Stephen Nover;
**NHL Parlay of the week
2* Sabres +115
Buffalo has been a major disappointment this season. But the Sabres have started to play better winning two of their last three. They have a strong history versus San Jose and catch a big scheduling break here. This is the final game of the Sharks' five-game, nine-day road trip. San Jose just played Thursday night. This is a very early start - 10 a.m. West Coast time - so it's almost like the Sharks are playing on consecutive days. Buffalo has beaten San Jose 10 of the last 13 times. The Sabres are 10-4 against the Sharks in their last 14 home games. The Sabres' little two-game win streak ended this past Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to Columbus. The Sabres haven't played since. They won't play again until Thursday. So an all-out effort should be forthcoming against what should be a tired and fatigued Sharks squad that has a lot of age to them.
2* Sabres Under 5.5 -121
San Jose has scored more than three goals just twice in nine games this season. Buffalo ranks 27th in goals averaging 2.5 per game. The teams met a litte more than two weeks ago and San Jose won, 3-2. I don't see more than five goals being scored again. Only two of the last seven in the series have produced an Over. This is a very early start time, which usually means sluggish play on offense. The Sharnks are concluding a five-game, nine-day road trip with this matchup.Their power play has produced just two goals in 16 tries during the road swing.
**NHL Total Crusher
2* Under 5.5 -103 Rangers/Canadiens
Call it a feeling, but I believe Carey Price is going to come up big against the Rangers. Price was booed at home during the Canadiens' 4-0 loss to the Kings this past Thursday. Price is far from being the best goalie in hockey like he was a couple of years ago. But he's not exactly washed up either. Price is going to need to come up big because the Canadiens have scored four goals in their last four games against the Rangers. The teams last met Oct.8 and New York won, 2-0. This has been an Under series with the Under cashing to the tune of 18-6-7 the past 31 times. The Rangers are going with backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec. I'm OK with that. Henrik Lundqvist is past him prime and Pavelec is 2-0 lifetime versus Montreal with a 1.92 goals against average mark and .942 save percentage.
**CFB Correlated parlay of the month
2* NC State +7.5 -130
I'm not a big fan of Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush especially when the Irish are going to have problems running the ball against North Carolina State's stout defense. The Wolfpack haven't allowed more than 116 yards rushing in any game. They rank sixth in the nation in run defense. No foe has scored more than 25 points on the Wolfpack either. That sets up well when taking a touchdown. Senior North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley isn't flashy. But he is efficient and can be trusted not to turn the ball over. He has yet to be intercepted in 248 attempts. North Carolina State has covered its past five road games.
2* NC State Under 58 -108
I see defense not offense ruling the day here in this matchup. Notre Dame is holding foes to 16.4 points a game, which is 12th-best in the country. North Carolina State allows less than 23 points a game. The Wolfpack are tremendous against the run and can control the line of scrimmage against Notre Dame's offensive line, which hasn't gone against this caliber of foe, nor North Carolina State's unusual 4-2-5 defensive alignment. The Irish also have to deal with Bradley Chubb, one of the best defensive players in the nation. Chubb has 14 tackles for losses and 6 1/2 sacks. He's a highly disruptive force.
2* Under 49 -110 Duke/Va.Tech
Think defense here and not just because the Under has cashed in Duke's last six games. Both teams have excellent defenses and Duke is struggling to score averaging 13.5 points in its last four games. Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones ranks 13th among the 14 qualified ACC quarterbacks in passing efficiency. Virginia Tech ranks No. 2 in the nation in third-down defense and gives up only 12.7 points per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. Duke, though, is strong on defense. The Blue Devils are No. 1 in the ACC in interceptions and second in sacks. Weather could impact scoring, too, with rain expected.
2* Over 55 -110 App State/U Mass
Both offenses have been looking good. Appalachian State has a balanced attack with dual threat senior Taylor Lamb at quarterback. The Mountaineers' offensive line is coming off probably their best game of the season. They should dominante the Minutemen in the trenaches. UMass just had to prepare for Georgia Southern's triple option offense last week. Now they have to switch back in their defensive preparation. That can be a problem. Appalachian State has scored 105 points in its last three games. UMass has scored 105 points in its last two games. It's important to note the Minutemen have been playing at a brisk pace, too.
***Conference USA Total Of The Year ***
3* Under 48 -110 UTSA/UTEP
What do you get with three ineffective quarterbacks rotating and no ground game? You get Texas El-Paso's offense, which is the second-worst in the country. The Miners have not broken the 17-point barrier in six of their seven games. The under has cashed 18 of the last 25 times in the Miners' conference games. Don't expect a sudden scoring outburst from UTEP against Texas San Antonio, which ranks 19th in scoring defense giving up 18 points a game. The Roadrunners just held Rice to seven points last Saturday. UTEP has been playing better defense since Mike Price replaced Sean Kugler as coach. The Miners have ranked in the top 50 defensively during their last couple of games and have had an extra week of preparation to work on more defensive schemes having had a bye last week
**NHL Parlay of the week
2* Sabres +115
Buffalo has been a major disappointment this season. But the Sabres have started to play better winning two of their last three. They have a strong history versus San Jose and catch a big scheduling break here. This is the final game of the Sharks' five-game, nine-day road trip. San Jose just played Thursday night. This is a very early start - 10 a.m. West Coast time - so it's almost like the Sharks are playing on consecutive days. Buffalo has beaten San Jose 10 of the last 13 times. The Sabres are 10-4 against the Sharks in their last 14 home games. The Sabres' little two-game win streak ended this past Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to Columbus. The Sabres haven't played since. They won't play again until Thursday. So an all-out effort should be forthcoming against what should be a tired and fatigued Sharks squad that has a lot of age to them.
2* Sabres Under 5.5 -121
San Jose has scored more than three goals just twice in nine games this season. Buffalo ranks 27th in goals averaging 2.5 per game. The teams met a litte more than two weeks ago and San Jose won, 3-2. I don't see more than five goals being scored again. Only two of the last seven in the series have produced an Over. This is a very early start time, which usually means sluggish play on offense. The Sharnks are concluding a five-game, nine-day road trip with this matchup.Their power play has produced just two goals in 16 tries during the road swing.
**NHL Total Crusher
2* Under 5.5 -103 Rangers/Canadiens
Call it a feeling, but I believe Carey Price is going to come up big against the Rangers. Price was booed at home during the Canadiens' 4-0 loss to the Kings this past Thursday. Price is far from being the best goalie in hockey like he was a couple of years ago. But he's not exactly washed up either. Price is going to need to come up big because the Canadiens have scored four goals in their last four games against the Rangers. The teams last met Oct.8 and New York won, 2-0. This has been an Under series with the Under cashing to the tune of 18-6-7 the past 31 times. The Rangers are going with backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec. I'm OK with that. Henrik Lundqvist is past him prime and Pavelec is 2-0 lifetime versus Montreal with a 1.92 goals against average mark and .942 save percentage.
**CFB Correlated parlay of the month
2* NC State +7.5 -130
I'm not a big fan of Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush especially when the Irish are going to have problems running the ball against North Carolina State's stout defense. The Wolfpack haven't allowed more than 116 yards rushing in any game. They rank sixth in the nation in run defense. No foe has scored more than 25 points on the Wolfpack either. That sets up well when taking a touchdown. Senior North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley isn't flashy. But he is efficient and can be trusted not to turn the ball over. He has yet to be intercepted in 248 attempts. North Carolina State has covered its past five road games.
2* NC State Under 58 -108
I see defense not offense ruling the day here in this matchup. Notre Dame is holding foes to 16.4 points a game, which is 12th-best in the country. North Carolina State allows less than 23 points a game. The Wolfpack are tremendous against the run and can control the line of scrimmage against Notre Dame's offensive line, which hasn't gone against this caliber of foe, nor North Carolina State's unusual 4-2-5 defensive alignment. The Irish also have to deal with Bradley Chubb, one of the best defensive players in the nation. Chubb has 14 tackles for losses and 6 1/2 sacks. He's a highly disruptive force.
2* Under 49 -110 Duke/Va.Tech
Think defense here and not just because the Under has cashed in Duke's last six games. Both teams have excellent defenses and Duke is struggling to score averaging 13.5 points in its last four games. Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones ranks 13th among the 14 qualified ACC quarterbacks in passing efficiency. Virginia Tech ranks No. 2 in the nation in third-down defense and gives up only 12.7 points per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. Duke, though, is strong on defense. The Blue Devils are No. 1 in the ACC in interceptions and second in sacks. Weather could impact scoring, too, with rain expected.
2* Over 55 -110 App State/U Mass
Both offenses have been looking good. Appalachian State has a balanced attack with dual threat senior Taylor Lamb at quarterback. The Mountaineers' offensive line is coming off probably their best game of the season. They should dominante the Minutemen in the trenaches. UMass just had to prepare for Georgia Southern's triple option offense last week. Now they have to switch back in their defensive preparation. That can be a problem. Appalachian State has scored 105 points in its last three games. UMass has scored 105 points in its last two games. It's important to note the Minutemen have been playing at a brisk pace, too.
***Conference USA Total Of The Year ***
3* Under 48 -110 UTSA/UTEP
What do you get with three ineffective quarterbacks rotating and no ground game? You get Texas El-Paso's offense, which is the second-worst in the country. The Miners have not broken the 17-point barrier in six of their seven games. The under has cashed 18 of the last 25 times in the Miners' conference games. Don't expect a sudden scoring outburst from UTEP against Texas San Antonio, which ranks 19th in scoring defense giving up 18 points a game. The Roadrunners just held Rice to seven points last Saturday. UTEP has been playing better defense since Mike Price replaced Sean Kugler as coach. The Miners have ranked in the top 50 defensively during their last couple of games and have had an extra week of preparation to work on more defensive schemes having had a bye last week
