NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up
Friday, December 22
Philly won four of its last five games with Buffalo; they?re 3-2 in last five games here. Three of last four series games played here stayed under the total. Flyers won seven of their last eight games overall, three in row on road; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games. Buffalo lost five of its last six games overall, four of their last five at home. Five of their last six games stayed under total.
Minnesota won eight of its last ten games with Florida; they?re 3-2 in last five visits to South Beach. Under is 4-2-2 in last eight series games. Minnesota won five of its last seven games overall, three of last four on road. Four of their last five games stayed under total. Florida lost seven of last ten games overall, four of last five at home. Four of their last five games stayed under total.
Home side won last five Washington-Arizona games; Wizards lost three of last four games played here. Five of last six series games stayed under. Washington won four in row, eight of last nine games; they?re 3-1 in last four road games. Over is 8-3 in their last eleven games. Arizona lost its last seven games, outscored 24-9; Coyotes lost four of last five home games. Under is 18-4 in their last 22 games.
Flames won three of their last four games with Montreal; under is 5-3-1 in last nine series games. Canadiens lost three of last five games in the Saddledome. Montreal lost four of last six games; they?re 2-3 in last five road games. Over is 5-3 in their last eight games. Calgary won its last two games 6-1/2-1; they?re 2-4 in their last six home games. Under is 6-2 in their last eight games.
NHL
Friday, December 22
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Trend Report
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PHILADELPHIA @ BUFFALO
Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Buffalo's last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games
MINNESOTA @ FLORIDA
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Florida's last 15 games at home
WASHINGTON @ ARIZONA
Washington is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Arizona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing Washington
MONTREAL @ CALGARY
Montreal is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Montreal's last 12 games on the road
Calgary is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games
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NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: Ovie and the Caps try to avoid "Vegas flu"
Monty Andrews
The Habs take a holiday trip to Alberta, an original six matinee on Saturday, and Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals make their first trip to Sin City.
A Western Canada Christmas
The Montreal Canadiens will play two games in two nights prior to their Christmas Break - and both will take place in snowy Alberta, as they take on the Calgary Flames on Friday night and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Canadiens fans and bettors should get used to seeing them away from the Bell Centre, as they continue a seven-game road trip that extends through the end of the year. The Habs have seen much higher-scoring games away from Montreal, going 9-5-1 O/U on the road compared to 7-11-1 at home. The Canadiens split their Alberta doubleheader a season ago, losing 5-0 to Calgary before beating Edmonton 4-1.
Original Six Matinee
The Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins will head into their holiday break a little earlier than the rest of the league as they face off in a Saturday matinee at TD Garden. This Original Six matchup has been somewhat one sided in recent history, with the Bruins having won three consecutive meetings and five of the previous six. That dominant stretch includes a 3-2 overtime decision over Detroit in their previous encounter back on Dec. 14. The Red Wings have been a strong over play on the road, exceeding the total in four of their previous five games away from Detroit. And three of the past four meetings between the teams have gone over.
Ovi's Vegas Vacation
Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals make their first-ever trip to Sin City as they face the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday evening. The Capitals are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment, having won eight of their past nine games while going over the total in eight of their previous 11 contests. But they'll be in tough against a Vegas team that is looking to become the first expansion franchise to reach the Stanley Cup final in Year 1. The Golden Knights are an NHL-best 14-2-1 at home and have one of the top offenses in the league, entering Friday ranked third overall in average goals per game (3.5).
Injury Updates
* Don't expect Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews to be back in the lineup Saturday against the host New York Rangers. Matthews continues to nurse an upper-body injury - and the Maple Leafs are scuffling without him, going 2-4-0 SU in his absence.
* Bruins forward David Krejci missed his third straight game Thursday with an upper-body ailment, and it isn't known when he will return to action. Krejci has five goals and nine assists in 18 games; Boston is 5-3-1 SU and 8-1 O/U when Krejci records a point.
* The Montreal Canadiens have shut down defenseman Shea Weber indefinitely after he suffered a foot injury in a Dec. 16 loss to Ottawa. It's a major blow for a Canadiens team that leads the NHL with 557 blocked shots; Weber is third on the team with 59.
Player News
* The New York Islanders are getting major production from their first line of Anders Lee, John Tavares and Josh Bailey, who have combined for 39 points in 10 December games. The Isles sit at +650 on Bet365 to win the Metropolitan Division.
* It has been a much less productive month for Vancouver Canucks forward Sam Gagner, who has the worst plus-minus rating of any forward this month (minus-10) while recording one goal in nine games. His minus-19 season rating is worst on the Canucks.
* Over bettors have been rejoicing whenever New York Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss is between the pipes. The Isles have gone above the total in 11 straight games in which Greiss has appeared, and in 14 of his last 15 outings.
Stanley Cup Futures
* Is it time to take the Golden Knights seriously? Oddsmakers apparently think so - they've moved the expansion darlings to +1,800 on Bet365 to earn an improbable Stanley Cup victory. Vegas is installed at +250 to win the Pacific, behind only the Kings (+160).
* The Toronto Maple Leafs remain Canada's best hope of ending a 35-year national Stanley Cup drought, even while stumbling in Matthews' absence. The Leafs are +950 to win the championship; Winnipeg is the next closest Canadian team at +1,700.
* The Philadelphia Flyers have seen their Stanley Cup odds improve - at least slightly - following a stretch of seven wins in eight games. But they're still among the longest of longshots at this point, listed at +3,000 to win their first title since 1975.
Totals Trends
* The Vancouver Canucks are the hottest over play in the league right now, boasting a six-game streak heading into Thursday night's encounter with San Jose. Vancouver enters that game having allowed four or more goals in six of its last seven outings.
* The goal lights at KeyBank Center probably won't need new filaments for a while. The Sabres continue to be one of the strongest under plays at home this season, going below the total in 11 of their first 16 games in Buffalo.
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NHL
Long Sheet
Friday, December 22
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PHILADELPHIA (15-12-0-7, 37 pts.) at BUFFALO (8-19-0-7, 23 pts.) - 12/22/2017, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 41-54 ATS (-24.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 16-7 ATS (+9.0 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 8-26 ATS (-24.1 Units) in all games this season.
BUFFALO is 8-26 ATS (+45.0 Units) first half of the season this season.
BUFFALO is 3-20 ATS (+33.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
BUFFALO is 20-38 ATS (+69.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 4-3-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.3 Units)
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MINNESOTA (18-13-0-3, 39 pts.) at FLORIDA (13-16-0-5, 31 pts.) - 12/22/2017, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 18-5 ATS (+11.6 Units) in December games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 48-68 ATS (-46.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 9-18 ATS (-10.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 29-43 ATS (-14.9 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 104-160 ATS (+268.6 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
FLORIDA is 157-236 ATS (+432.0 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-1 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 3-1-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)
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WASHINGTON (22-12-0-1, 45 pts.) at ARIZONA (7-24-0-5, 19 pts.) - 12/22/2017, 9:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 2-3 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-2-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.9 Units)
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MONTREAL (15-15-0-4, 34 pts.) at CALGARY (18-14-0-3, 39 pts.) - 12/22/2017, 9:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 12-23 ATS (-15.0 Units) in December games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-13 ATS (-11.7 Units) in non-conference games this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
CALGARY is 3-2 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 3-2-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)
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NHL
Dunkel
Friday, December 22
Philadelphia @ Buffalo
Game 1-2
December 22, 2017 @ 7:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
12.224
Buffalo
10.109
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Philadelphia
by 2
4
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Philadelphia
-115
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Philadelphia
(-115); Under
Minnesota @ Florida
Game 3-4
December 22, 2017 @ 7:35 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
10.526
Florida
11.667
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Florida
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Florida
-110
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Florida
(-110); Over
Washington @ Arizona
Game 5-6
December 22, 2017 @ 9:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Washington
10.446
Arizona
11.512
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Arizona
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-160
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Arizona
(+140); Under
Montreal @ Calgary
Game 7-8
December 22, 2017 @ 9:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Montreal
12.204
Calgary
10.798
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Montreal
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Calgary
-140
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Montreal
(+120); Over
