Thursday 3/10/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Europa League TODAY 18:00

B Dortmund

v

Tottenham

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		8/13	16/5	5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT B DORTMUND	RECENT FORM
HWAWAWHWAWHD​ Most recent​	Unknown	ADHLHWHWALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Dortmund have scored 20 goals in their six European home games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Borussia Dortmund deserve to be favourites to win the Europa League and they should put down a marker against Tottenham. However, that is reflected in the prices and a better bet could be goals given the hosts are much better going forward than they are in defensive situations.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
2


REFEREE: Cuneyt Cakir STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Europa League TODAY 20:05

Liverpool

v

Man Utd

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		11/10	23/10	3	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT LIVERPOOL	RECENT FORM
AWADHWND*HWAW​ Most recent​	0 - 1 1 - 2 1 - 0 1 - 2	ALAWHWHWHWAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Liverpool have won only one of their last six matches against Manchester United

EXPERT VERDICT: The Anfield atmosphere will be electric but Liverpool look too short with the draw appearing to be the best value in what is likely to be a tight affair. This fixture has produced only one draw in the last 25 meetings, although the fact this is a two-legged tie could change all that as Liverpool look to snap a four-match losing sequence against Manchester United.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Carlos Velasco Carballo STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Europa League TODAY 20:05

Ath Bilbao

v

Valencia

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		4/5	11/4	4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ATH BILBAO	RECENT FORM
AWHLHDAWHWAW​ Most recent​	3 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 0	HWAWAWHLAWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Athletic Bilbao have lost just two of their last 16 home fixtures

EXPERT VERDICT: Valencia were 10-0 aggregate winners over Rapid Vienna in the last 32 but face a much tougher task against Athletic Bilbao, starting with the first leg at San Mames. Athletic won 3-0 away to Valencia in La Liga last month and can maintain their supremacy over Gary Neville's side, who are ten points beneath them in the top flight.

RECOMMENDATION: Athletic Bilbao
2

 

[superbeets]

English FA Cup Fr 11Mar 19:55

Reading

v

C Palace

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BBC1		21/10	23/10	13/10	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT READING	RECENT FORM
HDHWHWAWHDAL​ Most recent​	2 - 2 3 - 0 2 - 4 4 - 2	ADHLAWALADHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Palace have lost just six of 17 away games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Crystal Palace’s slide has been frustrating to watch, but there doesn’t look to be much fundamentally wrong with their squad and they can grind out a win in this FA Cup quarter-final. Reading blow hot and cold and are in the middle of a good run, but they may lack the firepower to shock the Eagles.

RECOMMENDATION: Crystal Palace
1


REFEREE: Mike Dean STADIUM:

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[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 12Mar 12:45

Norwich

v

Man City

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		9/2	3	4/7	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NORWICH	RECENT FORM
HLALHDALHLAL​ Most recent​	0 - 3 0 - 0 3 - 4 1 - 6	HLALAWND*ALHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Eight of Man City’s last nine away games have featured three or more goals

EXPERT VERDICT: It will be tough for Norwich to turn around this year’s disastrous form and, despite Manchester City’s struggles, the Canaries should come up short. However, the visitors have a Champions League tie three days after this and may rest players, so that could lead to an open affair.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
1


REFEREE: Jonathan Moss STADIUM:

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[superbeets]

Premier League Sa 12Mar 15:00

Bournemouth

v

Swansea

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		10/11	12/5	3	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BOURNEMOUTH	RECENT FORM
HLHLHLADHWAW​ Most recent​	1 - 4 2 - 2 0 - 1 3 - 0	ADHDHLALAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Sigurdsson has scored in six in his last ten games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bournemouth lack a consistent hitman, with Callum Wilson their top scorer despite having been out since September. Swansea are in form, picking up 14 of a possible 24 points since Francesco Guidolin took charge, and this could end in similar fashion to the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
2


REFEREE: Roger East STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golfers to Bet - Valspar

Tournament: Valspar Championship
Date: Thursday, March 10th
Venue: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)
Location: Palm Harbor, FL

Jordan Spieth will be looking to win his second straight Valspar Championship when the TOUR heads to Palm Harbor on Thursday. Fortunately for the other players on the TOUR, Adam Scott will not be in this week’s field. Scott has been as hot as they come, winning each of the past two events.

The field will, however, include guys like Spieth, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen. Retief Goosen and K.J. Choi will also be playing and both players have won this event twice in their careers.

Another notable player that will be competing starting Thursday is Vijay Singh. Singh won this event back in 2004 and set the record for best ever score shot in this tournament. Singh was an 18-under over the course of the event and that’s going to be a tough number to top.

With that being said, let’s now take a look at who could be winning this thing on Sunday:

Golfers to Bet

Jordan Spieth (5/1) - Spieth has been a bit disappointing since winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in early January, finishing tied for 21st in Pebble Beach, failing to making the cut at the Northern Trust Open and finishing tied for 17th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. He’s going to need to be a bit more consistent moving forward, but he does have a golden opportunity to win this event on Sunday. Spieth won this tournament in a playoff a year ago and is going to really feel at home when he takes the course on Thursday. His ability to putt the ball (44.4% one-putt percentage) will usually mean that he will be in the hunt on Sundays and at 5/1, he’s worth putting a few units on this week.

Patrick Reed (25/1) - Reed has been lousy over the past two weeks, finishing tied for 52nd at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and missing the cut at The Honda Classic two weeks back. Regardless, Reed has already had quite an impressive season and he’ll be looking to build upon his resume with a win on Sunday. He already has two top-five finishes this season and was tied for 6th at Pebble Beach in February. For all the good Reed has done, he has not yet won a tournament this season and will be hungry to do so at a course he has played well at in the past. Reed lost to Spieth in a playoff a year ago and coming that close will drive him to win this one on Sunday. He’s a good choice at 25/1, especially considering his past two events have given him more value this weekend.

K.J. Choi (50/1) - Although Choi is a bit older than a lot of his competitors, he has still had a solid season. Choi finished in second place at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and was tied for fifth at the Northern Trust Open in February. He is a very solid all-around golfer and his success at the Valspar Championship speaks for itself. Choi is one of only two golfers on the TOUR to have won this event twice in his career and he will certainly be hoping to win a third on Sunday. At 50/1, there aren’t many guys with more appealing odds. He’s worth putting a few units on and is a good guy to pair with Spieth when playing this weekend’s tournament.

Kevin Streelman (55/1) - Streelman is yet another player that has some good history at the Valspar Championship in his career. He won this event back in 2013, shooting a 10-under to ultimately defeat Boo Weekley by two strokes. Streelman already has a top-five finish this season, as he came in third at the Farmers Insurance Open and he also tied for 17th at Pebble Beach in the middle of February. One thing that really should play to his advantage here is that he is excellent when approaching the green. Streelman’s greens in regulation % is an impressive 75.19, which is good for second on the TOUR. As long as he can get it going with the putter then he’ll have a shot to win on Sunday and that means he’s an excellent pick at 55/1.

Odds to win WGC-Cadillac Championship

Jordan Spieth 5/1
Henrik Stenson 15/1
Danny Willett 20/1
Louis Oosthuizen 25/1
Patrick Reed 25/1
Charl Schwartzel 30/1
Harris English 30/1
Justin Thomas 30/1
Matt Kuchar 33/1
Branden Grace 35/1
Graeme McDowell 40/1
Jason Dufner 40/1
Kevin Na 40/1
Ryan Moore 45/1
Webb Simpson 45/1
K.J. Choi 50/1
Ryan Palmer 50/1
Bill Haas 55/1
Gary Woodland 55/1
Kevin Streelman 55/1
Jason Kokrak 60/1
Luke Donald 60/1
Russell Knox 60/1
Danny Lee 70/1
Freddie Jacobson 70/1
Sean O'Hair 70/1
Charles Howell III 80/1
John Huh 80/1
Martin Kaymer 85/1
Graham Delaet 90/1
Sung Kang 90/1
Cameron Tringale 100/1
Charley Hoffman 100/1
Chez Reavie 100/1
John Senden 100/1
Ian Poulter 110/1
Patton Kizzire 110/1
Keegan Bradley 120/1
Kevin Chappell 120/1
Daniel Berger 125/1
Daniel Summerhays 125/1
Ernie Els 125/1
Hunter Mahan 125/1
Jamie Lovemark 125/1
Jonas Blixt 125/1
Luke List 125/1
Russell Henley 125/1
Steve Stricker 125/1
Vijay Singh 125/1
Will Wilcox 125/1
Martin Laird 130/1
Blayne Barber 140/1
Adam Hadwin 150/1
Andrew Loupe 150/1
Boo Weekley 150/1
Brian Harman 150/1
Cameron Smith 150/1
Camilo Villegas 150/1
Chesson Hadley 150/1
Colt Knost 150/1
Francesco Molinari 150/1
James Hahn 150/1
Jeff Overton 150/1
Lucas Glover 150/1
Padraig Harrington 150/1
Patrick Rodgers 150/1
Retief Goosen 150/1
Troy Merritt 150/1
Bryce Molder 170/1
George McNeill 175/1
Seung-Yul Noh 175/1
Si Woo Kim 175/1
Stewart Cink 175/1
Ben Crane 200/1
Chris Kirk 200/1
David Hearn 200/1
David Toms 200/1
Harold Varner III 200/1
Hiroshi Iwata 200/1
Hudson Swafford 200/1
Jerry Kelly 200/1
Jim Herman 200/1
Kyle Stanley 200/1
Nick Taylor 200/1
Roberto Castro 200/1
Scott Brown 200/1
Shawn Stefani 200/1
Spencer Levin 200/1
Tony Finau 200/1
Tyrone Van Aswegen 200/1
Brendon Todd 220/1
Vaughn Taylor 220/1
Morgan Hoffmann 225/1
Brett Stegmaier 250/1
Chad Campbell 250/1
Chris Stroud 250/1
Derek Fathauer 250/1
Jon Curran 250/1
Justin Leonard 250/1
Kyle Reifers 250/1
Sam Saunders 250/1
Scott Stallings 250/1
Zac Blair 250/1
Brendon de Jonge 275/1
Bronson Burgoon 300/1
Carl Pettersson 300/1
Carlos Ortiz 300/1
Geoff Ogilvy 300/1
Jason Gore 300/1
Matt Every 300/1
Michael Kim 300/1
Peter Malnati 300/1
Ricky Barnes 300/1
Rory Sabbatini 300/1
Scott Pinckney 300/1
Stuart Appleby 300/1
Will MacKenzie 300/1
Billy Hurley III 350/1
Mark Hubbard 350/1
Brian Gay 400/1
Mark Wilson 400/1
Steven Bowditch 400/1
Thomas Aiken 400/1
Andres Gonzales 500/1
Austin Connelly 500/1
Chad Collins 500/1
Charlie Beljan 500/1
Darren Clarke 500/1
Erik Compton 500/1
Greg Yates 500/1
Justin Hicks 500/1
Ken Duke 500/1
Lee Mccoy 500/1
Mike Weir 500/1
Robert Allenby 500/1
Rod Perry 500/1
Steve Wheatcroft 500/1
Trevor Immelman 500/1
Tyler Aldridge 500/1
Whee Kim 500/1

Odds Subject to Change

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

10 Players to Watch: Valspar Championship
By Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange

1. Jordan Spieth, United States -- Before Spieth captured the Valspar last year, he had one PGA Tour victory. Now he has seven, including two majors, and is has been No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings for the last 24 weeks and 35 in all. His victory at Innisbook came when he sank a 28-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to beat Patrick Reed and Sean O'Hair. Spieth also tied for seventh in 2013 and tied for 20th a year later on the Copperhead Course. He started this year with an eight-stroke victory in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and although he has not played quite as well since, the only time in he finished outside a tie for 21st in his last five events came when he missed the cut in the Northern Trust Open.

2. Henrik Stenson, Sweden -- The big Swede has started so well in the 2015-16 season on the European Tour that he ranks second in the Race to Dubai standings behind Danny Willett of England, with three finishes in the top six in four starts. However, his best result in three events on the PGA Tour was a tie for 11th in the WGC-HSBC Champions in November and he tied for 28th last week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, his first event on U.S. soil this year. Stenson, No. 7 in the World Golf Rankings, has 17 world-wide victories in his career, but none since a successful title defense in the 2014 DP World Tour Championship-Dubai. In his first appearance in the Valspar last year, he had bookend 67s and finished fourth, one stroke out of the playoff won by Jordan Spieth.

3. Danny Willett, England -- Moving rapidly up the World Golf Rankings, Willett can crack the top 10 this week after climbing to No. 11 when he tied for third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship last week after being in the hunt all the way to the finish. In his only other PGA Tour event in the 2015-16 season, he also tied for third in the WGC-HSBC Champions last November in China. The Englishman leads the European Tour's Race to Dubai on the strength of his victory in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. That gave Willett, who played college golf at Jacksonville State, victories in each of the last three years on the Euro Tour. This will be his first start in the Valspar Championship, as this is his initial season as a PGA Tour member.

4. Patrick Reed, United States -- After claiming his first four PGA Tour victories in a span of 17 months through the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Reed has been winless, although he continues to some play very good golf. He has finished in the top 10 four times in the 2015-16 season, including second in his title defense at Kapalua in January and a tie for sixth in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last month. However, he will be trying to regroup after missing the cut in the Honda Classic and tying for 52nd in the WGC-Cadillac Championship in the first two events of the Florida Swing. Reed missed the cut in his first appearance in the Valspar in 2013, but last year he finished 68-68-66 before losing out to Jordan Spieth on the third playoff hole.

5. Jason Dufner, United States -- With his tie for 11th last week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship, Duf seemed to be regaining the form he showed earlier this year, when he claimed his fourth PGA Tour victory in the CareerBuilder Challenge, one of his three top-10 finishes in the 2015-16 season. The 2013 PGA champion did not finish in the top 50 in four events after that victory, but only a 77 in round three last week kept him from another top-10 result at Doral. Dufner will be playing in the Valspar Championship for the ninth time and his only top-10 finish was a tie for 10th in 2012, when he held the lead after starting 66-66, before playing the weekend in 71-71. He has posted five other results in the top 25 on the Copperhead Course.

6. Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa -- Continuing to play well after he missed the cut in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to start 2016, Oosthuizen tied for 14th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship last week, falling out of the top 10 with a 73 in the final round of his first event on U.S. soil this year at Doral. That came a week after he claimed his 13th career victory in the ISPS Handa Perth International, and he also tied for seventh in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Oosthuizen, who captured the 2010 Open Championship at St. Andrews, has not played well in the Valspar since he tied for 20th in his first appearance in 2012, missing the cut in his last three starts on the Copperhead Course and failing to shoot the par of 70 in his last seven rounds.

7. Harris English, United States -- Big things were predicted for English even before he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic and the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in 2013 for his first two PGA Tour victories, but he does not have a victory since despite showing some of those old flashes. Last week he was in the chase most of the way on the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral before winding up solo 10th against the strongest field of the year, and he also finished third in the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month. English is making his fifth start in the Valspar Championship, and he has played well on the Copperhead Course, tying for seventh in 2013 and tying for 10th last year, when he closed with a 65.

8. Ryan Moore, United States -- Seemingly on the verge of his fifth PGA Tour victory last year after opening with scores of 69-68-67 on the Copperhead Course, Moore closed with a 72 and wound up fifth in the Valspar, two strokes out of the three-hole playoff in which Jordan Spieth beat Sean O'Hair and Patrick Reed. He is making his ninth appearance in the Tampa Bay-area event and also tied for eighth in 2007. Moore has finished 10th three times on the PGA Tour this season, most recently in the Northern Trust Open last month by posting four scores in the 60s, and he also tied for 11th in the Waste Management Phoenix Open a few weeks earlier. He hasn't won since a successful title defense in the 2014 CIMB Classic, but might be ready to break through again.

9. Kevin Na, United States -- Even though he has been close so many times, Na has only one PGA Tour victory, in the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He started the 2015-16 season with runner-up finishes in the Frys.com Open and the Shriners and has eight seconds in his career in addition to eighth more thirds. One of those second-place results came two years ago in the Valspar, when he played the middle rounds in 68-68, but finished with a 72 and wound up one stroke behind John Senden of Australia -- who chipped in from 70 feet for a birdie on the 16th hole and sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th to beat him. Na closed with a 66 on the Copperhead Course to tie for 10th last year and also tied for eighth in 2009.

10. Charl Schwartzel, South Africa -- Another player who had a strong start to the season on the European Tour, ranking fifth in the Race to Dubai, Schwartzel tied for 17th last week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral against the deepest field of the year. The 2011 Masters champion claimed the 14th victory of his career last month in the Tshwane Open and also captured the Alfred Dunhill Championship for the third time, and second in a row, at the end of November in the early stages of the wrap-around schedule. Schwartzel has his game back in good form after spending part of the Christmas holidays in the hospital because of dehydration from a stomach virus. He is making his second start in the Valspar, having shot 76-73 -- 149 to miss the cut in 2012.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: League concludes Kane allegations unfounded
By The Sports Xchange

The NHL has completed its independent review of the Patrick Kane matter and concluded the allegations made against the Chicago Blackhawks star forward were unfounded, the league announced Wednesday.
The NHL said the final stage of the review included an in-person meeting between the 27-year-old Kane and commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Monday.
Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said in November that Kane would not face rape charges because of a lack of credible evidence. At the time, the accuser notified authorities she was no longer interested in cooperating with their investigation.
Sedita did not present the case to a grand jury.

--Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jarred Tinordi has been suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the league's performance enhancing substances program, the NHL announced.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the suspension is accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.
Tinordi, 24, was acquired by the Coyotes in a three-team trade involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators in mid-January.

--New Jersey Devils forward Tuomo Ruutu has been fined $5,000 for slew-footing Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cullen, the NHL announced.
The incident occurred at 4:05 of the third period on Sunday. Ruutu was assessed a minor penalty for tripping.

--The New York Rangers assigned defenseman Brady Skjei and goaltender Magnus Hellberg to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.

--The Edmonton Oilers recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from the American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors. Oesterle, 23, has appeared in four games with the Oilers this season, recording one assist.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (30-26) at Bruins (38-23)

Date: March 10, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

After catching the leader in the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins have no intention of letting up.

Poised to extend their point streak to six games, the Bruins can claim sole possession of the division lead for the first time this season by continuing their recent dominance over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Brad Marchand scored 10 seconds into overtime and backup Jonas Gustavsson made 42 saves as Boston (38-23-7) pulled even with Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic with Tuesday's 1-0 road victory over the Lightning. The reigning Eastern Conference champions, however, have a game in hand.

'We're battling for position," said Marchand, who has six points in four games. "We're definitely happy with the outcome. It's showing we're learning how to win these games.

"We're playing the way we should be and we have to continue to do that."

Boston is 4-0-1 in March and looking for a third consecutive victory after sweeping its two games in Florida.

"It's great to see the results," forward Patrick Bergeron told the Bruins' official website. "That's what you're playing for, to get the results, and learn from past mistakes and to grow as a team. I think we've been doing that.

"We have 14 games left. We have some more work to do, but at the same time, I think at this time of the year, we're starting to see some good things happening,"

The Bruins have been solid in the defensive zone, yielding 15 goals during a 6-1-1 stretch and killing 10 of 11 penalties in the last three contests.

Tuukka Rask had a 1.82 goals-against average in six starts prior to making a whopping 47 saves in the 5-4 overtime victory at Florida on Monday. After getting the next night off, he is likely to be back in net for this one.

Rask, who stopped 39 shots in a 4-1 victory at Carolina (30-26-11) on Feb. 26, has an 0.97 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage while yielding one goal in each game of a 4-0-1 run against the Hurricanes.

Boston has allowed eight non-shootout goals over a 6-0-1 stretch against Carolina, which is 10th in the East and four points out of the final wild-card spot.

The Hurricanes earned a point in their third straight contest Tuesday after Jeff Skinner tied the game with 0.2 seconds left in regulation and Jaccob Slavin scored in the fourth round of the shootout for a 4-3 victory over Ottawa.

"Guys believe," coach Bill Peters told the Hurricanes' official website. "We're going to continue to try to play the right way right to the bitter end, and then we'll see where we're at. We can grow our game. We still have room for improvement from here to game 82."

Skinner has four goals in four games but no points in his last five against Boston.

Teammate Cam Ward snapped a three-game skid by making 21 saves Tuesday, but he has a 3.53 GAA in his last four starts. Ward has a 3.37 GAA during an 0-5-1 slide against the Bruins.

Carolina will see ex-teammate John-Michael Liles for the first time since the veteran defenseman was dealt to Boston for forward Anthony Camara and two draft picks Feb. 29. Liles has two points in five games with the Bruins.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (27-34) at Red Wings (32-23)

Date: March 10, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

A postseason berth has been a regular springtime occurrence for the Detroit Red Wings.

Their string of 24 consecutive playoff trips, however, is in jeopardy as the proud franchise is stumbling down the stretch.

Clinging to the Eastern Conference's second wild card, the Red Wings look to avoid a fourth straight regulation loss for the first time in four years Thursday night against the last-place Winnipeg Jets at Joe Louis Arena.

With losses in seven of 10 games, Detroit's lead for the final playoff spot has dwindled to two points over a Philadelphia team which is 7-2-1 in its last 10. Carolina has also pulled within four, having earned five points in its last three games.

"We have to be playing with more urgency," captain Henrik Zetterberg said after Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Columbus. "We all know what's at stake here and it's getting closer and closer. We've got some games left. We know what we've got to do and we just got to do it."

The Red Wings (32-23-11), however, failed to take advantage of a prime opportunity against the Metropolitan Division's worst team.

Outshot by the Blue Jackets 16-4 in the first period, Detroit trailed 4-1 in the third before a frantic rally featuring goals from Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou 46 seconds apart with Jimmy Howard off ice fell short.

'I was surprised because I know we have winners in our room and generally our guys recognize the urgency of the moment and our guys didn't recognize the urgency of the moment,' coach Jeff Blashill said. 'We better pick it up here in a hurry.'

Blashill needs better play from his goaltenders, with Howard going 1-6-4 with a 3.36 goals-against average in 14 games since Dec. 8, and Petr Mrazek owning a 3.81 GAA in his last seven. Mrazek was pulled less than seven minutes into his last start Sunday after allowing two goals on five shots at Chicago.

The goaltenders aren't being helped by a penalty-killing unit that has allowed six power-play goals on 11 chances during the skid. The Red Wings, who haven't lost in regulation in four straight games since Oct. 22-29, 2011, and haven't missed the playoffs since 1990, allowed two 5-on-3 goals to Columbus.

"It's never easy in the NHL to be a playoff team, and right now we are there and we have to play better," Tatar said. "We know what we have to do. We're doing it every year, so like I said, we have lots of experience, we just have to do it."

The good news for Detroit is the Jets are one of the league's worst power play teams, converting 15.6 percent of opportunities, and are 2 for 25 with the man advantage in the last eight games. Not surprisingly, Winnipeg (27-34-5) is having some trouble scoring, totaling two goals or less four times in losing five of six.

However, the Jets did beat Detroit 4-1 on Dec. 29 for a fourth win in five meetings.

Howard was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots while Jacob Trouba scored twice and Drew Stafford had two assists.

Stafford snapped a 12-game goal drought and Trouba scored in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Nashville as the Jets completed a five-game homestand with one win.

In an effort to spark the sputtering power play, coach Paul Maurice inserted 22-year-old Scott Kosmachuk to the man-advantage unit in his first NHL game and came away encouraged.

"He moved well on the ice," Maurice said. "He moved quicker than I've seen him move in his game so that was good."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Senators (31-29) at Panthers (36-21)

Date: March 10, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

As Jaromir Jagr continues to pile up points, his team has been lacking them at an inopportune time.

Losing ground in the Atlantic Division race, the Florida Panthers attempt to avoid matching a season high with a fourth consecutive defeat Thursday night against the visiting Ottawa Senators.

Atop the division for much of a turnaround season, Florida (36-21-9) has dropped to third as a 1-3-2 stretch has coincided with strong runs from Tampa Bay and Boston. The Panthers are now two points behind both following Monday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Bruins.

Florida can take some positives from the result, as it rallied from a 4-1 deficit through one period after failing to finish strong in Saturday's 5-1 loss at slumping Arizona, where the Coyotes scored three unanswered goals in the third to end a seven-game skid.

Jiri Hudler sparked Monday's comeback with his first two goals since being acquired from Calgary on Feb. 27, while Jonathan Huberdeau returned from a six-game absence caused by a lower-body injury to record two assists and help the Panthers record a season-high 51 shots.

'It's not the result we wanted, but it's a lot better than what it started out to be,' coach Gerard Gallant said.

Jagr added an assist for his 1,851st point, breaking a tie with Gordie Howe for third on the NHL's career list. The 44-year-old, who's generated nine of his team-high 49 points in the last nine games, also took sole possession of ninth all-time with his 1,613th game.

"It's more for you guys (the media),"â??Jagr said of the milestones. "It's behind me now. Let's concentrate on wins."

Ottawa (31-29-8) finds itself in a more difficult spot, sitting 11th in the East and five points back of eighth-place Detroit with the Red Wings owning two games in hand. The Senators missed out on gaining a crucial point Tuesday, blowing an early 2-0 lead and allowing the tying goal with 0.2 seconds left in regulation in a crushing 4-3 shootout loss to Carolina.

'Every point we don't take advantage of from here is a little bit more frustrating because we're not making up any ground doing that,' goaltender Andrew Hammond said. 'I think the two words that describe it are disappointing and frustrating.'

Hammond had 34 saves making a fourth consecutive start in place of Craig Anderson, who's expected back from a knee injury sustained Mar. 1 against St. Louis.

Anderson has allowed 11 goals over his last three starts after going 6-2-0 with a 1.61 goals-against average over his previous eight. He's permitted six in three season meetings with the Panthers, including a 2-1 shootout loss at Florida on Dec. 22 in which he compiled 39 saves.

Counterpart Roberto Luongo looks to bounce back from Monday's rough outing and reclaim his first-half form. The 2016 All-Star was pulled after one period when surrendering four goals on 16 shots and owns a 3.21 GAA since the All-Star break. He posted a 2.08 mark and .930 save percentage prior to the stoppage.

Luongo has helped Florida win two of this season's three matchups with Ottawa and registered 30 saves in 3-2 road victory on Jan. 7.

Ottawa's Zach Smith is on a three-game goal streak after scoring short-handed on Tuesday. He's amassed seven over a 10-game stretch, while Mark Stone has 10 in 18 games since the break.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sabres (27-32) at Canadiens (31-30)

Date: March 10, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The Montreal Canadiens have at least regained their edge on home ice, though it's hardly been an advantage in recent meetings with the Buffalo Sabres.

Fresh off a promising start to their homestand, the Canadiens attempt to break that trend when the Atlantic Division rivals face off Thursday night.

After having its fading playoff hopes all but dashed by an 0-3-1 road trip, Montreal (31-30-6) opened a four-game stay at Bell Centre with Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over Western Conference contender Dallas to move to 6-0-1 in its last seven at home.

Success has been surprisingly harder to achieve against the Sabres, who've left Montreal victorious in 10 of their last 13 visits. Buffalo has taken five of the last six overall matchups as well, including a 6-4 home win Feb. 12 that came nine days after a 4-2 victory at Bell Centre.

Buffalo (27-32-9) did have a four-game point streak halted with Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers, though coach Dan Bylsma was pleased with his young team's effort. After falling behind 3-0 early in the second period, the Sabres recorded a 19-4 shot advantage in the third.

"I thought we lost our energy a little bit with the second and the third goal and there was a lull in the game for us," Bylsma said. "Then we probably played our hardest and most energized 32 minutes of hockey there for the remainder of the game and had every opportunity to come back and tie that one up."

The Sabres were able to overcome a two-goal deficit in Toronto the previous night, getting third-period goals from Jack Eichel and Evander Kane before winning 4-3 in a shootout.

Eichel has three goals and two assists over a four-game point streak and Johan Larsson scored his third goal in four games Tuesday. Neither's recent production comes close to that of Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk, however.

Galchenyuk recorded his third two-goal game in his last four after scoring in overtime against Dallas, giving him nine in his past seven contests. The 2012 No. 3 overall pick also scored twice on the power play in last month's loss in Buffalo.

'What we saw earlier in the season, he's not the same player,' coach Michel Therrien said. 'He's playing with a lot more confidence. In the past, he had nice two- or three-game stretches. This last month, he's been able to maintain a high standard of play.'

Galchenyuk's rise also has been sorely needed. Of Montreal's top eight goal scorers, three (Brendan Gallagher, Lars Eller, David Desharnais) are injured and two (Dale Weise, Tomas Fleischmann) were traded to Chicago on Feb. 26.

Montreal still has a healthy Andrei Markov, who's compiled seven points in the season series and had a goal and four assists in a 7-2 rout at Buffalo on Oct. 23.

The Sabres scored three times on eight shots in 21:28 against Ben Scrivens in the most recent matchup, but the journeyman is coming off a solid 30-save effort against Dallas.

Buffalo's Robin Lehner struggled against the Rangers, allowing three goals on 14 shots before being pulled 6:05 into the second. He had posted a 1.75 goals-against average over his nine prior starts and had 33 saves in the Feb. 3 victory at Montreal.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Oilers (26-36) at Wild (31-26)

Date: March 10, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Minnesota Wild seem determined not to allow one setback completely halt their surge.

Looking to bounce back from their first March defeat, the Wild try to complete a season series sweep of the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Though Minnesota (31-26-10) battled back from a three-goal deficit to get within one in the third period Sunday, its four-game winning streak ended with a 4-2 loss to St. Louis. The Wild dropped to 8-4-0 since interim coach John Torchetti replaced the fired Mike Yeo, so the club isn't reading too much into the result.

'Things are going in the right direction, so we have to make sure we focus on that coming off this,' center Ryan Carter said.

With three days off between games, Minnesota has had the opportunity to regroup.

"You learn from losses, that's for sure, but you certainly learned about our character," Torchetti told the Wild's official website.

The disappointment the Wild showed following their latest defeat amid an atmosphere were expectations have been raised, appears to signal how well they understand the sense of urgency that comes with a playoff push.

"It shows we want it; we want it bad," said defenseman Matt Dumba, who increased his career-high goal total to 10 on Sunday. "A lot of disappointed faces here in the locker room after because we were working hard.

"We kind of did it to ourselves, kind of shot ourselves in the foot. We'll try not to do that Thursday."

Minnesota, which last dropped back-to-back home contests during an eight-game slide Jan. 7-Feb. 13, is in position to record its first sweep of Edmonton (26-36-7) in five seasons after taking the first two meetings.

In the midst of a six-game point streak after matching a career high with his eighth goal Sunday, defenseman Ryan Suter scored twice in a 4-3 home win over the Oilers on Oct. 27. Dumba had a goal with an assist in the 5-2 victory at Edmonton on Feb. 18.

Though Devan Dubnyk allowed three goals in three of his last four home starts and the same amount to the Oilers in October, he's 6-1-0 with a 1.28 goals-against average against his former club.

After winning three in a row, Edmonton fell for the second time in three games with Tuesday's 3-0 loss to San Jose. The Oilers have averaged 34 shots in five March games but totaled 11 goals, and been held to two or fewer 12 times in the last 17.

"You're not going to win games if you don't score," forward Jordan Eberle said. "We have to find a way to bear down on the chances we have."

Edmonton is 1 for 24 on the power play in the last 11 contests.

"We've got to play better hockey and hold each other accountable," recently acquired forward Patrick Maroon told the Oilers' official website. "It's a hard league, but it can't be individual stuff. We have to play together and as a group."

Cam Talbot allowed three goals while winning four straight starts prior to matching that total on 22 shots faced against San Jose. He yielded four goals in each of the first two with the Wild.

Eberle doesn't have a point in three games, but has three goals with 10 assists in his last eight at Minnesota.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Devils (31-29) at Sharks (37-23)

Date: March 10, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

After enjoying more success on the road, the San Jose Sharks will try to improve their recent play at home.

Peter DeBoer's Sharks can avoid a third defeat in four home games by sweeping the season series from their coach's former club Thursday night against the struggling New Jersey Devils.

San Jose (37-23-6) has won five of six with four victories coming on the road and that loss at home. The Sharks won their league-best 25th road game by concluding a two-game sweep through Western Canada with Tuesday's 3-0 win over Edmonton.

Though San Jose is third in the Pacific Division, it's very much within striking distance of both Los Angeles and Anaheim.

"Happy to keep creeping toward the playoffs," said James Reimer, who made 31 saves to earn his first win in the second game he's played since San Jose acquired him from Toronto on Feb. 27.

Reimer yielded three goals on 25 shots in Saturday's 4-2 home loss to Vancouver. San Jose dropped two of three there following a 6-0-3 stretch.

The Sharks, who last lost back-to-back home contests Jan. 2 and 7, have ample opportunity to get back on track there with three straight and nine of the next 10 in San Jose.

Sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference and six points out of the final wild-card spot, New Jersey (31-29-7) has dropped eight of 10 and been held to one or no goals four times in the last six games. The Devils were able to get only one of 32 shots past Martin Jones in a 2-1 shootout loss to San Jose on Oct. 16. It was DeBoer's first game back in New Jersey since that club fired him in December 2014.

Cory Schneider stopped 33 shots in the first meeting but won't be available for at least two weeks because a knee injury.

"The most important thing we want to do is make sure that if a player is going to be in our lineup, it's going to be good for the player and good for the team," New Jersey coach John Hynes said. "But it's always about the player first, and we want to make sure that if and when Cory's ready we're not going to push him back."

Backup Keith Kinkaid has allowed 10 goals in his last two starts.

'I have to make a few stops for my team,' said Kinkaid, who dropped to 5-6-1 with a 2.75 goals-against average as a starter following Sunday's 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh. 'I have to make a big stop to give them the momentum.'

New Jersey's four March opponents have gone 4 for 11 on the power play while it's 3 for 16 with the man advantage in the last six.

Kyle Palmieri has two of his team-leading 25 goals in three contests but, including his time with Anaheim, has scored twice in 14 games against the Sharks.

San Jose's Joe Pavelski has a goal in back-to-back games and five of his team-leading 31 in the last six. He had two goals and four assists in his previous three against the Devils before being blanked in October.

Jones has won four in a row and owns a 1.61 GAA in his last five starts.

 

[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 - - -
3/10 6 - - -
3/11 5 - - -
3/12 12 - - -
3/13 3 - - -
3/14 6 - - -
3/15 8 - - -
3/16 6 - - -
3/17 8 - - -
3/18 6 - - -
3/19 11 - - -
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 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Bruins won six of their last eight games.
-- Edmonton won four of its last six games. Minnesota won four of its last five.
-- San Jose won five of its last six games.

Cold teams
-- Carolina lost four of its last six games.
-- Winnipeg lost eight of its last ten games. Detroit lost last three games, outscored 14-6.
-- Ottawa lost four of its last five games. Florida lost five of its last six.
-- Sabres lost six of their last nine games. Montreal lost four of its last five games.
-- New Jersey lost eight of its last ten games.

Series records
-- Bruins won six of last seven games with Carolina.
-- Winnipeg won six of its last eight games with Detroit.
-- Panthers won three of last four games with Ottawa.
-- Sabres won five of last six games with Montreal.
-- Minnesota won six of its last eight games with Edmonton.
-- Sharks won five of last six games with New Jersey.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Boston games stayed under total.
-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Winnipeg games.
-- Six of last eight Florida-Ottawa games stayed under.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Buffalo-Montreal games.
-- Nine of last ten Edmonton games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight New Jersey games went over the total.

Back-to-backs
-- None

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Betting Preview

Carolina at Boston March 10, 7:00 EST

It’s getting to the stage of the NHL season where every game takes on a higher level of importance. There are divisions to be decided and playoff spots to be secured as we head into the final few weeks of the season. The Boston Bruins are locked in an epic battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, while the Carolina Hurricanes are still well within reach of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

It’s easy to see why this match-up is so important to both teams, and while you would likely give the edge to the Bruins on home ice, you cannot discount a Hurricanes team that still feels as though they can play their way into the postseason.

Why bet on the Carolina Hurricanes

Not too many people were sure what to expect from the Hurricanes (30-26-11) this season, as they are a franchise very much in transition. They have proven to be a team that is hard working and incredibly tough to beat, and it is probably a surprise to a lot of hockey fans that this group is just 4 points out of the final Wild Card spot at this late stage of the season. While the Hurricanes have been competitive, they are currently not playing well enough to close that gap. A 4-5-1 record in their past 10 games shows that they are coming up a little short at a time when they need wins the most. This is going to be a tough trip for them, as the Bruins are not a team that they have played very well against in recent seasons. Carolina are averaging 2.4 GPG, and are giving up 2.7 GPG.

Why bet on the Boston Bruins

Make no mistake about it, this Bruins (38-23-7) team wants to win the Atlantic Division, and their last 3 games may just show how hard they are willing to work to do so. Each of their last 3 games have gone to OT, and they have come away with a 2-0-1 record, with the only loss coming versus the Washington Capitals, who just happen to be the best team in the league by a country mile. The last two wins came on the road, and set the Bruins up nicely for a 2-game home stand at the Garden, where they are just 15-16-4 this season. This is a team that does seem to play better on the road, but they are on a nice little roll right now, and deserve to be favorites for this one. The Bruins are averaging 3.0 GPG, and are giving up 2.7 GPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It was the Bruins who came away with a 4-1 victory when these two met earlier this season, which means Boston has now won 6 of their last 7 games against the Hurricanes. I like them to add another victory to that list on Thursday.

Carolina Panthers 2 Boston Bruins 4

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hawks (36-28) at Raptors (42-20)

Date: March 10, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Jeff Teague and the Atlanta Hawks made some major strides on the Western Conference portion of their current road trip.

Heading back east may not be easy since Teague had a tough time stopping Kyle Lowry the last time he faced the Toronto Raptors.

These point guards match up for the second time this season Thursday night when the Hawks complete a five-game trek.

Atlanta (36-28) began this trip last Tuesday with a 109-105 overtime loss to Golden State, which played without MVP Stephen Curry. The Hawks took the next three games, including an impressive 107-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday followed by Tuesday's 91-84 win over Utah.

Those wins featured strong efforts by Teague, who totaled 46 points and made 17 of 33 shots - 6 of 10 from 3-point range. He had combined for 29 points in the previous three games.

"This is the Jeff I'm used to seeing and hopefully he keeps that going because when he plays at that level, we're a very tough team to beat,' center Al Horford said.

Lowry also has been hot from outside, hitting 11 of his last 20 3-point attempts, and is averaging 28.6 points in his past six games.

Teague was outscored 31-11 by Lowry in the first meeting Dec. 2, as the Raptors (42-20) won 96-86 on the road. Teague missed 11 of 16 shots, although he had 10 assists.

While Teague is one of the NBA's top guards in drives per game with 11.0, Toronto's DeMar DeRozan leads in that category with 11.8 while averaging a league-best 8.8 points off drives.

DeRozan scored 15 of his 25 points after halftime as the Raptors rallied for Tuesday's 104-99 home win over Brooklyn. The 16-point halftime deficit matched Toronto's largest of the season.

'We came out of the second half and that is who we have to be," coach Dwane Casey said. "But we have to start that at the beginning of the game.'

Lowry had 23 points and nine assists, and Bismack Biyombo grabbed 10 boards to help the Raptors to a 40-29 edge on the glass.

Toronto may exploit a similar advantage Thursday with a rebound margin of plus-2.3 since Atlanta is at minus-4.3 for the league's second-worst mark. The Raptors held a 50-43 edge in the first matchup.

Toronto has won 13 of 14 at home while averaging 107.4 points. Atlanta has allowed 86.5 per game in regulation while winning five of six overall.

The Raptors are shooting an East-leading 36.9 percent on 3-pointers, and Atlanta is at 34.7 percent after finishing second in the league at 38.0 a season ago. Kyle Korver led the NBA with 8.5 catch-and-shoot-points per game, and that figure is down to 5.8 - with Horford averaging more at 6.1.

"Last year, we caught some people off guard," Horford said. "For us, this year, it's been about trying to make adjustments offensively and trying to figure out how we can score the ball.'

Hawks forward Kent Bazemore had six points Tuesday after averaging 14.6 over his previous five games. Bazemore averages 0.82 points per elbow touch for one of the NBA's best marks among players who are regular starters.