Louis.

6) Knicks and Celtics lost Tuesday.....by a combined 69 points. Oy.

Seriously, if you charge $3,600 a seat for courtside seats, how the hell do you lose at home to Sacramento by 38 points?

5) George Karl coaches Sacramento now; he is the Kings' third coach this year. Bet he had a little chuckle when Denver fired Brian Shaw yesterday, because the Nuggets were a pretty good team when Karl coached them, but ownership got impatient with early playoff exits and cleaned house. Not all change is positive.

4) NFL went to a 16-game regular season in 1976; since then, Chicago has had the most different starting QBs, 38. Buccaneers have had 36 and #37 will be in September. ESPN had the Browns with 37, but from '76-'95, those Browns are really the Ravens' franchise, so thats not accurate.

3) Ray Rice banks $1.59M from the Ravens in a settlement; must be nice. Doubt he gets signed by another NFL team and no way would he ever have a TV career; lot of negative publicity for anyone who signs him. Invest that money wisely, sir.

2) Smart move by New York City baseball teams, delaying spring debuts of ARod and Matt Harvey until they can play in games televised by TV stations owned by the team. Harvey pitches for the Mets Friday, SNY's first broadcast of the spring. Alex Rodriguez will be in the lineup today on the YES Network. Smart move.

1) College basketball season has become so long; it starts around Veterans' Day and is still going. Most you can have is 13 scholarship players; most teams have less. You get couple injuries, a suspension and you're down to 7 or 8 players. Teams like UNLV, Southern Miss, Michigan, Marquette, even Duke have dangerously thin rosters. Indiana added a football player on January. Thats why teams are wearing down now, just before the fun starts with conference tournaments and the NCAAs.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, March 4

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

OTTAWA (27-23-0-11, 65 pts.) at WINNIPEG (32-20-0-12, 76 pts.) - 3/4/2015, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 4-2 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 4-2-0 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.9 Units)

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

NY RANGERS (39-17-0-6, 84 pts.) at DETROIT (35-15-0-11, 81 pts.) - 3/4/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 39-23 ATS (+7.2 Units) in all games this season.
NY RANGERS are 29-18 ATS (+10.4 Units) in road games second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 11-3 ATS (+7.3 Units) in road games after a non-conference game this season.
NY RANGERS are 21-11 ATS (+32.3 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 16-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
NY RANGERS are 11-4 ATS (+6.5 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
DETROIT is 85-93 ATS (-93.2 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 4-1 (+3.7 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 4-1-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.1 Units)

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

PITTSBURGH (36-17-0-9, 81 pts.) at COLORADO (27-25-0-11, 65 pts.) - 3/4/2015, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 25-32 ATS (-27.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 82-70 ATS (-50.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 44-32 ATS (+0.6 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 180-130 ATS (+28.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
COLORADO is 101-111 ATS (-60.9 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 2-1 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 2-1-0 straight up against COLORADO 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)

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

MONTREAL (41-17-0-5, 87 pts.) at ANAHEIM (41-17-0-7, 89 pts.) - 3/4/2015, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 2-1 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-1-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.9 Units)

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




NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, March 4

Hot teams
-- Senators won five of their last six games. Winnipeg won five of last six at home.
-- Rangers won five of their last six games. Red Wings won four of last six games.
-- Penguins won last four games, scoring 18 goals. Colorado is 5-3 in its last eight games.
-- Canadiens won four of their last five games. Anaheim won six of last seven games.

Cold teams
-- None

Series records
-- Senators won five of last seven games with Winnipeg.
-- Rangers won four of last five games with Detroit.
-- Penguins won five of last six games with Colorado.
-- Ducks won six of last eight games with Montreal.

Totals
-- Six of last seven Ottawa road games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Ranger road games went over.
-- Six of last nine Colorado home games stayed under.
-- Six of last nine Anaheim home games went over.

Back-to-back
-- Ottawa is 2-4 on road if it played night before.
-- Anaheim is 5-4 if it played night before, 1-2 at home.




NHL

Wednesday, March 4

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

7:30 PM
OTTAWA vs. WINNIPEG
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Ottawa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Winnipeg's last 6 games at home

8:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. DETROIT
NY Rangers are 6-13 SU in their last 19 games when playing Detroit
NY Rangers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 8 games when playing NY Rangers
Detroit is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Rangers

10:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. ANAHEIM
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 9 games on the road
Anaheim is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Montreal
Anaheim is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home

10:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Wednesday, March 4


Coyotes, Blue Jackets skids continue

The Phoenix Coyotes and the Columbus Blue Jackets struggles continue to slid down the standings thanks to a couple of brutal losing streaks.

With Arizona's 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night, the Coyotes' losing streak has hit double digits.

Meanwhile, in Columbus, the Blue Jackets fell 5-3 to the Washington Capitals, to extend their losing streak to seven games.



NHL roundup: Predators lose 4th straight

NEWARK, N.J. -- Defensemen Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas each scored a goal in the first four minutes of the game and goalie Cory Schneider made it stand up by making 33 saves, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.

The Devils, who won for the sixth time in their last eight games, have been dominant at home, posting an 8-2-1 record over their last 11 home games.

The Predators still own then NHL's best record, but lost for the fourth straight time.

Left winger Mike Cammalleri scored the other goal for New Jersey while center Mike Fisher scored Nashville's lone goal.

Capitals 5, Blue Jackets 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Alex Ovechkin scored two goals -- his 12th multi-goal game of the season -- to lead Washington over Columbus in Nationwide Arena.

Oveckhin now has 10 game-winning goals and 43 goals on the season, both tops in the NHL.

Centers Eric Fehr and Nicklas Backstrom and right winger Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals, while goaltender Braden Holtby finished with 24 saves.

Blue Jackets left winger Scott Hartnell had two goals and an assist, while defenseman David Savard scored his 10th goal of the season. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky returned after a six-week absence with a groin injury. He finished with 28 saves.

Flames 3, Flyers 2 (OT)

PHILADELPHIA -- In the thick of a key road trip, playoff-hopeful Calgary earned a much-needed overtime win over Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center.

Right winger Jiri Hudler scored the game-winning goal at 3:37 of the extra session. Centers Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund also potted goals, while goalie Karri Ramo made 35 saves.

The Flyers got goals from center Sean Couturier and defenseman Mark Streit to spearhead a comeback in the third period that fell short.

Lightning 3, Sabres 0

TAMPA, Fla. -- Backup goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves, earning his first career shutout, as Tampa Bay cruised to an easy win over Buffalo at Amalie Arena.

Centers Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan, and defenseman Victor Hedman scored for Tampa Bay.

Lightning starter Ben Bishop took a puck below the belt in Tuesday's morning skate, and Tampa Bay went with Vasilevskiy, a promising 20-year-old rookie from Russia. It proved to be the Lightning's second straight home shutout, following a 4-0 win against Chicago with Bishop in net on Friday night.

Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Toronto rallied for a win over Florida, which sustained two goalie injuries Tuesday night.

Centers Peter Holland, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak scored the goals and goalie Jonathan Bernier made 40 saves for Toronto, which snapped a franchise-record, 16-game road losing streak.

Panthers All-Star goalie Roberto Luongo sustained an apparent neck or shoulder injury in the first period and exited the game. He returned with 9:08 remaining in the third after backup Al Montoya sustained an unspecified injured. Center Brandon Pirri and defenseman Aaron Ekblad scored for Florida.

Wild 3, Senators 2 (SO)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Center Mikko Koivu, left winger Jason Pominville and center Charlie Coyle scored in a five-round shootout for Minnesota as Andrew Hammond's unbeaten run in goal for Ottawa came to an end.

Defenseman Matt Dumba recorded his first career multi-goal game for the Wild while goalie Devan Dubnyk made 30 saves.

Center Mika Zibanejad and right winger Bobby Ryan scored in regulation for Ottawa, which had won five in a row. Hammond, who started the season in the AHL, made 35 saves but suffered his first NHL loss, falling to 5-0-1 since taking over as the team's starter in goal on Feb. 18.

Stars 3, Islanders 2 (OT)

DALLAS -- Center Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist, including the game-winner 2:18 into overtime, as Dallas ended a six-game winless streak by defeating the New York Islanders at American Airlines Center.

Dallas had led 2-1 late, but the Islanders tied it with two seconds remaining when center Anders Lee scored his 21st goal of the season with a wrist shot from the left side that deflected in off the right skate of Stars defenseman Jordie Benn. Left winger Josh Bailey also scored for the Islanders.

Rookie right winger Brett Ritchie and center Vernon Fiddler scored for Dallas, which got 35 saves from goalie Kari Lehtonen.

Ducks 4, Coyotes 1

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ducks general manager Bob Murray hoped that a flurry of trade-deadline moves made Anaheim faster, deeper and more mobile on defense. For one night, all of those boxes were checked. The Ducks got assists from newcomers Tomas Fleischmann and Simon Despres and two goals from left winger Andrew Cogliano in a win over Arizona at Gila River Arena.

Center Ryan Kesler and right winger Jakob Silfverberg also scored for Anaheim.

Coyotes left winger Tobias Rieder scored his team's lone goal.

Kings 5, Oilers 2

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Los Angeles made clean and easy work of Edmonton at Rexall Place.

The Kings had been streaky and inconsistent -- they lost three in a row, went on an eight-game win streak and arrived in Edmonton on another three-game losing streak -- but they responded with an intimidating show of force, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals from defenseman Matt Greene and center Trevor Lewis.

The Kings also got a short-handed goal from center Jeff Carter and goals from center Anze Kopitar and left winger Kyle Clifford. Left winger Luke Gazdic and right winger Ted Purcell scored for the Oilers.

Sharks 6, Canucks 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Left winger Matt Nieto scored twice, the second into an empty net, and added an assist as San Jose built an early lead and went on to defeat Vancouver.

Centers Chris Tierney, Melker Karlsson and Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who won back-to-back games for the first time in a month. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored into an empty net. Left winger Patrick Marleau added a pair of assists and San Jose goalie Antti Niemi made 26 saves.

Center Henrik Sedin scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 901 NHL points and extending his points streak to eight games (six goals, seven assists). Left winger Daniel Sedin had two assists. Canucks goalie Eddie Lack, who replaced Markstrom early in the first period, made 23 saves.

 

[CNOTES]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
Time Posted: 10:30 a.m. EST

Game 51-52: Ottawa at Winnipeg (7:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Ottawa 11.304; Winnipeg 12.283
Dunkel Line & Total: Winnipeg by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Winnipeg (-180); 5
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (-180); Under

Game 53-54: NY Rangers at Detroit (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Rangers 10.707; Detroit 12.647
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-135); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-135); Over

Game 55-56: Pittsburgh at Colorado (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 11.203; Colorado 12.080
Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-150); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+130); Under

Game 57-58: Montreal at Anaheim (10:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 12.329; Anaheim 10.868
Dunkel Line & Total: Montreal by 1 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-135); 5
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (+115); Over

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Senators (27-23) at Jets (32-20)


Date: March 04, 2015 7:30 PM EDT

Sitting a rookie goaltender that has led his team to 11 points in 12 games isn't an easy decision to make.


That's what Ottawa Senators coach Dave Cameron appears set to do, though.


Craig Anderson's first appearance in six weeks is expected Wednesday night when the surging Senators conclude a five-game trip against the Winnipeg Jets.


Ottawa has played itself back into the playoff race behind unheralded rookie Andrew Hammond, who was forced into the lineup after injuries to Anderson (bruised hand) and Robin Lehner (concussion). The 27-year-old won his first five starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and was outstanding again Tuesday at Minnesota, stopping 36 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss.


'To salvage points when you get down by two goals in this league is tough to do, so for us to do that shows the resiliency in this room,' Hammond said.


With another point, the Senators (27-23-11) moved within six of Boston in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.


'You have to respond, so that was a good push-back at the right time, but overall I thought we were pretty good,' Cameron said.


Anderson, who's been sidelined since Jan. 21, was activated off injured reserve Sunday and is scheduled to start. He turned aside 37 shots in a 2-1 shootout victory over Winnipeg on Nov. 8, improving to 4-0-1 with a 2.36 GAA in his last five starts in the series.


Ottawa has never lost a road game against the Jets, winning all four meetings since the franchise relocated from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season.


Mike Hoffman - another rookie - has also been key for the Senators lately. The leader among all first-year players with 23 goals, Hoffman has eight and 17 points in his last 16 games.


Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice knows this will be a challenge for his club.


"They're playing with the desperation that those teams play with when the games get under 20 and they're still on the outside looking in," he told the team's official website. "Lots of speed, good quickness to their game, their back end is big and strong. It's going to be up and down the ice with speed but it will be a heavy game too."


This contest closes a four-game homestand for the Jets (32-20-12), who are 2-0-1 in the first three and have at least a point in 10 of 12 after losing four straight in regulation.


Captain Andrew Ladd scored twice and recent acquisitions Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers added goals in Winnipeg's 5-2 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday. The Jets matched a season best by limiting the Kings to 20 shots and held an opponent without a power-play goal for the fourth consecutive game.


Michael Hutchinson made his sixth start in seven games and improved to 5-0-3 with a 2.37 GAA in his past eight.


Veteran forward Lee Stempniak is expected to make his Jets debut after he was acquired from the Rangers prior to Monday's trade deadline.


Stempniak, who had nine goals and 18 points in 53 games with New York, skated on a line with Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry at practice Tuesday.


"He's got some veteran experience. He can move the puck and make plays," Maurice said.


Ladd continues to lead Winnipeg offensively, tallying four goals and seven points in his last seven games. However, he only has one goal in a 19-game stretch against Ottawa.


The shootout win in November ended Winnipeg's three-game skid in the series.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Rangers (39-17) at Red Wings (35-15)


Date: March 04, 2015 8:00 PM EDT

With deadline deals done completed, the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings are ready to make their final pushes for playoff positioning.


Mats Zuccarello's play down the stretch also could be pivotal in the Metropolitan Division title chase for New York, which seeks a 10th win in 12 games Wednesday night when it visits Detroit.


The Rangers (39-17-6), battling the Islanders and Pittsburgh for the division lead, continue to play some of the best hockey in the NHL, averaging 3.9 goals during a 9-1-1 stretch. Derick Brassard has 11 assists in that span while Rick Nash has five goals and five assists despite missing a game.


Brassard had two assists while Nash scored his 38th goal in Monday's 4-1 victory over league-leading Nashville, winning in All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle's debut after he was acquired Sunday from Arizona.


Coach Alain Vigneault may have been most pleased by Zuccarello having two assists hours after he agreed to a four-year, $18 million extension.


Zuccarello, who had a team-high 59 points in his breakout 2013-14 campaign, has been inconsistent this season with 37 points through 60 games. He had four goals and five assists during a seven-game point streak Jan. 31-Feb. 12 but had only three points in the next eight games before recording a pair Monday. Additionally, he had just 10 points during New York's 11-9-3 start.


The Rangers are 22-4-3 when he tallies at least one point.


"He was a real good player," Vigneault said of his performance Sunday. "I don't know if the fact that he just signed his big deal made him do that, but we need him to be on top of his game.


"Hopefully his mind is clear, and we're going to see Mats on a regular basis."


The Red Wings (35-15-11) are six points back of first-place Montreal in the Atlantic and also trail Tampa Bay. They acquired left wing Erik Cole from Dallas on Sunday in exchange for minor leaguers Mattias Janmark and Mattias Backman and a second-round pick. They also sent a conditional pick to New Jersey for defenseman Marek Zidlicky on Monday.


Cole has 18 goals and 15 assists in 57 games. Zidlicky was second on the Devils with 75 blocked shots.


"We're right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference, and if we could add a piece or two, leading up to the deadline, to make us a little deeper, a little better-prepared for a playoff series, at a price that we could live with, we wanted to do it," general manager Ken Holland said.


Zidlicky in particular could boost what is already the NHL's best power play, converting 25.0 percent of its opportunities. Twelve of his 23 points this season have come on the man advantage.


Cole, meanwhile, is riding a hot stretch with five goals and four assists over his last 10 games.


The Red Wings also knocked off the Predators their last time out, 4-3 on Saturday to conclude a 4-1-1 trip. Four of their next five games are at home.


Henrik Zetterberg, second on Detroit with 49 points, could be back on the ice after missing four games since taking a shot to the head in a Feb. 21 win over the Stars.


The Rangers had won five straight in the series, including a 4-3 home victory in overtime Nov. 5, prior to a 3-2 loss in Detroit on Dec. 6. The Red Wings are 7-0-1 in the last eight home meetings.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Penguins (36-17) at Avalanche (27-25)


Date: March 04, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

Jockeying for position in the cramped Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins believe they've set themselves up well to move forward.


Looking for a fifth consecutive victory, the visiting Penguins could have a pair of recently acquired defensemen available to help continue their success over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.


After picking up veteran forward Daniel Winnik from Toronto last Wednesday, Pittsburgh (36-17-9) re-acquired Ben Lovejoy from Anaheim in exchange for Simon Despres and Ian Cole from St. Louis for Robert Bortuzzo and a draft pick.


Third in the division, the Penguins are chasing both New York teams.


'To have a good run in the playoffs you need experience and that's what we've done here,' general manager Jim Rutherford said.


Among the NHL leaders allowing 2.42 per contest, Rutherford felt the refined skills of Lovejoy and White are a better postseason fit than the bruising play of fellow defensemen Despres and Bortuzzo.


'Clearly the two guys we traded may be a more little aggressive on the fighting side than the two guys we got back,' he said. 'There will be a few that we play in the regular season that we'll need that. We'll have to do that as a unit ... but when you get to the playoffs, it's not as useful.'


Lovejoy, who spent his first four-plus seasons with Pittsburgh before being dealt to Anaheim in 2012-13, had a goal with 10 assists in 40 games with the Ducks this season. He's also played 29 career playoff games with both clubs.


Cole, meanwhile, recorded seven goals with 13 assists in 100 games for the Blues since the start of last season but is a plus-31.


In his Pittsburgh debut, Winnik recorded an assist during Sunday's 5-3 win over Columbus. David Perron, acquired from Edmonton in January, scored his 10th goal in 24 games with the Penguins.


'The Penguins have as good a chance as any team in the Eastern Conference,' Rutherford said.


"We feel we've strengthened our defense after going through the process of the forwards, getting more balance up front. So this is our team."


A team obviously paced by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who have combined for five goals and 11 assists while Pittsburgh's scored 18 times over the last four games.


Teammate Marc-Andre Fleury has won three straight but yielded three goals in each of the last two after posting a 1.00 goals-against average in his previous seven starts. Fleury, who stopped 29 shots during a 1-0 overtime win over the Avalanche on Dec. 18, has a 1.59 GAA during a 7-1-0 starting stretch against them.


Malkin assisted on Blake Comeau's goal in December to give Pittsburgh a sixth win in seven games versus Colorado (27-25-11).


Looking to avoid a fourth straight home defeat to Pittsburgh, Colorado made its biggest move prior to the trade deadline by sending ex-Penguin Max Talbot to Boston. It came two days after Talbot scored in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota.


Needing a serious surge to move into playoff position, Colorado has lost two of three since winning four of five.


'There's no quit in this room,' said forward Jarome Iginla, who was part of Pittsburgh's playoff push two years ago. 'We just have to keep going and try to put a streak together.'


It's uncertain if teammate Nathan MacKinnon will play after breaking his nose against the Wild. After recording 63 points during his Calder Trophy-winning season, MacKinnon has 37 while currently playing on Colorado's fourth line.


He doesn't have a point in three games versus Pittsburgh.

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Canadiens (41-17) at Ducks (41-17)


Date: March 04, 2015 10:00 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens are both in the hunt for their first Presidents' Trophy, but they're not alone.


The Ducks look to gain sole possession of the lead in that race while the visiting Canadiens would like to create a three-way tie as they face each other Wednesday night.


Anaheim (41-17-7) is tied with Nashville for the most points in the NHL, but Montreal (41-17-5) is just two back as all three teams chase their first Presidents' Trophy - an award first issued in 1985-86.


The Ducks have improved their chances by winning six of seven games and three in a row after beating Arizona 4-1 on the road Tuesday. They got assists from defenseman Simon Despres and Tomas Fleischmann, while fellow left wing Jiri Sekac also made his team debut after all three arrived in separate trades before Monday's deadline.


"It's almost a different type of team now with the speed that we got," coach Bruce Boudreau said.


Andrew Cogliano has been an offensive contributor of late with eight points in nine games to match his production from the previous 35. The center continued his scoring surge with two goals Tuesday, but he doesn't have a point in four straight games against Montreal.


Ryan Getzlaf, though, has nine points in seven career meetings with the Canadiens, getting an assist in a 2-1 road win Dec. 18.


Frederik Andersen had 23 saves in that meeting, but it's unclear if he'll start this time after making 29 stops Tuesday in his return from a neck injury that sidelined him for 10 games.


"I felt pretty good the whole game," Andersen said.


Still, Andersen is likely to yield to backup John Gibson, who has never faced Montreal. He's won five of his last six starts with a 1.98 goals-against average, and was superb with 39 saves in Sunday's 3-1 win at Dallas.


The Canadiens have put together a 9-2-2 stretch, but they were outshot 37-20 in Monday's listless 4-0 loss at San Jose to open this four-game trip.


"We just weren't sharp," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "We weren't and they were. They seemed like they had more juice. They were just going, going, going. ... This wasn't our team."


That could certainly be said specifically about Carey Price, who allowed four goals for the first time since Jan. 6 and had won 10 straight road games behind a 1.20 GAA and two shutouts.


Price is among the favorites for the Vezina Trophy, as his 36 wins and 1.92 GAA lead the league while his six shutouts are two back of Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury.


"I don't know if it's just maturity or just knowing you have the ability or whatever it is, you just go out there and do your job," Price told the league's official website. "Obviously you need a team in front of you to play well. I totally trust the guys that are playing around me, and that's the God's honest truth.


"All I worry about is making that first save, and when you're doing that it really simplifies things."


Price, though, has had trouble with the Ducks, going 1-3-1 with a 2.83 GAA in six career meetings. He had 21 saves against them in December, and his only start in Anaheim came in 2008.


Max Pacioretty didn't figure in the scoring in the most recent matchup, but he had three goals in the previous two. That includes a tally in a 4-3 shootout win in Montreal's latest visit to the Honda Center on March 5, 2014.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- San Diego State 60, UNLV 58-- Referee David Hall worked his 89th game in 111 nights this college basketball season.

-- Eight of UNLV's last nine losses were by 6 or less points or in overtime.

-- Turns out that Jim Harbaugh is a big fan of Judge Judy's TV show; who knew?

-- Odd fact: Werner Ladder is the official ladder of the NCAA tournament.

-- Dodgers apparently have offered to pay about half of the $56M they owe Andre Ethier over the next three years, if some team will trade for him.

-- Leftfield bleachers in Wrigley Field won't be available until at least May 11; ones in rightfield not until June at the earliest, as renovations at the ballpark are dragging.



**********

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

13) Hard to believe its been 25 years since Hank Gathers died. Young man was a star for Loyola Marymount; he had a heart attack on the court during the WCC tournament and passed away shortly thereafter. Very sad, seems like yesterday.

12) Irony of Reggie Jackson being called Mr October: first time one of teams he played for made the World Series, in 1972, Jackson didn't play in the series because he tore his hamstring sliding into home plate in Game 5 of the playoff series with Detroit. A's replaced him with George Hendrick/Angel Mangual in that series.

11) Exhibition baseball is therapeutic, but I watch highlights Tuesday and I see Josh Donaldson playing for Toronto, Yoenis Cespedes for Detroit and for those several minutes, it is not fun to be an A's fan. No one good ever stays.

10) This goes all the way back to New Years Eve, 1974; I was 15 and went bowling. Came home and turned the sports ticker channel on, the cool channel with a light blue screen that spouted out sports stuff whenever the stock market was closed.

That night, the channel delivered me bad news: Catfish Hunter had signed with the baseball team in the Bronx. My favorite player had left the A's for money, something that has repeated itself over and over and over for the last 40 years. It sucks.

9) Side note that I mentioned here once before: that bowling alley, Sunset Lanes, will soon be turned into a warehouse for the many Asian grocery stores and restaurants in this area. America needs more bowling alleys, not less. Not all change is positive.

8) While I'm complaining about things, selling Personal Seat Licenses to stadiums should be illegal. You build a stadium with taxpayer dollars, you charge fans a fee just to have the right to buy tickets for the games there; how is this not extortion?

7) There were 14,400 pitching changes in the major leagues last year, thats 5.94 per game, or roughly 2,500 more than in 1998. How long does a pitching change take, if it is done during a half-inning? 5-7 minutes? There are two main reasons baseball games are longer now than they were 20 years ago:
-- More commercials in between innings.
-- More pitching changs, a lot more.

6) Baseball fans don't care that games are a little longer; the media does and the media influences a lot of what the average fan thinks, so the things they bitch about become the things a lot of average fans bitch about. Its too bad.

5) Saw this somewhere today, maybe an ESPN magazine I was reading: the average number of balls in play during a 2014 baseball game: 52. There are obviously 54 outs in a 9-inning game if home team bats in 9th inning; subtract strikeouts, add in hits and errors and you get 52. I had never thought about it, but it is an interesting number.

4) Peyton Manning took a $4M pay cut for next year, will play for $15M, which is not pocket change, but it is less than his brother Eli makes.

3) Peyton Manning threw 21 TDs with only four INTs at home LY; he threw 18 TDs, 11 INTs on the road.

2) Virginia is expected to get Justin Anderson back for its next game at Louisville Saturday and more importantly, the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Anderson is their best player; would be curious to see the Cavaliers play Kentucky.

1) Underrated move: Buffalo Bills traded for Matt Cassel Wednesday. Cassel once led the Patriots to an 11-5 record when Tom Brady got hurt in the season opener. He never started a game at USC, backing up Carson Palmer/Matt Leinart.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, March 5

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

CALGARY (34-25-0-4, 72 pts.) at BOSTON (31-22-0-9, 71 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 15-2 ATS (+12.0 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 34-29 ATS (+64.6 Units) in all games this season.
CALGARY is 8-4 ATS (+13.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
CALGARY is 34-32 ATS (+73.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 31-31 ATS (+65.0 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 10-15 ATS (-10.5 Units) after a non-conference game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 2-1-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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

MINNESOTA (34-22-0-7, 75 pts.) at WASHINGTON (35-20-0-10, 80 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 9-19 ATS (-10.9 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 11-29 ATS (+51.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 141-187 ATS (-68.2 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 1-1-0 straight up against MINNESOTA 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)

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

ST LOUIS (40-18-0-5, 85 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (27-25-0-12, 66 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 28-19 ATS (+7.0 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 100-71 ATS (+171.0 Units) in road games in non-conference games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 1-1-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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

TORONTO (26-33-0-5, 57 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (39-20-0-6, 84 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 5-21 ATS (+34.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
TORONTO is 5-21 ATS (+32.9 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 11-26 ATS (+40.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
TORONTO is 0-9 ATS (+16.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
TAMPA BAY is 9-15 ATS (-24.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
TAMPA BAY is 302-374 ATS (-98.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 5-4-0 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=+0.8 Units)

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

DALLAS (28-26-0-10, 66 pts.) at FLORIDA (28-23-0-13, 69 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 2-1 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 2-1-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)

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

NY ISLANDERS (41-21-0-3, 85 pts.) at NASHVILLE (41-17-0-7, 89 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 41-24 ATS (+12.3 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 12-1 ATS (+12.0 Units) in home games after a non-conference game this season.
NASHVILLE is 39-27 ATS (+6.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 171-156 ATS (+12.3 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 9-1 ATS (+7.6 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
NY ISLANDERS are 41-24 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 2-1-0 straight up against NASHVILLE 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)

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

VANCOUVER (36-24-0-3, 75 pts.) at ARIZONA (20-37-0-7, 47 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 28-41 ATS (-18.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 12-6 ATS (+6.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
VANCOUVER is 9-3 ATS (+5.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
VANCOUVER is 8-2 ATS (+10.2 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ARIZONA is 20-44 ATS (-45.3 Units) in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 3-19 ATS (+26.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
ARIZONA is 6-24 ATS (+44.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 5-5 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
ARIZONA is 5-5-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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

MONTREAL (41-18-0-5, 87 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (30-21-0-12, 72 pts.) - 3/5/2015, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 2-1 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 2-1-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

 

[CNOTES]

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, March 5

Hot teams
-- Bruins won three of their last four games.
-- Minnesota won 14 of its last 17 games. Washington won six of last nine.
-- Toronto is 3-2 in last five games, after an ugly 1-16 skid. Lightning won four of last six games.

Cold teams
-- Flames lost four of their last six games.
-- St Louis lost four of last seven games. Flyers lost three of last four.
-- Dallas Stars lost six of their last seven games. Florida lost five of last seven games.
-- Nashville lost last four games, outscored 15-7. Islanders lost four of their last six games.
-- Coyotes lost their last ten games. Vancouver lost its last three games, outscored 12-6.
-- Montreal lost its last two games, outscored 7-1. Kings lost three of last four games.

Series records
-- Bruins won four of last five games with Calgary.
-- Home side won last nine Minnesota-Washington games.
-- Blues won three of last four games with Philly.
-- Lightning won three of last four games with Toronto.
-- Florida won three of last four games with Dallas.
-- Islanders won last two games with Nashville, 3-1/5-2.
-- Coyotes won five of last seven games with Vancouver.
-- Canadiens won five of last seven games with Los Angeles.

Totals
-- Last four Calgary road games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last twelve Washington home games stayed under.
-- Five of last seven St Louis road games stayed under.
-- Last seven Toronto road games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Dallas road games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Islander road games stayed under.
-- Three of last four Arizona home games went over.
-- Nine of last twelve Montreal road games stayed under.

Back-to-back
-- Montreal is 7-3 on road if it played the night before.

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Thursday, March 5

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

7:00 PM
CALGARY vs. BOSTON
Calgary is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Calgary

7:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing Washington
Minnesota is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games at home

7:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PHILADELPHIA
St. Louis is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
Philadelphia is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against St. Louis

7:30 PM
DALLAS vs. FLORIDA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing on the road against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games
Florida is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Toronto

8:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. NASHVILLE
NY Islanders are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Nashville
NY Islanders are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Nashville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

9:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Vancouver is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver

10:30 PM
MONTREAL vs. LOS ANGELES
Montreal is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Los Angeles
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
Los Angeles is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal

 

[CNOTES]

NHL

Thursday, March 5


Ellis to start for Panthers, first since April

The Florida Panthers goaltending situation got dire rapidly, so dire that the team is expected to start Dan Ellis in nets Thursday. The 34-year old Canadian has not made an appearance on NHL ice since April 8, 2014.

Ellis has a 22-11-3 record with a 2.70 goals against average and a .921 save percentage with the Panthers AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage.

Roberto Luongo, the Panthers starting goalie, is officially day-to-day with a shoulder injury with backup Al Montoya out for at least two weeks with an upper body injury.


Bruins' new forward Connolly out six weeks

The Boston Bruins acquired forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning for two second-round draft picks just before the trade deadline to bolster a forward group decimated by injuries for the stretch run.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, Connolly will miss said stretch run after it was announced he would be out six weeks with a displaced fracture in his right index finger. Connolly was injured in practice Wednesday when he was struck in the hand by a shot from defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.

Connolly, a 2010 first-round pick, has 12 goals and three assists in 50 games this season with the Lightning. He had yet to play a game with the Bruins.


Rangers' G Henrik Lundqvist, Mid March

Lundqvist is on injured reserve while recovering from a neck injury and is hopeful to return within two weeks.


A perfect night to back unders on the ice

It was a great time to bet on the under in NHL action Wednesday night, with it going a perfect 4-0.

It was a low scoring night, with an average of just 3/75 goals scored per game last night.

The under has been the slightly better bet in the NHL season, coming through 52.3 percent of the time.



NHL roundup: Zidlicky nets OT winner for Red Wings

DETROIT -- Defenseman Marek Zidlicky's power-play goal 1:09 into overtime gave the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard made 39 saves to give the Red Wings an opportunity to win.

Right winger Justin Abdelkader also scored for Detroit and center Henrik Zetterberg had two assists.

Defenseman Dan Girardi scored for New York and goalie Cam Talbot made 29 saves.

Zidlicky, who was acquired via a trade from the New Jersey Devils on Monday, jammed in a shot that rolled over Talbot's back and into the net.

It was Zidlicky's fourth goal.

Senators 3, Jets 1

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Ottawa goalie Andrew Hammond stopped 35 shots and center Kyle Turris scored a goal and set up another to beat Winnipeg.

Center Kyle Turris scored his 16th of the year, right winger Bobby Ryan notched his 17th and right winger Erik Condra chipped in his eighth for Ottawa.

Right winger Michael Frolik netted his 14th goal for Winnipeg (32-21-12).

Starting goalie Michael Hutchinson allowed three goals on 17 shots for the Jets and was replaced by Ondrej Pavelec with about eight minutes left in the second period. Pavelec was tested only three times the rest of the game.

Avalanche 3, Penguins 1

DENVER -- Left winger Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and two assists, goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves and Colorado beat Pittsburgh.

Right winger Jarome Iginla and center Nathan MacKinnon also scored for Colorado.

Center Evgeni Malkin scored his fifth goal in the last four games for Pittsburgh, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 19 of 22 shots for the Penguins.

Ducks 3, Canadiens 1

ANAHEIM, Calif.- Anaheim beat Montreal at Honda Center, putting it in sole possession of the top spot in the West.

Defensemen Francois Beauchemin and Cam Fowler and center Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim. Ducks rookie goalie John Gibson turned away 37 shots.

Montreal broke up the shutout with 1:41 left, as center Alex Galchenyuk redirected a sharp-angle shot into the net for his 19th goal of the campaign. Goaltender Carey Price came up with 30 saves.

 

[CNOTES]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez got thrown out of an exhibition game last night after one pitch, a pitch called a ball. Never saw that before.

-- I'm surprised Utah State is passing on the NIT, CBI or CIT; they've got a young team that is pretty good. Stew Morrill is retiring; not really sure why.

-- CIT already has one first round matchup: New Hampshire vs NJIT. Not exactly Duke-Carolina, but I'm sure they're excited about making the postseason.

-- Cavaliers 128, Spurs 125, OT-- Kyrie Irving scored 57 points for Cleveland.

-- Irving played one year at Duke, but never played in an ACC game; he got hurt in pre-conference play and never came back until the NCAA tournament.

-- There are two bowling alleys in the White House; do they have to rent shoes?



**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college hoop Thursday

13) AAC
-- East Carolina 81, Central Florida 80 OT-- Jeff Lebo got on TV a lot when he played at North Carolina; his Pirates get a rare national TV shot today.

Was told Thursday that if UConn doesn't get in a Power 5 football conference, they will drop football and concentrate on basketball as a revenue sport.

12) ACC
-- Notre Dame 70, Miami 63-- Irish blew 18-point halftime lead, still won.
-- North Carolina 70, Louisville 60-- Cardinals first conference tourney loss since '11.

11) A-14
-- VCU 63, Fordham 57-- VCU isn't a very good team without injured star Weber; they play crosstown rival Richmond today. Spiders beat them twice already. .

10) Big X
-- Iowa State 69, Texas 67-- Cyclones scored last 12 points of game, led for only one second-- the last second. This game could cost Texas an NCAA bid.
-- Kansas 64, TCU 59-- Horned Frogs are fighting a tremendous uphill battle in this league; refs made sure they lost this game late. Kansas is banged up.
-- Baylor 80, West Virginia 70-- Bears are my sleeper team to make Final Four.

9) Big 14
-- Penn State 67, Iowa 58-- Hawkeyes had won six games in a row.
-- Michigan 73, Illinois 55-- Wolverines had lost seven of last nine games.

8) Big Sky
-- Top four seeds all advanced, but host Montana needed OT to win.
-- Idaho hit 10-18 on arc, still didn't cover as a 7-point underdog (lost 81-73).

7) Big West
-- Long Beach State started four seniors but got smoked by Hawai'i; Long Beach seemed OK with their college careers ending. Hawai'i totally outhustled them.

6) C-USA
-- UAB 53, Western Kentucky 52-- League's accountants breathe a sigh of relief, since tournament is in Birmingham. Will be lot of empty seats if Blazers lose.
-- Middle Tennessee 59, Old Dominion 52-- Favored Monarchs were 8-19 on foul line.

5) MAC
-- Akron 53, Kent 51-- Zips avenged last week's 79-77 loss to Kent; not sure why this league doesn't get more exposure on ESPN.

4) Mountain West
-- San Diego State 67, UNLV 64-- Pretty sure this was 10th game this year that the Rebels lost after leading at halftime; thats a lot of games to lose that way.
-- Wyoming 67, Utah State 65-- End of line for Utah State's fine coach Stew Morrill.

3) Pac-12
-- All four top seeds advanced; Oregon and Utah had dominant second halves.
-- I heard Ben Howland doing the A-14 tournament tonight; how has he not gotten another head coaching job? He had UCLA in Final Four three times.

2) SEC
-- South Carolina 60, Ole Miss 58-- Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter. Never foul a jump shooter.

These teams both did it in the last 0:05 of a brickfest where both teams shot under 31% for the game. Ole Miss has made themselves a bubble team.

1) Sun Belt-- When ESPN first started, this league was the first one to let them show a lot of games. Now they never get games on TV; nice gratitude there. Both underdogs won quarterfinal games on Thursday. The league kingpins play the winners today.