Bruce MarshallFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Predators at StarsFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: OverFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Preds are shipping goals at an alarming rate, a delayed reaction to the injury that has kept top GK Pekka Rinne out since November. Nashville enters this matchup having been outscored 17-8 during an 0-3-1 skid and was routed 6-2 by Boston on Monday. Meanwhile, Dallas hit the Christmas break on an uptick with a 3-0-1 record in its last four games including a shock 5-2 win on Monday at red-hot Los Angeles. Tyler Seguin continued his red-hot play by scoring one of two goals in the first 6:10 and assisting on Valeri Nichushkin's tiebreaking score in the second period. Look for this one to go “over” in Big D.
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Columbus +120 over NEW JERSEYFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. Cory Schneider played in the Devils last game before the break and was a 5-2 loser in Chicago. New Jersey was outshot in that game 37-12. Prior to that Martin Brodeur defeated the Capitals 5-4 with Washington scoring four goals on 18 shots on net (818 save %). In four successive games in December against Carolina, Montreal, New York Rangers and Columbus, Brodeur posted save percentages of .818, .824, .875 and .783. Against Anaheim on November 20, Brodeur posted another lousy save % of .880. These aren’t isolated incidents. That is who Brodeur is now. He’s the worst goaltender in the NHL and it’s not close. When he wins it’s because the Devils hold the opposition to a very low shot total or he gets very lucky with a couple of positional stops. The truth is, the game is too fast for Brodeur and he’s too slow. His massive ego gets in the way of him retiring when he should have hung up his pads two years ago.
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The Jackets have won two in a row and scored 10 times in those two games. That was after they blew a three-goal, third period lead against Philadelphia, which was the first time that they lost a game under Todd Richards when leading after two periods. The Jackets were 36-0 previously when leading after two. They scored four times against Philly and could easily be riding a three-game win streak with 14 goals over that span. Columbus is scoring at a pace like we’ve never seen from them. They’ve scored four goals or more in six of their past nine games and should have little difficulty in scoring more against the NHL’s worst goaltender. Value, value, value!
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CAROLINA +115 over PittsburghFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. We love the fact that Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller is sticking with Justin Peters in net over the much higher paid Cam Ward. Peters has been outstanding while Ward has been dreadful. The ‘Canes remain high on our radar as one of the most undervalued teams in the NHL as we head into the second half. Carolina has dropped three in a row and six of their past seven but a turnaround is forthcoming because this team is too good to keep losing at this pace. The Hurricanes boast one of the best top six forward groups in the NHL. Since the return of both Alexander Semin and Jeff Skinner in the lineup at the same time, the ‘Canes have outshot five of their six opponents and that includes a 41-29 advantage over Washington in a game they lost 4-2 with Ward in net. The ‘Canes have a recent 5-3 win over the Sharks and they followed that game up with a 2-0 loss in Vancouver but outshot and out-chanced the Canucks as well. There is plenty of profit opportunities upcoming with this team, especially as a pooch at home.
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Pittsburgh is still a banged up team that is likely going to be without Evgeni Malkin here. The Penguins have somehow managed to keep their heads way above water but regression is sure to occur with so many key bodies out of the line-up. Additionally, the Penguins did not travel yesterday and that puts them completely out of routine, as they always travel the day before a game when they do not play. The Pens are coming off a 5-0 loss in Ottawa that snapped a remarkable six-game winning streak and what very often happens after an overachieving team snaps a winning streak is consecutive or a string of losses. Don’t be fooled by the ‘Canes record. Again, this team is rock solid and we expect them to make a big move in the second half.
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N.Y. Rangers +110 over WASHINGTONSERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. The Washington Capitals are one of the worst teams in the NHL. Much like the Maple Leafs, whose true colors eventually got exposed after a hot start, the Capitals are very much in the same boat. Washington’s defense is a complete mess. They rarely get out of their own end cleanly or efficiently. We’ve covered the strong correlation between winning games and shot differential in the past and that once again comes into play regarding the Caps. Washington gets badly outshot almost every night. They rank third last in the NHL in shot differential per game and their situation is getting worse every week. The Caps have been scoring a lot of goals and once that normalizes, and it will, this team is going to lose far more games than they win.
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Henrik Lundqvist was in a serious slump in which he could not stop a beach ball. As a result, Alain Vigneault switched to Cam Talbot and that kid has been nothing short of brilliant. The Rangers could not win a game with Lundqvist in net but with Talbot in net they have won two in a row while outscoring the opposition 6-2. Against the Maple Leafs, New York dominated play the last 40 minutes and deserved to win 6-0, not 2-1. The Rangers have outshot their past two opponents (Toronto and Minnesota) 80-51 with a relentless forecheck and constant pressure. If the Rangers come close to duplicating any one of those last two efforts they will dominate the Capitals too and very likely put them away.
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Pass NBA & CBBFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Craig Davis
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Tonight's free play is on the Minnesota Golden Gophers over Syracuse in college football action.
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The only publicity Minnesota received this year was when HC Jerry Kill suffered seizures during a few of the Gophers' games this season. Aside from that, did anyone even notice how well the Gophers played?
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Granted, the Big 10 hasn't been getting as much pub lately because the conference is seemingly "down" over where it's been in the past. Still, despite a tough 20-7 loss to Wisconsin and a 14-3 loss to Michigan State, the Gophers pretty much dominated the rest of their competition this year and this is their reward... the Texas Bowl!!
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Despite the lack of publicity, Minnesota just went out and did their job every week and finished with the country's 27th best defense... not bad for a team that has a bunch of "no names". Seriously, can you name one player on the Minnesota roster? If you can, you either live in Minneapolis, cover the Big 10 for a living, or you're a diehard Gophers fan.
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Outside of that, there aren't a lot of people jumping over others to bet this game... but I think there's some value. Let's remember, the Orange needed a last minute miracle TD to beat Boston College... and that win made them bowl-eligible.
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Sorry, but Boston College's defense simply isn't in the same class with Minnesota, and while there might not be a lot of points scored, the Gophers won't need many to cover this game.
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Take Minny as your free play of the day.
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2♦ MINNESOTA
Charlie Scott
Washington vs. BYU
Play: BYU +4
I believe if Your going to play Tonight the Mormons + points is the way to go. Washington lost their Coach to rival USC and No matter what the Coach Speak is, Players and Asst Coaches are more concerned about where they will be working next Season than winning Tonight's game. On the other side of the ball BYU players are older and more mature, while Coach Bronco Mendenhall is a current day defensive genius and has had time to prepare. Washington players have probably used the Christmas break partying and chasing girls, while BYU Players have been drinking hot chocolate and going to Church.
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Milwaukee vs BrooklynFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Bucks +5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Milwaukee Bucks have the worst record in the NBA at 6-22, but that is really not much worse than the 9-19 Brooklyn Nets and at least the Bucks are showing some positive signs and are getting healthy. Milwaukee has lost three games in overtime over its last four games with the other game being a 10-point win, and the Bucks welcome back center Larry Sanders tonight after he missed the last two months with a broken thumb. That comes on the heels of O.J. Mayo returning a few games ago, and also Brendon Knight and Khris Middleton have both reached double-digits in six straight games. The Nets meanwhile recently lost their All-Star and leading scorer Brook Lopez for the season and they come off of a season-low point total in a 95-78 loss to the Bulls. The Nets are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 home games.
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BYU vs WashingtonFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: BYU +4FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Washington Huskies finished eighth in the country in total offense this year with 514.3 yards per game, but they are between coaches with their architect Steve Sarkisian leaving to take the coaching job at USC. A greater concern for the Huskies here could be their 60th ranked rushing defense. That is because BYU seems equipped defensively to slow Washington down, ranking 22nd in scoring defense at 21.3 points per game, but the Cougars are more balanced ranking 14th in total offense and 10th in rushing offense thanks to their dual threat quarterback Taysom Hill. And BYU accomplished all that vs. a difficult schedule ranked 37th in SOS. Furthermore the Cougars got better as the season went on as Hill’s passing numbers improved dramatically after completing 40 percent of his passes the first three games. Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last five games vs. teams with winning records.
NHL Predictions
Rangers / Capitals Under 5.5
We will see a good rivalry game tonight in the first night back of NHL action with the Rangers and Caps squaring off for the third time this year. The first two games have been split with the road team winning each game and total goals of 5 and 2. These two teams went 7 games in a series last postseason with the Rangers winning it in 7. Only 2 of the 7 games in that series had more than 5 total goals scored. Tonight we will see both team's back ups in net, but they've been two of the better non-starters this year. Cam Talbot is 8-2 for the Rangers with a 1.60 GAA and .938 SV%. Capitals Philipp Grubauer is getting another start as he is 4-1-1 with a 2.20 GAA and .934 SV%. The UNDER is 29-12-17 in the Rangers last 58 road games and 15-7-10 in their last 32 road games vs a team with a winning home record. The UNDER is 4-0 in the Caps last 4 home games vs a team with a winning road record. The UNDER is 15-4-9 in these two teams last 28 meetings, as we often see totals of 5 set when these two teams squaree off. The UNDER is 22-6-3 in their last 31 meetings in Washington. I'll take the UNDER 5.5 tonight.
Hollywood Sports
Miami at Sacramento
Prediction: Over
Miami (22-6) has won six games in a row after their 101-95 win in Los Angeles against the Lakers and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total following a win. Additionally, the Heat have played 5 straight games Over the Total against teams with a losing record. Sacramento (8-16) returns home after a five-game road stand that ended with a 113-100 loss in New Orleans and they have then played 6 of their last 7 games Over the Total after allowing at least 100 points in their last game. Furthermore, the Kings have played 5 straight games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. Take the Over in this one.