SPORTS WAGERS
WINNIPEG -½ +145 over Boston
Regulation only. It’s not that the Bruins got outplayed in their first two games against Columbus and Toronto. In fact, Boston played nose-to-nose with both teams and even won 6-3 against Columbus but they have fallen behind 2-0 and 3-0 in its first two games respectively and that is something we’re not going to ignore. Furthermore, the B’s have received production from just one line this season, which has accounted for all seven of Boston’s goals thus far. Boston’s third line has been on the ice for nine goals against without scoring one. Yeah, that’ll change eventually but for now, the Bruins have been fighting slow starts, their defense is a liability and Winnipeg will be its toughest challenge yet.
The Jets are also 1-1 after defeating Carolina and subsequently losing in Minnesota. However, what we see is a team loaded with offense and a solid backend to go with it. The Jets played hard in their loss in Minnesota and even led 2-0 in that game but the Wild also played a great game. The second overall pick in the June draft, Patrik Laine, is looking as good as advertised on the top line with Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. Winnipeg is deep up front and can easily compensate for the loss of Bryan Little. The Jets are clearly a superior team all around at least until Patrice Bergeron and a few others Bruins return from injury. We now get the Jets at a very appealing price at home here to win in regulation and we're going to bite based on what we've seen in the early going. The Jets are on the verge of something good while the Bruins are not.
Colorado +166 over PITTSBURGH
OT included. The Penguins are 2-0 without the services of Sidney Crosby. With wins over Washington and Anaheim thus far, the Pens’ stock continues to soar but this looks like a great spot to step in and fade them. For one, Pittsburgh has a game on deck in Montreal tomorrow night and that's always a big game and an exciting one for the players. On top of this being a look-ahead spot, the Pens just haven't played that well in their two wins. Although the sample size is small, Pittsburgh is last in the league with 38½ shots allowed per game. That's playing with fire and now an under the radar team like the Avalanche, who can score in bushels, is coming to town all jacked up for a chance at the Champs and with a victory over Dallas in their pocket.
Colorado is loaded with talent up front but it's their depth that impresses most. In its 6-5 win over Dallas Saturday night, 18 different players registered a point and they did not have to rely solely on its star players for offense. New addition, Joe Colbourne had a hat trick and looked right at home in his first game for the Avs. He could be the value pickup of the off-season. We also like that Colorado will start Calvin Pickard tonight. Pickard is the without question the superior goaltender of this Avs tandem but since Varlamov is getting paid a fortune, Pickard is the backup right now. Colorado has to be feeling pretty good. They have a new coach, a new attitude and a ton of talent to go with it. Yes, the Avs have flaws and will likely be involved in many 6-4 type games but we trust they can catch a complacent Penguins team a little off their game here and perhaps even catch the Pens more focused on Montreal tomorrow than the task on hand tonight. Until the market adjusts or we see something different, we’ll gladly back the Avs when being offered up tremendous value at prices like this.
Ben Burns
Florida vs. Tampa Bay
Pick: Over
I've successfully backed the Lightning in both their games this season. In each case, they fell behind and rallied for a victory. While that's not necessarily the way you draw it up, it does show that this team doesn't panic and never gives up. It also shows they can score plenty of goals. While the Panthers, also 2-0, have been stingy thus far, games between these teams, here at Tampa, are historically high-scoring. Thirteen of Florida's last 17 visits here have produced greater than five goals, the "over" going 13-4. In fact, a closer look reveals that 16 of those 17 games produced at least five combined goals; the only one that didn't had four.
OC Dooley
Blue Jays -180
In what is arguably a do-or-die game it is imperative that Toronto get their fans involved in the EARLY stages especially since the Cleveland bullpen has been lights out led by Andrew Miller (10 strikeouts of 12 batters faced). One can argue that the Indians rotation is Corey Kluber or bust since a pair of impact starters (Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco) are out of the year due to injury. Tonight's starter Trevor Bauer had to be "moved up" a game after suffering a freak finger injury (needed 10 stitches) while handling a drone so he could implode in the EARLY stages where the Blue Jays desperately need to get their rabid fan base involved and essentially save their projected run to the World Series. The Toronto MANAGER John Gibbons has already mentioned publicly that his team needs to take the LEAD tonight before Miller inevitably comes out of the bullpen. The Blue Jays have shaken their LINEUP moving Jose Bautista (0-for-14 slump) to the LEADOFF spot which worked during the regular campaign due to his knack of drawing the walk
Harry Bondi
NY JETS +7.5 over Arizona
Yes, the Jets have had their fair share of problems this season, but where do the Arizona Cardinals get off laying a TD to anyone right now? The team has been a model of inconsistency all season long, especially at quarterback where the aging-before-our-eyes Carson Palmer returns tonight. The Jets have the kind of defense and running game that can keep this game close tonight until the final moments so we’ll gladly take the TD head start against an Arizona team that’s already lost outright this season to the Bills and the Rams.