Thursday 5/7/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

English League One TODAY 19:45

Chesterfield

v

Preston

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS5		2	12/5	6/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT CHESTERFIELD	RECENT FORM
HWADHWADHLAD​ Most recent​	0 - 2 0 - 2 0 - 1 0 - 1	HDHDADAWHWAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Preston lost just one of their last 19 league games

EXPERT VERDICT: A final-day flop saw Preston throw away automatic promotion and it may take them time to recover. Ultimately North End should progress – they were the best team in League One in the final weeks of the season – but their frame of mind has to be questioned and this trip won’t be easy to negotiate.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Mark Haywood STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

English League One TODAY 19:45

Sheff Utd

v

Swindon

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS2		13/10	12/5	12/5	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SHEFF UTD	RECENT FORM
HWADALHDADHD​ Most recent​	2 - 0 1 - 0 2 - 0 2 - 2	AWHLHDALADHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Swindon have won just once in six league matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Sheffield United love knockout competitions despite a dodgy record in the playoffs and should relish this tie. Neither side has been in great nick lately but Swindon haven’t won at Bramall Lane since 1970 and the Blades are likely to have the edge as they did in January’s 2-0 victory over the Robins.

RECOMMENDATION: Sheff Utd
2


REFEREE: Darren Bond STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Europa League TODAY 20:05

Seville

v

Fiorentina

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV4		4/5	14/5	15/4	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SEVILLE	RECENT FORM
HWADADHWAWHL​ Most recent​	Unknown	ADHLHWHLALHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Seville have won their last eight home matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Home advantage is crucial to Seville and the Europa League holders can once again turn on the style in front of their own supporters. Fatigued Fiorentina are just starting to flag after a demanding season whereas Seville were desperately unlucky to lose 3-2 to Real Madrid on Saturday.

RECOMMENDATION: Seville
2

 

[superbeets]

Europa League TODAY 20:05

Napoli

v

Dnipro

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		4/11	4	10	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NAPOLI	RECENT FORM
AWAWHDHWALHW​ Most recent​	4 - 2	HDADAWHWHWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Dnipro have lost all four of their previous matches in Italy

EXPERT VERDICT: Tournament favourites Napoli could not have wished for an easier semi-final and they should make their luck in the draw count. Dnipro were beaten home and away by Inter in the group stage and Napoli will be even stronger opponents with Rafael Benitez’s side fancied to make their class tell early on.

RECOMMENDATION: Napoli-Napoli double result
1

​

 

[superbeets]

English Championship Fr 8May 19:45

Brentford

v

Middlesbro

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		13/8	23/10	13/8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BRENTFORD	RECENT FORM
HDADALHDAWHW​ Most recent​	0 - 1 1 - 4 0 - 1 2 - 1	ALHWHWAWALHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Brentford have failed to win 11 of 23 home games this season

EXPERT VERDICT: Brentford come into this Championship playoff having lost only one of their last nine games. However, the Bees did draw four of those matches and lost both meetings with a resilient Middlesbrough side this term, failing to score in either fixture. A tight first-leg draw looks the value call.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Jonathan Moss STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

French Division 1 Fr 8May 19:30

Paris St-G.

v

Guingamp

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTX		1/6	6	20	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT PARIS ST-G.	RECENT FORM
HLAWALHWHWAW​ Most recent​	2 - 0 2 - 0 2 - 0 5 - 0	HLALALHDAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: PSG have won 14 and drawn the other four of their last 18 home league games

EXPERT VERDICT: Paris St-Germain have bounced back from Champions League heartache with three routine wins and are looking almost unstoppable domestically. They’ve won six in a row in the league, scoring 20 goals in the process, and they’ve won their last four home games against Guingamp without conceding a single goal.

RECOMMENDATION: PSG-PSG double result
1

 

[Scott602]

Spartans GOY

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Today's games
National League
Dodgers @ Brewers
Frias is 1-1, 6.00 in his last three starts (over 2-0-1).

Fiers is 1-3, 6.57 in his five starts (over 3-2) this season.

Milwaukee is 4-1 since Gomez came off DL; five of last eight Brewer games stayed under the total. Dodgers won eight of last 12 games but lost eight of twelve road games. LA lost seven of last nine games with Milwaukee; over is 4-1-1 in last six series games.

Cubs @ Cardinals
Arrieta is 3-2, 2.84 in his five starts; under is 4-0-2 in his last six.

Lackey is 1-1, 3.16 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.

Cubs lost five of their last seven games; they allowed 22 runs the last three nights. Cardinals won eight of last nine games. Cubs are 4-6 in last ten games with St Louis; last three series games went over.

Reds @ Pirates
DeSclafani is 0-2, 8.10 in his last two starts after he was 2-0, 0.86 in his first three; under is 4-0-2 in his last six.

Burnett is 0-1, 1.45 in his five starts; Pirates scored seven runs in those five games- under is 5-0-1 in his last six starts.

Pittsburgh lost its last seven games with the Reds; under is 7-2-2 in last 11 series games. Pirates lost their last five games, three in extra innings; under is 7-1-3 in their last eleven. Cincinnati is 5-3 in its last eight games.

Padres @ Diamondbacks
Despaigne is 2-0, 1.98 in his two starts this year but last one was April 20; his last three road starts went over.

de la Rosa is 2-2, 5.70 in his five starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

Arizona is 5-3 in its last eight games with San Diego; last three series games in Arizona went over the total. Padres lost four of last five road games, with four of those five staying under. Diamondbacks are 4-3 in last seven games; over is 5-2-1 in their last eight.

Marlins @ Giants
Haren is 3-1, 2.70 in his five starts; over is 6-1-1 in his last eight.

Hudson is 1-2, 3.51 in his five starts; six of his last seven stayed under.

Giants won seven of their last eight home games; eight of their last 11 home games stayed under the total. SF won three of last four games with Marlins; seven of last ten series games went over. Miami lost three of last four games, with three of those four going over.

American League
A's @ Twins
Pomeranz is 0-2, 7.52 in his last four starts; four of his last five went over.

Nolasco is 1-1, 10.13 in his two starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five at home.

Minnesota won nine of last 12 games, scoring 53 runs in its last seven. they won three of last four games with Oakland-- nine of last 13 went over total. Oakland lost nine of last thirteen games; over is 10-1-1 in their last dozen.

Tigers @ White Sox
Lobstein is 2-2, 3.91 in his four starts (over 2-2).

Quintana is 0-1, 1.93 in his last two starts; three of his last four went under.

Chicago lost four of last seven games with Detroit; White Sox lost five of their last seven games overall, outscored 47-22. Detroit is 3-5 in its last eight games. Three of last four series games went over the total.

Indians @ Royals
Indians are 0-6 in Kluber starts (0-3, 8.83 in last three, with 31 hits allowed in his last 17.1 IP); four of his last five road starts stayed under.

Volquez is 1-3, 3.76 in his last four starts; under is 3-0-2 in his last five.

Kansas City won five of last eight games with Cleveland; over is 6-0-1 in last seven series games- road team won nine of last 12 in series. Indians lost seven of last 11 games, with over 8-1-1 in last ten. Royals lost three of last four games; over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games.

Orioles @ Bronx
Tillman is 1-3, 7.91 in his last four starts; five of his last seven went under.

Eovaldi is 2-0, 3.50 in his last three starts (over 3-2). .

Orioles won four of last six games with Bronx; five of those six went over the total. Baltimore lost seven of last nine road games, with last six staying under total. Bronx is 7-3 in last ten games; seven of its last nine stayed under.

Rangers @ Rays
Martinez is 2-0, 1.97 in his five starts; Texas scored 38 runs in the five games, (all Texas wins) with four of them going over total.

Archer is 3-2, 1.38 in his five starts, all of which stayed under. Rays scored total of 11 runs in the five games.

Texas just swept Astros three straight, allowing total of five runs; they've lost six of last eight games vs Tampa Bay- under is 3-1-1 in last five. Rays are 4-3 in last seven games; their last ten tilts all stayed under.

Astros @ Angels
Houston is 5-0 when McHugh starts (4-0, 3.41); they scored 37 runs in five games, with last three going over total.

Santiago is 2-1, 3.09 in last four starts, all of which went over; Halos scored total of 32 runs in the four games.

Houston just lost three straight after winning ten in row before that; they've won three of last four against the Angels- under is 4-0-1 in last five in series. Angels are 4-4 in last eight games, but won last two nights in last at-bat.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
LA-Mil-- Frias 1-0; Fiers 2-3
Chi-StL-- Arrieta 3-2; Lackey 3-2
Cin-Pitt-- DeSclafani 3-2; Burnett 1-4
SD-Az-- Despaigne 2-0; de la Rosa 2-3
Mia-SF-- Haren 4-1; Hudson 3-2

A's-Min-- Pomeranz 1-4; Nolasco 1-1
Det-Chi-- Lobstein 2-2; Quintana 2-3
Cle-KC-- Kluber 0-6; Volquez 2-3
Balt-NY-- Tillman 2-3; Eovaldi 3-2
Tex-TB-- Martinez 5-0; Archer 3-3
Hst-LA-- McHugh 5-0; Santiago 2-3

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
LA-Mil-- Frias 0-1; Fiers 0-5
Chi-StL-- Arrieta 2-5; Lackey 1-5
Cin-Pitt-- DeSclafani 0-5; Burnett 0-5
SD-Az-- Despaigne 0-2; de la Rosa 2-5
Mia-SF-- Haren 0-5; Hudson 1-4

A's-Min-- Pomeranz 2-5; Nolasco 0-2
Det-Chi-- Lobstein 3-4; Quintana 2-5
Cle-KC-- Kluber 3-6; Volquez 1-5
Balt-NY-- Tillman 1-4; Eovaldi 3-5
Tex-TB-- Martinez 1-5; Archer 1-6
Hst-LA-- McHugh 1-4; Santiago 1-5

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golf: PLAYERS heads to Ponte Vedra

Tournament: THE PLAYERS Championship
Date: May 7-10
Venue: TPC Sawgrass
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

While THE PLAYERS Championship is not a major, it is the next best thing on U.S. soil and boasts the largest purse of any tournament in the sport at $10 million. It’s been a hectic past month in the golf world with the Masters and the WGC Cadillac Match Play Championship in April and the strong field now heads to TPC Sawgrass for the unofficial “fifth major”.

Each of the top-50 players from the Official World Golf Rankings will be teeing it up this week and will also be joined by Tiger Woods who will be searching for his third trophy at this event. Only five other players in the history of the tourney have won more than once here and Jack Nicklaus is the only golfer to have done it on three occasions.

Last year, Martin Kaymer took this event by just one stroke over Jim Furyk as he was able to hold on to his Thursday lead after a 63 on the opening day. Coming into this event, the PGA has seen a string of very strong performers getting wins as Jimmy Walker, J.B. Holmes, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy have topped the leaderboard in the past month and a half and typically a big name is able to win here as well. Let’s take a look at the very strong field that will be playing this week and find a few players who could take the win.

Golfers to Bet

Jim Furyk (22/1): Furyk is a threat to win each and every week and after missing the cut at the Masters, he was able to win his 17th career PGA tournament at the RBC Heritage and nearly took down world No. 1 Rory McIlroy in the semifinals at the match play over the weekend. He is just as accurate as anyone on tour, hitting 73% of fairways (4th on tour) with 69.7% of GIR (25th on tour) and has done some tremendous scrambling on the year (65.5%, 14th on tour). Last year at this event, he nearly grabbed the win on Sunday when he shot a 66 and finished 12-under-par, just one shot behind Martin Kaymer. He hit better than 71% of fairways and GIR in that solid performance and should be riding high after going toe-to-toe with McIlroy this past weekend, so look for a great outing from the man who will turn 45-years-old just two days after the completion of this tournament.

Hideki Matsuyama (33/1): Matsuyama will look to build on what is looking like a career-year for the Japanese-born player who has made 12-of-13 cuts in 2015 with seven top-10s. He earned a berth into the final 16 at the Match Play this past weekend, but just like Furyk, fell victim to eventual winner Rory McIlroy. He also has a second and two thirds this season thanks to ranking in the top-50 in both driving distance (295.9 yards per, 30th on tour) and driving accuracy (66.1%, 47th on tour) as he also sits 17th in scrambling (65.1%). Last year was his first visit to this event and he put up a respectful 23rd place, making him a true contender to top the field come Sunday.

Ryan Moore (85/1): Moore has been one of the best golfers on tour this year, currently ranking 10th in the FedEx Cup standings behind a victory and six other top-25s in his 12 outings. He hasn’t been quite as consistent lately with a 57th at the Houston Open and a poor showing this past weekend in match play, but has still carded a score of 69 or better in four of his last eight stroke play rounds and was 12th at the Masters. He doesn’t excel in any one area of the game, but is in the top-50 in driving accuracy (69.6%, 17th on tour), total strokes gained (0.924, 25th on tour) and par breakers (22.8%, 25th on tour). His solid play this year has him itching for another win as he still seeks a win against a stronger field in his career.

Paul Casey (44/1): After a rough start to the year where he failed to make the cut in two of his first four tournaments, Casey has turned up the heat with five top-10s in the next seven events; including a sixth at the Masters and a fifth this past week in match play. Casey hasn’t been to this tournament since withdrawing from it in 2012 and had missed the cut in the previous two years after a solid showing (14th) back in 2009. Despite not doing well here in more than five years, Casey is playing at the top of his game and showed last week that he can hang with anybody as he aims surprisingly at only his second career victory.

Spencer Levin (500/1): Levin has had a ton of success at TPC Sawgrass and was in the top-12 at each of his last two visits here (2011, 2012). Last year, he really fell off, missing more cuts (11) than making them (9), but has turned it around to a degree in 2015 with 10-of-16 cuts made. In three of those visits to the weekend he made it into the top-25 and finished off his last event in New Orleans with three consecutive rounds of 69 or better, eventually tying for 28th. He is one of the more accurate drivers in the sport (70.5% fairways hit, 11th on tour) and should set himself up for some scoring at TPC Sawgrass with a good chance to finish high this week.

The PLAYERS Championship Betting Odds

Jordan Spieth 15/2
Rory McIlroy 15/2
Henrik Stenson 22/1
Jim Furyk 22/1
Justin Rose 22/1
Jason Day 27/1
Adam Scott 33/1
Dustin Johnson 33/1
Hideki Matsuyama 33/1
Jimmy Walker 33/1
Matt Kuchar 33/1
Sergio Garcia 33/1
Tiger Woods 33/1
Bubba Watson 44/1
Lee Westwood 44/1
Paul Casey 44/1
Phil Mickelson 44/1
Louis Oosthuizen 50/1
Hunter Mahan 55/1
J.B. Holmes 55/1
Patrick Reed 55/1
Rickie Fowler 55/1
Zach Johnson 55/1
Billy Horschel 65/1
Brooks Koepka 65/1
Gary Woodland 65/1
Ian Poulter 65/1
Kevin Na 65/1
Martin Kaymer 65/1
Sean OHair 65/1
Bill Haas 85/1
Brandt Snedeker 85/1
Charl Schwartzel 85/1
Keegan Bradley 85/1
Luke Donald 85/1
Ryan Moore 85/1
Ryan Palmer 85/1
Brendon Todd 100/1
Daniel Berger 100/1
Danny Willett 100/1
Graeme McDowell 100/1
Harris English 100/1
Justin Thomas 100/1
Marc Leishman 100/1
Morgan Hoffmann 100/1
Russell Henley 100/1
Steve Stricker 100/1
Webb Simpson 100/1
Jason Dufner 150/1
Branden Grace 170/1
Cameron Tringale 170/1
Charley Hoffman 170/1
Kevin Streelman 170/1
Chris Kirk 180/1
Jamie Donaldson 180/1
Russell Knox 180/1
Brendon de Jonge 190/1
Jason Kokrak 190/1
Graham Delaet 200/1
Matt Jones 200/1
Shane Lowry 200/1
Bernd Wiesberger 210/1
Nick Watney 210/1
Brendan Steele 220/1
Ben Crane 230/1
Daniel Summerhays 240/1
John Senden 240/1
Alex Cejka 250/1
Charles Howell III 250/1
George McNeill 250/1
Sangmoon Bae 250/1
Shawn Stefani 250/1
Anirban Lahiri 300/1
Ben Martin 300/1
Boo Weekley 300/1
Chesson Hadley 300/1
David Hearn 300/1
Ernie Els 300/1
Jonas Blixt 300/1
Joost Luiten 300/1
K.J. Choi 300/1
Kevin Kisner 300/1
Matt Every 300/1
Padraig Harrington 300/1
Scott Piercy 300/1
Troy Merritt 300/1
Chris Stroud 350/1
Jerry Kelly 350/1
Pat Perez 350/1
Seung-Yul Noh 350/1
Angel Cabrera 400/1
Erik Compton 400/1
Jason Bohn 400/1
Kevin Chappell 400/1
Luke Guthrie 400/1
Robert Streb 400/1
Scott Stallings 400/1
Aaron Baddeley 450/1
Brian Davis 450/1
Brian Stuard 450/1
Camilo Villegas 450/1
Danny Lee 450/1
David Toms 450/1
Freddie Jacobson 450/1
John Huh 450/1
Retief Goosen 450/1
Rory Sabbatini 450/1
Thongchai Jaidee 450/1
Will MacKenzie 450/1
William McGirt 450/1
Andrew Svoboda 500/1
Bo Van Pelt 500/1
Brian Harman 500/1
Brice Garnett 500/1
Bryce Molder 500/1
Carl Pettersson 500/1
Geoff Ogilvy 500/1
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 500/1
James Hahn 500/1
Jeff Overton 500/1
Jhonattan Vegas 500/1
Michael Putnam 500/1
Michael Thompson 500/1
Nick Taylor 500/1
Robert Garrigus 500/1
Ryo Ishikawa 500/1
Scott Brown 500/1
Spencer Levin 500/1
Stephen Gallacher 500/1
Stewart Cink 500/1
Vijay Singh 500/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tiger Woods -190 to make the cut at PLAYERS

Bookmakers have released props on The PLAYERS Championship including Tiger Woods at -190 to make the cut this weekend (+155 to miss cut).

Woods has won the event twice (2013, 2001) but it has surfaced that he has not slept in three days since breaking up with Lindsey Vonn.

Prop board for The PLAYER Championship:

Will Tiger Woods make the cut?

YES -190
NO +155

How many balls will find the water at the 17th hole?

OVER 36.5 -115
UNDER 36.5 -115

How many balls will find the water at the 17th hole?

25 AND UNDER +1000
26 TO 30 +525
31 TO 35 +275
36 TO 40 +275
41 TO 50 +350
51 TO 60 +700
61 OR MORE +750

Highest single-round score on the 17th hole?

7 AND OVER +110
6 AND UNDER -140

Will the eventual winner hit a ball in the water on the 17th hole?

YES +450
NO -900

Will there be a hole-in-one on the 17th hole?

YES +375
NO -650

Will there be a hole-in-one in the tournament?

YES +105
NO -135

Will anyone break the single-round course record of 63?

YES +600
NO -1300

Total score for the first three holes of the playoff

9 OR LESS +1000
10 +350
11 +220
12 +220
13 OR MORE +375

Age of THE PLAYERS Championship Winner

32 AND OVER +110
31 AND UNDER -140

Age of THE PLAYERS Championship Winner

26 & UNDER +140
27 - 31 +400
32 - 36 +250
37 - 41 +450
42 & OVER +1000

Will Martin Kaymer become the first back-to-back PLAYERS champion?

YES +8050
NO -12500

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Golf betting: THE PLAYERS Championship Preview
By MATT FARGO

The PGA Tour heads back to Florida this week for the "Fifth Major", THE PLAYERS Championship. "THE PLAYERS" is capitalized for a reason since this is THE Championship for the PLAYERS and a lot of them covet this tournament more than any of the four real Majors. That may sound narcissistic but this game is about the players and this is exactly what this tournament is about.

While a lot of the current regular stops on tour value experience, TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National are arguably the two biggest venues where experience matters the most. Check out this stat from the PGA Tour. The average number of starts before a victory here is just over 7 so just like Augusta, it takes a few years to win here, not including the 2002 win by Craig Perks.

Five years ago was the first year since 1996 that TPC Sawgrass played under par and overall, it ranked 28th out of 52 stops on tour in difficulty. Four years ago, it played even easier. Three years ago though it came back to 72.47 which was fifth highest among the 20 par 72's. Two years ago it was close to the same at +0.323 strokes to par and last year came in very slightly easier at +0.155 strokes to par.

When you think of TPC Sawgrass, you think of the 17th island par three, arguably the scariest 130-something shot in golf. It is definitely a risk-reward hole and getting out of there with a par is huge going into 18. Why? The 18th at Sawgrass is the second-toughest closing hole on tour going back to 1983. We have seen many PLAYERS won and lost on these final two holes and that is what it should all be about.

With this being such a prestigious tournament, the field is full of big names with 48 of the top 50 in the OWGR in play this week as Victor Dubuisson and Tommy Fleetwood are the lone missing players. Additionally, 10 past PLAYERS champions are here along with 29 Major winners and 29 World Golf Championship winners. This makes for an exciting event that should again come down to the final holes on Sunday.

To no surprise, Rory McIlroy is the favorite with Jordan Spieth lurking closely behind at +625 and +680 respectively. Obviously, these two are hard to go against with the way they are playing but there is absolutely no value with either of them. On top of that, because their prices are so short, we can get some rather big odds on other elite players and come out with a big payday.

2015 Record to date after 16 events: +67.95 Units

Hyundai Tournament of Champions -5 Units
Humana Challenge +24 Units
Waste Management Phoenix Open -5 Units
Farmers Insurance Open +8.5 Units
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am +18 Units
Northern Trust Open -5 Units
Honda Classic -5 Units
WGC-Cadillac Championship +16 Units
Valspar Championship -5 Units
Arnold Palmer Invitational -5 Units
Valero Texas Open +19 Units
Shell Houston Open +23 Units
The Masters -6 Units
RBC Heritage -5 Units
Zurich Classic of New Orleans +5.45
WGC Match Play Championship -5 Units

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer Europa Odds


UEFA Europa League Semifinals - Leg One Odds

Thursday May 7, 2015

Napoli at Dnipro
Napoli -263
Dnipro +600
Draw +360

Over 2.5 (-129)
Under 2.5 (Even)+600

Sevilla at Fiorentina
Sevilla -114
Fiorentina +270
Draw +260

Over 2.5 (-105)
Under 2.5 (-125)

Odds to win 2015 UEFA Europa League (5/23/15)

Napoli 5/4
Sevilla 21/10
Fiorentina 3/1
Dnipro 8/1

Odds to qualify for 2015 UEFA Europa Leauge Final

Napoli vs. Dnipro
Napoli -390
Dnipro +260

Sevilla vs. Fiorentina
Sevilla -150
Fiorentina +110

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Preview: Blackhawks (48-28) at Wild (46-28)

Date: May 07, 2015 9:30 PM EDT

Had the initial timetable on Patrick Kane's injury held true, the Chicago Blackhawks' superstar would still be two weeks away from game action.

Consider that wishful thinking for the Minnesota Wild.

With a 3-0 lead, the Blackhawks can both eliminate the Wild and reach the Western Conference finals for the third consecutive season with a win Thursday night in St. Paul.

Kane scored a power-play goal and Corey Crawford stopped 30 shots in Chicago's 1-0 win in Tuesday's Game 3. Add in an early tally in Chicago's 4-3 victory in Game 1 and two scores in the Blackhawks' 4-1 Game 2 win and Kane has as many goals as Minnesota's entire roster this series.

"He's got a hot stick," coach Joel Quenneville said. "He's dangerous."

He was similarly effective through 61 games of the regular season, tying for the league lead with 64 points before suffering a fractured clavicle on Feb. 24.

The injury, which required surgery and carried an expected recovery timetable of 12 weeks, figured to keep Kane sidelined well into the playoffs. Instead, he returned five weeks early, and leads the Blackhawks with 11 points this postseason.

"I was trying to get back as quick as possible," Kane said. "Sometimes it takes a little while, sometimes you catch it right away. I don't know if I have it completely back yet, but it's one of those things when you're scoring goals and putting pucks in the back of the net, things look a little better than they actually are."

Crawford has been equally impressive following a tumultuous first round in which he briefly lost his starting job to Scott Darling. Crawford has won all four games behind a .963 save percentage since returning to the net.

Outside of Minnesota's three-goal second period in Game 1, he has stopped 81 of 82 shots this series.

"Crawford, he's a star against us," coach Mike Yeo said. "He's Brodeur. He's Roy. He's everybody against us, so we've got to find a way to solve that."

Crawford has thus far outdueled Devan Dubnyk, who has a .911 save percentage in the playoffs after posting a .936 mark with the Wild in the regular season.

But Minnesota's biggest issues lie on the other side of the ice. The Wild have scored just once over a two-game stretch for the first time since early November, and a fourth consecutive loss Thursday would mark their longest skid since Jan. 3-13 - the final six games before acquiring Dubnyk.

"It's obviously frustrating. It's not fun," Jason Pominville said. "We're getting opportunities, which is usually a good sign. Every line had some looks. We weren't able to put one in."

Yeo has made the playoffs in three of his four seasons with Minnesota, but lost to Chicago in the first two. The Wild trailed 2-0 in both 2013 and 2014 and won Game 3 before losing in five games and six games, respectively.

Minnesota has faced a 3-0 deficit on two other occasions, both against Anaheim. The Ducks dispatched the Wild in four games in 2003 and five in 2007.

Only four out of the 180 teams in NHL history that have faced a 3-0 deficit have come back to win, most recently Los Angeles last year on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Price steadier option on no rest than Bishop
Justin Hartling

The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will play the first back-to-back games on consecutive nights Wednesday and Thursday. Though both teams will be facing the same tough test, Carey Price has proven to be a steadier goalie on no rest than Ben Bishop.

Price has started three back-to-back scenarios for the Canadiens this season, all of which he started and played the entirity of while posting a .947 save percentage.

In the other crease is Bishop who saw action three times this season on no rest, twice in relief and the other saw him get pulled early. Bishop also posted a lowly .868 save percentage in those appearances.

 

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NHL

Tampa Bay won its last eight games with Montreal; they held the Canadiens to four goals in the first three games of series, winning last night despite getting only nine shots on goal in first two periods of game. Six of last nine series games went over total. Habs lost 4-2/7-1/2-1 in their last three visits here; Lightning has now won its last five games overall. Canadiens have now lost five of last six games, with five of last seven staying under total. Canadiens are 0-8 on power play in series. Not sure why these teams are playing on consecutive nights, but Montreal needs win to avoid a sweep.

Chicago scored on its only power play chance in Game 3, won 1-0, can sweep series here. Minnesota lost eight of last ten games with Blackhawks; under is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Wild are 2-8 on power play in series, Chicago 1-4, but Blackhawks have outscored them 8-2 when sides were at even strength. Chicago won six of last seven games; over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games; they lost four of last six road games. Minnesota split its last four home games- Chicago won three of last four games in this building.

Home teams are 9-4 in this round of playoffs; under is 7-4-2.

 

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Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Harrah's Philadelphia

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 7 - Post: 2:40 - 1 mile. TROT - Class Rating: 86 - Purse:$16000 - 3 & 4 YR. OLDS NW 5 EXT. PM RACES OR $50,000 LIFETIME PA PREFERENCE $5,000 GUARANTEED PICK 4 POOL


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 8 AUSPICIOUS HANOVER 3/1


# 4 SCHLIM SCHLAMMA 5/2


# 1 ANDOVER THE CASH 7/2


Really keen on the probability of AUSPICIOUS HANOVER taking down the winner's share in this contest. Has formidable TrackMaster Speed Ratings and surely has to be thought of for a wager for this race. Has a strong shot in here, if he can perform to his back racing class. The knowledge group happens to know that when you put Tetrick and Oakes together competitive results happen frequently. SCHLIM SCHLAMMA - More wins than you would expect have been achieved by solid standardbreds lining up behind the 4 post at Harrah's Philadelphia. With a 87 avg class statistic, this fine animal has one of the most competitive class advantages in the field. ANDOVER THE CASH - Is a very strong choice given the 80 speed rating from his most recent competition. Might be there at a nice price tag. Most definitely one to keep in your exotics.

 

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Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Scioto Downs

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 9 - Post: 9:10 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 67 - Purse:$8000 - HORSES AND GELDINGS NON WINNERS OF 1 PMRLT 5 YEAR OLDS AND UNDER


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 2 STRAIGHTONLIBERTY 3/1


# 4 SOUPBEANS ERNIE 4/1


# 7 J J SHOOTER 8/1


STRAIGHTONLIBERTY is the best wager in this affair. He's battling in fine form, recording very compelling TrackMaster SRs. An excellent contender. This nice horse achieved a great TrackMaster speed fig in last race. Looks in good shape to come right back. Win pct for this driver-trainer is a sparkling 28 percent - solid chance. SOUPBEANS ERNIE - The trainer/horse combination percentages point out that this match are solid in the money finishers when working together. This race may be controlled by this gelding. Just one look at the avgerage TrackMaster speed fig will prove that. J J SHOOTER - The 68 average class figure may give this gelding a distinct advantage in the field of horses.

 

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Handicapped by The Walker Group at Remington Park

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 7 - Maiden - 250y on the Dirt. Purse: $19100 Class Rating: 76

QUARTER HORSE 250Y, FOR MAIDEN, TWO YEAR OLDS. WEIGHT, 122 LBS.


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 4 GOOD CANDY REASON 6/1


# 7 CARTEL DAKOTA 20/1


# 8 IOWAS TEXAN TLP 4/1


I think GOOD CANDY REASON is a respectable choice. He has been moving admirably recently while recording strong Equibase Speed Figures. He looks very good in this spot and I expect will be on the front end or close at the midpoint. CARTEL DAKOTA - Formidable dividends have been scored by bettors following this sire's offspring in their first starts. I like Smith on this filly to give her a very strong chance to hit the wire first.

 

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Handicapped by The Walker Group at Santa Anita

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 7 - Optional Claiming - 6.0f on the Dirt. Purse: $58000 Class Rating: 92

FOR CALIFORNIA BRED OR CALIFORNIA SIRED FILLIES AND MARES THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON $10,000 OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING OR STARTER OR WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES OR OPTIONAL CLAIMING PRICE OF $20,000. THREE YEAR OLDS, 117 LBS.; OLDER, 124 LBS. NON-WINNERS OF A RACE OTHER THAN MAIDEN, CLAIMING OR STARTER ALLOWED 2 LBS. A RACE OTHER THAN CLAIMING, OR


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 2 CODACIOUS 4/1


# 6 MEDICINE GAL 15/1


# 10 PEPPY BOLLY 6/1


I think CODACIOUS is a very good choice. Should go to the front end and should never look back. The speed rating of 89 from her last race looks competitive in here. Is a strong contender based on numbers put up recently under today's conditions. MEDICINE GAL - When Trujillo uses Amador there's a good chance for an increase in income. This animal could surprise this group at a nice price. PEPPY BOLLY - Could best this field based on the Equibase Speed Figure - 91 - of her last race. This mare has posted some nice finish positions in her last several starts.