Sunday 3/20/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 13:30

Newcastle

v

Sunderland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		23/20	23/10	29/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NEWCASTLE	RECENT FORM
ALHWALALHLAL​ Most recent​	0 - 1 0 - 3 0 - 3 1 - 1	HLADHWALHDAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sunderland are unbeaten in eight Tyne-Wear derbies

EXPERT VERDICT: The Tyne-Wear derby is always a hotly contested affair but with the threat of relegation hanging over both Newcastle and Sunderland, the latest instalment of this bitter rivalry has taken on even more importance. The Mackems have won the last six meetings and could be in seventh heaven after this latest trip to St James' Park.

RECOMMENDATION: Sunderland
2


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 16:00

Man City

v

Man Utd

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		5/6	11/4	15/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN CITY	RECENT FORM
AWND*ALHWADHD​ Most recent​	1 - 0 4 - 1 2 - 3 1 - 0	HWHWALALHDHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Both teams have failed to score in 17 Man United league games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: It is perhaps no surprise that this season’s first instalment between the Manchester rivals was dreadful, a 0-0 draw low on quality and short of chances. A fixture that has produced so many big-scoring epics fell horribly flat in October and the occasion may ensure this one isn’t the best, either.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Michael Oliver STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 13:30

Southampton

v

Liverpool

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		7/4	23/10	9/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SOUTHAMPTON	RECENT FORM
HWAWHLALHDAW​ Most recent​	1 - 6 0 - 2 0 - 3 3 - 1	HWND*HWAWHWAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Liverpool have won one of seven games following a Europa League match this term

EXPERT VERDICT: Southampton’s form dipped following a golden run in January, but their win at Stoke may have halted the slide and they face Liverpool at a good time. The Reds faced Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday night and have struggled to follow up after European matches.

RECOMMENDATION: Southampton
1


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Premier League TODAY 16:00

Tottenham

v

Bournemouth

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		8/15	10/3	6	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT TOTTENHAM	RECENT FORM
HWALHDALAWHL​ Most recent​	Unknown	HLHLADHWAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Tottenham have kept just two clean sheets in their last six home league games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bournemouth are unbeaten in four league games and have won their last three on the trot, scoring eight goals. Although Tottenham haven’t lost in four home matches, they have recently conceded against Swansea and Sunderland at White Hart Lane.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
3


REFEREE: Neil Swarbrick STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Spanish La Liga TODAY 11:00

Espanyol

v

Ath Bilbao

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS3		21/10	12/5	13/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ESPANYOL	RECENT FORM
ALHWAWHLHWAD​ Most recent​	1 - 0 0 - 2 3 - 2 3 - 3	AWHWAWHWHWAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Athletic have not drawn any of their last 18 away games

EXPERT VERDICT: Athletic had won five in a row prior to Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat at Valencia in the Europa League. That may have taken plenty out of them which is good news for Espanyol. However, the Catalans’ recent upturn has come against teams around and below them in the table, and they don’t score enough goals.

RECOMMENDATION: Athletic to win 1-0
1

 

[superbeets]

Italian Serie A TODAY 11:30

Atalanta

v

Bologna

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		6/5	2	14/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ATALANTA	RECENT FORM
HDADHLADHLAL​ Most recent​	2 - 1 1 - 1 2 - 0 1 - 1	HDAWHDADHDAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Atalanta have not won any of their last 14 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Atalanta have slipped into relegation danger after failing to win any of their last 14 league games and may struggle to make home advantage count against Bologna. A four-match winless sequence has halted Bologna's progress but they can hold their own against Atalanta, who have slipped from ninth to 16th since the turn of the year.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Auto Club 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts

It's crazy that we were just anxiously awaiting for NASCAR to begin prior to Daytona and now the 2016 season is already four races old with four different winners.

This week at Auto Club Speedway, we get to see the low downforce package let loose on the wide 2-mile layout. While there was plenty of excitement for the package in two races last season, the jury is still out how its performed this year.

The NASCAR west coast swing comes to end after three straight west races that began with Las Vegas two weeks ago and continued last week at Phoenix. Lets just say results from the first two weren't as sexy as we may have hoped with the new package. Sure Vegas had some wind, but Phoenix was beautiful and despite the fantastic finish, the racing wasn't the best I've seen on the track.

Last season when the package was introduced which shortened the rear spoiler and front splitter, we saw lots of passing. There was outstanding competition with several teams showing they could contend with the power organizations. Drivers absolutely love the package. But I have to call it as I see it, and as much as I have a west coast bias for its NASCAR races, the last two races left feeling me kind of empty.

There were only seven lead changes among four drivers Sunday at Phoenix, where Kevin Harvick again led the most laps (139 of 313) while winning for his track record eighth time. New package, same results, and there appeared to be even a bigger edge for the top guys, which has kind of a reverse effect as was intended by NASCAR with the package.

Will that again be the case at Fontana's 2-mile wide layout this weekend?

Brad Keselowski won his only race of 2015 at Fontana last season where he led just one lap -- the last one. Harvick and teammate Kurt Busch finished second and third while combining to lead 99 of the 209 laps. However, there was a missing element in last years race that is active this week -- Kyle Busch.

Busch missed the race because of a broken leg suffered in the season opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona. The Las Vegas native is a three-time winner at Fontana, including wins in his last two starts there. Prior to the 2013-14 wins, last years Sprint Cup champ had finished second in 2012 and third in 2011. Yes, he loves the track and the track apparently seems to like him as well. He should be considered the favorite to win Sunday. He doesn't just have track history on his side, he's been one of the better drivers since the new package was introduced.

The all-time leader in wins at Fontana is Jimmie Johnson with five in 21 starts, including his first career victory there in 2002. The Ej Cajon, CA native has a 6.7 average finish, also a track record, at what is essentially his home track. His last win there was in 2010 which was the last season when Fontana had two race dates. Johnson's Atlanta win should serve as a good indicator he'll be a force to reckon with on Sunday. Recent history at Fontana hasn't been so hot for him as he's finished ninth or worse the past four years.

Look for the rest of the Joe Gibbs Racing team to be almost as good as Kyle Busch with Johnson, Dale Earnhradt Jr., Harvick and Kurt Busch, Joey Logano and Keselowski all being strong contenders to win.

Yes, it's the same cast of characters, isn't it. But the sweeping turns and high speeds at Fontana should allow the low downforce package to produce some great racing.

Matt Kenseth is a three-time winner and Carl Edwards has a win and second-best 8.7 average finish.

The best long shot to win might be Austin Dillon at around 40/1 odds. The Richard Childress Racing driver had strong practices at both Atlanta and Las Vegas with nice final results to boot and both those tracks are applicable this week. He's certainly worth supporting in driver matchups this week.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)
2) #4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
4) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
5) #19 Carl Edwards (12/1)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Auto Racing Glance
By The Sports Xchange

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: Auto Club 400 (200 laps, 400 miles), Auto Club Speedway; Fontana, California.
TV: Sunday, March 20, 3:30 pm ET � Fox (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: This will be the 27th time the Sprint Cup Series has raced on the high-speed, two-mile oval about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. � Brad Keselowski is the defending winner of this race, having captured it for the first time in last year's event. Kyle Busch won the two previous years in 2013 and 2014, as well in 2005. � Jimmie Johnson is the all-time winner at Fontana with five victories. � Brian Vickers will drive for the injured Tony Stewart in this Sunday's race. � Kevin Harvick, who has just one career win at Fontana, won last Sunday's race at Phoenix for the eighth time in his career. Harvick joins three other race winning drivers as being already locked into this year's Chase for the Sprint Cup: Denny Hamlin (Daytona 500), Jimmie Johnson (Atlanta) and Keselowski (Las Vegas). � The Sprint Cup standings remain tight after the first four races of the 36-race season. Kyle Busch and Harvick are tied for the lead with 154 points each. Jimmie Johnson is in third place (-14 points), followed by Kurt Busch (-17), Carl Edwards (-18), Denny Hamlin (-23), Joey Logano (-27), Austin Dillon (-32), Martin Truex Jr. (-37) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-39).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: NASCAR Xfinity Series 300 (150 laps, 300 miles), Auto Club Speedway; Fontana, California.
TV: Saturday, March 19, 4 pm ET � Fox Sports 1 (Radio: Motor Racing Network/SiriusXM Channel 90).
THEN AND NOW: Like the parent Sprint Cup Series, this will also be the 27th Xfinity Series race to be held at Auto Club Speedway. � Kevin Harvick is the defending champion, having won last year's race there. � Kyle Busch is the undisputed king at Fontana in the Xfinity Series, having won six races there. He's also won two Truck Series and three Sprint Cup races there. � Sprint Cup regulars have dominated Xfinity races at ACS, winning all of the last 20 races, dating back to 2001. The last true Xfinity driver to win at Fontana was Hank Parker Jr., in April 2001. � Winners of the first four Xfinity Series races this season have been Chase Elliott (won Daytona) and Kyle Busch (won Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix). � Daniel Suarez remains in the lead in the Xfinity Series point standings after last Saturday's race at Phoenix. Elliott Sadler is in second place, eight points behind Suarez. Ty Dillon is third (-9 points), followed by Justin Allgaier (-12) and Brandon Jones in fifth place (-15). Sixth through 10th are Erik Jones (-18), Brendan Gaughan (-25), Ryan Reed (-38), Brennan Poole (-42) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (-48).

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: Series is off until April 2 at Martinsville Speedway.
THEN AND NOW: 18-year-old John Hunter Nemechek won the most recent Truck Series race, three weeks ago at Atlanta. � Parker Kligerman is the surprising leader in the Truck series points standings. He leads Daniel Hemric by one point, followed by Nemechek (-3), Timothy Peters (-6), Tyler Young (-8), Ryan Truex (-10), Brandon Brown (-12), Ben Rhodes (-12), Grant Enfinger (-13) and Daytona winner Johnny Sauter in 10th place (-14).

VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES: Series is off this weekend. Next race is April 2, a Saturday night race under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway.
THEN AND NOW: For the second consecutive year, Juan Pablo Montoya won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this past Sunday in St. Petersburg, Florida. � With the win, Montoya takes over the points lead in the IndyCar Series. Montoya led the series standings through the first 15 races of last season, only to lose the championship to Scott Dixon in the season finale at Sonoma, Calif. � Following Montoya (51 points) in the standings is teammate Simon Pagenaud (43 points), Ryan Hunter-Reay (36), Helio Castroneves (32), Mikhail Aleshin (30), Takuma Sato (28), defending series champion Scott Dixon (26), Carlos Munoz (24), Tony Kanaan (22) and Charlie Kimball (20). � The next race on the 16-race schedule, at Phoenix, marks the return of the series to the one-mile track in suburban Avondale, Arizona, since 2005.

NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES: Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 17-20, at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida.
TV: Sunday, March 20, 1 to 4 p.m. ET � Semifinal and final eliminations, Fox Sports 1.
THEN AND NOW: Defending Gatornationals winners from last year's event are: Spencer Massey (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle). � Winners from the most recent race, three weeks ago at Phoenix, were Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock). � It was Pritchett's first career Top Fuel win, defeating Brittany Force in only the second all-female Top Fuel final in NHRA history. The other race was in 1982, when Shirley Muldowney defeated Lucille Lee. � Doug Kalitta leads the Top Fuel point standings with 171 points, followed by Pomona winner Steve Torrence (163), Brittany Force (133), Clay Millican (131) and Pritchett (129). Defending Top Fuel champ Antron Brown is sixth (110). � Ron Capps maintains his lead in the Funny Car point standings with 183 points, followed by 16-time series champ John Force (168), Robert Hight (158), defending series champ Del Worsham (154) and Wilkerson (147). � Line took over the Pro Stock point standings lead (227 points), followed by Greg Anderson (209), Bo Butner (171), Drew Skillman (131) and Chris McGaha (129). Defending series champ Erica Enders continues to struggle with rough starts in the first two races. She's ranked 11th, 163 points behind Line.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Drivers to Watch - Fontana

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Auto Club 400
Sunday, March 20th – 3:30 p.m. EDT
Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA

The Sprint Cup Series drivers will be heading to California for the Auto Club 400 on Sunday. Last week’s race was an exciting one and Kevin Harvick picked up a win and 45 points at Phoenix International Raceway. It was his first win of the season and second top-five finish. He also happens to have won this race in 2011 and will be looking to become one of many who has won multiple championships in Fontana.

One guy that will be extremely excited to be back at Auto Club Speedway is Matt Kenseth. Kenseth has won this event three times in his career, which leaves him tied with the retired Jeff Gordon for most wins at this track. Kyle Busch will also be fired up to be back in Fontana, as he has won this event twice in his career and will be hoping to tie Kenseth and Gordon on Sunday.

With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the best value plays this weekend:

Drivers to Watch

Matt Kenseth (8/1) - As previously mentioned, Matt Kenseth has won this race three times in his career and he’ll be eager to win his fourth on Sunday. Kenseth is coming off of an impressive seventh-place finish at the Good Sam 500 last week and has been driving well this season. He was about 30 seconds away from winning the Daytona 500 earlier in the year, but he came away with a disappointing 14th-place finish after a costly mental error. Kenseth just needs to put it all together for one complete race and there’s a good shot that he will do just that on Sunday. Kenseth could have easily been considered the favorite to win this one, but he’s instead getting 8/1 odds. Those are far too good to pass up and putting a few units on him could just pay off this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10/1) - Earnhardt Jr. has been having an incredible season thus far, winning the Can-Am Duel early in the year and finishing in the top-eight in each of the past three races. He has been driving extremely well this year and is a threat to win every time he is out on the track. This is, however, a race that Earnhardt Jr. has never won. That may not be a bad thing, though, as he will be driven to finally earn a victory here on Sunday. It’s also not like Earnhardt Jr. has performed poorly here in years past. He has two top-five finishes at this race and came in sixth a year ago. At 10/1, he’s a good choice to finally break through.

Brad Keselowski (12/1) - Keselowski is coming off of a disappointing 29th-place finish at the Good Sam 500, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that he will bounce right back with a win on Sunday. Keselowski is having an excellent season thus far, as he is fourth amongst all drivers in points and notched a victory at the Kobalt 400 two weeks ago. Not only did he win that race, but Keselowski also happens to be the defending champion in the Auto Club 400. His victory was the first of any Ford manufactured driver since 2009 and it’s hard to imagine him not being a threat to win it again on Sunday. His odds are very favorable at 12/1 and he’s worth a few units this weekend.

Austin Dillon (30/1) - There are not many dark horse picks that have a great shot to win this event on Sunday, but Dillon is getting some excellent odds at 30/1 and he will be a threat to win this weekend. He has been in fantastic form early in the season, as his worst finish was when he came in 11th-place in Atlanta. Outside of that, he has three top-10s and he came in fifth at the Kobalt 400. Dillon looks much improved from a year ago and he is somebody that is worth putting a unit on this weekend, as he could pay off big with a victory.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer: EPL Best Bets - Week 31
By Chris David

Week 29 and Week 30 Recaps

Due to other competitions, the EPL hasn’t had a full weekend since Week 29 and favorites posted a 5-2 record but two of the underdogs provided generous returns. West Ham United (+330) knocked off Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park while West Bromwich Albion (+370) stunned Manchester United 1-0 at home. Total bettors caught a 5-5 stalemate, which was helped with a pair of 1-1 draws.

In the five games that took place in Week 30, favorites went 3-1 with one draw as league leaders Leicester City and Tottenham both posted shutouts for ‘chalk’ bettors. The ‘under’ went 3-2.

Through 30 weeks of the season, favorites are 135-78 with 80 draws. The ‘over’ is 144-143-6.

Weekend Action

Due to the March Madness schedule, we’re providing a quick handicap of all 10 games this week.

Saturday, Mar. 19

Arsenal at Everton (NBSCN, 8:45 a.m. ET)

Arsenal (+160) meets Everton (+170) on the road and while they’re favored, bettors should be hesitant backing Arsene Wenger’s team at this point. The Gunners are 1-1-5 in their last seven games of all competitions and the defense has allowed 14 goals during this span. Everton hasn’t been much better lately, dropping two of its last three and the club hasn’t been a good bet (4-4-7) at home this season. Arsenal has won two straight in this series but is 1-2-1 in its last four visits to Goodison Park.

West Ham United at Chelsea (NBCSN, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Chelsea (-145) can inch closer to the top of the standings on Saturday with a home win against West Ham United (+425). The Blues dropped a 2-1 decision to the Hammers earlier in the season but West Ham hasn’t won at Stamford Bridge since 2002. The Blues are 7-2-0 in the last nine home encounters against West Ham and only allowed three goals during this pan. Chelsea remains unbeaten in 13 EPL games (6-7-0) since manager Jose Mourinho left but it needs to improve on the home mark (2-5-0). The Blues won’t have Diego Costa (suspension) or Eden Hazard (hip) available.

Leicester City at Crystal Palace (11:00 a.m. ET)

It appears as if the bookmakers are baiting you to take Leicester (+135) this weekend against a Crystal Palace (+210) squad that has failed to win a league game (0-2-8) in 2016. The Foxes have looked vulnerable over their last four games (3-1-0) despite capture three victories in the same fashion (1-0). City beat Palace 1-0 in late October at home and seeing this week’s total at 2 ½ and shaded to the ‘under’ (-140) makes you believe another low-scoring affair will take place.

Stoke City at Watford (11:00 a.m. ET)

Stoke (+215) will be looking to avenge a 2-0 loss on Oct. 25 to Watford (+140) when the pair meet at Vicarage Road. The Potters dropped a 2-1 decision last week to Southampton but were on a great run (3-1-0) prior to that setback. The Hornets just earned a spot in the FA Cup semis after beating Arsenal and a letdown could be in play here. This game has a total of 2 goals and both Watford (17-12) and Stoke (17-13) have been ‘under’ leans this season. Also, Watford’s offense has been blanked in seven of its last nine league games plus only 10 combined goals have been scored in the last eight games for the Hornets.

Norwich City at West Bromwich Albion (11:00 a.m. ET)

West Brom (+115) has gone unbeaten in its last eight at home (4-4-0) plus they enter this game with some confidence, beating Manchester United 1-0 at The Hawthorns and earning a 2-2 draw at Leicester City one game earlier. Norwich (+265) sits in the relegation zone and it’s hard to make a case for a club that has dropped six straight league games on the road while scoring just one during that span.

Aston Villa at Swansea City (NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET)

Rare to see Swansea City (-160) listed as this big of a favorite but that’s what happens when you meet Aston Villa (+500). The club has been average (5-5-5) this season at Liberty Stadium but Villa has been atrocious on the road (1-3-11), getting outscored 32-11 as visitors. A good effort for the Lions would be holding Swansea to a pair of goals or less.

Sunday, Mar. 20

Manchester United at Manchester City (NBC, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The second go ‘round of the Manchester Derby takes place Sunday and oddsmakers are expecting City (-115) to beat United (+325) at home in this spot. The Citizens advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals earlier this week while the Red Devils were eliminated from Europa competition. Despite staying alive in CL play, City is just 1-1-3 in its last five league games and it’s only managed six goals over this span. United has found itself in another drought, going winless (0-2-2) in its last four games in all competitions. The offense has scored just two goals during this span, which has helped the ‘under’ cash go 4-0. The pair played to a scoreless draw at Old Trafford last October but City had won four of the previous five matches over United. City won’t have Vincent Kompany (calf) available for Sunday plus the club could be without defender Nicolas Otamendi as well.

Sunderland at New Castle United (NBCSN, 9:30 a.m. ET)

This is a very important game for a pair of clubs looking to stay out of the drop zone. It’s hard to ignore the fact that Sunderland has won six straight games in this series, which includes a 3-0 win earlier this season at the Stadium of Light. New Castle has been better at home this season (4-4-5) but it comes into this game with four straight losses while Sunderland has managed to earn six points (1-3-1) in its last five. Despite the poor form, New Castle (+115) has been installed as the favorite and they looked confident under new manager Rafa Benitez this past Monday when they dropped a 1-0 decision to Leicester.

Liverpool at Southampton (9:30 a.m. ET)

Liverpool (+190) and Southampton (+155) will collide at St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday and the oddsmakers are expecting a tight game and they should. Both clubs have notched 44 points this season but the Reds do have two games in hand. These teams played to a 1-1 draw in late October but Liverpool had won the three previous encounters. Liverpool could be caught fatigued after earning a hard fought Europa win over Manchester United this past Thursday.

Bournemouth at Tottenham (12:00 p.m. ET)

Tottenham (-190) hammered Bournemouth (+550) by a 5-1 score line in the first meeting this season and oddsmakers have made the Spurs heavy favorites for the rematch. Tottenham is still five points behind Leicester and it knows it can’t slip up on any given week. The Cherries are unbeaten in their last four (3-1-0) games and the offense has posted eight goals over this span. Tottenham is a major step up in class but you can’t ignore Bournemouth’s respectable road record (5-4-6) for a newly promoted club. The Spurs have only lost twice (8-5-2) this season and their plus-15 goal differential (27-12) at White Hart Lane is the second best in the league.

Fearless Predictions

Week 29 turned out to be a solid one ($585) and it could’ve been better if Arsenal could’ve withstood a second-half surge from Tottenham. Either way, the overall deficit is trending down ($1,190) and we’re hoping to get that number in the black with just eight weeks left.

Straight – Under 2 (+110) Norwich City-West Brom – 2 Units

Straight – Under 2 (+110) Stoke City-Watford – 2 Units

Straight - Arsenal (+165) over Everton – 2 Units

Straight – Crystal Palace (+185) over Leicester City – 1 Unit

Straight – Over 2 ½ (-105) Manchester City-Manchester United – 3 Units

Straight – Under 2 ½ (-120) Sunderland-New Castle United – 1 Unit

Parlay – Tottenham (-190), Over 2 ½ Manchester Derby – 2 Units

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Maple Leafs make emergency call-ups
By The Sports Xchange

The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled forwards Frederik Gauthier and Josh Leivo on an emergency basis Saturday from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Gauthier, 20, has collected 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 52 games with the Marlies this season. He has yet to make his NHL debut after being selected by the Maple Leafs in the first round (21st overall) of the 2013 NHL draft.
Leivo, 22, has scored four goals in nine games with the Maple Leafs this season while recording 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games with the Marlies. He was selected by Toronto in the third round of the 2011 draft.

--The Buffalo Sabres assigned defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League.
Ruhwedel, 25, was recalled and played in the Sabres' 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night, recording two penalty minutes and one shot on goal in 15:30 of ice time. He has totaled 22 points in 46 AHL games this season, leading all Rochester defensemen with eight goals. Ruhwedel had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his last 12 games before joining the Sabres on his first recall this season.
The San Diego native has appeared in 33 career games with the Sabres since making his NHL debut in the 2012-13 season. He has two assists with the Sabres.

--The Buffalo Sabres recalled forward Daniel Catenacci from Rochester of the AHL.
Catenacci has played 10 games for the Sabres this season. In 42 games with Rochester, he has nine goals and 11 assists.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Ducks (39-22) at Jets (29-37)

Date: March 20, 2016 3:00 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks' inconsistent play at the offensive end has made for some frustrating times recently, but at least they've been able to count on some solid goaltending - no matter who's in net.

That's bad news for a Winnipeg Jets team struggling to score lately.

Anaheim begins a five-game road trip through Canada looking to beat the Jets for the 10th straight time Sunday.

The Ducks (39-22-9) have dropped four of their last six, scoring two or fewer goals in each defeat. They've been efficient offensively in each victory, though, beating New Jersey 7-1 on Monday before a 4-0 win over Boston on Friday.

Coach Bruce Boudreau tinkered with his lines against the Bruins and put Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf together. Both assisted on Jamie McGinn's goal in the first before Getzlaf added another assist on Hampus Lindholm's third-period tally.

"It's always good to go on the road trip feeling good with a win, especially one that's going to be as tough as this one," Boudreau said. "If you go in and you'd lost two in a row, then all of a sudden it's a different mindset. But we have a better mindset going into Winnipeg."

Frederik Andersen got the start in net after John Gibson said he was feeling ill shortly before faceoff. Andersen made 38 saves in his fifth career shutout and is 15-1-1 with a 1.80 goals-against average in 16 starts and two relief efforts since Jan. 13.

Gibson ranks among the league leaders with a 2.07 GAA, giving Anaheim a solid tandem in net that has allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of the last 14. Boudreau said there's a good chance both will get starts in the playoffs.

'It doesn't happen too often, but I don't think too often you have goalies as equal as we have,' Boudreau said. "Both goalies are pushing each other to be better every night. When that happens, you're going to be successful."

Andersen was in net exclusively in last year's playoffs as the Ducks came within a victory of reaching the Stanley Cup Final. That run included a first-round sweep of the Jets, giving Andersen a 2.45 GAA while winning all eight of his career starts against Winnipeg.

Gibson made 19 saves to beat the Jets (29-37-5) in the first meeting Jan. 3, when Rickard Rakell and Kevin Bieksa had a goal and an assist apiece in a 4-1 victory. It's unclear who will be in goal for this matchup as the Ducks try to avoid a third straight road loss.

They'll face five Canadian teams all outside the playoff picture during this trip that begins at Winnipeg, which has struggled to score in back-to-back defeats. It lost 4-1 at Calgary on Wednesday before Friday's 4-0 home loss to Chicago.

The Jets have gone 4-13-1 in their last 18 at home. Ondrej Pavelec made 32 saves in the opener of a four-game homestand.

'I don't think we played that bad,' Pavelec said. 'We had some chances, we couldn't score. But 4-0 is 4-0, right? So, you can't really be happy about it."

The Jets have scored fewer than three goals in five of their last seven and have been outscored by 15 during their nine-game skid against the Ducks.

"You've got to put the puck in the net to win hockey games," defenseman Tyler Myers said. "It's tough to chase the game and that's what we ended up doing."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blue Jackets (29-34) at Devils (34-31)

Date: March 20, 2016 5:00 PM EDT

The New Jersey Devils' faint playoff hopes took another hit when they couldn't solve their recent woes against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Devils, though, will get another chance to break the Blue Jackets' dominance in the series Sunday while extending Columbus' road losing streak.

New Jersey's deficit in the Eastern Conference playoff race can be attributed in part to its performance against the lowly Blue Jackets. The Devils suffered their sixth consecutive loss to Columbus when they gave up three goals in the third period Saturday.

"The good thing about hockey is you play a lot of games," said New Jersey forward Kyle Palmieri, who had two goals and an assist. "We're fortunate we have them (Sunday) in our own building. It's time to get some redemption and salvage something from the series this season."

New Jersey rallied from an early 3-0 deficit but Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his first two NHL goals to lead Columbus to a 6-3 win.

"I was just trying to play hard and get pucks to the net. I was lucky to get a good bounce in the third period," said Bjorkstrand, who was playing his second game. "I've got to rest up and get ready for (Sunday)."

With Detroit's 5-3 victory against Florida, New Jersey (34-31-7) fell eight points behind the Red Wings for the East's final playoff spot with 10 games remaining.

"It's more the challenge of trying to beat (the Blue Jackets), that's the focus right now," Devils coach John Hynes said. "I don't necessarily believe in bad matchups. We have to do a better job collectively to beat them."

The Blue Jackets (29-34-8) snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday and scored a combined three goals in those games. They have scored two goals in a string of three consecutive road defeats and will seek to end that by earning their fourth straight win in New Jersey.

Columbus has collected two of those victories this season, giving up one goal in each. Its four overall wins in this season's series are its most, topping its three in 2013-14.

With Sergei Bobrovsky starting Saturday, the Blue Jackets will likely send out Joonas Korpisalo in their attempt to send the Devils to their sixth loss in eight home games.

Korpisalo stopped 25 shots in his only matchup against the Devils on Feb. 25, a 6-1 rout in Columbus. Nick Foligno registered his second career hat trick in that game but has not scored one in nine subsequent contests.

Foligno has six goals and five assists in his last 11 matchups with the Devils. Matt Calvert has six points in his past three and scored the deciding goal in Columbus' most recent visit to New Jersey, a 2-1 victory Nov. 25.

With Cory Schneider still likely out because of his ailing knee, it's unclear if Yann Danis or Keith Kinkaid will get the task of trying again to stop the Blue Jackets.

Danis replaced Kinkaid in the second period Saturday but hasn't started an NHL game since March 18, 2010, during his first stint with the Devils.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Capitals (51-14) at Penguins (39-24)

Date: March 20, 2016 6:00 PM EDT

It's hard to believe Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have only met once in the playoffs, an epic seven-game series won by the Pittsburgh Penguins on their way to lifting the Stanley Cup seven years ago.

At some point next month, there might finally be a rematch.

A first-round showdown between the Penguins and league-best Capitals is looking less likely, but a five-game winning streak heading into Sunday's visit from Washington has Pittsburgh looking like a team that could do some postseason damage - provided it gets there.

The Capitals (51-14-5) are a few points from wrapping up home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference and not long after that should nail down the second Presidents' Trophy in franchise history.

They'd only outscored opponents 40-39 in non-shootout goals in a monthlong stretch prior to posting a four-goal gap in wins over Carolina on Tuesday and Nashville on Friday, so the best team in hockey insists there's still room for improvement.

'Maybe we got a little complacent for a bit with our point situation,' winger Daniel Winnik said after scoring twice in the 4-1 victory over the Predators. "But we know leading down this final 12 games that it's going to be playoff hockey, and we've got to get ourselves prepared for what's going to happen at the end of the regular season.'

The Capitals found themselves out of the playoffs after seven games when they collected 121 points while winning their other Presidents' Trophy in 2010, and they're currently on pace for 125 - which would be the most in the league in 20 years.

Drawing a Pittsburgh team that has the East's best goal differential at plus-23 over the past two months might not sound too appealing, particularly considering Crosby leads the league in goals (22, one more than Ovechkin) and points (47) in 2016.

The Penguins' prospects of playing in a 10th consecutive postseason look considerably better after Saturday. Pittsburgh began the day as the East's wild-card leader, ahead of Detroit and four points better than the ninth-place Flyers, and it opened up a six-point cushion on Philadelphia with a 4-1 victory.

The Penguins (39-24-8) are now firmly in the mix for one of the Metropolitan's Division final two automatic playoff berths along with the New York Rangers and Islanders.

'I thought it was the most complete game that we've played to this point at both ends of the rink,' coach Mike Sullivan said. 'When it came time to play defense, we defended hard. Our attention to detail was really good and everyone trusted each other out there. When we play that way, we're very hard to play against.'

The Capitals have had the better of the Penguins since Barry Trotz took over, winning five of seven meetings while outscoring Pittsburgh 21-11. That includes two wins in three meetings this season despite not getting a point from Ovechkin.

Crosby has an 11-game point streak but hasn't had a lot of luck against Washington lately, scoring once with an assist in his last seven games.

Braden Holtby should be in net for the Capitals as he has for each meeting against Pittsburgh the last two seasons. It won't be easy to improve on his .954 save percentage and 1.44 goals-against average.

The Penguins' goaltending situation isn't quite as clear. Marc-Andre Fleury started Saturday, meaning another Sunday would be just the eighth time in four seasons he's played both ends of a back-to-back. An .891 save percentage in those situations offers some reasonable insight as to why he's been limited.

Backup Matt Murray, who stopped 34 shots in a 3-2 loss to Washington on March 1, hasn't allowed more than two goals in his six other NHL starts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flames (30-35) at Canadiens (33-33)

Date: March 20, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens' most recent win against the Calgary Flames came during a much better time for the storied franchise.

The Canadiens are currently limping down the stretch but will try to earn another victory over the Flames, who will give goaltender Niklas Backstrom his first NHL start in 14 months Sunday night.

Montreal blew out Calgary 6-2 on Oct. 30 as part of its 19-4-3 start. The Canadiens haven't been the same since early December, going 14-29-3 not long after losing star goaltender Carey Price, and a 5-0 defeat in Ottawa on Saturday was their seventh in 10 games.

They gave up three short-handed goals to the Senators in their worst loss since being routed 6-1 by Colorado on Nov. 14.

"It was a tough night," Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty said. "It's the NHL. You've got to show up and play hard and it didn't happen. We just gave them three goals."

Montreal (33-33-6) has also dropped back-to-back home games by an 8-2 margin after going 7-0-1 in its previous eight. The Flames (30-35-6) are heading into the Bell Centre after going 2-0-1 to finish a six-game homestand.

Calgary will begin a three-game trip and a stretch of seven of eight on the road with a new goaltender. Backstrom was acquired Feb. 29 from Minnesota, where he was stuck behind Devan Dubnyk and Darcy Kuemper on the depth chart.

Backstrom hasn't played for any other team but the Wild since entering the league in 2006-07, registering a franchise-record 194 wins and 28 shutouts in 409 appearances. He played his most recent NHL game Jan. 13, 2015.

"He came in with a great attitude, lots of energy, lots of work on the ice, in the gym," coach Bob Hartley told the team's official website. "He works relentlessly so we felt that we needed to be honest with him also and that's why he's going to get the start in Montreal."

Backstrom has made all three of his starts against the Canadiens in Montreal, going 1-1-0 with a 2.45 goals-against average. He also appeared in the 2009 All-Star Game there, his only appearance in that showcase.

"You want to go out there and compete against other teams, but compete against yourself too to see where you are. For sure it's fun to have a date now," Backstrom said.

With Ben Scrivens starting Saturday's loss, Montreal is expected to send out Mike Condon for this game. The rookie defeated Calgary in October.

The Canadiens, however, won't have the player who recorded a hat trick against the Flames in that game since Dale Weise was traded to Chicago on Feb. 26.

Calgary, meanwhile, has a red-hot Mark Giordano, who has scored a goal in three straight games, including a 4-3 shootout defeat to Colorado on Friday. The defenseman also has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last eight contests and six (three goals, three assists) in his past six matchups with Montreal.

Josh Jooris has three goals in his last two games against the Canadiens, but he has just one goal and three assists in his past 27 contests.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Wild (33-28) at Blackhawks (42-24)

Date: March 20, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The Chicago Blackhawks beat up on a last-place squad with nothing more than pride to play for and snapped out of their slump.

Solving Minnesota has been much more difficult.

The Wild have won all three meetings this season against the club that knocked them out of the playoffs the past three years, and they'll look to improve their chances of returning to the postseason when they visit the United Center on Sunday night.

Chicago (42-24-6) has slipped to third in the Central Division while going 6-8-2 since Feb. 9, a stretch that includes a 3-5-1 mark at home. It dropped four in a row before winning 4-0 at Western Conference-worst Winnipeg on Friday.

NHL points leader Patrick Kane notched his 39th goal and 53rd assist to help the Blackhawks match their goal total from their previous three games.

'Looking at a four-game slide there, maybe it's better it happens now rather than later in the season and playoffs and then you're done,' Kane said. 'We can learn from this. And, you know, if we lose one or two down the road here we can look back on this situation as a team and as a group and realize how we got ourselves out of it.'

Scott Darling made 28 saves in his second straight start in place of Corey Crawford, who didn't make the trip and is considered day to day with an upper-body injury.

"I think (Darling) needed a game like that, and we needed a win like that," coach Joel Quenneville said. "It was great for him. We've had a tough stretch. We have lost a ton of ground, and teams are right around us."

Minnesota (33-28-11) is 13 points back of Chicago, but that disparity hasn't shown through in head-to-head meetings. The Wild have held the Blackhawks to one goal in each of the last two matchups and trounced them 6-1 outdoors in the Stadium Series on Feb. 21.

They've made three consecutive playoff appearances, only to be knocked out by Chicago each time - including last year's second-round sweep. Minnesota has gone 9-6-1 since replacing Mike Yeo with former Blackhawks assistant John Torchetti and trails Colorado by a point for the West's final playoff spot.

It dropped four of its previous five before Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise scored in the shootout for a 3-2 win over Carolina on Saturday. Thomas Vanek, who hasn't scored in his last 10 games, was a healthy scratch for the third time this season.

'Obviously for us, everything is about winning right now,' said Jason Zucker, who scored in the third. 'Making sure we're doing the right things to get these wins and get these points. Obviously it felt good to get that win.'

Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves to bounce back from Thursday's loss to the New Jersey, when he allowed three goals on eight shots and was pulled toward the end of the first period. He has a .935 save percentage while winning each meeting with Chicago this season, and Torchetti could elect to play him on back-to-back days with backup Darcy Kuemper nursing an upper-body injury.

Quenneville hasn't said if Crawford, who has lost both of his starts this season against the Wild, will be ready to go. He allowed 11 goals while losing his last three starts before the injury.

Kane has 10 goals and nine assists while recording at least a point in 12 of his last 13 against Minnesota, including the playoffs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (37-31) at Oilers (29-38)

Date: March 20, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

As they try to overcome the loss of several players and hold on to a postseason spot, the Colorado Avalanche are feeling fortunate that they picked up Mikkel Boedker last month.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog is set to return, but Boedker will try to continue his strong play as Colorado chases its fifth win in six games Sunday night against the improving Edmonton Oilers.

Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said his team's depth would be tested on this four-game trip with Landeskog suspended, and leading scorer Matt Duchene and Chris Bigras out with injuries. That was even before Nathan MacKinnon and Eric Gelinas went down in Friday's 4-3 win at Calgary.

After a slow start since coming over from Arizona at the trade deadline, Boedker has come alive just at the right time. The veteran left wing had two goals in Wednesday's 3-1 victory at Vancouver before finishing with an assist and the lone shootout goal against the Flames.

Boedker has three goals and six points in his eight games with the Avs (37-31-4). He'll try to add to those numbers in Edmonton, where he's totaled four goals and three assists in his last six.

"We knew he was going to help our team speed. We were a fast team as it was, but he's really fit in well," defenseman Erik Johnson told the team's official website. "We all really like him, and it's good to see how he's fit in. He's played really, really well for us, so it's been a great addition."

Landeskog will be back after serving a three-game suspension for a high cross-check to Anaheim's Simon Despres on March 9. Bigras returned from a head injury Friday, though Duchene remains day to day and MacKinnon and Gelinas could be out for a while.

Since back-to-back wins followed a 3-2 loss at Winnipeg in the opener of the trip, Colorado remains in a tight race with Minnesota for the Western Conference's final wild-card spot. The club is hoping to cap the road swing with its longest winning streak since a four-game run in January.

The Avs pulled out a 5-1 home win over the Oilers on Dec. 19 before a 3-2 road victory Feb. 20. Defenseman Tyson Barrie has played well, totaling three goals and two assists in the series.

Edmonton (29-38-7), however, has won seven of its last 11 games heading into this matchup. Jordan Eberle and Matt Hendricks each scored in Friday's 2-0 home win over Vancouver.

Cam Talbot, who finished with 40 saves, has a 1.66 goals-against average in winning seven of his last nine starts. He's given up a total of six goals while splitting his two meetings with the Avs.

"You look at the best teams in the league and they all have that goaltending," Eberle told the team's official website. "Maybe some nights your team is a little off and you have that goalie there to backstop you and give you a win."

Colorado's Calvin Pickard, who has a .930 save percentage in his last six games, will give top goalie Semyon Varlamov the night off. He stopped 25 of 27 shots in last month's victory at Edmonton.

The Avs will certainly have to keep an eye on Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall. McDavid has four assists in his last three games, while Hall has eight goals in his past nine versus Colorado.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Coyotes (31-33) at Sharks (40-25)

Date: March 20, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The San Jose Sharks are finally bringing some of the play that has resulted in the Western Conference's best road record to their home ice.

They'll try to post a season-high fourth straight home win Sunday night when they meet an Arizona Coyotes team they lost to three days ago.

San Jose (40-25-6) began a six-game homestand with Saturday's 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers. The Sharks snapped a tie with three third-period goals in a game they dominated with their highest shot total - a 52-26 advantage.

'We definitely stuck with it,' said Joe Pavelski, who had a goal and an assist. 'It's a game where you look up at the end of two periods and we got (37) shots or whatever it's at, tied game. Sometimes those games can go the other way if you get a hot goalie. It's great to see guys come out and establish that body position.'

Pavelski took his season total to 68 points - one behind teammate Joe Thornton, who has five in a four-game run and 18 in his last 14 games. Tomas Hertl had three assists to give him six points in a four-game run.

The Sharks won twice over Arizona (31-33-7) this season before losing 3-1 on Thursday. They also lost Marc-Edouard Vlasic to an injury that night after the defenseman fought the Coyotes' Max Domi early in the second period. Vlasic sat out Saturday but could return for another shot at Domi.

With Vlasic out, Dylan DeMelo was recalled from the minors Saturday and saw his first action since Feb. 22.

"The guys that stepped in were ready to play," Pavelski said. "They filled in nicely. Mels (DeMelo) has done a great job all year so to see him go back in. It's good to see him play well."

Winger Tommy Wingels returned Saturday from a 14-game absence due to a sprained left shoulder, committing penalties in each of the first two periods.

"You do so much and you try and emulate what a game is like but you really can't," Wingels said. "But until you put yourself in those game-like situations, you don't know. But I felt good."

The Coyotes have played the last five games without top defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has an upper-body injury. Ekman-Larsson, who leads the club with 49 points, will travel to San Jose and could return.

Arizona scored a power-play goal in its first four games without him before that unit was 0 for 6 in Saturday's 2-0 home defeat to Tampa Bay.

'The execution could always be a little better,' coach Dave Tippett said. 'No. 23 (Ekman-Larsson) would help that.'

Ekman-Larsson leads all NHL defensemen with 27 points on the power play, with San Jose's Brent Burns second with 25.

San Jose will start either Martin Jones, who made 25 saves Saturday, or backup James Reimer. Arizona started Louis Domingue on Saturday and could turn back to Mike Smith, who had 27 saves beating the Sharks on Thursday.

A regulation victory by the Sharks would virtually clinch a playoff spot since it would give them a 19-point edge on the fourth-place Coyotes with 10 games left for both.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Grand Salami - March

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
3/1 8 48.5 49 OVER
3/2 3 16.5 17 OVER
3/3 12 65.5 69 OVER
3/4 3 15.5 20 OVER
3/5 11 58 62 OVER
3/6 6 30.5 34 OVER
3/7 7 36 38 OVER
3/8 8 44.5 41 UNDER
3/9 6 32.5 32 UNDER
3/10 6 32.5 29 UNDER
3/11 5 26.5 28 OVER
3/12 12 63.5 66 OVER
3/13 3 16 13 UNDER
3/14 6 30 41 OVER
3/15 8 43.5 40 UNDER
3/16 6 32.5 32 UNDER
3/17 8 43.5 51 OVER
3/18 6 32 26 UNDER
3/19 11 56.5 53 UNDER
3/20 7 - - -
3/21 4 - - -
3/22 10 - - -
3/23 2 - - -
3/24 11 - - -
3/25 3 - - -
3/26 14 - - -
3/27 3 - - -
3/28 8 - - -
3/29 9 - - -
3/30 3 - - -
3/31 10 - - -