Monday 12/12/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

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NFL injury report

BALTIMORE RAVENS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS on Monday night
BALTIMORE RAVENS
--Out: RB Lorenzo Taliaferro (thigh), TE Crockett Gillmore (thigh)
--Doubtful: G Alex Lewis (ankle)
--Questionable: G Marshal Yanda (shoulder)
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
--Out: WR Danny Amendola (ankle)
--Questionable: TE Martellus Bennett (ankle/shoulder), LB Elandon Roberts (hamstring), CB Eric Rowe (hamstring), WR Matt Slater (foot), S Jordan Richards (knee)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Opening Line Report - Week 14
By Marcus DiNitto

The NFL’s Week 14 card is loaded with key divisional matchups. Here’s a look at the opening betting lines from Las Vegas, with insight from CG Technology vice president of risk Jason Simbal and Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook manager Ed Salmons. Numbers listed are the Vegas consensus as of about 10 p.m. ET on Sunday night, with early line moves and differences among books also noted.

Monday, Dec. 12

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-7.5)

The Westgate drew underdog money at its opening number of Baltimore +9, prompting a move to 7.5 after about 40 minutes of wagering Sunday night.

“We tried to open high for teasers, and we saw it go down a little bit,” Salmons said. “The Ravens are playing great right now, so we kind of went with that one (moved the line because of action on one side). It made sense.”

He added, “You don’t need to stick out at 9 if everyone else is at 7.5.”

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL opening line report: Chiefs open as faves over very public Raiders
By PATRICK EVERSON

Week 14 of the NFL season gets out of the gate with a big matchup in the AFC West under the Thursday night lights. We check in with Peter Childs, risk management supervisor, on a few of this week’s opening lines.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-8)

New England kept pace with Oakland for the AFC’s top record, breezing past Los Angeles 26-10 as a hefty 13-point home chalk Sunday. The Patriots improved to 10-2 SU and are tied with Dallas for the best ATS mark at 9-3.

Baltimore has won four of its last five SU and ATS to bounce back from a four-game SU and ATS slide. On Sunday, the Ravens (7-5 SU, 6-6 ATS) hammered red-hot Miami – which had won six straight – 38-6 giving 3.5 at home.

“The Patriots just keep winning and keep covering for their backers,” Childs said. “We have them power-rated roughly 4 points better than the Ravens, but throw in home field and the fact that we lose money on the Patriots every week, as bettors can’t get enough of them, no matter how high their spreads are.

“So in a game where they should be a 7-point favorite, we opened them -8, hoping to attract some Ravens money. For the first time all season, we’re seeing more action against the Patriots, and we’ve lowered our number to Pats -7.5.”

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL Week 14 lines that make you go hmmm...
By PETER KORNER

Longtime Las Vegas oddsmaker Peter Korner sizes up this week’s NFL schedule and picks out some of the lines making him go “hmmmm…” in Week 14:

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-7.5, 45.5)

My original knee jerk reaction to seeing the original line of Patriots -8 was a bit surprising and early money has taken this opener down a notch at a few sportsbooks. But if you can still grab the +8 at your local store, that seems like good value. I made this -7 (EVEN) so anything above the key number seems pretty inviting.

Baltimore has been creeping back into the playoff picture, behind a solid defense. Breaking out 38 points against Miami this past week was hopefully not an aberration. If the Ravens can match their defense with any semblance of an offensive attack, this game should be a close call - and maybe more so for those underdog players. The Ravens defense has allowed 14, 7, 14 and six points, sandwiching their lone loss at Dallas, in the past five games and the team seems to be gelling.

You can’t really complain about New England. On their current three-game win streak since their loss to Seattle, the Patriots haven’t exactly been playing the cream of the crop. Wins against San Francisco, the N.Y. Jets, and Los Angeles won’t rattle any bones, so Baltimore at this point could prove to be a challenge. Toss in the chance of weather issues, and this game looks to be close from the start.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Wiseguys are advising that these Week 14 NFL lines are going to move
By AAA SPORTS

Each week during the pro football season, Art Aronson of AAA Sports looks at the NFL odds and tells you which spread to bet now, which one to bet later, and which total to watch as the week plays out.

Game to wait on

Baltimore at New England (-7) (Monday)

This line has already moved from NE -8 to -7, possibly on the news that the Patriots have suffered yet another injury to a receiver (Danny Amendola, out for the rest of the regular season). And the Ravens seem to be one of the few teams that is not intimidated when they play the Patriots in Foxboro. They took apart NE in a playoff game in 2013, and two years after that had the Patriots on the ropes but dropped a TD pass in the end zone and also missed a chip-shot field goal (two weeks before NE defeated Seattle in the Super Bowl). The Ravens are coming off quality home wins over Miami and Cincinnati, but haven’t beaten a decent team on the road. Game is Monday night, so there is plenty of time to see if weekend betting moves the line a half-point either way.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL's biggest betting mismatches: Week 14
By MONTY ANDREWS

Each week, Monty Andrews breaks down some of the underlying mismatches in the NFL, giving you an inside edge when handicapping the schedule and setting your daily fantasy lineup.

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots (-7, 45.5)

Ravens' rambunctious ways vs. Patriots' trademark discipline

The Patriots - and more specifically, quarterback Tom Brady - have traditionally done well when facing defenses ranked No. 1 in the league. And with home-field advantage also working in New England's favor, the sledding might be tough for visiting Baltimore this Monday night. But the biggest impediment to the Ravens being competitive at Foxboro might be their penalty issues - something the Patriots haven't had to deal with this season.

The penalty picture has been an ugly one for the Ravens so far in 2016; they rank third overall in accepted penalties with 99, and third in accepted yards with 866. A whopping 27 of those flags have come in the last three weeks, totaling 263 yards. They've gone over the 100-yard mark in penalties three separate times this season, and lost all three games. And they've incurred 414 penalty yards on the offensive side of the ball, which must drive quarterback Joe Flacco batty.

It should come as no surprise that the Patriots find themselves on the opposite side of the penalty spectrum, ranking 28th in the league with just 74 accepted flags. They've committed just 30 fouls on the defensive side of the ball, and have been flagged five or fewer times on five occasions this season. If they stay disciplined, they should have no trouble winning the flag war with the Ravens - and that could make a big difference come Monday.

Daily fantasy watch: New England D/ST

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ravens (7-5) at Patriots (10-2)

Date: December 12, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There aren't many quarterbacks who can look at their head-to-head matchups with Tom Brady and smile.

Joe Flacco can do it.

While Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens have a 3-5 record in games against Brady and the New England Patriots, Flacco's personal numbers have been better than the NFL's all-time winningest quarterback as they prepare to face each other again Monday night.

"We've played him quite a bit. It seems like he always plays well against us, so I have a lot of respect for him," Patriots coach Bill Belichick told the Baltimore media on a conference call Wednedsay. "He's a good football player and he's been pretty good. Don't forget, he took them to the Super Bowl championship."

Flacco, who threw four touchdown passes in last week's 38-6 blowout of the previously hot Miami Dolphins, has thrown 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions while amassing a 91.3 passer rating against Brady-led teams. Brady has 10 touchdowns and 10 picks and has lost two fumbles in those games.

"Joe Flacco is one of the top quarterbacks in the league," Patriots safety and defensive captain Devin McCourty said Wednesday. "I think his ability to get the ball down the field and also his experience and understanding of what's going on out there and knowing how to attack a defense."

Brady and Flacco have split four postseason games, but the Patriots (10-2) are 7-1 all-time against the Ravens (7-5) in the regular season.

"We have to go up into a hostile place in New England that we really enjoy playing," Flacco said. "It's going to be another important game in December up there on a Monday night, and it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it, big time."

In six regular-season games against the Ravens, Brady is 5-1 but has just six touchdowns with three interceptions and a passer rating of 83.6. He has also been sacked 14 times.

But that's the past. As far as the present, Brady last week posted win No. 201 to take the all-time lead, counting playoffs, away from Peyton Manning. He is one win from becoming the third quarterback with 180 regular-season victories -- a win he clearly hopes to get in this meeting with a fellow division leader.

"Now we have our toughest challenge," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "We're going to need to play our best football on Monday night up in New England to win that football game. We do believe we have a chance to do that based on where we're at right now. That's what we're shooting for."

Since returning from his four-game Deflategate suspension, Brady has completed 68.9 percent of his passes, throwing 19 touchdowns and just one interception -- the only pick thrown by New England's three quarterbacks this season.

But he will be missing two weapons in the teams' first Monday Night Football matchup since 2007. Rob Gronkowski is out for the season with back surgery and Danny Amendola is out until the playoffs with a high ankle sprain suffered in last week's win over the Los Angeles Rams.

But rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell has emerged in recent games and the Patriots have gone 7-1 with Brady back.

The Ravens have won their last two, and really cooled off a hot team last week.

"Getting to the playoffs is a big accomplishment. To put yourself in position to play meaningful games in December is also a big accomplishment," Flacco said. "You can't take that for granted. You've got to keep your focus 100 percent of the time."

Lost a bit in the excitement of Brady's record-setting day and the celebration of the 2001 title team was the kicking of Stephen Gostkowski, who made four field goals, three of them 45 yards or longer, as a sign he could be out of his slump. He was named AFC special teams player of the week Wednesday.

"It's a start. It's one game," Gostkowski said after the game. "Every week is a different challenge. You just got to battle, keep your head down, stay humble and show up, but control your attitude and you effort and make sure both of those are good and have faith in the process that what you've been doing is going to continue."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Ravens look to upset Pats

MNF Betting Preview
Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Odds: New England (-7); Total set at 45

The Ravens and Patriots have built a dastardly rivalry over the past decade, playing eight times since 2009 with multiple playoff meetings sprinkled in there. New England is just 5-3 straight up in those eight games and that may be surprising to some given how dominant the Pats have been almost every year since then.

The Ravens actually hold the edge ATS-wise during that span with a 4-3-1 ATS mark and only once during that time did Baltimore lose by more than a touchdown. Those historical numbers make this week's game and line quite interesting, especially given the fact that Brady will be without Gronkowski and Amendola.

Yet, even with those absences on the Patriots offense, the perception of the Ravens being an average team that's a little lucky to be tied atop their division does hold some weight in putting out this number of +7. In fact, this number opened up in the +9 range and while Baltimore money has pushed the spread down, I'm sure we will see plenty of action come the Patriots way as we get closer to kick-off. So where does the value lie currently?

Those who are coming in on the Baltimore side will point to their past history against New England (only losing once by more than a TD etc) and the stout defense that the Ravens employ.

There is no question that Brady will likely feel the absence of Gronkowski the most this week and that can't be ignored. Baltimore's got the #1 defense in terms of yards allowed per game and rushing yards allowed per game, so not having a talented, big body TE out there like Gronk to exploit the softest spot in Baltimore's defense (the passing attack) is a big reason why much of the early action has taken the points with Baltimore.

The Ravens looked awfully impressive in their 38-6 beatdown of Miami last week and that result didn't exactly make many who were leaning on Baltimore shy away. However, the NFL is a sport where bettors fall victim to serious over reactions on a weekly basis and this game definitely has that type of feel to it.

Looking at the big picture, we've got a Patriots team down two of their big weapons, facing an old rival that typically plays them close. The Patriots haven't exactly looked very impressive the past few weeks in beating up on some of the worst teams in the league in San Francisco, L.A, and NY Jets, quietly going about their business and taking points when they can.

Throw in Baltimore's top level defense, their history with New England, and their recent beating of the Dolphins, and 7 points with Baltimore seems like a gift.

However, New England is a team that loves to be underestimated and this game definitely has that feel. Granted, being 7-point favorites doesn't exactly qualify as being “underestimated,” but the flood of action on the underdog here (ATS and ML ) has flipped the value onto the home side.

What all those people that will state that Baltimore's only lost by a TD once over those past eight meetings with New England will conveniently forget to mention that that game was the last time these two met in the regular season. New England went into Baltimore that day in 2013 as -1.5 favorites and rolled over the Ravens to the tune of 41-7.

New England didn't have Gronkowski that day either as it was the Patriots defense that stepped up and forced three INT's and one fumble to blow that one open for the Pats. Given all the talk this week about how great Baltimore's defense is this season, don't for one second think that New England's defensive players haven't heard all that chatter and will be out to prove a point on Sunday.

Secondly, New England's strength offensively is when Tom Brady has the ball in his hands and is airing it out and that's directly going against the weakest part of Baltimore's defense. Digging deeper into Baltimore's defensive numbers this year, you'll find that they actually have been much worse away from home too.

Baltimore's last three road games have seen opponents put up 27, 24, and 27 points against them and those numbers came against the two New York teams and Dallas. It's not hard to argue that the Patriots attack is much better then all three of those teams (although Dallas may have something to say about that) and this game could turn out to be a carbon copy of those ones. The Ravens went 0-3 SU and ATS in those games and have only covered the spread once all year – as -4 favorites @ Cleveland in Week 2.

Don't be fooled into thinking that getting a touchdown with a Ravens team that has historically been a tough out for New England is a gift from the oddsmakers.

Expect the Patriots best effort in weeks here as they look to make a strong statement to the rest of the league and add one more ATS win to their 9-3-2 ATS mark over their last 14 games at home.

Best Bet: Take New England (-7)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Monday Night Football Picks: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots Odds
by Alan Matthews

We had a marquee matchup in the Thursday night game in Week 14, one in the Sunday night slot, and we cap it off with another stellar game on Monday night in a potential playoff preview as Baltimore visits New England -- and those two know each other well from previous postseasons. I can promise you this game will be much more interesting than last week's ugly Colts-Jets Monday game in which I stupidly leaned the Gang Green at home. Bad week to stop sniffing glue!

Entering Week 14, the Patriots (10-2) would clinch the AFC East division with a Dolphins home loss on Sunday to Arizona (very possible) and New England winning or tying this game. The Patriots would become the first team in NFL history to win eight consecutive division titles. The Pats clinch no worse than the AFC's No. 2 seed with a win, Dolphins loss and Steelers loss in Buffalo (also very possible). New England, of course, has its eyes on the AFC's top seed after losing that spot in Week 17 last year -- something that probably cost Tom Brady and Bill Belichick a fifth Super Bowl ring each. But that race for the AFC top spot likely goes down to Week 17 and battling Oakland or Kansas City. The Pats close at Denver, vs. the Jets and at the Dolphins. They could easily lose both road games, and even though the Jets are sorry they tend to play New England tough (see Week 12).

Baltimore (7-5) is tied atop the AFC North with Pittsburgh entering the weekend. The Ravens currently hold the tiebreaker thanks to a Week 9 21-14 home victory over the Steelers when Ben Roethlisberger was much less than 100 percent. The Ravens close home vs. Philadelphia, at Pittsburgh and at Cincinnati. A wild-card spot is possible for Baltimore if it doesn't win the division but I wouldn't count on that.

But if the playoffs started today, the Ravens would visit the Patriots in the divisional round assuming Baltimore won its home wild-card round game (currently vs. Denver).

Ravens at Patriots Betting Story Lines

Baltimore played perhaps its best game of the season last Sunday, a 38-6 home wipeout of what had been a red-hot Miami team. Joe Flacco had his best game, too, completing 36 of 47 for 381 yards and four scores. Tight end Dennis Pitta caught nine balls for 90 yards and two scores. Even the lousy Ravens running game managed 110 yards and a TD on 20 carries. Defensively, Baltimore held Miami to just 277 yards and forced three turnovers.

So is this a Super Bowl contender? If Flacco plays like he did vs. Miami and in the 2012 Super Bowl run, sure. But he hasn't done that much this season. Last week was only his third 300-yard game of the season and third with multiple TD passes. He's just the 26th-ranked QB in the NFL at 84.1, behind guys like Trevor Siemian, Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor. It doesn't help the Ravens have been cycling through running backs all year and are 28th in rushing. The defense is Super Bowl caliber, leading the NFL in yards allowed and No. 2 in points.

The Patriots began life without Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski last week and Brady simply didn't look as sharp without his security blanket and top red-zone target. New England beat a bad Rams team 26-10. It was Brady's 201st career win including playoffs, setting the NFL record. But it has been widely established that Brady's career numbers are not as good without Gronk. And Brady was just OK vs. Los Angeles, completing 33-for-46 for 269 yards (just 5.85 yards per attempt) with one TD.

Brady also is likely to be missing receiver Danny Amendola this week as he hurt his ankle vs. the Rams. It's a high-ankle sprain and that probably means the rest of the regular season. Amendola hasn't done much this season, but at least Brady knows him. If you are looking for a late-season fantasy football pickup and he's out there, grab Malcolm Mitchell. The rookie fourth-rounder could be the main beneficiary of Gronk's injury as he was targeted 10 times by Brady vs. the Rams and caught eight balls for 82 yards.

Ravens at Patriots Betting Odds and Trends

New England is a 7.5-point favorite (+110) with a total of 45.5. On the moneyline, the Patriots are -320 and Ravens +260. On the alternate lines, the Pats are -7 (-110) and -6.5 (-130). Baltimore is 6-6 against the spread (1-4 on road) and 4-7-1 "over/under" (2-2-1 on road). New England is 9-3 ATS (4-2 at home) and 4-8 O/U (3-3 at home).

The Ravens are 5-0 ATS in their past five Monday games. They are 6-1-1 ATS in their past eight road games vs. teams with a winning home record. Baltimore has covered just once in its past eight after a win of at least 14 points. The Patriots are 5-2-1 ATS in their past eight on Monday. The under is 7-2 in the Ravens' past nine in December. The under is 5-2 in New England's past seven vs. the AFC. The road team is 6-0-1 ATS in the past seven meetings.

Ravens at Patriots Betting Prediction

New England has won the past two meetings. The most recent was a great, great game in Foxboro in the divisional round of the 2014 playoffs. The Pats twice rallied from 14-point deficits -- the first team to do so in NFL postseason history -- to win 35-31. Flacco threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns but two costly picks. Brady threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns -- Julian Edelman also threw a TD pass on trick play. The Patriots didn't even bother trying to run the ball that day with 14 yards on 13 carries.

Take a look at Baltimore's schedule this season . Show me a great win. The Pittsburgh one was solid, but as noted above Big Ben was just off knee surgery. Miami had won six straight entering last week, but the Dolphins are frauds. The good teams the Ravens have played -- Raiders, Giants, Cowboys -- they have lost to. The Patriots are 7-1 all-time against Baltimore in the regular season, including 4-0 in home games. Go New England but give the 6.5 points to be safe. Like the under.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tech Trends - Week 14
By Bruce Marshall

Monday Night, Dec. 12

BALTIMORE at NEW ENGLAND (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Ravens 4-1 SU and vs. line last five this season, Patriots only 2-2 vs. line last four after four straight covers. Pats “under” 9-4 last 13 since late 2015.
Tech Edge: Slight to Ravens, based on recent trends.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL

Week 14

Monday Night

Ravens (7-5) @ Patriots (10-2)— Baltimore is 4-1 since its bye week, allowing 13.6 pts/game, but the four wins were all at home; Ravens are 2-3 on road with wins at Browns/Jaguars- their road losses are by 4-8-10 points. Baltimore is only 7-5 but they’re tied for first in AFC North and is 4-0 in its divisional games. Patriots are 7-1 with Brady at QB; six of the seven wins are by 11+ points- they’re 3-2 as home favorites this year. New England is 9-3 in last 12 series games, 7-1 in regular season games (2-2 in playoff meetings); Ravens lost seven of last nine visits here. AFC North non-divisional underdogs are 2-10 vs spread, 2-6 on road. AFC East favorites are 8-5, 4-5 at home. Under is 5-1 in Ravens’ last six games, 3-0 in last three Patriot games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL
Dunkel

Week 14

Monday, December 12

Baltimore @ New England

Game 133-134
December 12, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Baltimore
129.125
New England
145.568
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New England
by 16 1/2
42
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New England
by 7
45 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New England
(-7); Under

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL
Short Sheet

Week 14

Mon – Dec. 12

Baltimore at New England, 8:30 PM ET
Baltimore: 5-15 ATS in road games after a win by 21 or more points
New England: 9-1 ATS after outgaining opp by 150 or more total yards in their previous game

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL
Long Sheet

Week 14

Monday, December 12

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

BALTIMORE (7 - 5) at NEW ENGLAND (10 - 2) - 12/12/2016, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ENGLAND is 231-186 ATS (+26.4 Units) in all games since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 231-186 ATS (+26.4 Units) in all lined games since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 179-135 ATS (+30.5 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 104-76 ATS (+20.4 Units) in games played on turf since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 110-81 ATS (+20.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 76-53 ATS (+17.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 56-36 ATS (+16.4 Units) in the last 4 weeks of the regular season since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 1-0 against the spread versus NEW ENGLAND over the last 3 seasons
NEW ENGLAND is 1-0 straight up against BALTIMORE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL

Week 14

Trend Report

Monday, December 12

8:30 PM
BALTIMORE vs. NEW ENGLAND
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Baltimore's last 9 games when playing New England
Baltimore is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing New England
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New England's last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New England's last 10 games

 

[superbeets]

Italian Serie A TODAY 18:00

Fiorentina

v

Sassuolo

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		4/7	3	5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT FIORENTINA	RECENT FORM
H DA WH LA LH WA W​ Most recent​	3 - 1 0 - 0 3 - 4	H LA LA LA DH WH L​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sassuolo have not won any of their last four matches which have followed Europa League games

EXPERT VERDICT: Sassuolo’s Europa League matchday six contest at home to Genk was postponed until Friday – making their preparations for Monday’s league contest at Fiorentina a little bit tougher. Fiorentina were also in Europa League action – winning 2-1 at Qarabag - but have had the extra day to recover and can put it to good use by posting a second successive Serie A victory.

RECOMMENDATION: Firoentina to win 2-0
1

Spanish La Liga TODAY 19:45

Villarreal

v

Atl Madrid

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS2		15/4	12/5	17/20	More markets

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

KEY STAT: None of the last five matches between the clubs have produced more than one goal

EXPERT VERDICT: Villarreal scraped through to the last 32 of the Europa League with a 2-1 victory at home to Steaua Bucharest on Thursday and will have to play better if they are to take any points from their La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid. The last seven meetings between the teams have produced just seven goals and another tight contest looks likely – increasing the possibility of a draw.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

Italian Serie A TODAY 20:00

Roma

v

Milan

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		3/5	16/5	17/4	More markets

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

KEY STAT: Roma have won their last ten Serie A home games

EXPERT VERDICT: Roma were able by make wholesale changes for Thursday’s 0-0 Europa League draw at home to Astra Giurgiu and should be fresh enough to topple improving Milan in the capital. Optimism is increasing among Milan supporters after seven wins in nine but a setback is on the cards at Roma, who have a 100 per cent home record to protect.

RECOMMENDATION: Roma
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL roundup: Flyers win 9th straight
By The Sports Xchange

DETROIT -- Brayden Schenn's goal 2:44 into overtime gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena.
It was the Flyers (18-10-3) ninth consecutive win.
Anthony Stolarz, making his second start of the season and his career, made 28 saves for his first NHL shutout.
Jimmy Howard made 34 saves for Detroit in his first start since Nov. 23.

Capitals 3, Canucks 0
WASHINGTON -- Alexander Ovechkin scored the 200th power-play goal of his storied career in the first period and Washington methodically wore down a tired Vancouver squad to pick up a victory.
The Capitals didn't need much offense against a weary Canucks team that arrived in D.C. at 3 a.m. Sunday on the heels of a loss Saturday against the Panthers.
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson also scored for the Capitals, who got 20 saves from Braden Holtby.

Ducks 5, Senators 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Corey Perry, Antoine Vermette and Sami Vatanen each scored a power-play goal to lead Anaheim to a rout of Ottawa at the Honda Center.
Nick Ritchie and Joseph Cramarossa added goals for the Ducks, who received 21 saves from John Gibson while earning their third consecutive victory and sixth in eight games.
Ryan Dzingel scored the only goal for the Senators, who have lost five of their last seven.

Blackhawks 3, Stars 1
CHICAGO -- Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin each scored, and Chicago pulled away from Dallas.
Ryan Hartman assisted on Hossa's goal and set up Anisimov's go-ahead score with a strong drive to the net.
Devin Shore scored the lone goal for the Stars.

Rangers 5, Devils 0
NEW YORK, NY -- Antti Raanta helped New York extend its winning streak to three with a shutout victory over New Jersey at Madison Square Garden.
Raanta stopped all 19 shots he faced, earning his second straight shutout and sixth of his career. In backstopping consecutive wins over the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks and Devils this week, Raanta surrendered only one goal on 63 shots.
Chris Kreider, Brandon Pirri, Jimmy Vesey, J.T. Miller and Brady Skjei scored for the Rangers.

Wild 3, Blues 1
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Matt Dumba and Nino Niederreiter scored to build a two-goal lead and Devan Dubnyk had 20 saves for Minnesota, which topped St. Louis.
Mikael Granlund added an empty-net goal in the final minute for the Wild, who beat the Blues for the first time in three tries this season.
St. Louis also got exemplary goaltending via 22 saves from Jake Allen and a goal from Vladimir Tarasenko.

Avalanche 3, Maple Leafs 1
TORONTO -- Semyon Varlamov stopped 51 shots, Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon scored power-play goals, and Colorado defeated Toronto.
Blake Comeau added an empty-net goal in the third period for the Avalanche, who finished a four-game road trip at 2-2-0.
Jake Gardiner scored for the Maple Leafs, who took their fourth loss in the past five games.

Oilers 3, Jets 2
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Edmonton gave itself a little breathing room in the Western Conference playoff race by sweeping its season series with Winnipeg.
The Jets were anxious to get back at it after losing 6-2 the night before in Calgary while the Oilers wanted to turn themselves in the right direction after losing three straight games on the road.
Only Edmonton got what it needed out of 60 tough minutes.
Mark Letestu, who's scored five of his six goals this season against Winnipeg, tied it on a power play at 2:28 of the third period, then took credit for the go-ahead goal when Patrik Laine ripped one into his own net by accident.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Coyotes (8-13) at Penguins (17-7)

Date: December 12, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

PITTSBURGH -- Both teams are coming off meaningful wins Saturday night, but the Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes are in markedly different places going into their game on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins staged yet another comeback for their season-high fifth win in a row, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Tampa, Fla., and are near the top of the NHL standings.

The Coyotes broke a season-long six-game losing streak (0-4-2) with a 4-1 win over Nashville but remain near the bottom of the league standings.

Pittsburgh has a fully healthy roster and is getting great production from its stars. Sidney Crosby leads the league with 20 goals (in 22 games) and, with 31 points, is an early challenger for the Art Ross Trophy. Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are on Crosby's heels with 30 points each.

Crosby and Malkin each scored twice and Kessel and Kris Letang each had three assists Saturday, when the Penguins overcame a two-goal deficit for the 14th time in Mike Sullivan's 51 wins since he took over as coach a year ago Monday.

It was also the league-leading sixth time Pittsburgh has won when trailing after two periods.

"We shouldn't make a habit of (falling behind), but we believe we can score when we're playing the right way," Crosby said.

Pittsburgh was 5-5-1 in its 11 games before this winning streak, which has the players feeling nearly invincible.

"We have lots of confidence," Malkin said. "We know we can score two, three goals if we're losing after the second. We have a good feeling. We come back to the ice and it doesn't matter. Play our hockey."

That's easier with an intact club. The Penguins have lost several players to injury for periods of time, including Crosby, Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Chris Kunitz and Matt Murray, the young goalie who seems likely to start Monday. Now they are at a point where it is just a matter of determining who will be healthy scratches.

"To have a full complement of players makes our decisions difficult, but they're good challenges to have," Sullivan said.

Arizona has different challenges.

Winger Max Domi, second on the team with 16 points, is out on what the club calls a week-to-week basis because of an upper-body injury.

"He was coming around after a bit of a slow start, but he creates a lot of chances," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told the Arizona Republic. "He's an impact player, so when you lose a guy like that, it's opportunity for other guys. But when you lose top players like that, you have to overcome it."

The Coyotes did that Saturday with a lot of help from their youth.

Rookies Laurent Dauphin (one goal), Brendan Perlini (one goal), Lawson Crouse (one assist), Jakob Chychrun (one assist) and Tyler Gaudet (one assist) combined for five points.

"That's we're hoping for," Tippett said. "We need to get these young players up and going, as well as have our veterans kind of lead the charge for us."

Still, the Coyotes are trying to sort things out with their lineup, particularly in search of offense. Their win Saturday marked their first time scoring four goals in more than a month. They made Anthony Duclair and Michael Stone, normally regulars, healthy scratches against the Predators.

Before Domi got hurt, Arizona lost center Brad Richardson for an extended time because of two broken leg bones.

At least partly in response to that, the Coyotes acquired Peter Holland in a trade with Toronto last week and on Sunday claimed Josh Jooris off waivers from the Rangers. Both could make their Arizona debut against Pittsburgh.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (15-11) at Canadiens (18-6)

Date: December 12, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens' offense is on fire. The Boston Bruins are hoping wholesale line changes ignite a spark of their own as they get set to clash with their long-time rivals on Monday night at the Bell Centre.

Coming off a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs a night earlier and with a tilt against the Montreal looming, Bruins coach Claude Julien re-arranged his forward corps on Sunday in an effort to jumpstart an offense that's averaging just 2.2 goals in six games thus far in December.

David Backes was bumped up to the top line alongside center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand in place of David Pastrnak, who found himself with David Krejci and Tim Schaller. Danton Heinen, called up ahead of Saturday's game, skated with Ryan Spooner in the middle and Austin Czarnik and Jimmy Hayes alternating on the right side.

"I think sometimes the changes can create some excitement," Julien told reporters after practice Sunday afternoon. "It's not the first time, probably won't be the last time, that we've changed. This is just more of a whole overhaul is what you'd call it, versus just changing one or two. Hopefully we'll get what we're looking for."

The Bruins rank in the bottom third of the NHL in goals for, with just 67 on the season. They've scored more than three goals just twice in their past seven games, winning only one of those. The power play well has also run dry this month, with just one goal on 15 opportunities.

But it's not for a lack of effort. Boston has tossed at least 30 shots on goal in nine straight games.

"Offensive frustration is warranted at this point," Backes told the Boston Globe. "We just haven't done a good enough job scoring goals."

The Canadiens, meanwhile, are clicking offensively, scoring at least four goals in three of their last four games. This despite their forward depth taking a hit with long-term injuries to centers Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais.

Montreal exploded for six goals in the first period en route to a 10-1 thrashing of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. Max Pacioretty, whose goal-scoring struggles were a storyline for the better part of the first two months of the season, scored four goals to take over the team lead. And center Tomas Plekanec, elevated to the top line due to the injuries, recorded four assists and has looked better of late in a season of offensive struggles.

Against Colorado, nine of the 10 goals were at even strength and every line contributed, including fourth liner Brian Flynn connecting for his first two goals of the season.

"When we roll four lines and we skate, I keep saying this, but it's really hard to defend," Pacioretty said after the game. "Sometimes teams get a break from speed when the third or fourth line goes out there but not when you play against us. We have four lines that can skate, three sets of D that can skate. When we make it hard on defensemen and teams early, it's really hard for them to catch up, and pretty much every game we've won has been because of that."

It's the third meeting of the season between the Canadiens and Bruins, and the final time Boston will visit Montreal this regular season. The Canadiens won the first two meetings.