Tuesday 3/29/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

International TODAY 19:45

Ireland

v

Slovakia

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
PMSK		13/10	9/4	5/2	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN IRELAND	RECENT FORM
HWHWALADHW*HW Most recent	0 - 0 1 - 0	HDHLAWHWHWHD Most recent

KEY STAT: Ireland have lost one of their last 11 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Ireland continued their good form with a 1-0 win over Switzerland on Friday but they may struggle to double up against fellow Euro 2016 qualifiers Slovakia. Martin O’Neill’s men are missing a number of influential forwards, including Jonathan Walters, and could be held to a draw by the organised visitors.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw

 

[superbeets]

International TODAY 20:00

Scotland

v

Denmark

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		2	9/4	8/5	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN SCOTLAND	RECENT FORM
ADALHLHDAWAW​ Most recent​	2 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1 0 - 1	ADALHLALHDHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Denmark have lost four of their last five away games

EXPERT VERDICT: Scotland battled to a 1-0 against the Czech Republic on Thursday and they can reward backers again by following up against Denmark. The Danes have failed to qualify for the finals and their recent away record does not inspire confidence.

RECOMMENDATION: Scotland
1

 

[superbeets]

International TODAY 20:00

England

v

Holland

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
ITV		8/11	11/4	9/2	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSIN ENGLAND	RECENT FORM
HWHWAWALHWAW​ Most recent​	2 - 3 0 - 0 0 - 2 4 - 1	HLALAWHLAWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: England have lost one of their last 18 matches

EXPERT VERDICT: Roy Hodgson is set to ring the changes after England beat Germany 3-2 in Berlin on Saturday and those looking to make an impression on the manager can help the Three Lions to another win. Holland failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and are a side in transition, conceding 12 goals in their last five matches.

RECOMMENDATION: England
2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL notebook: Rangers, F Nieves agree to entry-level deal
By The Sports Xchange

The New York Rangers agreed to terms with forward Cristoval Nieves on an entry-level contract Monday.
Nieves, 22, played in 35 games with the University of Michigan this season, registering 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) and 18 penalty minutes.
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound Nieves skated in 144 career games over four seasons with the Wolverines, recording 110 points (28 goals, 82 assists) and 72 penalty minutes.
The Syracuse, N.Y., native was selected by the Rangers in the second round (59th overall) of the 2012 NHL draft.

--St. Louis signed forward Justin Selman to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Selman, a free agent out of the University of Michigan, will be assigned to the Blues' American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Selman, 22, has spent the past four seasons at Michigan. For his collegiate career, Selman accumulated 67 points (29 goals, 38 assists) and 50 penalty minutes across 113 game

--The Calgary Flames recalled forward Derek Grant from the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League.
The Flames also recalled forwards Emile Poirier and Hunter Shinkaruk and defenseman Brett Kulak from Stockton on an emergency basis.
Grant, 25, has no points in nine games with the Flames this season and has recorded 45 points (27 goals, 18 assists) in 36 games with Stockton.

--The Arizona Coyotes recalled defenseman Alex Grant on an emergency basis from the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
Grant, 27, has recorded 40 points (11 goals, 29 assists) in 66 games with Springfield this season. The Antigonish, Nova Scotia, native has scored two goals in two career NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2013-14 season.
Grant was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL draft.

The Washington Capitals signed goaltender Adam Carlson to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Carlson, 22, posted a 7-7-3 record with Mercyhurst College this season with a 2.85 goal-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Carlson will join the Hershey Bears on a tryout agreement.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sabres (31-35) at Penguins (42-25)

Date: March 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Sidney Crosby is red hot, and his production has been vital to the Pittsburgh Penguins getting closer to securing a playoff spot.

Crosby looks to help the Penguins move within a point of second place in the Metropolitan Division by continuing his domination of the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Third in the NHL with 78 points after amassing 22 during Pittsburgh's 11-4-0 stretch, Crosby is making a run at his third Hart Trophy. He's more worried about getting the Penguins (42-25-8) in the postseason for a 10th straight year, a fate that will be determined over the final seven games.

"We've been fighting for a long time now to get into the playoffs, so I think we still have that mentality," Crosby told the team's official website. "We're trying to make sure we worry about each game and playing the right way. We trust we'll get the results and we'll see where that puts us."

Winning eight of nine games has put the Penguins third in the division, three points back of the second-place New York Rangers in the battle for home-ice advantage in a first-round series.

Pittsburgh, which has been eliminated from the playoffs by the Rangers in each of the last two seasons, won 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Crosby's goal with 30 seconds left Sunday.

"It's big for the standings," said Marc-Andre Fleury, who had 25 saves. "It's so close with a division game. You definitely need those points. They've had our number in the playoffs the past few seasons."

Pittsburgh has had Buffalo's number to the tune of eight straight victories, the Penguins' longest active streak against any opponent.

Crosby has 48 points in 30 career meetings with the Sabres, including 29 during his last 14 which have all ended in Pittsburgh wins. He has three points in two matchups this season - both 4-3 victories with the latest in Buffalo on Feb. 21.

Patric Hornqvist had a goal in that meeting, giving him five while setting up five others during a six-game point streak against the Sabres. The right wing, though, hasn't scored in seven games and doesn't have a point in three straight.

Buffalo (31-35-10) is trying to bounce back from Monday's 3-2 loss at Detroit as its attempted rally fell short after scoring twice in a 61-second span late in the third period.

"You wait that long against a team like that, that's desperation," center Sam Reinhart said. "Unfortunately, it took too long."

Reinhart has 11 points in 11 games, including four in the last three. The rookie scored a goal for a second straight game Monday, but he has no points against the Penguins.

Jack Eichel has also been held off the score sheet by Pittsburgh. The star rookie's 23 goals lead the Sabres, but he's only netted one in the past 12 road games.

The Sabres won't have Evander Kane available after he missed Monday's third period because of an upper-body injury. The left wing has 20 goals and 15 assists.

"He played a handful of shifts with the injury and just wasn't able to continue," coach Dan Bylsma said. "He's day to day right now."

Bylsma was behind the Penguins bench from 2009-2014, winning a franchise-record 252 games and one Stanley Cup in '09.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Bruins (40-28) at Devils (36-32)

Date: March 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Boston Bruins' hold on the Atlantic Division's last automatic playoff berth slipped a little during their losing streak, but they still control their own destiny for that spot down the stretch.

That's a good thing considering the quality of their remaining opponents.

The New Jersey Devils aren't counting themselves out of the playoff race just yet, but they realistically will be if they drop a sixth straight meeting with visiting Boston on Tuesday night.

The Bruins (40-28-8) scored six times while dropping a season-high five in a row - four on the road - before snapping their skid with Saturday's 3-1 win at league-worst Toronto. They still have a slim lead on Detroit for third place in the division despite the slump, and have six games remaining to lock it down.

After facing the Devils (36-32-8), Boston concludes a four-game road trip with visits to St. Louis on Friday and Chicago on Sunday. It finishes with a three-game homestand against still-alive Carolina and a potentially crucial showdown with the Red Wings before the finale against Ottawa on April 9.

"It's a big win mentally as well, but we know we have a lot of work ahead of us," center Patrice Bergeron said. "It's about taking it a game at a time. We've talked about moving on to the next task, and it's Jersey now."

The Bruins scored twice on the power play against the Maple Leafs after going 2 for 23 with the man advantage over their previous 10. Bergeron's goal and Matt Beleskey's empty netter came on the power play, and Zdeno Chara snapped a 20-game goal drought by scoring in the second period.

'We played better, simple as that,' Chara said. 'We were tighter defensively, better offensively, stronger on pucks, more physical. Overall, I thought we had a good strong game.'

Boston hasn't had much trouble with the Devils recently, winning both meetings this season and 17 of the last 20. That includes taking nine of the last 10 in New Jersey, including a 4-1 victory Jan. 8.

Bobby Farnham scored the lone goal for the Devils in that contest and also potted a goal Saturday, but his team was outshot 14-3 in the first period and couldn't recover in a 3-2 loss to Carolina.

New Jersey has dropped back-to-back games after winning five of its previous seven and is running out of time to make up ground for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.

"I don't think you need to talk about it to understand where you are and what the points mean and all that," said Travis Zajac, who scored shortly after Farnham in the second. "That first period just wasn't good enough. It's tough to come back from three down. We just couldn't find a way to tie it up."

The Devils have been without goaltender Cory Schneider since he sprained his MCL in a loss at Dallas on March 4. He said his knee feels good, but he's been sent to the AHL for a conditioning assignment.

Scott Wedgewood has a 1.25 goals-against average in four straight starts since making his NHL debut with a win over Columbus on March 20.

"It's do or die pretty much from here on out," Wedgewood said. "When there's a will there's a way, and right now we still have that will in us."

Tuukka Rask made 25 saves against Toronto and should get the nod for the Bruins. He hasn't faced the Devils this season but has a 1.51 GAA in seven starts and two relief efforts against them in his career.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Hurricanes (33-28) at Islanders (40-25)

Date: March 29, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

It's been a little while since the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Islanders won consecutive games, but it's probably only a requirement for one to make the playoffs.

It'll in fact take quite a bit more for Carolina to climb the Eastern Conference ladder, and that near-desperate attempt continues Tuesday night in Brooklyn as the clubs meet for the second time in four days.

While the Islanders (40-25-9) are trying to catch Pittsburgh for third in the Metropolitan Division, entering this contest three points back with a game in hand, the Hurricanes (33-28-15) have more work to do to track down a wild-card spot.

They followed Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders with a 3-2 win over New Jersey, and while a three-point back-to-back home set is nothing to be ashamed of, Carolina needs to string together wins. It's 2-2-4 since last doing so March 8-10.

"We're going to grind and keep going. We're going to keep playing hard. We've beaten some good teams," coach Bill Peters told the team's official website. "We're going to continue to do what we do. We believe in ourselves. I know there's a lot of confidence in that room, and I have confidence in the guys. We're just going to keep finding ways."

Victor Rask shouldered the load against the Devils, scoring twice to reach 20 goals after totaling 11 as a rookie. The 23-year-old has scored in three straight and has upped his point production from 0.41 per game last season to 0.61 in similar ice time.

"It should be a proud moment for him, and it's very encouraging for us," Peters said. "He's a goal scorer and has an offensive side to him but he's a good two-way player. He's a 200-footer and a good disposition about himself. He wants to be the best he can be. He's going to get better this summer, and I know he works very hard. He's going to emerge as a leader for us moving forward."

Rask has three goals in the last two games versus the Islanders, which have helped the Hurricanes to a 3-0-1 run in the series with 4.25 goals per game.

The Islanders' win last week came with two goals by Cal Clutterbuck, who doesn't get all that many chances but has made the most of them while leading the NHL in shooting percentage (20.3). His 15 goals are tied for his second-best total and four off the 19 he scored in 2010-11 for Minnesota. That took him 191 shots. He's needed 74 this season.

"He's got such a good release, and he's got a great shot, and he can score goals if you give him some time," Kyle Okposo said. "He's been playing really well for us all year, scoring some big goals, and tonight was huge."

The Islanders are positioned for consecutive wins for the first time since winning four straight to start the month. They've since gone 3-5-2 with 3.67 goals against in the last six, yet they remain very much alive for the Metropolitan's higher seeds. The second-place Rangers are even within reach at six points ahead, and the Islanders have two games in hand.

In goal, that opponent scoring has most often fallen on Thomas Greiss with Jaroslav Halak out. Greiss has lost his last four games with a 3.60 goals-against average and .895 save percentage. Rookie Jean-Francois Berube faced Carolina and has posted 1.58 and .946 marks over a 2-0-1 span.

He was opposed by Eddie Lack while Cam Ward faced New Jersey. Ward is 9-0-2 in his last 12 visits to the Islanders since losing his first back in 2005-06.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Red Wings (38-27) at Canadiens (34-36)

Date: March 29, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

After holding on for a win in their latest game, the Detroit Red Wings can move into playoff position in the Eastern Conference by earning at least one point Tuesday night.

Of course, they would like to get two but will have to snap their road losing streak against the scuffling Montreal Canadiens to accomplish that goal.

Detroit (38-27-11) nearly squandered a three-goal lead in the final three minutes Monday against lowly Buffalo but came away with a much-needed 3-2 victory.

"I think the whole game was a team effort. I think everyone was selling out for the team. It's just part of what we have to do," said forward Luke Glendening, whose team was routed 7-2 by Pittsburgh on Saturday. "It might have been shaky at the end here, but we still got the two points. So we'll take it."

The Red Wings remained tied with Philadelphia on 87 points as they vie for the East's final playoff berth after the Flyers won 3-2 in overtime against Winnipeg.

Philadelphia will have two games in hand on Detroit after resting Tuesday. The Red Wings will try to get the jump on the idle Flyers as they face another eliminated team in Montreal (34-36-6) and move closer toward adding to their 24-year streak of playoff appearances - the longest among the four major North American professional sports leagues.

"As long as we take care of ourselves, we'll be all right," goaltender Jimmy Howard said.

Detroit also needed to hold on for a 4-3 win over the visiting Canadiens on Thursday after giving up three goals in the first eight minutes of the third period. Montreal's poor start to that contest is part of a 2-6-0 stretch in which they have been outscored 31-15 and sorely missed star defenseman P.K. Subban (neck).

"It's never fun losing. It's not the position we want to be in," forward Lars Eller said. "It's not fun not having the playoffs to look forward to."

The Canadiens have been outscored 20-9 while dropping four of five at home but have won four straight there over Detroit. The latest, however, was a 4-1 victory Oct. 17 when Carey Price was still healthy.

Montreal was 17-4-2 when its star goaltender injured his leg Nov. 25 against the New York Rangers. The Canadiens lost 5-2 to that same team Saturday, and Mike Condon was pulled after giving up four goals in the second period.

Montreal also played its 10th consecutive game without one of its top goal scorers, Brendan Gallagher (lower body).

"They'll be plenty of time to talk about what went wrong this year," said forward Tomas Plekanec, who has seven goals and four assists in his last nine games against Detroit. "We have six games to play, and we need to focus that and win as many games as possible."

Detroit has won its past two matchups against Montreal and rallied for a 3-2 victory Dec. 10 by scoring two goals in the final 7:12.

Detroit has scored at least one power-play goal in a season-high five consecutive games, going 6 for 15 in that run. Montreal has allowed seven in its last 24 times short-handed.

The Red Wings play four of their final six games on the road.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Maple Leafs (27-37) at Panthers (42-24)

Date: March 29, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

After answering challenges from their two main competitors, the Florida Panthers are back in control of the Atlantic Division.

Beginning with Tuesday night's matchup with the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs, they'll face a seemingly easier path over the remainder of the regular season.

Florida (42-24-9) briefly regained sole possession of first place with Saturday's 5-2 win at Tampa Bay, two days after it routed fellow Atlantic contender Boston 4-1 as part of a daunting three-game trip. Though the Lightning pulled back even in the standings with Monday's 3-0 win over the Maple Leafs, the Panthers own a game in hand on their in-state rivals.

The Panthers' next task will be avoiding a letdown from those two high-stakes victories with a schedule that could trigger one. Their final seven regular-season games are against teams currently out of the playoff picture, including two against a Toronto team they've dominated twice this season.

"We still have to keep getting points, we haven't clinched anything," goaltender Roberto Luongo said. "The key is just taking it one game at a time."

Florida also faces New Jersey and Montreal on a three-game homestand it opens against Toronto (27-37-11), which hasn't helped the Panthers' quest for their second division title in 22 seasons with recent losses to the Bruins and Lightning.

The Maple Leafs did have their opportunities in the last defeat, outshooting Tampa Bay 34-18, but finished 0 for 7 on a power play that's 3 for 32 over the last nine games.

'We carried the play early and then they scored a couple, and I thought we sagged,' coach Mike Babcock said. 'We had a real good second, still had chances in the third.'

Toronto has managed one goal in its last two after recording 15 over a three-game winning streak prior to Saturday's 3-1 loss to Boston. It's received more consistent results from goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who's allowed two goals or less in five consecutive starts.

Bernier will attempt to slow down a Florida offense that's been rolling of late. Vincent Trocheck has been particularly hot, scoring in four straight and amassing six goals over the last nine.

"I think he's the biggest surprise of the season," Jaromir Jagr said of the 22-year-old Trocheck. "I'm really enjoying the way he's playing. It's not all about the goals. The coaches are giving him a lot of responsibility and he is doing well with it."

Jussi Jokinen has four goals and four assists over a five-game point streak and recorded at least one point in 15 of the last 16. The veteran forward scored twice in a 4-1 win at Toronto on March 17, while he and Trocheck had a goal and an assist in a 5-1 home rout of the Leafs on Jan. 26.

Luongo stopped 54 of 56 shots in those two games to add to his outstanding career numbers against Toronto. The 2016 All-Star is 15-1-0 with a 1.90 goals-against average in 18 starts against the Maple Leafs since January 2007.

Luongo enters Tuesday's matchup off a pair of sharp efforts, compiling 33 saves against Tampa Bay and 34 versus Boston.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blackhawks (44-25) at Wild (37-28)

Date: March 29, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

It wasn't too long ago that a celebration ensued after Chicago simply clinched a playoff berth. Three Stanley Cup titles in six years changes things, though.

The Minnesota Wild also once viewed a postseason trip as a success, but after three straight appearances that all ended with losses to the Blackhawks, expectations have increased.

Minnesota has earned a measure of revenge by taking the first four meetings of the season, and it can get closer to securing a playoff spot by sweeping the series for the first time in nine years Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks (44-25-7) are trying to get hot heading into April, something that has become customary. They've gone 8-9-3 in their last 20 but have won the first two on a four-game road trip that ends Friday against Winnipeg.

Chicago secured its eighth straight trip to the postseason with Sunday's 3-2 win over Vancouver. Andrew Ladd scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 win over Calgary and had a goal against Vancouver, helping the Blackhawks to the verge of winning three straight for the first time since Feb. 2-6.

'We wanted to build on (Saturday's) win and just keep getting points,' said Ladd, who won the Cup with Chicago in 2009-10 and scored his sixth goal in 13 games since being reacquired at the trade deadline. 'It's still a dogfight in the standings and for position, and these are the games you need to have."

The Blackhawks are four points behind Dallas and St. Louis for the Central Division and Western Conference leads. If they're able to move up the ladder, it could set up another playoff matchup with the surging Wild (37-28-11).

Minnesota has won five in a row after Saturday's crucial 4-0 victory over Colorado that provided distance from the Avalanche in what has become a two-team race for the West's final playoff spot. The Wild have gone 14-6-1 since replacing Mike Yeo with interim coach John Torchetti, a former Blackhawks assistant.

Zach Parise was named the league's first star of the week after recording a hat trick in Thursday's win over the Flames and scoring twice against Colorado.

"You feel confident, but we have to continue to play the way we have, same mindset that we've had," defenseman Ryan Suter said. "It's still tight, you still want to build your game for the playoffs and you want to be playing the right way when playoffs come."

They haven't been able to get past Chicago come playoff time, losing in five games in 2013 and six the following year before being swept in the second round last season.

Minnesota has won six straight regular-season meetings, though, including a 3-2 shootout victory in the last matchup March 20. It hasn't swept the season series since 2006-07.

Devan Dubnyk has a 1.96 goals-against average while winning all four matchups this season and a 1.36 GAA during the Wild's winning streak. He's helped them kill off 24 of their last 25 penalties, while Chicago has gone 0 for 23 on the power play over its last eight.

Scott Darling likely will be in net for the Blackhawks and has posted a 2.23 GAA while starting six straight. Corey Crawford is still nursing an upper-body injury and hasn't been with the club on the road trip.

Center Artem Anisimov's status is unclear after he sat out against Vancouver with a lower-body injury.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Predators (39-24) at Stars (45-22)

Date: March 29, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

Already headed for the playoffs, the Dallas Stars will spend the next 12 days trying to finish atop the Western Conference.

The Nashville Predators will likely join them in the postseason, and the Stars could have a say in where they wind up.

While Dallas has a chance to gain sole possession of first place in the West on Tuesday night, the Predators attempt to move closer to a playoff berth in the first of two remaining matchups between these Central Division rivals.

The Stars (45-22-9) are tied with St. Louis for the conference lead with six games left but currently hold the tiebreaker.

Dallas has won four of the past five games, with each of those victories coming against teams in playoff position, including Saturday's 4-2 win at San Jose.

"Teams are looking to get points. The feel of an intense game was good for our team," center Jason Spezza told the team's official website. "We showed good push back. Guys stuck together. We had some scrums, and everybody was in there. Those are fun games to play in as players."

Intensity certainly won't be lacking against the Predators (39-24-13), who are in the West's first wild-card spot and nine points ahead of ninth-place Colorado with six games left.

They needed a regulation win against the Avalanche to clinch a playoff spot Monday, but fell behind 3-0 in the opening 11:40 and lost 4-3 to end a stretch of 10 straight home games with at least one point (7-0-3).

"We knew they were going to play hard," said defenseman Roman Josi, who had a goal Monday. "I think it was one of those games for them where it's their last chance, so we knew they were going to come out hard. We didn't play our best in the first. We didn't match their effort, and that's why we let in three goals."

Josi's effort has been impressive of late, collecting four points in the last two games and 10 in the last eight. His 13 goals are two shy of his career high set last season.

Filip Forsberg has six points during a five-game streak after getting two assists Monday. He's been particularly productive at home, scoring 11 goals with nine assists over the last 13 games.

The left wing has six points in eight career meetings with Dallas.

Pekka Rinne should be back in net after getting pulled following Colorado's three-goal barrage on 10 shots. Despite that performance, he's 12-1-2 with a 2.02 goals-against average over the last 16 games.

Rinne, though, has a 3.92 GAA in splitting his last four visits to Dallas.

The Stars are looking for Mattias Janmark to build on his two goals from Saturday after missing six games with an upper-body injury. The rookie center has two goals and one assist in three meetings with Nashville.

"I'm real happy to have him back," said Spezza, who had one of his two assists on a goal by Janmark. "I think we've been really good 5-on-5 as a line when we've played together and hopefully we can continue that. He's a great skater and we just seem to feed off each other."

Spezza has eight goals and four assists over the past 12 games, including a goal in a 5-3 loss at Nashville earlier this month. He had two assists - one on a goal by Janmark - to spur a 5-1 victory over the Predators on New Year's Eve.

Dallas has won five of the last six home matchups, outscoring Nashville 24-11. The Stars host the Predators again April 9 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (39-33) at Blues (45-22)

Date: March 29, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

Attempting to climb back into playoff position without their top two scorers, the Colorado Avalanche have a tough task at hand.

That assignment becomes more challenging when the next opponent hasn't allowed a goal in over 240 minutes.

The Avalanche will at least have momentum of their side when they visit a St. Louis Blues team aiming for a fifth consecutive shutout Tuesday night.

This late-season matchup carries plenty of significance for both teams, with St. Louis (45-22-9) tied with Dallas atop the Western Conference and Colorado (39-33-4) three points behind eighth-place Minnesota with six remaining.

Minus Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon due to knee injuries, the Avalanche lost further ground with Saturday's 4-0 home loss to the rising Wild.

The depleted offense did come through Monday in Nashville, however, scoring three first-period goals en route to a critical 4-3 victory to extend Colorado's road winning streak to four games.

'It was a chance for us to play a strong game and prove that we were not going to give up,' coach Patrick Roy said. I thought we were always resilient after losses and we've been playing well on the road. I thought our guys responded really well."

A repeat effort figures to be difficult with the Blues having won four straight and on a shutout streak of 240 minutes and 18 seconds. They're only the fourth team to record four consecutive shutouts in the expansion era that began in 1967-68, and the first since Arizona had five straight from Dec. 31-Jan. 9, 2004.

After Brian Elliott posted his third in a row with 15 saves Friday against Vancouver, Jake Allen had 32 as St. Louis stymied the league's second-highest scoring team in Saturday's 4-0 road rout of Washington.

'The guys took care of business in a tough rink against the first-place team in the league, so I think that gave us a little bit of a pump-up and a measuring stick,' Elliott said. 'We can beat any team if we play our game.'

The duo has combined for a 2.18 goals-against average and 10 shutouts to help the Blues succeed despite injuries to several key players. Elliott, slated to start Tuesday, is 8-0-0 with a 1.58 GAA in nine starts since last losing on Feb. 9.

'The goalies have been just outstanding,' coach Ken Hitchcock said. 'They are the story of the team this year, and they're keeping us afloat again.'

St. Louis will get one key contributor back for the stretch run with center Alexander Steen set to return from an upper-body injury that's sidelined him 15 games.

With its offense still short-handed, Colorado will lean again on Semyon Varlamov in what could be another low-scoring affair. The dependable netminder owns a 2.13 GAA and .939 save percentage over an eight-game stretch and has a history of playing well in this series.

Varlamov sports a 1.78 GAA in 16 career starts against St. Louis and has allowed five goals to help the Avalanche win all three matchups this season. He had 42 saves in a 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Dec. 13 and 33 in a 2-1 shootout win at home on Jan. 22.

Colorado, 22-16-0 on the road, has lost in eight of its last 10 visits to St. Louis.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Sharks (42-28) at Canucks (27-35)

Date: March 29, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

After finally securing a playoff berth, the San Jose Sharks can now turn their focus toward gaining home ice for the opening round.

The Sharks look to aid their chances by taking advantage of back-to-back matchups against the eliminated Vancouver Canucks, who are attempting to avoid their worst winless stretch in 18 seasons Tuesday night.

San Jose came up short in three consecutive attempts to earn a clinching victory during its season-high six-game homestand but finally guaranteed its 11th postseason appearance in 12 seasons with a 5-2 win against Los Angeles on Monday night.

"We've been playing some good hockey, but we just hadn't clinched. It's good to finally get that out of the way, and now just keep playing hard and stay healthy," forward Joe Thornton said.

Thornton scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 15:32 remaining, one of his team's three in the final period. Thornton has at least one point in each of San Jose's last 29 wins dating back to Nov. 28, matching the NHL's fifth-longest such streak since at least 1989-90.

The win kept the Sharks four points behind Anaheim for second place in the Pacific Division and the chance to host their opening-round series. The idle Ducks will have two games in hand on San Jose after Tuesday.

"We're very comfortable. We're as deep as anybody and as far as I'm concerned, we can play with anybody," Thornton said.

The Sharks also cut their deficit to division-leading Los Angeles to five points Tuesday. San Jose is playing three of its next four on the road, where it is 5-1-1 in its last seven games.

The Sharks have won nine straight in Vancouver, including two in the postseason, and claimed victories Feb. 28 and March 3. They failed to complete a home-and-home sweep after winning 3-2 in the latest visit, losing 4-2 on March 5.

The Canucks (27-35-13) are 0-7-1 since a 4-2 win over Nashville on March 12 and have been outscored 24-7 in those defeats. They've lost four straight at home after a 3-2 loss to Chicago on Sunday.

The Canucks' power play also dropped to 1 for 30 in the past 11 contests by going 0 for 2 against the Blackhawks.

"You never want to lose that many games in a row. Right now it's frustrating because we know we're not going to get in (the playoffs)," forward Alex Burrows said. "It's going to be a really long summer of working out and a lot of time in the gym. We have to use these next few weeks for the young guys to show what they got."

Vancouver hasn't lost nine straight since a franchise-worst 10-game skid from Oct. 23-Nov. 11, 1997. They also had two ties during a 10-game winless stretch from Jan. 7-28, 1998.

Thornton has one goal and six assists in a five-game point streak against Vancouver.

The Canucks and Sharks will meet again Thursday night in San Jose.

 

[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 37 34 UNDER
3/21 4 20.5 25 OVER
3/22 10 54.5 51 UNDER
3/23 2 10.5 11 OVER
3/24 11 59.5 68 OVER
3/25 3 15 16 OVER
3/26 14 72.5 84 OVER
3/27 3 15 15 PUSH
3/28 8 40.5 42 OVER
3/29 9 - - -
3/30 3 - - -
3/31 10 - - -

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews

For the most part, we know which teams are in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the West, it will be Dallas, St. Louis and Chicago from the Central Division. Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose will make it from the Pacific Division. And Nashville and Minnesota from the Central should claim the final two wild-card spots. The Wild got a huge win in that regard on Saturday against Colorado; the Avs are now five points behind the Wild for that final wild-card spot and Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In the East, Washington (will clinch the Presidents' Trophy this week and remains +400 Cup favorite), the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh are locks from the Metropolitan Division, as are Florida, Tampa Bay and Boston from the Atlantic. The NY Islanders, Philly and Detroit are battling for the two wild-card spots. I expect the Flyers to be the odd team out.

But perhaps the most interesting race to monitor the rest of the way is at the bottom of the standings and the best chance to win the NHL Draft lottery and select touted prospect Auston Matthews with the No. 1 overall pick this June. Matthews was the first player to be named by USA Hockey to the U.S. roster for the upcoming world hockey championship in Russia (starts May 6). Matthews finished second in the top Swiss league this season in voting for league MVP after scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 36 games. He's just 18.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have the fewest points entering the week with 65, and they badly need a franchise-changing talent like Mathews could be. Some other teams are making a late push to try and "catch" Toronto or at least get as low as possible. Vancouver appears to be in full tank mode, having lost eight straight games and scoring a total of seven goals in them. The Canucks have 67 points. So does Edmonton, which could be frightening if it lands Matthews to pair with Connor McDavid.

Ottawa is fading and has decided to shut down defenseman Dion Phaneuf and forward Clarke MacArthur the rest of the way. Phaneuf was acquired at the trade deadline from the Maple Leafs, but the Sens are playing only about .500 hockey since and they aren't making the playoffs. MacArthur played four games this season because of a concussion.

My point being: bet big against those teams near the bottom with nothing to play for. Might not be a bad idea to also wager against the Caps for a bit as they might start resting guys with nothing left to prove in the regular season.

This Week's Games To Watch

Colorado at St. Louis, Tuesday: National TV game on the NBC Sports Network. Blues goalie Brian Elliott was named the NHL's No. 2 star for last week. He stopped all 52 shots he faced in winning both starts. He has three straight shutouts overall and leads the NHL with a 1.95 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. Elliott won't win the Vezina Trophy, however, because he has played in only 37 games and splits time with Jake Allen. St. Louis has shut out its past four opponents, a franchise record, and impressively won in Washington 4-0 on Saturday. Allen was in net for that one. St. Louis is the 11th team to post four consecutive shutouts. Elliott is expected in net for this game. The Blues are up to +1200 to win the Stanley Cup. Colorado, now on playoff life support, will be without top forwards Matt Duchene and Nathan McKinnon for at least two more games each. Neither played last week. They might just be shut down if the Avs continue to fade out of the wild-card chase.

Calgary at Anaheim, Wednesday: The Flames are in the mix for the worst record in the NHL as they have 68 points and have dropped three straight. The Flames already are looking ahead as they have essentially moved 24-year-old goalie Joni Ortio into the No. 1 role as he's expected to be the team's future there. This game starts a big four-game homestand for the Ducks, who are three points behind the Kings for the Pacific lead. Anaheim has one game in hand. Those two play once more during the regular season, next Thursday at Staples Center. Anaheim is 4-0 vs. Calgary this season and has won an amazing 22 straight at home in the series. Calgary hasn't won a regular-season game at Honda Center since Jan. 19, 2004.

Nashville at Pittsburgh, Thursday: Nashville has been playing as well as anyone for several weeks. The Predators are 19-5-5 since Jan. 21 and 12-2-2 since Feb. 22. Pekka Rinne is 12-1-2 with a 1.85 goals-against average and .936 save percentage since Feb. 18. Only Tampa's Ben Bishop has had a better GAA and save percentage during that span. The Preds are right on the heels of Chicago for third in the Central. Pittsburgh is third in the Metropolitan and could be looking at a great first-round matchup against the second-place Rangers. Phil Kessel is starting to get hot for the Pens. He was the league's No. 3 star for last week when he led the NHL in assists (five) and points (seven). He has 54 points, his eighth straight season with at least 50. Sidney Crosby has at least one point in 14 of his past 15 games. Pittsburgh won in Nashville 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 24. Kessel scored the winner.

Dallas at Los Angeles, Saturday: Matchup of division leaders, although it may not be by Saturday. The Stars remain No. 1 in the NHL in scoring and haven't missed the injured Tyler Seguin too badly yet. Dallas got back center Mattias Janmark from a six-game injury absence on Saturday and he had two goals in a 4-2 win over San Jose. Coach Lindy Ruff still hasn't said whether Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi will be his playoff goalie. Lehtonen had taken over as the primary guy but Niemi was in there against the Sharks. Led by Jonathan Quick, the Kings are No. 1 in the NHL in goals against. The Kings are 2-0 vs. the Stars this season, winning 3-2 at home and 5-2 on the road. These teams won't play again unless it's the Western Conference Finals. The Kings are +350 to win the West and Stars +550.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Hot teams
-- Pittsburgh won eight of its last nine games. Sabres are 4-3 in their last seven games.
-- Detroit won four of its last six games.
-- Florida won six of its last nine games.
-- Minnesota won its last five games. Chicago won its last three road games.
-- Nashville won five of its last seven games. Dallas Stars won four of last five.
-- St Louis won its last four games and didn't allow a goal in any of the games. Colorado won four of its last six games.

Cold teams
-- Bruins lost five of their last six games. New Jersey is 3-4 in its last seven games.
-- Carolina lost six of its last eight games. Islanders lost five of their last seven.
-- Montreal lost six of its last eight games.
-- Toronto lost 3-1/3-0 in its last two games.
-- Vancouver lost its last eight games, outscored 25-7. Sharks lost three of last four games.

Series records
-- Penguins won their last eight games with Buffalo.
-- Devils lost their last five games with Boston.
-- Islanders lost three of last four games with Carolina.
-- Montreal lost last two games with Detroit, after winning previous seven series games.
-- Maple Leafs lost sevne of last eight games with Florida.
-- Blackhawks lost their last four games with Minnesota.
-- Predators lost four of last five games with Dallas.
-- Avalanche won their last three games with St Louis.
-- Sharks won four of their last six games with Vancouver.

Totals
-- Over is 3-1-2 in last six Penguin games.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Boston games.
-- Six of last eight Hurricane-Islander games went over.
-- Five of last six Detroit games went over the total.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Florida games.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Minnesota-Chicago games.
-- Seven of Dallas Stars' last nine games went over total.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last nine Colorado-St Louis games.
-- Under is 5-0-2 in last seven Vancouver games; last three San Jose games went over.

Back-to-backs
-- Buffalo lost seven of last ten if they played night before.
-- Red Wings lost their last eight games if they played night before.
-- Toronto is 2-12 if they played the night before.
-- Nashville is 3-8 if it layed the night before.
-- Avalanche is 6-3 if it played the night before.
-- San Jose won four of last six games if it played night before.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA notebook: Spurs' Leonard out again
By The Sports Xchange

San Antonio All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard will miss his third straight game Monday night because of a right quadriceps contusion. The Spurs play the Memphis Grizzlies.
Leonard suffered the injury in a game last week against Miami.
Leonard's quadriceps bruise isn't considered serious, but he will have missed three straight games as the regular season winds down.
San Antonio also will be without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. None of the trio made the trip to Memphis as they are resting back home in San Antonio.
At 61-12, the Spurs have the second-best record in the league with only Golden State better at 66-7.

--When Cleveland hosts Houston on Tuesday, LeBron James will not be in uniform. On Monday, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said James will rest.
This will be the fourth game this season James sits for precaution. The Cavs are 1-2 without him.
James also was also named the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week for last week. That's the 52nd time he has received that honor.

--The Detroit Pistons signed guard Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract.
The 6-foot-5, 189-pound Brown, 25, holds NBA averages of 3.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 13.2 minutes in 63 career games with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. He was signed to two 10-day contracts with the Suns this season and averaged 2.5 points and 1.4 assists and 7.6 minutes in eight games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Is Blake Griffin's return good news or bad news for Clippers' backers?
By BIG AL MCMORDIE

With 17 days left in the NBA's regular season, it appears that we will have six teams in the playoffs that were left out last season.

In the Eastern Conference: Miami, Charlotte, Indiana and Detroit are poised to replace Chicago, Washington, Milwaukee and Brooklyn. And out West: Oklahoma City and Utah will, likely, take spots filled by Houston and Dallas last season.

Some new blood in the playoffs is good for any sports league, though I will certainly miss the presence of Dirk Nowitzki, should the Mavericks fail to make it for just the 2nd time of the last 16 seasons. With much playoff jockeying still going on let's take a look at the upcoming week.

Spread Watch

The Chicago Bulls are currently on the outside of the Eastern Conference post-season picture. After losing back-to-back games to the Knicks Wednesday and Thursday, power forward Taj Gibson proclaimed that he was "embarrassed" by his team's play, and that the Bulls were "just laying down" and needed to "man up."

Following those comments, the team traveled to Orlando to play the Magic on Saturday. Gibson, himself, lived up to his words and went 8-for-9 from the floor, but his teammates combined to go just 28-for-79. Orlando, already eliminated from the playoffs, crushed Chicago, 111-89, as a seven-point underdog and the Bulls suffered their fourth straight pointspread defeat.

It certainly won't get any easier this week, as the Bulls will be saddled with five games in seven days - and the first four are all against teams fighting for playoff positioning (Hawks, Pacers, Rockets, Pistons). Perhaps the game to circle involving the Bulls will be its fifth game this week - Sunday at Milwaukee.

This season, teams playing their fifth game in seven days are a solid 50-32-1 ATS and the Bulls have dominated the Bucks (27-11 SU and 25-13 ATS) in the last 38 meetings.


Total Watch

The Utah Jazz are in a desperate push to make the playoffs after missing out entirely the past three seasons, and coach Quin Snyder has his troops playing solid defense. The Jazz rank among the Top 10 in defensive efficiency, and have held 11 of their last 13 opponents to less than 100 points (92.38 ppg, on average). Only the Warriors and Thunder - the NBA's top two offensive teams - have cracked the century mark against Utah since March 4.

Not surprisingly, the Jazz are 9-3-1 'Under' the total during this span.

This week, Utah will host games against the Lakers, Warriors and T-Wolves, before traveling to Phoenix to play the Suns. Utah's game vs. the Lakers on Tuesday is a good candidate to be low-scoring as the Jazz have held Los Angeles to 74 and 82 points in their two meetings this season.

This series has gone 19-10-2 'Under' the total since April 23, 2009.


Injury Watch

Blake Griffin has been cleared to play by the Clippers' medical staff but he still must serve a four-game suspension, so he'll finally see the court Sunday against the Wizards. Certainly, this is welcome news for Doc Rivers' troops - notwithstanding the fact the team actually played better without him.

The Clippers were 17-13 SU and 10-16-4 ATS with Griffin healthy, but are 28-14 SU and 23-19 ATS with him sidelined.

The recent trend, however, has been bad. Since March 9, the Clips are a dismal 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS. Besides getting their star player back, Los Angeles will have a nice advantage against the Wizards conferred by the schedule. Los Angeles will play that game with 2 days' of rest and NBA teams are 55-23-1 ATS their last 79 with at least 2 days off - provided their opponent isn't also well-rested.


Schedule Watch

At 66-7, the Golden State Warriors are very likely to set the record for most wins in a season. Though some may point to the two games in April against San Antonio as potential roadblocks, it's hard for me to see that happening.

First, Gregg Popovich officially raised the white flag this past Saturday when he rested his five best players against Oklahoma City - San Antonio has officially withdrawn from the race for home court advantage.

Second, from a gamesmanship perspective, I would be very much surprised if the Spurs played either of those two games with a full contingent of players. San Antonio already defeated Golden State, 87-79, a couple of weeks ago. That game provided his team with the confidence necessary for a possible playoff series down the road. The last thing Popovich will want to do is have his team's confidence eroded in any way.

When the Warriors and Spurs meet in April, I expect to see a lot of Kyle Anderson, Jonathon Simmons, Boban Marjanovic and Andre Miller. The one team, however, which I like to defeat Golden State (and snap the Warriors' 53-game, regular season home win streak) is Washington. The two teams will hook up this Tuesday, at Oracle Arena, and the Wizards will be a double-digit road underdog.

Golden State did win at Washington, 134-121, last month but John Wall scored 41 points in defeat for the Wizards, who outscored the Warriors 93-91 in the last three quarters. Don't be surprised if Washington shocks the world, and wins Tuesday.

Good luck, as always.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Is betting on hangovers in the NBA a solid strategy or a myth?
By JOE FORTENBAUGH

Home field advantage comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. One cursory look at the National Football League and you’ll see what I mean.

The Green Bay Packers benefit from weather, the New Orleans Saints gain an edge from playing in a dome and the Seattle Seahawks reside in a remote corner of the country that is approximately 800 miles from the next closest NFL franchise. To put that into perspective, the Philadelphia Eagles can reach at least ten different NFL cities without traveling more than 800 miles.

Weather, venue and travel length are all commonly known elements of home field advantage.

Following two Super Bowl appearances over the last three seasons, do you think it’s a secret that the Denver Broncos benefit from playing their home games at an elevation of 5,280 feet? Of course it isn’t. The Broncos have been a significant story over the last few years and that means everything about the franchise has been a significant story - including how many feet above sea level the team plays its games.

As sports bettors, we’re constantly searching for information that is flying below the radar in order to gain an edge over the competition.

It’s important to understand the significance of how Drew Brees and the Saints perform at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome compared to outdoors on a grass surface - these details matter greatly.

But this is freshman-level Introduction to Business-type stuff. What we’re searching for is the classroom that houses Economics 415.

In October of 2011, ESPN published a fascinating piece entitled, “A case of the Roxy flu” that highlighted the secret weapon possessed by the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. The Roxy is a popular Vancouver dive bar with a penchant for attracting business from the Canucks’ out-of-town guests, so much so that players suffering from the all-too-familiar hangovers that appeared the next day at Rogers Arena were deemed to be battling a case of “The Roxy flu.”

In some small way, the Roxy played its part in helping the Canucks post the best home record in hockey during the 2010-2011 season.

The NBA has its own version of the Roxy, although it isn’t quite as specific.

For years, one of the Association’s under-the-radar betting maxims was to fade road teams playing matinee weekend games in Los Angeles and New York. Why? The theory was that with an abundance of opulent and extravagant nightlife there for the taking in the league’s top two markets, visiting players would partake in the fun a bit too much before playing an early game the next day.

If true, this theory would help explain the biggest upset of the season, when the 17.5-point underdog Lakers thrashed the Golden State Warriors by 17 points in a Sunday home game that tipped-off at 12:30pm pacific time.

But here’s the big question: Can we bank on this theory or is it just that - a theory?

Below you’ll find the breakdown for all Knicks, Lakers and Clippers games played on a Saturday or Sunday with a local tip time of 1:00pm or earlier since the 1998-1999 season.

New York Knicks

SU: 37-31
ATS: 34-34
O/U: 29-38-1

Los Angeles Lakers

SU: 29-15
ATS: 21-20-3
O/U: 20-24

Los Angeles Clippers

SU: 50-42
ATS: 44-47-1
O/U: 39-53

While all three teams have found varying degrees of success playing weekend home matinee games since the 1998-1999 season, not one has turned a profit. In fact, the Clippers are 4-10 ATS in these situations over the last two years, while the Knicks are 2-4 ATS in these situations this season alone.

You’d actually be able to make a stronger case that the Clippers, not their opponents, are the ones who have been enjoying the Los Angeles nightlife a bit too much before weekend matinee games.

However, while the Knicks, Lakers and Clippers all failed to turn a profit under this specific set of criteria, all three franchises have been profitable in the totals department, specifically as it pertains to unders.

For weekend home matinee games from the 1998-1999 season until now, the under is hitting at 54.5 percent or higher for each club and 56.6 percent for all three teams collectively. Those aren’t the type of percentages that will send a bettor running for the counter, but they do serve as an additional piece of useful information when handicapping games that fall within this specific set of criteria.

So maybe the NBA doesn’t have its own version of the Roxy (although I hear the Toronto strip clubs have derailed more than a few Raptors opponents). At the very least, we were able to take a theory and debunk its merits based on facts and data. The betting game is all about information, but more specifically, it’s about correct and useable information.

Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got my own case of Roxy flu to shake off.