Friday 10/28/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

German Bundesliga TODAY 19:30

Mgladbach

v

E Frankfurt

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		17/20	5/2	7/2	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MGLADBACH	RECENT FORM
H LA LH DA WA LH W​ Most recent​	3 - 0 1 - 3 4 - 1 2 - 0	A WH DA LH DA WH D*​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Gladbach have won ten and drawn the other of their last 11 home league games

EXPERT VERDICT: Gladbach have lost only once at home in the league in over a year - and that was against Borussia Dortmund - and did the double over Frankfurt last term to the tune of an 8-1 aggregate. Frankfurt have won two of four away games, but those were against backmarkers Ingolstadt and Hamburg, and this is a far tougher test.

RECOMMENDATION: Gladbach
2

French Ligue 1 TODAY 19:45

Lille

v

Paris St-G.

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT3		13/2	13/5	4/7	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LILLE	RECENT FORM
A LH LA LH WA LH W​ Most recent​	0 - 1 0 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 3	A LA WH WA WH WH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Lille have been level at half-time in four of their last five home games

EXPERT VERDICT: PSG could not break down a defensively-minded Marseille side last week and they are not certain to get the better of Lille either. The Parisians may not make an immediate impact so backing them to break the deadlock later in the game could be the way to go in what could be a low-scoring encounter.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw-PSG double result
1

Spanish La Liga TODAY 19:45

Leganes

v

Sociedad

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS3		9/5	21/10	17/10	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LEGANES	RECENT FORM
H LA WH LA WH LA L​ Most recent​	Unknown	A LH WA LH WA LH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sociedad have won just one of their last nine away matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Promoted Leganes have the worst home form in the division but they have faced three of La Liga’s top five and should find Sociedad less resolute opponents. The visitors were convincing 3-0 winners against Alaves last weekend but Eusebio Sacristan’s side have claimed just three points on their travels and are unlikely to fare any better in Madrid.

RECOMMENDATION: Leganes
1

Portuguese Liga TODAY 21:00

Nacional

v

Sp. Lisbon

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT S		7	7/2	2/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NACIONAL	RECENT FORM
H LA LH WA WH LA D​ Most recent​	0 - 4 2 - 2 0 - 1 1 - 1	A LH WH WA DH LH D​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sporting have won five of the last six meetings to nil

EXPERT VERDICT: Sporting trail league leaders Benfica by five points but they should have too much quality for Nacional and are taken to brush them aside in Madeira. The hosts have lost six of their last eight home matches, conceding a total of 15 goals and they could struggle to keep tabs on Sporting, who were unlucky in recent clashes with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

RECOMMENDATION: Sporting to win 2-0
1

Spanish La Liga Sa 29Oct 12:00

Sp. Gijon

v

Seville

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS2		14/5	13/5	19/20	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SP. GIJON	RECENT FORM
A LA LH LA LH LA D​ Most recent​	2 - 1 1 - 0 2 - 0 0 - 1	A LH WH WA WA WH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Seville have won five games in a row in all competitions

EXPERT VERDICT: Seville briefly topped the La Liga table on Sunday and should be backed to claim three points at Sporting Gijon. Los Rojiblancos are adjusting well to life under new boss Jorge Sampaoli and finally gained that elusive league away win against Leganes in their last road outing so should be able to build on that road triumph.

RECOMMENDATION: Seville
2

Premier League Sa 29Oct 12:30

Sunderland

v

Arsenal

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		8	4	2/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SUNDERLAND	RECENT FORM
A WH LH DA LA LA L​ Most recent​	0 - 0 0 - 2 1 - 3 0 - 1	H WA WH WH WH DH W​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Walcott has scored eight goals in 11 games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: The fixture list does not get any easier for shoddy Sunderland as they welcome Arsenal and in-form striker Theo Walcott. The England international is enjoying a fine start to the season and is the Gunners’ top scorer with eight goals. His pace could pose problems for a poor Black Cats rearguard.

RECOMMENDATION: T Walcott first goalscorer
1


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Red-hot Habs win 6th straight
By The Sports Xchange

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens continued to roll, rallying from a third-period deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 Thursday night at the Bell Centre.
Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Torrey Mitchell scored for Montreal, which won its sixth straight. Canadiens goalie Carey Price made 30 saves.
Alex Killorn scored for the Lightning, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped. Goaltender Ben Bishop stopped 23 shots.

Red Wings 2, Blues 1 (OT)
ST. LOUIS -- Henrik Zetterberg scored in the eighth round of the shootout to give Detroit a win over St. Louis, extending their winning streak to six games.
Alexander Steen of the Blues and Gustav Nyquist of the Red Wings in the first three rounds of the shootout before Zetterberg broke the tie.
Kevin Shattenkirk scored in regulation for the Blues, while Frans Nielsen scored for the Red Wings.

Coyotes 5, Flyers 4
PHILADELPHIA -- Playing in place of injured starter Mike Smith, Arizona backup goaltender Louis Domingue made 28 saves and received goal support from Jamie McGinn, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Martin Hanzal, Brad Richardson and Ryan White in a win over Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Coyotes snapped a five-game losing streak with the win. Both of their wins this season have come against the Flyers. They will not play again this season.
The Flyers received goals from Nick Cousins, Brayden Schenn, Andrew MacDonald and Wayne Simmonds, but lost for the second time in three games.

Penguins 4, Islanders 2
PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby scored late in the third period for his second goal in as many games since returning from a concussion, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves as Pittsburgh held off New York.
The Penguins "big three" of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel each converted in the third period as Pittsburgh improved to 5-0-1 at PPG Paints Arena -- and scored more than three goals for the first time this season. Patric Hornqvist also scored.
Shane Prince and Travis Harmonic scored for the Islanders, while Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves.

Maple Leafs 3, Panthers 2
TORONTO -- Tyler Bozak scored twice and Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Florida at Air Canada Centre.
James van Riemsdyk had the other Maple Leafs goal. Frederik Andersen made 29 saves to register his second win of the season. Rookie Mitch Marner added three assists for Toronto.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice for the Panthers and Roberto Luongo stopped 25 shots.

Wild 4, Sabres 0
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Devan Dubnyk made 38 saves to lead Minnesota over Buffalo.
It was the second consecutive shutout victory for Dubnyk and the Wild, who picked up a 5-0 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Ryan Suter had a goal and an assist in the win. Joel Eriksson Ek, Jason Zucker and Mikko Koivu also scored for Minnesota.
Anders Nilsson made 18 saves for Buffalo in place of starting goaltender Robin Lehner. Lehner missed his second consecutive game due to illness.

Jets 4, Stars 1
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Finnish phenom Patrik Laine scored a pair of goals -- his fifth and sixth of the season -- to propel Winnipeg over Dallas at the MTS Centre.
Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 38 saves in the win. Tyler Myers and Kyle Connor also scored for the Jets.
The Stars' Tyler Seguin broke Hellebuyck's shutout bid when he ripped a snap shot over his shoulder on the power play just 33 seconds into the third period.

Sharks 3, Blue Jackets 1
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Goalie Martin Jones made 24 saves and the Sharks struck twice on the power play for a 3-1 win over Columbus at SAP Arena on Thursday.
Jones flirted with his first shutout of the season and 14th of his career before Columbus' Scott Hartnell beat San Jose defenseman Justin Braun to a loose rebound to score at 17:10.
Tomas Hertl scored his third goal of the season at 10:39 of the third period in what turned out to be the game-winning goal. The tip in front came 1:26 into a tripping penalty on Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson.

Kings 3, Predators 2 (OT)
LOS ANGELES -- For the fourth game in a row, Los Angeles prevailed after going beyond regulation.
Jeff Carter knocked home the game-winning shot with 29 seconds remaining in the extra period, lifting the Kings to a victory over Nashville at Staples Center.
Goalie Peter Budaj recorded 24 saves for the Kings.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (3-3) at Devils (3-2)

Date: October 28, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks, at 5-on-5 this season, have looked like the perennial championship contender they always do. They've outscored teams 16-8 thanks to their talent and depth throughout the lineup.

Ask the Blackhawks to kill a penalty, however, and they look like a lottery team tanking for a top draft pick. Their 30th-ranked penalty kill, which sits at an unbelievable 46.1 percent, will try to right itself Friday night against the New Jersey Devils, who have five power-play goals in 16 chances over their past four games.

The Blackhawks' struggles while down a man can be indirectly credited to a lack of cohesion that has led to the team defending more, which has put them in position to take more penalties than they usually would.

"Our identity in the past was being fast and having the puck," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said to the Chicago Sun-Times. "Now we don't have quite the four-line rotation, or the puck enough, to get that precision we look for, that identity we're accustomed to having. We're not playing as fast, because we're defending a lot more than we're used to."

The Blackhawks (3-3-1) have also had trouble delivering consistent starts to games. They have been outshot in the first period in six of seven games, including a 14-8 deficit during a 3-2 home loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday.

Is there a reason for the slow starts?

"No good one, that's for sure," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said to the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've got to get that out of our game. The penalty-kill usually translates from our effort 5-on-5, and if we're not starting games well, then we're getting behind (and) giving up power plays. And we're not killing the penalty kills that we're on. It was unfortunate to get behind again (Monday night against Calgary)."

The Devils (3-2-1) are off to a 3-0 start at home. All six games were started by goaltender Cory Schneider, who holds a 2.00 goals-against average and .936 save percentage but will get the night off in favor of backup goaltender Keith Kinkaid.

The 27-year-old Kinkaid has yet to play a second this season but with the Devils playing Friday against the Blackhawks and Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, his first test was going to be a difficult one either way. He had a .904 save percentage in 23 games last season.

"I'm very excited," Kinkaid said to the Bergen Record. "I'll finally get some game action. I just want to help the guys out."

The Devils won nine of Kinkaid's 20 starts last season, which included two shutouts. If the Devils are to improve on their 84 points of a season ago and become a playoff contender, Kinkaid will have to give the Devils more support and better play when giving Schneider the night off.

"Going back to backs, we knew all along coming into the year in those situations we wanted to play both guys," Devils coach John Hynes said to the Bergen Record. "He's played well. He's practiced well so we'll give him a chance tomorrow. We want to be able to do a good job in front of him and make sure we allow him to get into the game and see the shots that he should stop and get himself re-acclimated with things. He's been through this before. It's not like it's a newer player that has to come in in a backup role. So we'll be confident he'll be ready to go.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (5-2) at Hurricanes (1-3)

Date: October 28, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The season-opening road stretch didn't treat the Carolina Hurricanes well so they'll have to do better upon beginning their ventures at PNC Arena.

The New York Rangers have been in a better groove during the first couple of weeks of the season.

The teams meet Friday night in Carolina's much-awaited home opener.

The Rangers (5-2-0), who've won three games in a row, present a challenging task for the Hurricanes.

"They've got unbelievable speed and they're going to push the pace," Carolina coach Bill Peters said.

The Hurricanes are 1-3-2, failing to hold leads in a couple games and failing to hold down opponents early in other outings.

"We will fix it," Peters said. "We're scoring, but we're reckless when we're scoring. Right now it's not clicking. It's not clicking for 60 minutes."

The Rangers needed a comeback to beat Boston, scoring five consecutive goals Wednesday night.

"One of the team's trademarks is that we come out and we're ready to play," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said, expressing concern about a shaky beginning to the game.

Peters was determined to make the first two weeks positive for the Hurricanes, realizing that road swing had the potential to be daunting.

It's on the verge of become a devastating October unless the two home games in three days help turn things around.

"I think we need to have a good start," said Carolina center Victor Rask. "I think that's real important."

The Hurricanes have had a couple of days off since stumbling Tuesday night at Detroit.

For the Hurricanes, it will be the official home introduction for eight players on the active roster, including right wingers Lee Stempniak, who has racked up four goals and two assists already this season, and rookie Sebastian Aho. Others who'll make their Carolina home debuts if they're in the lineup are left wingers Bryan Bickell, Viktor Stalberg and Teuvo Teravainen, right winger Martin Frk, and defensemen Klas Dahlbeck and Jakub Nakladal.

Even with the recent success, the Rangers are making roster adjustments. They placed defenseman Dylan McIlrath on waivers Thursday.

"On our team right now, he's our eighth defenseman," Vigneault said. "That's where we are. Maybe it's less about him and more about the other guys. ... He needs to play. He's a young player."

McIlrath, 24, will be sent to Hartford of the American Hockey League if he passes through waivers.

Meanwhile, Rangers left winger Josh Jooris will be out for up to a month with a shoulder injury sustained Wednesday night. Right winger Pavel Buchnevich will be in the lineup.

Henrik Lundqvist draws the start in goal for the Rangers. He's 23-10-1 in 34 career appearances against Carolina.

Vigneault also pointed out that with it being Carolina's home opener, there could be an additional layer of energy in the building.

Added Rangers forward Derek Stepan: "The big focus for us is not to be down. You want to play with the lead in this league. ... In order to make these last few games stick, this game is huge. You want to make sure you're playing the right way going into Carolina's building."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Senators (4-2) at Flames (3-4)

Date: October 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

CALGARY, Alberta -- While Brian Elliott has newfound confidence in net for the Calgary Flames, the Ottawa Senators will be without their starting goaltender for the foreseeable future.

After backstopping the Flames (3-4-1) to back-to-back road wins over the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on Monday and Tuesday, Elliott will attempt to keep his momentum going against the Senators (4-2-0) at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday.

Elliott, who the Flames acquired from the Blues on June 24 in exchange for a second-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2018 and a conditional third-rounder, started his tenure with the Flames with three straight losses before bouncing back to stop 54 of 57 shots he faced during Calgary's two wins earlier this week.

"I don't think I've felt bad the other ones too," said Elliott. "I just think we kind of beat ourselves the first few games. Now we're getting the picture of how we need to play each and every night. We played good road-style hockey and if we can bring that kind of hockey at home we'll be successful as well."

Meanwhile, the Senators announced on Thursday that goalie Craig Anderson has taken a leave of absence and that there's no timetable for his return.

"With the support of the entire organization, we've provided Craig with a leave of absence so that he can attend to a personal matter at home," said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion in a statement. "While we are uncertain of how long Craig may be away, he will continue to have our support for as much time as is needed. We will respect his privacy and will have no further comment at this time."

Anderson improved his record this season to 4-1-0 after making 22 saves to backstop the Senators to a 3-0 road win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. The 35-year-old veteran has also compiled a 2.95 goals against average to go with a .903 save percentage.

In his absence, the Senators will go with the goaltending tandem of Andrew Hammond and Chris Driedger, who was called up from the AHL's Binghamton Senators.

Hammond, 28, will get the start on Friday and is hoping to bounce back from his only previous appearance of the season, a 5-1 road loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 17 in which he stopped 20 of 25 shots he faced.

After going 20-1-2 in his rookie campaign with the Sens in 2014-15, Hammond went 7-11-1 last season and even spent a stint in the AHL in Binghamton where he had no wins to go with two losses.

In just 55 minutes of NHL action over the past two seasons, Driedger has made 21 saves without allowing a goal. The 22-year-old netminder, who starred for the WHL's Calgary Hitmen for three seasons from 2011-14, has never started or been the goaltender of record in an NHL game.

While Elliott played a starring role against his former team on Tuesday in St. Louis, Flames right winger Alex Chiasson told CalgaryFlames.com that he's looking forward to going up against his old squad at the Saddledome on Friday.

"It's always a little special playing previous teams," said Chiasson, who Calgary acquired from Ottawa in exchange for defenseman Patrick Sieloff on June 27. "I have a good amount of friends on that team, but when the game starts it's a game day just like any other day. That's part of pro hockey, really."

After starting the season on Calgary's fourth line, Chiasson has been elevated to play alongside center Sean Monahan and left winger Johnny Gaudreau.

"I know that it'd be nice to be on the scoresheet a little more, but at the same time it's a process of trying to stay focused mentally on that, do the good things and the rest of the stuff is going to come," said Chiasson, who has just one goal to show for his efforts through eight games with the Flames. "If I keep playing with those two guys, I think I can bring an element to that line that they don't have, and they can just play."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (3-4) at Avalanche (3-2)

Date: October 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

The Winnipeg Jets have had a tough, busy week. They hosted the Edmonton Oilers in The Heritage Classic on Sunday, the first outdoor game in franchise history, but were underwhelming in a 3-0 loss. Then they split a home-and-home matchup with the Dallas Stars, losing at Dallas on Tuesday and beating the Stars 4-1 at home on Thursday.

Rookie sensation Patrik Laine was the hero of Thursday's win. He scored twice -- his fifth and sixth goals of the season -- to tie fellow rookie, Toronto's Auston Matthews, for the NHL lead in goals.

"We've only played seven games but it's nice that I've got those goals and helped my team to win with those goals," Laine told NHL.com after the Jets victory.

Laine will try to keep the momentum going when the Jets play the second of a back-to-back set at the Colorado Avalanche on Friday. While the Jets will be playing for the fourth time in six days, Colorado is playing for the first time in a week. The Avalanche finished up a four-game Eastern Conference road trip against Florida on Oct. 21 and have been sitting idle since.

"A lot of good came from this week," Colorado coach Jared Bednar told hockeybuzz.com.

The Avalanche are playing just their second home game. They opened the season with a 6-5 win over the Stars on Oct. 15 and then went 2-2 on its road trip, winning at Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The Avalanche have found the net often, except for a 3-0 loss at Washington on Oct. 18, but they've given up plenty of goals, too. They allowed at least three goals in four games and twice gave up five.

The week off might help them shore up their defense. It did help them get some players healthy and ready to go.

Rookie forward Mikko Rantanen was recalled from San Antonio of the AHL after rehabbing from an ankle injury. Center John Mitchell, who missed the first five games with a hip injury, will likely make his season debut against Winnipeg and forward Rene Bourque is back after missing the last two games with a groin injury.

"It was tough," Bourque told The Denver Post. "I felt like I got off to a good start, playing well. But you have to be careful. It's nice that we had a big break between games, almost a full week. That probably saved me from missing a few more games."

It remains to be seen if the well-rested Avalanche will suffer from rust. They ended the road trip with a 5-2 loss to Florida but at 3-2 they are off to a better start than the last two seasons, which ended up with them missing the playoffs.

The Jets (3-4-0) are looking for their first road win of the season against their Northwest Division rival.

While Laine has had a strong start to his season, Colorado veteran winger Jarome Iginla has struggled. Iginla, 39, has one goal this season and is 12th on the NHL all-time list with 612 goals. He used this week off to try to get back on track.

"I would like to have been better, but it's five games," Iginla told The Denver Post. "I've had some good games and I've had some games I would like to have back. So I'll just keep going at it. I'm feeling better daily as far as hands, and for whatever reason it usually takes me a little bit to find that groove, and hopefully this week of practice will help."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (2-3) at Ducks (3-3)

Date: October 28, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With defenseman Hampus Lindholm finally under contract, the Anaheim Ducks will seek their fourth win in five games when they play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at the Honda Center.

Lindholm, a restricted free agent, signed a six-year contract worth $31.5 million on Thursday. The agreement makes Lindholm the Ducks' highest-paid defenseman after he led the team with 115 blocked shots while scoring 10 goals last season.

"I'm really happy to be back in Anaheim," Lindholm said on a conference call from his native Sweden. "There's where I've been all my career so I'm really happy to be back with the team and everyone."

But before Lindholm rejoins the team, the 22-year-old Swede must get a work visa while general manager Bob Murray resolves the salary-cap problems resulting from the deal.

Capfriendly.com calculates that Anaheim exceeds the salary cap by $1.4 million, even after placing defenseman Simon Despres and center Nate Thompson on long-term injured reserve. Nevertheless, Murray believes re-signing Lindholm was imperative to maintaining the Ducks' status as contenders.

"It solidifies this organization," Murray told NHL.com. "Hampus is a really good young hockey player. He's part of the future of this franchise. He's only going to get better."

Murray also implied that Lindholm's signing represents at least the beginning of the Ducks' last stand with their current roster.

"We wanted to get it at a fair number for the organization so we could try to move forward with this group as best we can," he told NHL.com. "I wanted to give this group another shot. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep it that way."

That includes managing the salary cap while concentrating on winning the team's second Stanley Cup.

"It's going to be an interesting experience," Murray told NHL.com. "But I'm going to do the best I can to give this group one last shot at this."

Another recently signed restricted free agent, center Rickard Rakell, practiced with his teammates for the first time Wednesday. Rakell agreed to another six-year contract worth $22.8 million on Oct. 14. But Rakell will not be ready for Friday night's game. Center Ryan Getzlaf might miss his second consecutive contest after a shot hit him in the left forearm Tuesday night against the San Jose Sharks.

Columbus enters the game after Thursday night's 3-1 loss in San Jose. The Blue Jackets' 2-3-1 record provides a radical contrast from last year's 0-8 start, and reflects a renewed emphasis on conditioning to deal with the NHL's increasing speed.

"Everybody looks quicker," Columbus forward Nick Foligno told the Columbus Dispatch. "To a guy, you definitely feel quicker and lighter on your skates. But it's more than that, too. It's the way we're playing. We're trying to play faster and think faster and be faster with our heads, not just faster with our feet."

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella believes mental quickness can compensate for physical speed.

"If you're even a little bit slower than the other teams -- as far as just foot speed -- but you have a mindset of playing quick, I think you can be a quick team," Tortorella told the Dispatch. "We're certainly trying to play quick."

That quickness begins with the Blue Jackets' defensemen sending the puck up the ice more rapidly and avoiding lateral passes. Tortorella described his goal using a metaphorical compass.

"We're just trying to be as north-south as we can," he told the Dispatch, "and try to get away from going D to D and traveling east to west as much."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

In the Crease - Week 3
By Joe Williams

Streaky Teams
Wins and Losses Streak Over/Under Streak
Arizona 0-4 past 4 road Edmonton Under 3-0 past 3
Edmonton 3-0 past 3 overall New Jersey Under 4-0-1 past 5
Montreal 4-0 past 4 overall San Jose Under 5-1 past 6

Coyote Ugly
The Arizona Coyotes won their regular season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers by a 4-3 score in overtime, but once they hit he road that's when things went off the rails. The Coyotes were blasted by a combined 12-6 in two losses at Ottawa and Montreal before suffering a pair of 3-2 losses to the New York teams. Arizona faces New Jersey next, and the Coyotes are a dismal 5-22 in their past 27 games against Metropolitan Division teams, and 14-38 in their past 52 against Eastern Conference clubs. In addition, the 'Yotes have dropped 43 of their past 58 away from the Gila River Arena. In case you're wondering, they're 1-4 in their past five trips to Jersey, and 0-4 in their past four tussles with the Devils overall.

Toronto Troubles
The Toronto Maple Leafs have four one-goal losses in five games so far, and two setbacks have come in overtime with another in a shootout. The Leafs blew a 4-2 lead last time out with 2:28 left in regulation in Chicago, including the game-tying goal with 1:28 remaining. Eventually the Blackhawks cashed in during the shootout for the 5-4 win. Toronto has allowed at least three goals in four of their five games so far. If history is on their side, perhaps they'll break this ugly string in their next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday. The Lightning are just 3-7 in their past 10 trips to Hogtown, with the home team winning eight of the past 10 meetings in this series.

Looking Ahead

Friday, Oct. 28
The Carolina Hurricanes play their regular season home opener against the Rangers after playing seven games on the road to open the season. It might not be a successful homecoming, as the Hurricanes are 1-6-3 in their past 10 meetings with the Blueshirts. ... The Oilers and Vancouver Canucks meet in the Pacific Northwest, and that usually means a tight game is in store. The past five meetings between these Canadian rivals in Vancouver has resulted in a shootout or overtime decision. The Oilers have won three of the past five meetings overall, while the Oilers are 5-1-4 in the past 10 meetings in the series.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - October

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
10/12 4 21.5 30 OVER
10/13 9 48.5 60 OVER
10/14 3 16 19 OVER
10/15 13 69 76 OVER
10/16 3 16 20 OVER
10/17 4 22 29 OVER
10/18 12 67.5 71 OVER
10/19 2 11.5 12 OVER
10/20 11 60.5 55 UNDER
10/21 3 16.5 18 OVER
10/22 12 64 74 OVER
10/23 4 21 23 OVER
10/24 2 10.5 9 UNDER
10/25 11 60.5 62 OVER
10/26 4 21.5 24 OVER
10/27 9 49.5 - -
10/28 6 - - -
10/29 10 - - -
10/30 8 - - -
10/31 No games scheduled - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Friday’s games

Chicago lost last two games with New Jersey but is 6-4 in last ten; over is 3-1-2 in last six meetings. Blackhawks are 3-2 in last five visits here (over 2-0-1 in last three). Chicago is off to a 3-4 start, losing both their road games 3-2. Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Devils won three of last four games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games.

Rangers won nine of last ten games with Carolina; over is 2-0-1 in last three. Rangers won three of last four visits here, with two wins in shootouts. New York won its last three games, outscoring foes 12-6; over is 4-2-1 in their games this month. Carolina is finally having its home opener after starting season with a 1-5 road trip (over 5-1).

Winnipeg won its last two games with Colorado after losing previous four; Jets lost three of last four visits to Denver (over 3-1). Winnipeg lost four of its last six games but they won last night vs Dallas; four of Jets’ last five games stayed under the total.

Ottawa won six of its last eight games with Calgary; last five series games went over the total. Senators lost three of last five visits to Calgary (over 3-2). Ottawa won four of its first six games (over 4-2); they split their two road games. Flames won their last two games after a 1-5 start; they’re 1-3 at home. All four Calgary home games went over the total.

Oilers are 3-2 in last five games with Vancouver, after losing five in row to Canucks before that; Edmonton lost four of last five visits here (over 3-2). Oilers won their last four games, outscoring foes 13-4 (under 4-0)- they’re 2-0 on road. Canucks lost their last three games, outscored 11-5. Vancouver is 4-1 at home.

Columbus is 5-3 in its last eight games with Anaheim; five of last six series games went over the total. Blue Jackets won three of last five visits to the Pond. Columbus is off to a 2-4 start; their last five games stayed under the total. Ducks won three of last four games; they won both their home games, 6-1/4-2.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA roundup: Wade, Bulls down Celtics
By The Sports Xchange

CHICAGO -- Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo -- the so-called "Three Alphas" -- led the way for the Chicago Bulls in a 105-99 season-opening victory against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night at the United Center.
Wade, who finished with 22 points, hit 4 of 6 from the 3-point arc in his first game with the Bulls. Wade hit seven 3-pointers all of last season for the Miami Heat.
His last one Thursday put the Celtics away, draining it over guard Avery Bradley with 26.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put Chicago up 104-99. Butler led Chicago with 24 points, and Rondo added four points and nine assists.
Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 25 points, while Bradley had 16 points, Jae Crowder added 14 and Al Horford finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Celtics played their second game in as many days after defeating the Brooklyn Nets 122-117 on Wednesday in Boston.

Hawks 114, Wizards 99
ATLANTA -- Paul Millsap scored 28 points and sparked a 24-6 run to open the final quarter as Atlanta earned a season-opening victory over Washington.
The game-clinching run was also aided by Tim Hardaway Jr., who had 10 points during the streak en route to scoring 21 points off the bench. Dwight Howard, Atlanta's big offseason free agent signee, had a successful debut with 11 points and 19 rebounds. Howard set a team record for most rebounds in his debut with the team. Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 18 in his Atlanta debut in 2001-02.
Washington was led by Markieff Morris with 22 points. Bradley Beal was hampered by foul trouble and was limited to 13 points. John Wall added 12 points and 10 assists.

Spurs 102, Kings 94
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points for the Spurs on a night when Sacramento unveiled a new $557 million arena, and San Antonio used a second-half blitz to beat the Kings.
San Antonio (2-0) earned a seventh consecutive victory against Sacramento thanks largely to Leonard. he stole the ball three times over four Kings possessions, turning one of them into his own layup, another into two free throws, and the third into a layup for teammate Dewayne Dedmon.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 37 points and pulled 16 rebounds for Sacramento, which was denied its first 2-0 start since 2003. Rudy Gay added 17 points for the Kings.

Clippers 114, Trail Blazers 106
PORTLAND, Ore -- Blake Griffin and Chris Paul each scored 27 points to lift Los Angeles Clippers to a victory over Portland.
Griffin grabbed 13 rebounds and Paul had five rebounds and five assists as the Clippers won their season opener.
Damian Lillard led Portland with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Moe Harkless scored 23 points to go with eight rebounds and Mason Plumlee contributed 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Blazers

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (6-1) at Canucks (4-2)

Date: October 28, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The Vancouver Canucks try to burst the Oilers' bubble -- and put some air back in their own -- when they host Edmonton on Friday night.

The Oilers (6-1-0) are off to their best start to a National Hockey League season since 1985-86, when they won their first five games, and are riding a four-game win streak. On the other hand, the Canucks (4-2-1), are reeling from three straight losses after starting the campaign with four consecutive victories -- a feat that they had not matched since 1992-93.

Clearly the Oilers, with sophomore sensation Connor McDavid, 19, leading the way offensively and as captain, have developed a new attitude after missing the playoffs for 10 straight seasons.

"I think (players) are believing now in their game and, thus, feeling more confident about it," Oilers coach Todd McLellan told reporters in Edmonton this week. "It's each individual showing up with his toolkit and being ready to work, and that's where the confidence comes from, where the swagger, the wins come from. They don't just happen by accident. If you keep doing that, your belief system goes up and you believe you can come from behind and play with leads, and that is what we are working toward."

The Oilers displayed some of their new belief Tuesday night as they broke open a tight game in the third period and thumped the Washington Capitals -- a team expected to contend for the Stanley Cup again this season -- 5-1 in Edmonton. The strong start is a good omen because history has shown that games lost at the beginning of the regular season can spell a team's downfall at the end. Now, the Oilers want to continue riding the winning wave.

"We have a lot of work to do but this start is huge for us," said winger Benoit Pouliot, who is in his third season with the Oilers. "The last couple of years, we haven't had great starts, and it's tough to climb back. Now we just have to keep this going."

Meanwhile, the Canucks, who were blanked 3-0 at home Tuesday by Ottawa, are looking to end a habit of slow starts. Despite the success in their first four games, the Canucks are struggling because of a lack of scoring. Averaging two goals per game, they have constantly been forced to try and play catch-up.

Accordingly, the Canucks do not want to fall behind too early against McDavid and the rest of the potentially explosive Oilers.

"That's a team we have to play tight against," Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin said. "We know the speed they have. When they are up, they are going to keep coming at you. It's very important to get the first goal against those guys. It could open up a lot of room for us."

Ultimately, the game could prove to be a depth test for both clubs. Although McDavid is in early contention for a league scoring title with four goals and seven assists, Edmonton has also been able to count on the likes of fellow forwards Leon Draisaitl, Jordan Eberle, Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Pouliot.

But the Canucks are searching for offensive consistency as highly touted free-agent signing Loui Eriksson continues to struggle. Eriksson, who signed a six-year deal worth $36 million, has yet to score a goal while playing wing on the top line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin -- and elsewhere at times, although he has four assists.

In addition, a number of holdovers have been slow off the mark, and Vancouver is starting to run into some injury woes with veteran winger Alex Burrows sidelined with an undisclosed lower-body issue and defenseman Chris Tanev out with an ankle problem.

The Canucks promoted winger Mike Zalewski from their AHL farm team in Utica, N.Y., on Thursday. But Zalewski, who has only one assist in five games with Utica, is not slated to play against the Oilers.

He figures as a bottom-six forward who can also kill penalties, but lacks the offensive firepower that the Canucks need.

Second-year winger Jake Virtanen, 19, is someone who could provide a spark, but has been used sparingly. Virtanen expressed some frustration this week about his intermittent activity, but has done little to suggest that he deserves more playing time. Coach Willie Desjardins is opposed to using him on the fourth line -- the only place where he might fit regularly at this point -- and wants to put him in situations where he can produce.

However, Virtanen might not have to wait long for more action if the Canucks fail to put air back in their bubble soon.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Magic (0-1) at Pistons (0-1)

Date: October 28, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Stan Van Gundy anticipated his offense would have some issues in the early going. The Detroit Pistons head coach has even more concerns about his defense and rebounding after an ugly performance on opening night.

The Pistons need to improve in every area when they play their home opener against the Orlando Magic on Friday. The Pistons trailed by double digits throughout the second half of a 109-91 loss to Toronto on Wednesday. Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan combined for 72 points as Toronto shot 47.7 percent from the field.

Detroit shot 41.7 percent and got outrebounded 51-40.

"We just hit these times where we're just a one-option team and the ball doesn't move," said Van Gundy, whose team also dropped its preseason finale 103-92 to the Raptors. "That's going to have to change. But that to me is almost secondary right now. Until we change defensively and on the boards from what we've done these last two games, it really doesn't matter what we do offensively. We don't have a chance to win and be good if we're not going to defend and rebound."

All-Star center Andre Drummond played just 24 minutes after taking an elbow to the face from Valanciunas in the opening minutes and getting into early foul trouble. He finished with 16 points, six rebounds and four turnovers.

The Pistons also clearly missed floor leader Reggie Jackson, who is expected to sit out approximately 20 games with knee tendinitis. Fill-in starter Ish Smith had seven assists and no turnovers in 33 minutes but shot 3-of-10 from the field.

Backup point guard Beno Udrih, claimed off waivers from Miami earlier in the week, had five points on 1-of-5 shooting and two assists in 15 minutes.

"We've got some offensive problems but we knew that was going to be a little bit of a struggle," Van Gundy said.

Miami spoiled Frank Vogel's debut as Orlando head coach on Wednesday, knocking off the Magic 108-96.

Like the Pistons, Orlando had a multitude of issues in its opener. The Magic shot 38.6 percent from the field, got outscored 74-36 in the paint and lost the rebounding battle 52-44.

"We have to figure it out fast, because we have a tough schedule in front of us, and if we dig ourselves a hole, it's going to be really hard," center Nikola Vucevic told the Orlando Sentinel.

Power forward Serge Ibaka, acquired from the Thunder in a blockbuster deal in June, had 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting and seven rebounds in his Orlando debut.

Center Bismack Biyombo, who was signed to a four-year, $72 million contract as an unrestricted free agent, will make his Magic debut. He served a one-game league suspension opening night for exceeding the flagrant foul limit during the Raptors' postseason run.

"Biz is a monster," shooting guard Evan Fournier told the Orlando Sentinel. "He's our best screener, probably our best offensive rebounder. He's just a guy with tons of energy. He plays super hard. He's big for us, man."

The Pistons have won the last six meetings with the Magic, including a three-game sweep last season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Friday’s games

Chicago lost last two games with New Jersey but is 6-4 in last ten; over is 3-1-2 in last six meetings. Blackhawks are 3-2 in last five visits here (over 2-0-1 in last three). Chicago is off to a 3-4 start, losing both their road games 3-2. Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games. Devils won three of last four games; under is 4-1-1 in their last six games.

Rangers won nine of last ten games with Carolina; over is 2-0-1 in last three. Rangers won three of last four visits here, with two wins in shootouts. New York won its last three games, outscoring foes 12-6; over is 4-2-1 in their games this month. Carolina is finally having its home opener after starting season with a 1-5 road trip (over 5-1).

Winnipeg won its last two games with Colorado after losing previous four; Jets lost three of last four visits to Denver (over 3-1). Winnipeg lost four of its last six games but they won last night vs Dallas; four of Jets’ last five games stayed under the total.

Ottawa won six of its last eight games with Calgary; last five series games went over the total. Senators lost three of last five visits to Calgary (over 3-2). Ottawa won four of its first six games (over 4-2); they split their two road games. Flames won their last two games after a 1-5 start; they’re 1-3 at home. All four Calgary home games went over the total.

Oilers are 3-2 in last five games with Vancouver, after losing five in row to Canucks before that; Edmonton lost four of last five visits here (over 3-2). Oilers won their last four games, outscoring foes 13-4 (under 4-0)- they’re 2-0 on road. Canucks lost their last three games, outscored 11-5. Vancouver is 4-1 at home.

Columbus is 5-3 in its last eight games with Anaheim; five of last six series games went over the total. Blue Jackets won three of last five visits to the Pond. Columbus is off to a 2-4 start; their last five games stayed under the total. Ducks won three of last four games; they won both their home games, 6-1/4-2.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pacers (1-0) at Nets (0-1)

Date: October 28, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- By the end of his rookie season, Myles Turner had begun showing his potential for the Indiana Pacers.

If one game indicates anything, Turner appears ready to take the next step.

Turner will look to follow up his stellar opening night showing Friday night when the Pacers visit the Brooklyn Nets.

Over his last 35 games, Turner averaged 11 points and shot 47.4 percent while making 28 starts. On Wednesday, he began his second season by getting 30 points and 16 rebounds on 13-of-19 shooting during a 130-121 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.

"Myles has had confidence since last season," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "He worked his behind off all summer. He's certainly a threat offensively, and he just continues to improve.

If Turner has similar games to Wednesday, the Pacers could meet the high expectations placed upon them following the acquisition of point guard Jeff Teague to go along with star forward Paul George.

"He's a confident kid," George said "One of his biggest attributes is he thinks every shot is going in. He was just itching, I know he was, floating on the perimeter. He was itching to get it."

George scored 25 points Wednesday while Teague added 20 in a game where Indiana shot 50.5 percent and made 10 of 19 3-pointers.

While the Pacers have been hyping a new offensive system and a revamped roster resulting in raised expectations, the Nets have been touting a new culture and grittiness to compensate for what most believe will be among the worst teams in the league.

The Nets began their fifth season with Brooklyn on their jerseys with a 122-117 loss at the Boston Celtics. Typical of many bad teams, they fell behind big before a late charge from a 23-point deficit fell short.

"Very pleased that we didn't give up and we kept on fighting," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I liked our grit in the fourth quarter."

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 21 points, Justin Hamilton had 19 and Jeremy Lin added 18. Hamilton scored his points while Brook Lopez was limited to seven points in 21 minutes.

Brooklyn also is trying a new motion offense system which emphasizes ball movement and 3-pointers. The Nets had 22 assists and made 15 of 44 attempts from behind the arc, setting a team record for 3-point attempts

Lin and Lopez were not on the floor for the late comeback since the game appeared over. Brooklyn's biggest free agent signing hopes the Nets can have that kind of showing from the outset of their fifth home opener at Barclays Center.

"Starting with me and others, I want to bring the same effort Friday night, the way they did," Lin said. "That was inspiring."

Going back to last season, the Nets have dropped 11 straight games. Their last victory was a 120-110 home win over the Pacers on March 26 when Lopez scored 23 points and the Nets overcame 27 points by George.

Indiana has won eight of the last 11 meetings in the series and ended last year's season series with a 129-105 rout on April 10.

The Nets have won three of four home openers since moving from New Jersey. Atkinson will be the fourth coach in a home opener for the Nets since 2012 and the Long Island native will have several family members and friends in the crowd.

Friday also will mark the return of Thaddeus Young to Brooklyn. Young spent the last year and a half with the Nets before being dealt for rookie Caris Levert.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Suns (0-1) at Thunder (1-0)

Date: October 28, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The start of the 2016-17 season for Russell Westbrook almost couldn't have gone any better and he'll try to keep it going when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Phoenix Suns on Friday.

Not only did the point guard lead his team to a comeback 103-97 victory over host Philadelphia on Wednesday, but he narrowly missed a triple-double with 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.

As he enters his ninth year, Westbrook continues to transform from an aggressive scoring guard to an all-around point guard who can take over games in a variety of ways.

"It's just taking my time, being patient, poised and managing the game," Westbrook said. "It's part of my job, to be able to manage the game at a high level and that's a huge thing for me moving forward with this team."

But it was the defense the Thunder displayed in final minutes against the 76ers that really stood out. They had to come up with three consecutive stops, including a blocked shot by guard Andre Roberson and guard Victor Oladipo taking a charge to secure the win.

"I think that was the key," Thunder forward Enes Kanter said. "When you try to finish the game, when you try to finish the fourth quarter, I think the most important thing is the defense. Everybody was focused, everybody did a good job."

Opening night was not as kind for the Phoenix Suns. They were at home Wednesday taking on fellow Pacific Division rival Sacramento and fell 113-94.

The Suns got off to start shooting the ball, but trailed 57-38 at half. Using their reserves, however, Phoenix was able to go on a run in the third quarter and cut the lead to 10. But that would be as close as they would get.

Guard Eric Bledsoe was back on the court for the first time since a season ending knee injury in December. He scored 16 points in his return. Guard Devin Booker led the team with 18.

However, having the second unit play as well as it did was a positive note Phoenix coach Earl Watson can carry into the Suns game with the Thunder.

"The momentum changed everything," Watson told The Arizona Republic. "Our second unit, we just played young guys, let them play aggressive, let them have fun, be creative. They played with a lot of passion. It was fun to watch."

It was also a way for Watson to send a message to his veterans who under-performed and played with lackluster effort at the start.

"The way I addressed the team was, you can't use, 'We're young,'" Watson told Arizonasports.com. "Our young guys got us in the game. Our veterans have to come and have to play with the same passion."

Even though the Suns are coming off a contest in which their offense inconsistent, the Thunder are wary of the explosive squad.

"They are a very, very fast team, an explosive team," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of the Suns. "Their backcourt with Book and Brevin Knight has speed. Along with Bledsoe, they can shoot the ball. (Tyson) Chandler is one of the great rollers to the rim and a great post defender. They have the ability to play small. They are a different team than Philadelphia, but it will be a challenge."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hornets (1-0) at Heat (1-0)

Date: October 28, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

MIAMI - Who said the days of significant centers are dead in the NBA?

Not the 1-0 Miami Heat or the 1-0 Charlotte Hornets, who meet Friday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

It will be the home opener for the Heat, who remade their team largely around 7-foot, 265-pound center Hassan Whiteside, who signed a four-year, $98 million contract extension in July.

Whiteside had 18 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in 31 minutes on Wednesday night, leading Miami to a 108-96 win over the Orlando Magic.

"I wasn't trying to make a statement," Whiteside said when asked about his first game since signing the initial major contract of his career. "I was just playing."

This is the first time that the 27-year-old Whiteside has had his name at the top of the marquee, sharing top billing with point guard Goran Dragic.

The Heat no longer have the "Big Three" that won two NBA titles and got them to four championship series in four years. Dwyane Wade bolted to the Chicago Bulls, Chris Bosh is in limbo due to health concerns and LeBron James had previously gone back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Over on the Hornets side, they are also relying heavily on a center, 7-2, 270-pound Roy Hibbert, who has been in the spotlight since he was drafted in the first round by the Indiana Pacers in 2008.

Hibbert, 29, is a two-time NBA All-Star, but he has bounced around lately, spending last season on a brutal Los Angeles Lakers team before signing this year with Charlotte.

In fact, Hibbert signed with the Hornets on the same day Whiteside re-signed with Miami - July 7.

On Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, Hibbert made his Hornets debut, getting 15 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists. He made 6-of-9 shots from the floor, 3-of-3 from the foul line and grabbed four of his rebounds on the offensive end, giving Charlotte 32 excellent minutes.

The Hornets led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter.

"We just stuck to our game plan," said Hornets point guard Kemba Walker, who had eight assists. "We got a lot of stops."

Part of the plan for the Hornets, both on Friday night and for the entire season, is to get the ball inside to HIbbert, who had two monster dunks against the Bucks.

Charlotte let injury-prone center Al Jefferson go in free agency after a season in which he played just 47 games, including only 18 starts.

Hibbert, who played 81 games last season, is much more durable than that. In fact, he has played at least 65 games in each of his eight seasons in the NBA.

That's not to say Hibbert has nothing to prove. His scoring average dipped to a career-low 5.9 points last season, perhaps influenced by the train wreck that was the Lakers' season.

For his career, HIbbert averages 10.6 and 6.6 rebounds.

But while Hibbert is looking for a bounce-back year, Whiteside is trying to continue to ascend to what he believes is his rightful place among the game's greats.

In Heat circles, Whiteside is well known for using any perceived slight as motivation for domination - such as when he was only third last season in the voting for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Whiteside led the NBA last season with 3.7 blocks per game, adding 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds.

He was even better after the All-Star Game, averaging 17.5 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. That's why Heat president Pat Riley made re-signing Whiteside his No. 1 offseason priority.

Beyond the intriguing center matchup, there are several other storylines to follow for Friday's game:

--Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who played just seven games last season due to a shoulder injury, had 23 points and 14 rebounds on Opening Night.

He will be opposed by Heat small forward Justise Winslow, a first-round pick out of Duke last season who is just beginning to tap into his potential.

--Hornets backup center Cody Zeller, who gets by mostly on sheer hustle, missed the entire preseason due to a knee injury. Yet he produced 15 points in 14 minutes on Wednesday, making 5-of-6 shots from the floor.

--Hornets power forward Frank Kaminsky, their first-round pick last year, missed the opener due to a strained right foot. His status is undetermined.

--Heat shooting guards Josh Richardson (knee) and Wayne Ellington (quad) sat out the opener and likely won't be ready for a while. Dion Waiters, who averaged 9.8 points last season while serving mostly as a backup for the Oklahoma City Thunder, started for Miami at shooting guard while also making his Heat debut.

--Miami's other new starter this year is 6-9 forward Luke Babbitt, a career 40.2-percent shooter from three-point range. This is his seventh year in the league, and last season was his career high in scoring (7.0).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Cavaliers (1-0) at Raptors (1-0)

Date: October 28, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Friday night's contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto won't be just another game on the 82-game schedule for the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto (1-0) had its season cut short last spring by the Cavaliers, who defeated the Raptors in six games of the Eastern Conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals.

Toronto fell behind 2-0, losing both games in Cleveland last May, but rebounded to tie the series 2-2 with a pair of wins at Air Canada Centre. The Cavs went on to win Games 5 and 6 to advance to the Finals.

"It's never just another game," said Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan. "Every game we have, we look at it as a new opportunity to gain something. Come Friday, it's another opportunity against the team we played against in the Eastern Conference finals."

DeRozan led the way with a game-high 40 points and four rebounds in the Raptors season-opening 109-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

Toronto won the regular-season series against Cleveland last year, taking three of four meetings.

"It's going to be a battle," DeRozan said. "It's a challenge we're looking forward to: playing against the champs, playing against the team we took to six games in the Eastern Conference finals, it's going to be great. It's going to be great in here. It's another challenge for us."

Jonas Valanciunas added 32 points and 11 rebounds as he and DeRozan became the first teammates in NBA history with a 40-point game and a 30-point game in a season opener.

"It's a good opportunity for us to go against the best team, I think in my mind, in the league," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "They've got every weapon that you could look for, the best player in the world, one of the best rosters put together in the world so it's a good test for us.

"I'd rather have it now, early in the season, lets us know where we are."

Cavs guards Iman Shumpert and Kay Felder, who both underwent concussion protocol, are expected to be available for Friday's game against the Raptors.

Cleveland (1-0) opened the season with a 117-88 thumping of the New York Knicks on Tuesday night -- the same evening they received their 2016 NBA championship rings and raised the banner to the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.

Kyrie Irving led the way with 29 points and four assists in the win, while LeBron James chipped in 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his 43rd career triple-double.

"It's the second game of the season, we know we played these guys in the Eastern Conference finals. They have a good team; they beat us twice and coach Casey's a great coach so we know we're going to have our hands full (on Friday)," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. "We expect that. They have a great crowd, great atmosphere, but we'll be prepared for it."

The Cavs return home following Friday night's contest for a three-game home stand beginning with the Orlando Magic on Saturday. Toronto, meanwhile, concludes its three-game home stand on Monday when it plays host to the Denver Nuggets.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Lakers (1-0) at Jazz (0-1)

Date: October 28, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

SALT LAKE CITY -- Several shrewd trades during the summer brought improved depth to the Utah Jazz and positioned the team to be a rising star in the NBA's Western Conference this season. After one game, that depth is already being tested.

Utah opened the season with usual starting forwards Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors sidelined with injuries. Hayward is out through at least mid-November after fracturing his left finger in the preseason. Favors missed the opener against Portland on Tuesday because of lingering knee and IT band issues. He practiced with the team on Thursday, but remains questionable.

The Jazz missed both players in a 113-104 loss to the Blazers. Utah's offense went ice cold over the final 3 1/2 minutes -- despite an outstanding individual effort from Joe Johnson, who is starting in place of Hayward and finished with a team-high 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting.

Learning how to play without a pair of key players is something Utah coach Quin Snyder said the team must do if it wants to live up to preseason expectations.

"We can't wake up every morning wondering when they'll be back," Snyder said. "They'll be back when they're back. We can't let that be a distraction. We need to lock in and just compete with who we have."

Facing the Los Angeles Lakers in Friday night's home opener should present much less of a challenge for the Jazz. The Lakers are coming off a franchise-worst 17-65 season and enter their post-Kobe Bryant era with talented and raw building blocks such as Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and rookie Brandon Ingram.

Los Angeles got off to a good start Wednesday night, winning in coach Luke Walton's debut. The Lakers rallied in the fourth quarter, beating the Houston Rockets 120-114 behind Clarkson's 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 20 points from Russell

For a team that tasted victory so infrequently a year ago, rallying against a quality opponent felt like a welcome change of pace. Los Angeles struggled at times before halftime, but played with a degree of energy and enthusiasm not seen during much of the 2015-16 season.

Walton said the offense is ahead of the defense at this point because his team played unselfish basketball against Houston. Players shared the ball and worked it around to whoever had an open shot. It paid off in terms of execution.

"I know it sounds basic but I think it's something that it is hard to buy into because if one guy's doing it then you don't want to give the ball up because you might not get it back," Walton said. "But as soon as multiple people start buying in and the ball can move side to side you're going to get good shots."

Utah is the first stop in a four-game road swing for Los Angeles. The Lakers also travel to Oklahoma City, Indiana and Atlanta over a six-day stretch before returning home to face Golden State. After Friday, the Jazz head out for a pair of road games against the Clippers and Spurs over a three-day stretch.

Utah won the season series 3-1 a year ago and hasn't lost at home to Los Angeles since falling 100-97 on February 25, 2015. The Lakers' lone victory came on April 13 in Bryant's final game of his NBA career when he totaled 60 points to lead his team to a 101-96 victory.