6-5-13

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Penguins at Bruins: What bettors need to know

Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins (-111, 5.5)

Bruins lead best-of-seven series 2-0.

After scoring 13 goals in their last two games of the second round, the high-octane Pittsburgh Penguins have mustered a total of one in the first two contests of the Eastern Conference final. The top-seeded Penguins will need to flip the switch Wednesday at TD Garden or risk being pushed to the brink of elimination by the fourth-seeded Boston Bruins. Boston painted quite the picture in the Steel City, outscoring its foe by a 9-1 margin to claim a 2-0 advantage in the series.

"Right now, we're not liking the picture, down 0-2. They're in control," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "I don't think we're frustrated by the fact that we haven't scored as much as they're getting leads, especially in Game 2." Brad Marchand needed all of 28 seconds to give Boston the advantage in Monday's 6-1 triumph. Marchand tallied again to a cap the Bruins' four-goal first period and never looked back.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, CBC, RDS

ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Pittsburgh's offense wasn't the only thing missing in Game 2 - as its goaltending followed suit. Tomas Vokoun, who had won six of his previous eight games since replacing Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, yielded three quick goals to earn a seat on the bench. Given an opportunity for the first time since May 7, Fleury fell flat on his face as well - allowing a goal on the first shot he saw. Bylsma didn't divulge the identity of which man will be behind the mask in goal for Game 3.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: David Krejci would be well within his rights to pat himself on the back. After all, he is the league's postseason points leader and has three goals in two games in this series. Krejci, however, knows it's too early to start celebrating. "We know we played some good hockey in the regular season, but it wasn't even close to the way we're playing right now," Krejci said. "But we've still got a long way ahead of us, so we've got to keep it going."

TRENDS:

*Bruins are 7-1 in their last 8 overall.
*Over is 4-1 in Penguins last 5 road games.
*Under is 5-2 in Bruins last 7 vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
*Penguins are 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Boston.

OVERTIME:

1. Captain Sidney Crosby and reigning Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin have yet to record a point and are both a minus-3 in this series for the Penguins.

2. Boston G Tuukka Rask has stopped 55 of 56 shots versus Pittsburgh.

3. The Penguins have overcome 0-2 deficits to win a series on five occasions since 1991.

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Three NHL teams books don't want to win the Stanley Cup
By JASON LOGAN

Some sportsbooks are sweating out the NHL conference finals while others are sitting pretty, with the Bruins and Blackhawks leading their respective conference championships 2-0. Their mood all depends on the Stanley Cup futures book and which teams they’re cheering for – and against – this postseason.

We asked some sportsbooks, online and in Las Vegas, which NHL teams pose the biggest threat to the futures book if they hoist Lord Stanley at the end of the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins (+750 to +250 to +625)

The Penguins entered the short season as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup at most books, and moved as high as +750 during the season due to losing skids and injuries to key players, including Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh was priced at +250 after losing to Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final and has dropped to +625 since going down 0-2 after Monday’s loss.

“Although Pittsburgh was top of the market or near to at start of season, given injuries and how the likes of Chicago and Anaheim went through the season, Pittsburgh had gone out to biggest price of +750. However, not much action taken at that price,” Aron Black of Bet365.com told Covers. “Once they started their own run and Crosby showed he had gone back to his best, their price dropped steadily and most of the action taken on them was around +300. They are our worst runner, but not a real tragedy if they win it all.”

Chicago Blackhawks (+1,000 to EVEN)

The Blackhawks opened the lockout-shortened schedule at 10-1 at the LVH Superbook in Las Vegas and quickly dropped as Chicago emerged as the class of the 2013 season. The Blackhawks went 24 games without a regulation loss, moving from 10-1 to 5-1 in that span. They entered the playoffs at +350 and are now the favorites at Even money with a 2-0 lead over the Kings.

“We’re in good shape on all but Chicago,” Jeff Sherman, assistant manager at the LVH Superbook, told Covers. “There’s a small liability on them. They were never higher than 10-1 throughout season, but most of the wagers have come in during postseason at 5-2 odds on them.”

Boston Bruins (+1,600 to +170)

The Bruins price tag soared when they limped into the postseason with just two wins in their final nine games, jumping to 10-1 and above at most markets. Boston, however, sprung to life after a thrilling Game 7 comeback against Toronto and has lost one game since, going 6-1 heading into Wednesday’s Game 3.

“Boston has been a steady team throughout the season and were in the upper end of the market, with a high of +1600,” says Black. “Montreal falling off a bit led to their odds coming down in the last six weeks of season, with the bulk of the action laid at +1,100 to +800.”

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How much will possible PED suspensions impact MLB odds?

Late Tuesday, Twitter exploded with the rumors of ESPN's Outside the Lines learning of roughly 20 MLB players potentially facing suspension. These players, which include some big names, were involved with a Miami-area biogenesis clinic.



Tony Bosch, who is the founder of the clinic Biogenesis of American, apparently had reached an agreement to cooperate with the investigation of Major League Baseball.

Some of the players who could be named, such as Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, could face a 100-game suspension due to their second doping offense.

With punishment possibly coming this week, we talked to Steve Mikkelson, sportsbook manager at the Atlantis in Reno, to see how much these suspensions will impact the daily MLB moneylines:

Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Braun is lacking in the home run department this year with just nine, but leads the Brew Crew with 35 RBIs.

"This is a guy who is a potential MVP candidate," says Mikkelson. "The Brewers really don't have any pitching and to pull that bat out of the lineup would be devastating. If they lose Braun, they drop below teams like the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets. Without question, you're probably knocking 10 cents off the line."

Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

Cano has been compiling more great numbers and is the heart of the Yankees lineup. Many experts and pundits wrote the Yankees off before the season had started but, heading into action Tuesday, the Yankees were a surprising 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox atop the American League East.

"This would be another devastating blow. Not as devastating as Braun, but pretty darn close," Mikkelson says, "The Yankees have done a wonderful job in staying in it this year. Cano is everything to this lineup and he is leading in practically every offensive category and at second base. They can't stay in contention if Cano is lost."

Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers

The Rangers slugger is having another great season leading the ball club with 13 homers and 39 RBIs.

"This is a team that lost Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton and Michael Young. They're not exactly the scoring team that we're used to and Cruz fits right in the middle of that lineup. He is probably worth three or four cents to the moneyline. If they are going to win without him, which they still can, they are going to need to get guys like Alexi Ogando back and pitching well again."

Melky Cabrera, Toronto Blue Jays

Cabrera was suspended last year as a member of the San Francisco Giants. He leads the Jays with a .281 batting average in his first season with the club.

"I don't view Cabrera as that big a piece for Toronto. The loss of a guy like Jose Reyes was certainly bigger and they have a guy like Rajai Davis who can fill in," says Mikkelson.

Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Rodriguez has yet to play this season and is another player who could see a second suspension.

"A potential suspension to A-Rod will have no effect on the Yankees. All it says is 'now we know for sure that he's not coming back'."

Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers

Peralta is having a great season for Detroit, batting .332 and has 97 total bases on the season.

"He's having a really good year and his loss would hurt them. Losing Peralta certainly makes them vulnerable, but I believe they still win the division. He's hitting well, but he's poor defensively. His value is a couple of cents to the moneyline at best."

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Mighty Quinn

Mighty hit with the Tigers Tuesday.

Wednesday it’s the Phillies. The deficit is 459 sirignanos.

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Hockey Crusher
Pittsburgh Penguins +103 over Boston
(System Record: 74-3, lost last game)
Overall Record: 74-50-4

Baseball Crusher
New York Mets + Washington Nationals OVER 7.5
(System Record: 32-4, lost last game)
Overall Record: 32-34-1

Soccer Crusher
Criciuma + Santos OVER 2
This match is happening in Brazil
(System Record: 406-15, lost last 2 games)
Overall Record: 406-356-49

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MLB

Hot pitchers
-- Rodriguez is 4-1, 2.90 in his last five starts.
-- Teheran is 1-1, 2.08 in his last three starts.
-- Turner blanked Mets for seven innings in his first '13 start.
-- Cueto is 2-0, 1.80 in his last three starts.
-- Kershaw is 2-1, 1.82 in his last four home starts.

-- Colon is 2-0, 0.78 in his last three starts.
-- Giants are 7-0 at home when Zito starts (4-0, 1.40).
-- Vargas is 4-0, 1.91 in his last four starts. Garza is 1-0, 3.38 in three starts this season.

-- Former Indian Sabathia is 1-1, 2.75 in his last three home starts. Kluber is 1-1, 3.00 in his last four starts.
-- Iwakuma is 5-0, 2.40 in his last seven starts. Axelrod is 3-1, 3.80 in his last four starts.
-- Cobb is 2-0, 1.71 in his last three starts. Fister allowed three runs over 14 IP in his last two starts.
-- Lackey is 2-1, 2.37 in his last three starts. Ogando was 2-0, 2.55 in his last three starts before going on the DL.
-- Walters is 2-0, 4.50 in his first two starts this season.
-- Garcia is 2-0, 2.37 in his last three starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Hamels is 0-6, 5.70 in his last six starts.
-- Haren is 0-3, 4.97 in his last four starts. Gee is 1-2, 6.33 in his last four.
-- Garland is 0-4, 7.27 in his last five starts.
-- Miley is 0-4, 9.55 in his last four starts. Kelly was 5-7, 3.53 in 16 starts for St Louis LY; he's allowed 14 runs in 18.2 IP in relief this year.
-- Marquis is 0-0, 7.27 in his last couple starts.

-- Gallardo is 1-4, 5.96 in his last five starts.
-- Dickey is 1-2, 6.53 in his last three starts.

-- Guthrie is 0-3, 7.11 in his last four starts.
-- Keuchel is 1-1, 5.79 in his three home starts.

Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in first inning. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Rodriguez 2-11; Teheran 5-10
-- Turner 0-1; Hamels 3-12
-- Gee 2-11; Haren 1-11
-- Garland 4-11; Cueto 0-6
-- Miley 2-11; Kelly 0-0
-- Marquis 3-11; Kershaw 0-12

-- Colon 2-11; Gallardo 3-12
-- Dickey 5-12; Zito 3-11
-- Garza 0-3; Vargas 1-11

-- Kluber 0-7; Sabathia 4-12
-- Axelrod 3-11; Iwakuma 4-12
-- Cobb 2-10; Fister 2-11
-- Ogando 1-9; Lackey 2-8
-- Walters 0-2; Guthrie 2-11
-- Garcia 2-6; Keuchel 0-5

Totals
-- Nine of last twelve Philly games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Washington games stayed under total.
-- Last three games for both Pirates/Braves went over total.
-- Five of last seven Cincinnati games stayed under total.
-- Eight of last ten Arizona games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Kershaw starts stayed under the total.

-- Seven of last ten Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Angel games stayed under the total.
-- Last six Dickey starts went over the total.

-- Over is 5-2-1 in Cleveland's last eight road games.
-- Four of last six Detroit home games stayed under total.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight games at Fenway Park.
-- Five of last six Guthrie starts stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last ten Houston games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four White Sox games stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Phillies won last three games, scoring seven runs in all three games.
-- Reds won 17 of their last 24 games.
-- Atlanta won 14 of its last 18 games.
-- Cardinals won 24 of their last 33 games. Arizona won three of last four.
-- Dodgers won last four home games, scoring 22 runs.

-- A's won 15 of their last 18 games.

-- Tampa Bay won seven of its last nine games.
-- Boston won eight of its last 11 games.
-- Minnesota won seven of its last eight games.
-- Houston won seven of its last nine games; Orioles won five of last six.
-- Mariners won four of their last five home games.

Cold teams
-- Marlins lost 11 of their last 14 games.
-- Nationals lost four of their last six games. Mets lost last four games.
-- Pirates lost four of their last five games.
-- Rockies lost seven of their last eleven games.
-- San Diego lost four of its last five road games.

-- Brewers lost 15 of their last 21 games.
-- Cubs lost six of their last eight road games. Angels lost six of their last nine games overall.
-- Giants lost five of their last eight games. Toronto lost four of last five.

-- Indians lost last seven road games, outscored 44-21. Bronx lost seven of its last ten games, but won last two.
-- Texas lost its last four road games, allowing 31 runs.
-- Tiegrs lost five of their last seven games.
-- Royals lost 15 of their last 18 games.
-- White Sox lost their last eight games, outscored 44-15.

Umpires
-- Pitt-Atl-- Favorites won four of last five Knight games.
-- Mia-Phil-- Favorites won ten of last twelve Hirschbeck games.
-- NY-Wsh-- Favorites won six of last seven Foster games.
-- Col-Cin-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Carapazza games.
-- Az-StL-- Home teasm won nine of last ten Nauert games; over is 4-0-1 in his last five games behind the plate.
-- SD-LA-- Over is 9-1-1 in last eleven Timmons games.

-- A's-Mil-- Nine of last ten Wendelstedt games went over total.
-- Tor-SF-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Blaser games.
-- Chi-LA-- Eight of last ten TBarrett games stayed under.

-- Cle-NY-- Five of last seven Vanover games stayed under.
-- Chi-Sea-- Over is 9-4-2 in last fifteen Reyburn games.
-- TB-Det-- Visiting team won five of last seven Everitt games.
-- Tex-Bos-- Favorites won last six Drake games.
-- Min-KC-- Last five Cuzzi games all went over the total.
-- Blt-Hst-- Underdogs won six of last ten Darling games.

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Cappers Access

Phillies(RL) -1.5(+105)
Cubs +155

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DCI Pro Hockey
The Daniel Curry Index

06/05/13 Prediction

Season: 317-196 (.618)

Eastern Conference Finals
Game 3, best-of-7
Pittsburgh vs. BOSTON: TOO CLOSE TO CALL

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Today's NHL Picks

Pittsburgh at Boston

The Penguins look to rebound from their 6-1 loss in Game 2 and build on their 8-0 record in their last 8 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in the previous game. Pittsburgh is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+100). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 Time Posted 6:30 a.m. EST

Game 11-12: Pittsburgh at Boston (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 12.808; Boston 11.843 Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Boston (-120); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+100); Over

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Today's MLB Picks

Cleveland at NY Yankees

The Indians look to build on their 7-1 record in their last 8 games after dropping the first two games of a series. Cleveland is the pick (+145) according to Dunkel, which has the Indians favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+145). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5 Time Posted: 6:30 a.m. EST

Game 951-952: Pittsburgh at Atlanta (12:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Rodriguez) 14.872; Atlanta (Teheran) 16.295 Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: Atlanta (-140); 8 Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-140); Under

Game 953-954: Miami at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Turner) 16.143; Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.653 Dunkel Line: Miami by 1/2; 9 Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-210); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Miami (+180); Over

Game 955-956: NY Mets at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Gee) 13.977; Washington (Haren) 15.487 Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: Washington (-150); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Washington (-150); Under

Game 957-958: Colorado at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Garland) 16.208; Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.377 Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-200); 8 Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+170); Over

Game 959-960: Arizona at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Miley) 16.309; St. Louis (Kelly) 15.198 Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 9 Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+120); Over

Game 961-962: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Marquis) 14.361; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.922 Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1 1/2; 5 Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-200); 6 1/2 Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-200); Under

Game 963-964: Cleveland at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Kluber) 15.562; NY Yankees (Sabathia) 14.523 Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 9 Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-165); 8 Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+145); Over

Game 965-966: Chicago White Sox at Seattle (3:40 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Axelrod) 13.161; Seattle (Iwakuma) 14.592 Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1 1/2; 6 Vegas Line: Seattle (-170); 7 Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-170); Under

Game 967-968: Tampa Bay at Detroit (7:08 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Cobb) 15.914; Detroit (Fister) 17.428 Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-150); Under

Game 969-970: Texas at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Ogando) 15.937; Boston (Lackey) 14.861 Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 10 Vegas Line: Boston (-120); 9 Dunkel Pick: Texas (+100); Over

Game 971-972: Minnesota at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Walters) 15.377; Kansas City (Guthrie) 14.475 Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9 Vegas Line: Kansas City (-155); 8 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+135); Over

Game 973-974: Baltimore at Houston (8:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Garcia) 16.093; Houston (Keuchel) 16.377 Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 8 Vegas Line: Baltimore (-170); 9 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Houston (+150); Under

Game 975-976: Oakland at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Colon) 15.746; Milwaukee (Gallardo) 13.548 Dunkel Line: Oakland by 2; 10 Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-110); 9 Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-110); Over

Game 977-978: Toronto at San Francisco (3:45 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Dickey) 15.400; San Francisco (Zito) 16.845 Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: San Francisco (-115); 8 Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-115); Under

Game 979-980: Chicago Cubs at LA Angels (7:05 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Garza) 14.978; LA Angels (Vargas) 16.343 Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 7 Vegas Line: LA Angels (-160); 7 1/2 Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-160); Under

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Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

Our Free Plays are 1043-775 (58 + %) over the last 5 1/2 years !

Free winner WED Yankees -165

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Gamblers Data

Free Play Wednesday

Pirates

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Hondo

Texas Rangers

Tampa Bay Rays

"Hondo had the good splitter working last night as he missed with the Rangers but hit with the D’backs (in 14) to knock the debt down to 155 skowrons.
Tonight, Mr. Aitch needs some R & R — 10 units apiece on the Rangers and Rays."

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Joe Wiz

Free Play Wednesday Baltimore/Houston Under 10