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

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

Champions League TODAY 19:45

Barcelona

v

Arsenal

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		2/9	13/2	12	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT BARCELONA	RECENT FORM
AWAWHWAWAWHW​ Most recent​	3 - 1 4 - 1 2 - 1 1 - 1	HLALHLADAWHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: The last three meetings between the sides featured more second-half goals

EXPERT VERDICT: Arsenal played well for much of the first leg of this last-16 tie but Barcelona’s class shone through as a Lionel Messi brace silenced the Emirates crowd. The Gunners have since lost further ground in the Premier League title race and suffered a shock FA Cup exit at home to Watford and Barcelona should run away with this as the game goes on.

RECOMMENDATION: Barcelona to win 3-0
1


REFEREE: Sergey Karasev STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Champions League TODAY 19:45

B Munich

v

Juventus

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		2/5	4	8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT B MUNICH	RECENT FORM
HWADAWHLADHW​ Most recent​	2 - 0 0 - 0 2 - 1 0 - 1	ADHDHWAL*AWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Juventus have won one of their last three away games

EXPERT VERDICT: Bayern Munich threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 tie, but they are unlikely to be so careless in the return. Pep Guardiola’s sides typically turn in a much-improved showing in the home leg, and Juventus could be blown away.

RECOMMENDATION: Bayern Munich
2


REFEREE: Jonas Eriksson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 17Mar 20:05

Man Utd

v

Liverpool

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BTEU		13/8	23/10	19/10	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT MAN UTD	RECENT FORM
HWHWHWALALHD​ Most recent​	3 - 1 3 - 0 0 - 3 1 - 0	ADHWND*HWAWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Liverpool are unbeaten in this season’s Europa League

EXPERT VERDICT: Liverpool were worthy 2-0 winners in the first leg of their Europa League tie against Manchester United and could extend their advantage at Old Trafford. Liverpool can be lethal on the counter and Jurgen Klopp’s men can exploit the spaces as United chase goals to finish off their arch-rivals.

RECOMMENDATION: Liverpool
2


REFEREE: Milorad Mazic STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Tottenham

v

B Dortmund

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT1		12/5	13/5	6/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT TOTTENHAM	RECENT FORM
HWHWALHDALAW​ Most recent​	Unknown	AWHWAWHDHWHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Spurs have won seven and drawn two of their last nine European home games

EXPERT VERDICT: Tottenham were hammered by Borussia Dortmund in Germany, although back at home they should be able to offer more of an attacking threat as they chase the 3-0 deficit. However, Dortmund have so much pace on the break and they should punish the vulnerable hosts in what should be a high-scoring contest.

RECOMMENDATION: Both teams to score
1


REFEREE: Nicola Rizzoli STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Europa League Th 17Mar 20:05

Seville

v

Basel

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		2/5	4	8	More markets

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RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT SEVILLE	RECENT FORM
ALALHWADADHW​ Most recent​	Unknown	ALHWHWADHDHW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Seville have won their last ten Europa League home matches

EXPERT VERDICT: A goalless stalemate on the road can be a dangerous score because of the away-goal rule but Europa League holders Seville can continue their love affair with this competition. Basel barely laid a glove in the first game - the Swiss side managed just one shot on target - and things will be even tougher for them in Seville where the hosts are so strong.

RECOMMENDATION: Seville-Seville double result
1

 

[superbeets]

Spanish La Liga Fr 18Mar 19:30

Getafe

v

Eibar

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SSR		6/5	2	13/5	More markets

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT GETAFE	RECENT FORM
HLALHLALHDAL​ Most recent​	1 - 1 3 - 0 2 - 1	HWALHLALHLAD​ Most recent​

EXPERT VERDICT: It is a measure of Eibar's slump that Getafe are clear favourites for this fixture despite losing eight of their last nine league games. Eibar have suffered seven defeats in nine although they competed well in away losses at Atletico Madrid and Seville and it could be worth taking a chance that the visitors can recapture some of their fine early-season form.

RECOMMENDATION: Eibar
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer: CL Best Bets - Round of 16
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

Champions League Round of 16 - Second Legs

The last round of Champions League ties saw Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Wolfsburg make it through to the quarterfinals.

Of those, Real Madrid and PSG are the two most likely to win the competition. For Real, who are 6/1, it would be their 11th title; for PSG, 8/1, it would be their first. Wolfsburg are 66/1 with Benfica at 80/1.

This week’s round of games sees two ties that are pretty much over, with Barcelona and Manchester City carrying two-goal advantages into home second legs, while the ties between Bayern Munich and Juventus, and Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven could still go either way.

Barcelona are the 13/8 favourites to win the Champions League, with Bayern next up at 10/3.

Wednesday, Mar. 16
Games scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET on FS1 & FS2

Barcelona vs. Arsenal: Barcelona to score over 2.5 goals at 4/5

The classic Champions League story for Arsenal is that they finish second in their group, usually through carelessness in an easy-looking game, lose the first leg of their last 16 game to a superior side, and then come agonisingly close to overturning the deficit in the second leg. All that has replayed itself this year, but it is hard to see them laying a finger on Barcelona on Wednesday night. After losing 2-0 at the Emirates they are 25/1 to qualify and 11/1 to win the match, with Barcelona 1/4.

Barça have warmed up for this game with three thrashings: 5-1 at Rayo Vallecano, 4-0 at Eibar and then 6-0 at home to Getafe. Arsenal, meanwhile, have seen their season almost come grinding to an end with one point from a possible six in the league and an exit from the FA Cup. Confidence is low at Arsenal at the moment, and this is not the time for them to upset the best team in the world. Barcelona could well thrash them.

Bayern Munich vs. Juventus: Both teams to score at 10/11

The best team in Germany and the best team in Italy face off in Munich on Wednesday night, and after the 2-2 draw in Turin in the first leg, Bayern are heavily favoured to qualify against Juventus. They are 4/9 to win the match and 1/6 to qualify. Juve are 4/1 to qualify and 7/1 to win the match.

The first leg saw Bayern rattle into a two-goal lead before Juventus came back to draw, and they will fancy their chances of causing an upset. While Bayern are justifiably favourites, being a slightly stronger team, Juventus are an excellent attacking force, having only failed to score in one of their last 19 games. They will need to be attacking, given only a win or a draw of 3-3 or higher will take them through, and even if they are likely to go out, they should be able to score at least once.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Canadiens (32-32) at Sabres (28-33)

Date: March 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Jack Eichel is making a case to be the NHL's rookie of the year while giving the Buffalo Sabres hope for the future.

Ryan O'Reilly's expected return should bring some optimism to First Niagara Center right now.

With their top scorer back from injury Wednesday night, Eichel and the Sabres look to avenge last week's loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Eichel - the No. 2 overall pick last summer - is living up to the lofty expectations. The 19-year-old has a team-high 22 goals, the most by a Sabres rookie since Thomas Vanek had 23 in 2005-06.

Eichel's 48 points are one back O'Reilly for the team lead, but he's 14 behind Chicago's Artemi Panarin for the most among rookies. The two will likely be among the three finalists for the Calder Trophy.

Eichel has five goals and two assists during the last six games. He came through in dramatic fashion Saturday when his second goal came with one second left in overtime of a 3-2 win over Carolina.

"If you don't score, you look like an idiot," Eichel said of his breakaway goal in OT.

Buffalo (28-33-9) will welcome O'Reilly back from a lower-body injury that sidelined him 11 games.

He's expected to join a line with Evander Kane and Nicolas Deslauriers, while coach Dan Bylsma will keep Eichel with Sam Reinhart, who has five points in five games.

"Seeing Sam play well next to Jack has been one of the deciding factors to keeping them together, but Ryan also needs wingers next to him on his line," Bylsma said. "Maybe a little bit of a long-term approach."

The Sabers have won five of the past seven meetings with the Canadiens (32-32-6), but they fell 3-2 at Montreal on Thursday.

Eichel was held without a point in that meeting, and he has only two in four versus Montreal. O'Reilly, though, has 10 points in 10 games against the Habs after getting two assists in a 6-4 win Feb. 12.

The Canadiens have lost six of their last eight games (2-5-1), and they followed Saturday's 4-1 loss to Minnesota with a defeat by the same score to Florida three days later.

P.K. Subban missed both games with a neck injury, and the former Norris Trophy winner didn't travel to Buffalo. The team has been without star goaltender Carey Price (leg) since November, perhaps the biggest blow to a team expected to at least reach the playoffs this season.

Montreal is also without eight other regulars.

"We can't use injuries as an excuse. It's the reality of this league," defenseman Mark Barberio told the team's official website. "Every team has injuries. We're obviously in a rough spell but it can't be an excuse for us. Whatever 20 guys we put out on our lineup, we need to get the job done."

Alex Galchenyuk is doing his part with 12 goals over the last 10 games after netting Montreal's lone goal Tuesday. The 22-year-old center has a career-high 26 on the season, and he's got five in the last three meetings with Buffalo - two in each of the last two.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Flyers (33-23) at Blackhawks (41-23)

Date: March 16, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

Just two short months ago, the Chicago Blackhawks were on top of the Western Conference and looked like a legitimate contender to successfully defend their Stanley Cup title.

It's a much different picture with 12 games left in the season.

The Blackhawks lost 5-0 to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night and have dropped four of five, including three in a row against potential playoff opponents, entering Wednesday night's home game against the surging Philadelphia Flyers. After a pair of road losses to St. Louis and Dallas, Chicago yielded a pair of goals in an 18-second span of the first period and never recovered against Los Angeles.

The reigning NHL champions are 9-10-2 since they ripped off a franchise-record 12 straight wins at the end of December and into January.

'We've had a tougher schedule,' coach Joel Quenneville said. 'We've had some tough games and I think during this stretch here our penalty killing hasn't been great. Some nights they could have won us some games with getting the job done and giving up some timely goals that got their team going.

'But that was a stretch there that we really made a lot of hay and put ourselves in a great spot. Now we're not taking advantage of it, which is disappointing.'

The slide has dropped Chicago (41-23-6) into third place in the tough Central Division, three points behind the Stars and Blues.

Chicago has one home game left against each of the division leaders, so there is plenty of time. But the standings are less important to the Blackhawks than their play heading into the postseason.

'It seems like for whatever reason, the season's been up and down throughout the whole year,' forward Patrick Kane said. 'You go on stretches where you win 12 in a row, and we've got this little stretch going right now. Obviously we want to shore that up before playoffs, and make sure we're going in there feeling consistent about our game.'

The second line of Kane, Artem Anisimov and rookie Artemi Panarin has been one of the most dangerous groups in the league for most of the year. But it has fallen on hard times of late.

Kane, who leads the NHL with 89 points, has been held to one goal in his last five games. Panarin has been kept off the scoresheet in six of his last nine games. Anisimov has one goal and three assists in his last 14 appearances.

Chicago also has struggled mightily on the penalty kill, owning a league-low 63.6 success rate since Feb. 9.

That issue could again factor against Philadelphia (32-23-12), which has converted 21.1 percent of its power-play chances over a 7-1-1 stretch to vault back into the East's playoff race. Though the Flyers were 0 of 6 Tuesday against Detroit, they received two even-strength goals from Michael Raffl in a 4-3 victory to move within one point of the eighth-place Red Wings.

'We are fighting for our lives here,' said forward Wayne Simmonds, who added a goal. 'This was a pretty exciting game to get up for. It's pretty easy to get up for.'

Philadelphia, which owns two games in hand on Detroit, amassed 46 shots and has recorded 21 goals in winning four of five. Raffl has four goals and three assists over that span and rookie Shayne Gostisbehere has four goals over his last four after also scoring Tuesday.

The Flyers have lost two straight in Chicago but have won 18 of the last 22 regular-season meetings. They earned a 3-0 home victory on Oct. 14 behind Michael Neuvirth's 30 saves.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Blues (41-21) at Oilers (27-38)

Date: March 16, 2016 9:30 PM EDT

St. Louis' winning streak featured victories over the best teams in the Western Conference, then it came to an end against one of the worst.

The Blues get another shot at defeating the seemingly incapable Wednesday night in Edmonton as the Oilers try for their second win in 10 home games, but that'll require ending a lengthy losing streak in the series.

A 7-4 loss in Calgary on Monday halted a six-game streak that shot the Blues (41-21-9) to the top of the West with wins over Chicago, Anaheim and Dallas in a matter of four days. The wear was evident against the Flames while allowing a season-high goal total, which included a pair of short-handed scores for the first time since November 2013.

"This is on our shoulders," captain David Backes said. "We beat four good teams last week and these two points were just as valuable as any two in those games. We just didn't bring it with 20 guys tonight and I'll take blame for that."

The Blues have given up 11 goals in the last two games after matching that mark in the first five of the streak, and coach Ken Hitchcock said that has more to do with his own team's play rather than the competence of any opponent.

"Too casual with the puck. That's six breakaways in two games. Got away with it in Dallas. Didn't get away with it today. Just too many mistakes with the puck," Hitchcock said.

It's turned into consecutive four-goal blemishes for Jake Allen, who has started the last nine games but was replaced midway through the second period by Anders Nilsson. The Blues' No. 1 with Brian Elliott still out has posted a 2.99 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in the 10 games dating to replacing Elliott on Feb. 22 after posting 2.17 and .924 marks in his first 33.

The streak-stopping loss wasn't without promise. St. Louis continued to produce on the other end, scoring at least three goals for a seventh consecutive game. It last went beyond that in nine straight in 2005-06.

Paul Stastny scored twice in Calgary and has three goals and four assists in his last four games, while defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has three goals in the past two.

The Blues have won the last eight meetings against the Oilers while limiting them to 1.62 goals per game. They've also take the last six in Edmonton, so another home loss won't come as anything new to the Oilers (27-38-7) in the series or overall.

Monday's 3-2 defeat to Nashville dropped them to 1-7-1 in their last nine in Edmonton. The goals against the Predators are the only two they've scored in three straight home defeats.

Jordan Eberle snapped a season-worst eight-game goal drought, but that and outshooting a second straight opponent was about the extent of the positives as the Oilers fell to 1 for 32 on the power play over the last 14 games. Points leader Taylor Hall is without one in four straight, and Connor McDavid hasn't scored in his last six in Edmonton.

"We need to find a way to get the puck to the net and bang one home and maybe an empty-net (goal) and win the game that way," Eberle told the team's official website. "You like the effort and stuff, but moral victories aren't that great."

Laurent Brossoit played Monday and is winless in three games this season. Starter Cam Talbot, however, has gone 5-2-0 with a 1.56 GAA and .951 save percentage since a six-game losing streak. He's 0-2-1 against St. Louis.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Jets (29-35) at Flames (29-35)

Date: March 16, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Calgary Flames aren't going to the playoffs, but they're the kind of team that's occasionally going to make life difficult for a contender.

That's about all Winnipeg can hope for with 13 games remaining, and the two Western Conference bottom-feeders with identical records meet Wednesday night in Calgary with the Jets chasing a season-best winning streak.

It's the Flames (29-35-5) who are coming off the more eye-catching win - 7-4 at home over St. Louis on Monday that ended the Blues' six-game winning streak. In typically unreliable Calgary fashion, a 5-2 lead became a one-goal game in the third period before Michael Frolik scored his second short-handed goal of the game and added an empty-netter to complete a hat trick.

"It's always nice when you can score three," Frolik told the team's official website a game before facing his former team for the second time. "It's always nice to see the hats on the ice. I'm just happy I could help the team win tonight."

Such results have become more rare for the Flames over the last month-plus, as they've gone 4-10-2 with 3.69 goals allowed per game since last winning consecutive contests as part of a three-game streak Feb. 6-11. Calgary - with two games remaining on a six-game homestand - and Winnipeg are two points up on Edmonton to avoid the West cellar.

"There's no reason for us to quit right now. It's just about playing hard and playing with pride," defenseman Dougie Hamilton said after recording three assists.

The Flames and Jets have split two games with the home team winning each. Calgary has taken the last two home meetings by a 9-3 total, including a 4-1 win Dec. 22 behind a Johnny Gaudreau hat trick.

Winnipeg's Blake Wheeler had a goal and an assist in the Jets' 3-1 victory Oct. 16 and has 12 points in an eight-game point streak in the series.

The Jets (29-35-5) followed a 3-2 home win over Colorado on Saturday with Monday's 5-2 victory in Vancouver, setting them up for their first three-game winning streak since April 4-7. That was part of last season's playoff push that allowed them to sneak in as the second wild card.

That won't be enough this season with a double-digit point gap to overcome and multiple teams to pass. They've embraced that reality by making moves that point toward the future.

The one that brought Marko Dano has been paying dividends recently. Acquired from Chicago in the Andrew Ladd deal Feb. 25, the center had two goals and an assist against the Canucks and has three and two in his last four games.

"When I came here I was trying to impress and I was probably trying too much," said Dano, who managed a goal and an assist in his first 18 games this season. "When you're trying too much, the goals (won't) come for you. When you stop thinking about it and play your simple game, the goals come and you don't even know how."

The Jets have been shuffling Michael Hutchinson and Ondrej Pavelec in goal. Hutchinson faced the Canucks so Pavelec could return against the Flames, hoping to improve after posting a 1-3-1 record and 3.70 goals-against average over his last six road games.

Joni Ortio has handled the load lately for Calgary with five straight starts. He's responded with a 3-1-1 record and 2.60 GAA after going 0-6-2 with a 3.34 mark in his first nine.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Avalanche (35-31) at Canucks (27-29)

Date: March 16, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

The Colorado Avalanche failed to open their four-game swing through Canada on a positive note.

They haven't had much go right against the Vancouver Canucks this season, either.

In danger of losing a season-high fourth straight road contest, the Avalanche try to avoid being swept by the Canucks on Wednesday night.

After recording back-to-back wins to conclude to a 3-1-0 homestand, Colorado (35-31-4) blew a 2-0 lead en route to Saturday's 3-2 loss to lowly Winnipeg. In the mix with Minnesota for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Avalanche have little room for error down the stretch.

"We're going to have to find a way to win the next one, that's all," coach Patrick Roy told the Avalanche's official website. "Short-term (vision) for us, and now we have a big one coming up in Vancouver. We're going to have to be ready for that one."

With each opponent on this trip set to miss the playoffs, it appeared the Avs would be in good shape to pile up some points. However, the fashion in which Saturday's defeat unfolded is something they can't afford to let linger.

"You never have it in the bag in this league,' said forward Matt Duchene, who had a goal and an assist to match his 55 points from last season. 'It's an unfortunate loss to a team that, you know, we should be more desperate than. They played well, but we have to find a way to win that game."

Semyon Varlamov stopped 74 of 75 shots to win the previous two games before making 27 saves Saturday. He's 0-3-0 with a 5.13 goals-against average in four road starts.

That includes a rough outing in a 5-1 loss to Vancouver on Feb. 21. Varlamov has yielded all but one goal while the Avalanche have been outscored 8-2 in two meetings with the Canucks (27-29-12) this season.

Colorado was last swept in a season series by Vancouver in 2011-12.

"Play good as a team," Colorado rookie forward Andreas Martinsen said. "When we do that, we can beat everyone."

The Canucks' bid for a third consecutive victory was also halted by Winnipeg in Monday's 5-2 defeat. After totaling seven goals in the previous two on their four-game homestand, the Canucks managed 13 shots over the first two periods and didn't score until the Jets had completed their scoring in the third.

"It's really disappointing," forward Daniel Sedin said. "We get two wins and play real well then we have a bad one (Monday)."

After watching backup Jacob Markstrom get roughed up against Winnipeg, Ryan Miller is expected to be back in net. Miller made 37 saves Feb. 21, then posted a 3.35 GAA in the next four starts before stopping 35 shots in Saturday's 4-2 victory over Nashville.

Vancouver has gone 0 for 16 on the power play in four games. Colorado has killed 35 of 37 penalties in 12.

Duchene has four goals and seven assists in 11 games.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will serve the second of his three-game suspension for a cross-check on Anaheim's Simon Despres last week.

Daniel and brother Henrik Sedin combined for seven assists Feb. 21.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Rangers (39-23) at Ducks (38-21)

Date: March 16, 2016 10:30 PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks put an end to their scoring struggles in emphatic fashion. That could prove to be bad news for the New York Rangers, who haven't been particularly tight defensively in recent games.

The Ducks try for a split of the season series Wednesday night when they face a Rangers team looking to avoid a third straight loss in the opener of their three-game California road trip.

Anaheim (38-21-9) scored three goals in an 0-2-1 stretch before breaking out against New Jersey on Monday, earning a 7-1 rout that marked its highest goal total since a 9-1 win over Vancouver on Jan. 15, 2014.

Jakob Silfverberg had three goals and an assist while Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Kesler added a goal and two assists apiece, giving the Ducks' checking line 10 points.

"It's a good bounce-back for us," Silfverberg told the team's official website. "We've got to keep going though, and not be too satisfied."

The Ducks scored one more goal than they did in their previous four games. They've allowed two or fewer goals 10 times in the past 12.

"It's nice for the confidence," Kesler said of his usually defense-first forward trio. "My line is usually trying to shut down the other team's top line every night. This time we went on the attack."

Helping it do that was Kesler's work on faceoffs. He went 19 of 23 and is among the league leaders at 58.9 percent.

Anaheim is 9-0-1 in its last 10 at home, outscoring opponents 33-14 in non-shootout goals in that span.

The Rangers have to be hoping that the Ducks got the offense out of their system against the Devils. New York (39-23-7) lost 5-3 to Pittsburgh on Sunday and has allowed 22 goals in its last six, going 2-3-1.

Particularly disconcerting about the latest defeat was the Rangers' drop-off in play after the first period. New York had 19 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes but was outshot 20-8 the rest of the way, including 10-2 in the second.

"Well there's definitely some concern in how we played in the second and third after a real strong first period where, other than our penalty killing, I thought we carried the play," coach Alain Vigneault told the team's website. "We had some real good looks, were playing north-south quickly, were getting the pucks deep (in the first period). We just didn't sustain it."

The Rangers, locked in a tight battle with the Islanders for the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, defeated the Ducks 3-2 in overtime Dec. 22 for their third straight victory in the series. New York won 4-1 in its most recent visit to Honda Center on Jan. 7, 2015.

Derick Brassard scored for the third straight game Sunday and has five points in a four-game streak. He scored twice Dec. 22 and has four goals and an assist in his last three against Anaheim.

Derek Stepan has three goals and six assists in his last eight contests, while Keith Yandle has a goal and four assists in a five-game point streak.

Henrik Lundqvist, who's lost three straight starts with a 3.71 goals-against average, has won two in a row against the Ducks and allowed five goals in his past three matchups.

He's expected to be opposed again by John Gibson, who started the Dec. 22 matchup and made 19 saves.

 

[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 - - -
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
-- Flyers won seven of their last nine games.
-- St Louis won six of its last seven games.
-- Winnipeg won its last two games, 3-2/5-2.

Cold teams
-- Canadiens lost six of their last eight games. Buffalo lost five of its last eight.
-- Blackhawks lost four of their last five games.
-- Edmonton lost three of its last four games.
-- Calgary lost seven of its last ten games.
-- Colorado lost last three road tilts, outscored 14-6. Vancouver lost five of last eight games.
-- Rangers, Ducks both lost three of their last four games.

Series records
-- Sabres won five of last seven games with Montreal.
-- Flyers won five of last seven games with Chicago.
-- Oilers lost their last eight games with St Louis.
-- Flames are 6-4 in their last ten games with Winnipeg.
-- Canucks won three of last four games with Colorado.
-- Rangers won their last three games with Anaheim.

Totals
-- Over is 4-0-2 in last six Montreal-Buffalo games.
-- Six of last eight Philly games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight St Louis-Edmonton games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Calgary games stayed under total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Colorado-Vancouver games.
-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Ranger games.

Back-to-backs
-- Montreal lost eight of last ten if it played night before.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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

One could make the argument that home-ice advantage is more important in the NHL than in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball (they don't have ice, but you get the drift). That's because home NHL teams actually have a schematic advantage in that they get the last line change off a stoppage of play. Thus the coach can manipulate matchups if need be.

That brings me to the perplexing San Jose Sharks, who entered Monday third in the Pacific Division but just three points behind first-place Los Angeles. Are the Sharks good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time? Maybe. Goaltender Martin Jones has been a brilliant offseason trade acquisition. He was formerly Jonathan Quick's backup in Los Angeles, and the Kings thought so highly of Jones that they purposefully traded him to the Boston Bruins this summer to keep him out of the Western Conference. Except the Bruins then turned around and traded Jones days later to the Sharks. Jones is 34-18-4 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He has gone seven games in a row without giving up more than two goals.

San Jose certainly is a good enough road team to win the Cup. It is 25-9-3 away from home, the most road wins in the NHL. But what's up with that 13-15-3 record at home? The Sharks haven't had a losing home record since 1997-98. Over the past 25 years, the Stanley Cup winner with the fewest home victories (not including shortened seasons) was the 1997 Red Wings with 20. The swept the Flyers in the Cup Finals. The Stanley Cup finalist over that period with the fewest regular-season home wins was the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes, who were 15-13-11-2 at home. Ties and OT losses were separate categories then.

The Sharks start a stretch of seven of their next eight at home against Boston on Tuesday, an NBC Sports Network national TV game. San Jose is +700 to win the Western Conference.

Big Loss For Penguins

Pittsburgh's chances at winning the Cup took a big hit Saturday when star winger Evgeni Malkin was ruled out 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury (they never tell you what the true injury is in the NHL). Malkin left Friday's win in Columbus following a collision with Blue Jackets defenseman Dalton Prout in the second period. Malkin has 27 goals and 31 assists this season. Since making his first postseason appearance in 2007, Malkin has averaged 1.10 points per playoff game. The only player with a higher number since then is teammate Sidney Crosby at 1.18.

Malkin missed 10 consecutive games last month, during which time the Penguins went 5-4-1. Their all-time record when he has been injured is 71-45-9 following Sunday's win at the New York Rangers.

This Week's Games To Watch

NY Rangers at Anaheim, Wednesday: It's New York's only visit of the season to Anaheim. The Blueshirts won the first matchup 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 22. Mats Zuccarello scored a power-play goal at 2:37 of the extra session. That was when both teams were really struggling. This could be a very physical game as there were two fights in that first meeting. New York got back winger Rick Nash and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist this weekend from injury but lost both games, 3-2 in overtime at Detroit and 5-3 at home against the Penguins. This starts a three-game trip through California.

Chicago at Winnipeg, Friday: First meeting between these teams since the Blackhawks acquired forward Andrew Ladd from the Jets around the Feb. 29 trade deadline. Winnipeg got 21-year-old forward Marko Dano, who is considered a pretty good prospect, a first-round draft pick this June and another conditional pick. Solid return for Winnipeg after Ladd turned down a six-year extension earlier in the season and will hit unrestricted free agency. Ladd has two goals and two assists in six games with the Hawks. The Blackhawks lead the season series 2-1 but both wins were in Chicago. This starts a four-game homestand for the Jets.

NY Islanders at Dallas, Saturday: If you like offensive hockey, this matchup is for you as both are among the Top 5 scoring teams in the NHL. That showed in the first meeting, a 6-5 Islanders home win on Jan. 3. Kyle Okposo and Cal Clutterbuck each had two goals for the Isles, who trailed 2-1 in the first period before scoring the next four goals and holding on. Valeri Nichushkin had two goals for Dallas. There aren't many NHL games where I'd recommend the over total, but this would be one of them. The Islanders have lost No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Halak for 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury, meaning he likely misses the start of the playoffs. Thomas Greiss has played pretty well in net this year for the Isles but has less than one full game of playoff experience. Halak has 30 games of postseason play under his belt.

Boston at Los Angeles, Saturday: Could see this matchup replayed come June in the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be a chance for some major payback for Boston as it was totally embarrassed on home ice by the Kings on Feb. 9, 9-2. Nine different players scored for the Kings, including Milan Lucic, who was traded from Boston last summer (in the Jones deal). That was not a popular deal among Bruins fans. It remains an NHL high in goals scored by any team and Los Angeles also had a season-best 57 shots on net. That was the most shots against Boston since Detroit had 57 on March 18, 1965. Tuukka Rask gave up five goals on 32 shots before being pulled. It was the most goals the Bruins allowed at home in nine years.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

3-pointer: Time to Spur
By Tony Mejia

Golden State is still the favorite to win the NBA title, currently -140, but this week, all eyeballs should be on San Antonio.

Running No. 2 in the NBA record-wise and returning +300 on an investment, the Spurs are about to put their ability to claim another championship on display. With a 41-game home winning streak to protect, the Spurs will welcome the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Warriors to the AT&T Center. Coming off Saturday night’s 93-85 win over Oklahoma City, San Antonio takes a three-game winning streak into a challenging week, owning a 17-2 mark since Feb. 1 that’s actually superior to the Warriors.

Most important, Gregg Popovich has a healthy team on his hands. Everyone was available to him for Saturday’s win over the Thunder, including the recently acquired Kevin Martin, a veteran shooter who should really be a weapon going forward. Manu Ginobili returned from his testicular injury, Tim Duncan’s back and knees are feeling fine and Tony Parker, playing a career-low 27.4 minutes put together a 20-point, 12-assist night against the Bulls last Thursday, only his second double-double of the season.

San Antonio could tie Chicago for the second-longest home winning streak in NBA history – the one just recently broken by Golden State – if they’re able to sweep through this week’s opponents. The Warriors have extended the streak to 48 games entering action this week.

Despite the fact they’ve been sharing the load collectively and Pop has rested guys liberally, imposing minutes limits, the Spurs have quietly been a well-oiled machine. While the Warriors have been out there dominating teams to where starters regularly rest fourth quarters, Stephen Curry did push to make it back from an ankle injury that would’ve landed him at least a week off if he wore the black-and-silver of San Antonio.

Back in 2013, the Heat reflected that they definitely felt the strain of having played through a 27-game winning streak, the third-longest in NBA history, nearly derailed their championship hopes. Although Miami won 66 regular-season games, the grind nearly caught up to them as bodies ran out of of juice in grueling series against Indiana and San Antonio, both won in seven games. Remember, there were stretches in those series where it looked like the Heat were cooked, including the area surrounding the American Airlines Arena floor being taped off in anticipation of the Spurs championship ceremony. Ray Allen altered history that night, but the lesson that the collective mileage that’s piled up over the course of the season inevitably catches up to you in June is a sound one. It’s inevitable.

The Spurs, fielding a more veteran roster than most, believe that conservation is the key, and adding LaMarcus Aldridge to help anchor the team alongside Kawhi Leonard has been a winning formula that has flown completely under the radar to the exploits of the Warriors. The narrative might be different if San Antonio hadn’t gotten its doors blown off at Golden State in the only meeting between the teams this season. The Warriors treated the Duncan-less Spurs like any other victim, obliterating them 120-90 on Jan. 25 in a game where Curry did things to Leonard, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, that we really hadn’t seen anyone do.

Anomaly? We’ll find out Saturday night. Before then, the Spurs must answer the challenge of facing the always difficult Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan combination. Blake Griffin remains out, but the team that ended San Antonio’s reign as champions in last year’s first round remains a tough challenge for the Spurs. The Blazers, led by the dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, are a different-looking, more confident team than the one they dispatched twice in November.

There remain a pair of games against Golden State and Oklahoma City, but it’s during this stretch that a determination must be made regarding whether it’s worth it to climb aboard the Spurs bandwagon once again, something I’ve done for the last five years. They’ve won it all only once in that span, but have been relatively brilliant. The additions of Aldridge and Martin, as well as the continued emergence of Leonard – now playing at an MVP level – will be hard to ignore if they get through this week unscathed.

News flash: Despite taxing their players far less to this point, at 56-10, the Spurs are just 3.5 games behind the Warriors and could really make things interesting over the final month if they’re able to handle business at home. It doesn’t appear Popovich is going to play games and sit guys out, so it appears the Spurs will actually show their hand for a change. Don’t be surprised if it’s suited up and fierce.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Magic (29-37) at Hornets (37-29)

Date: March 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Charlotte Hornets are trying to close out a seven-game homestand with a sixth victory in order to move closer to first place in the Southeast Division.

After their seven-game winning streak ended with a sloppy performance, the Hornets will need to be a lot more disciplined Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic.

Charlotte (37-29) has 16 games left in its chase for its first division title. The Hornets, winners of 13 of their last 16, are third in the Southeast, one-half game back of Atlanta and 1 1/2 behind first-place Miami.

The Hornets had their longest winning streak of the season snapped with Monday's 107-96 loss to Dallas, failing to overcome 26.8 percent shooting in the first half. Although Charlotte shot 60 percent in the second half, it finished 22 of 34 from the foul line and committed 15 turnovers that led to 18 points.

"We did a lot of good things," coach Steve Clifford said after practice Tuesday. "We didn't shoot the ball well early. I was really happy watching the film after not scoring in the first half, in the second half our offense was terrific. We got going again. It shows if we stay with it, we're going to be able to score.

"Again, the missed free throws and the turnovers were the difference."

Kemba Walker is usually the difference for the Hornets, leading them with a career-high 21.5 points per game. He's been even more productive over the last eight games, averaging 28.1 points and 7.1 assists while hitting 51.8 percent from the floor and 45.8 from 3-point range.

Walker is scoring 31.0 per game in his last four meetings with the Magic. He poured in 40 points with nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals, leading Charlotte's rally from a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit in a 120-116 overtime win at Orlando on Jan. 22.

Nicolas Batum, who missed that meeting with a sprained right toe, is averaging just 6.8 points over his last four against the Magic. The guard, though, is coming off a 20-point effort against the Mavericks.

Charlotte has won three of four against the Magic, but those all came in Orlando. The Hornets are 3-11 in their last 14 at home in this series.

The Magic are last in the Southeast and 10-24 since New Year's Day, including 4-14 on the road. They're opening a stretch with five of six away from Orlando, coming off Tuesday's 116-110 home victory over Denver.

Evan Fournier matched his career high with 30 points while connecting on 11 of 19 from the field and 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.

"I was just trying to be as efficient as possible," Fournier said. "That's what basketball is all about. You can have 40 points, but if you take 40 shots, that's not good for the team."

He's averaging 20.8 points on 52.9 percent shooting over the last five games, major increases from his 14.7 points and 45.6 percent season marks.

The Magic are also getting production out of Victor Oladipo, who has scored 20.8 per game over the last five after netting 23 against the Nuggets. The guard had 29 points against Charlotte in January, giving him an average of 20.5 points in the past four matchups.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mavericks (34-33) at Cavaliers (47-19)

Date: March 16, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Fatigue may be starting to set in for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The team is in the midst of a grueling stretch, and coach Tyronn Lue has said he'll try to find rest for some players as the Cavaliers play the first of three games in four days Wednesday night against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

Cleveland (47-19) is coming off a back-to-back to end a four-game swing out West. It rolled to a 114-90 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday before failing to complete a perfect trip with a 94-85 loss to Utah the next night.

"I thought just coming into it I felt we lost our legs, just try to keep motivating them, keep them going, keep them encouraged," said Lue, whose club visits Orlando on Friday and Miami on Saturday. "I just thought we just couldn't get that pace up."

It was the Cavaliers' lowest-scoring performance and worst shooting night (39.8 percent) since a 96-83 loss to Chicago on Jan. 23.

"I don't think it's a step back," said LeBron James, who had 23 points and 12 rebounds. "We still have an opportunity to get better in our next game."

James was 10 of 20 from the field while fellow starters Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith combined to shoot 28.3 percent (13 of 46). Cleveland took 42 3-pointers and hit just 10.

"We had our chance," James said. "We definitely settled for the outside shot too much tonight and didn't get into the paint."

The Cavaliers set a franchise record with 44 attempts from beyond the arc in the first meeting with Dallas (34-33) on Jan. 12. They converted 17 of those en route to a 110-107 overtime win behind 27 points from James and 22 from Irving.

Cleveland is among the NBA leaders with a 35.8 percentage on 3s, while the Mavericks rank in the top 10 in 3-point field-goal defense at 33.8.

Dallas ended a season-high five-game losing streak with a 107-96 win at Charlotte on Monday. The Mavericks snapped the Hornets' season-best seven-game run by using a smaller lineup, with guard Raymond Felton starting in place of center Zaza Pachulia.

"We just had really good energy, focus, togetherness," coach Rick Carlisle said. "We were playing relatively small, so we needed everybody to be very vigilant about being on the boards. That's our best chance to win and we did that tonight."

Chandler Parsons had 24 points and nine rebounds and Dirk Nowitzki added 23 and 11 to lead five Mavericks in double-figure scoring.

"We're playing for our playoff life," said Parsons, who scored 25 in the first matchup with the Cavaliers. "We'll keep working and try to build from this."

That's something Cleveland center Tristan Thompson is expecting Wednesday.

"These teams are going to give you everything they've got," Thompson said. "Dallas is in eighth right now, the Jazz are in ninth or whatever, they're all fighting each other to move up a spot so it's definitely kind of a playoff feel. ... But it's like that every night. We're the Cavaliers. We're going to get every team's best shot."

Dallas has held the Cavaliers to 94.0 points and 39.5 percent shooting while averaging 104.7 and 51.1 percent from the field in winning its last three visits to Cleveland.