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Game of the Day: Bruins at Red Wings
The Boston Bruins have mustered just four goals this season and saw their three-game losing skid begin with a 2-1 road setback to the Detroit Red Wings last week. The Bruins look to alter their fortunes when they visit their Original Six rival for the second time in six days on Wednesday. Boston suffered its third consecutive 2-1 loss on Monday - albeit in heartbreaking fashion - as Colorado's Daniel Briere scored his 300th career goal with four-tenths of a second remaining in the third period.
Detroit can certainly relate to losing after a late goal, as captain Ryan Getzlaf tallied with 24 seconds remaining in Anaheim's 3-2 triumph on Saturday. Jimmy Howard will look to rebound against Boston, versus which he turned aside 16 shots last week and holds a 5-1-0 mark with a 1.97 goals-against average in six career regular-season starts. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tuukka Rask is singing a different tune in this battle of Olympic goaltenders as he made 24 saves to fall to 0-3-0 at Detroit during regular-season play.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports
LINE HISTORY: The line opened at Bruins -110 with a total of 5 on Tuesday.
INJURY REPORT: Bruins - N/A Red Wings - C Pavel Datsyuk (Out-Shoulder)
WHAT CAPPERS SAY: "The Bruins young players continued take positive steps forward for a franchise that are still a strong contender. An early injury to Pavel Datysuk is not a great sign for a team that battled injuries all last season." - Covers Expert AAA Sports
ABOUT THE BRUINS (1-3-0): Boston made a move to address its offensive woes on Tuesday by signing Simon Gagne to a one-year, $600,000 contract. The 34-year-old, who played summer hockey with fellow Quebec native Patrice Bergeron, has recorded 288 goals and 309 assists in 799 career games. Gagne also scored a goal and set up another in five preseason contests with the Bruins after sitting out in 2013-14 to assess his options.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (1-1-0): Coach Mike Babcock isn't shy about talking up what he views to be his team's greatest asset: speed. "We got quicker right to the playoffs," Babcock told NHL.com. "Boston slowed us down to a halt in the playoffs, but with a year under our belts, I think we can be a quicker team." Gustav Nyquist certainly is fleet of foot and scored the go-ahead power-play goal early in the second period against Boston last week.
TRENDS:
*Bruins are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
*Red Wings are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. Atlantic.
*Under is 6-1-2 in Red Wings last 9 overall.
*Under is 4-1-2 in the last 7 meetings.
COVERS CONSENSUS: Fifty-one percent of Covers Consensus users are currently on the Red Wings to top the Bruins. -
Hockey Crusher
Columbus Blue Jackets -125 over Dallas Stars - pending
Chicago Blackhawks -1.5 over Calgary Flames
(System Record: 2-0, lost last 2 games)
Overall Record: 2-2
Rest of the Plays
Florida Panthers +100 over Ottawa Senators
Anaheim Ducks -168 over Buffalo Sabres
Anaheim Ducks + Buffalo Sabres UNDER 5.5Comment
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Soccer Crusher
Atletico Goianiense + Avai UNDER 2.5 - Brazil pending
ABCRN + Cruzeiro OVER 2.5
This match is happening in Brazil
(System Record: 647-22, lost last game)Overall Record: 647-538-97Comment
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Preview: Bruins (1-3) at Red Wings (1-1)
Date: October 15, 2014 8:00 PM EDT
Though the Boston Bruins had little trouble taking care of the Detroit Red Wings during the 2014 playoffs, recent regular season meetings have been a different story.
The visiting Bruins can snap a three-game skid by avoiding a fifth consecutive regular-season defeat to the Red Wings on Wednesday night.
Detroit (1-1-0) won three of four matchups with Boston last season but couldn't carry that success into the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Bruins in five games.
Winners of eight of nine non-playoff meetings with Boston, the Red Wings enjoyed some modest payback with their fifth straight regular-season home victory over the Bruins, 2-1 on Thursday.
"They're one of the teams everyone is talking about to be Stanley Cup favorites, so it's good for us," forward Justin Abdelkader told the Red Wings' official website after that contest.
The defeat began the three-game slide for the Bruins (1-3-0), who have managed two goals during that span.
"I think it's a matter of confidence right now, it's just us believing in ourselves that we can win hockey games," defenseman Dennis Seidenberg told the team's official website. "Right now, we're gripping our sticks a little tight."
Boston thought it had earned at least a point Monday before Colorado's Daniel Briere scored with less than a second left in regulation, giving the Avalanche a 2-1 road win - the Bruins' third result of the season by that score.
"It's frustrating, but we've got to take positive things out of the game and move on and try to build on it in Detroit - and we've got to get a win," said forward David Krejci, who logged 19 minutes of ice time after missing the first three contests with an undisclosed injury.
Looking to avoid its first four-game slide since April 11-20, 2013, Boston faces a Detroit club that's been off since a 3-2 home defeat to Anaheim on Saturday.
The Red Wings took a 2-1 lead early in the third but the Ducks tied it shortly after and won on Ryan Getzlaf's goal with 24 seconds left.
Detroit coach Mike Babcock was upset after replays showed Getzlaf might have hooked defenseman Niklas Kronwall before getting free with the puck. In the end, the Red Wings had to settle for building on the positives from that contest.
"I think you want to play the best teams," Kronwall said. "You want to gauge yourself, see where you're at. I thought our structure worked pretty well."
Johan Franzen recorded two of his three assists in the first meeting with the Bruins, helping set up second-period goals by Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist. Franzen has six assists in the last four regular-season games against Boston.
Jimmy Howard, who faced 17 shots against the Bruins last week, is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average versus Boston at home in the regular season.
Tuukka Rask fell to 0-3-0 with a 3.74 GAA at Detroit during the regular season after seeing 24 shots Thursday.
With a goal last week, Patrice Bergeron has two and four assists in the last five regular-season and playoff games against the Red Wings.Comment
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Hiller to start for Flames on Wednesday
Justin Hartling
The Calgary Flames continue to go with a full blown goalie rotation as Jonas Hiller will get his third start of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday.
Hiller has a 3.54 GAA and a .901 SV% through his first two starts, which were both loses for the Flames.
Hiller and Karri Ramo has alternating starts between every game so far this season.Comment
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Giants walk-off past Cardinals in 10
October 14, 2014
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Once the Giants finally got a bunt down, the rest was easy.
A wild throw by reliever Randy Choate on a bunt allowed Brandon Crawford to score the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in the NL Championship Series.
Crawford drew an eight-pitch walk from Choate to begin the inning, ending a stretch of 16 straight Giants retired since Tim Hudson's two-out single in the fourth. After failing on two sacrifice attempts, Juan Perez singled to bring up Gregor Blanco.
Blanco fouled off a bunt try, too, but then pushed one to the left side of the mound and the left-handed Choate's sidearmed throw sailed past lunging second baseman Kolten Wong, who was covering first base.
''We don't do anything easy,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ''We might have got a little lucky there with Perez when he couldn't get a bunt down and he gets a base hit. But Blanco laid down a beauty. ... I don't know if that's luck as much as great bunt, great speed to put pressure on them.''
Randal Grichuk tied it with a solo homer in the seventh that chased Hudson.
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night, with Ryan Vogelsong pitching for the Giants against fellow righty Shelby Miller.
This walkoff win came 12 years to the day after Kenny Lofton's single in the ninth inning ended the 2002 NLCS against the Cardinals and sent the Giants to the World Series.
Playing without injured catcher Yadier Molina, the Cardinals had their chances. They squandered Wong's double in the second before he delivered a wind-aided, two-run triple in the fourth.
Javier Lopez got the first two outs of the 10th before Jon Jay's single, just the third hit by a left-handed batter against Lopez since he joined San Francisco in 2010. Two of those are by Jay this series.
Sergio Romo entered and retired Matt Holliday on a full-count grounder to third that Pablo Sandoval snared and fired to first.
Molina, nursing a strained left oblique sustained in Game 2 Sunday, began warming up Trevor Rosenthal in the bullpen in the ninth but never played.
A.J. Pierzynski went hitless in four at_bats starting in Molina's place for St. Louis' first postseason games back at AT&T Park since losing Games 6 and 7 of the 2012 NLCS, which it had led 3-1. San Francisco went on to capture its second World Series title in three years.
Journeyman Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run double in the first to stake Hudson to a 4-0 lead in his first postseason start beyond the division series in a 16-year career.
Hudson struck out five in 6 1-3 innings before giving way to Jeremy Affeldt.
St. Louis, last in the NL with 105 home runs during the regular season, has 12 in seven playoff games - eight in the seventh inning or later. The Cardinals connected in the seventh, eighth and ninth in Sunday's 5-4 win.
Hunter Pence's RBI double off John Lackey got things started in the first, the first time the Giants scored in the initial inning this postseason. Buster Posey and Sandoval hit consecutive two-out singles and Ishikawa followed an intentional walk to Brandon Belt to load the bases with his double.
The four runs were the Giants' most in the first inning in the postseason since scoring six against Joe Wood of the Red Sox in Game 7 of eight in the 1912 World Series.
Wong had a fourth-inning triple aided by a blustery wind and a tricky bounce off the in right field.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Miller makes his second career postseason start and fifth appearance looking for his first decision. He faced the Giants twice in relief during the `12 NLCS, losses in Games 2 and 6 at AT&T Park.
Giants: Vogelsong has a 1.19 postseason ERA, and the Giants have won all five of his starts. He started the Division Series clincher against the Nationals, allowing one run in 5 2-3 innings. That made him the only pitcher in MLB history to yield no more than one run in his first five postseason starts. Curt Schilling is the only pitcher to have a longer streak at any point in his career, going six straight postseason starts allowing one run or fewer from 1993-2001.
PLUNKED
Hudson hit Lackey with a pitch on his left elbow in the fifth, making Lackey the first pitcher to be hit by pitch in the postseason since Steve Carlton was plunked by Tommy John in the 1977 NLCS.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Molina said he would try to swing Wednesday, and told a few reporters he would receive a cortisone injection to play through the pain.
SCORING FIRST
San Francisco hadn't scored during the first inning in the postseason since Sandoval's home run against Verlander in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series.Comment
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NHL
Hot teams
-- Chicago won its first two games, scoring nine goals.
Cold teams
-- Bruins lost their last three games, scoring two goals. Detroit split its first two games.
-- Flames split their first four games, winning two of three on road.
-- Arizona split first two games, allowing eight goals. Edmonton lost its first three games, allowing 5+ goals in every game.
Series records
-- Bruins won four of last five vs Detroit, losing 2-1 here last week.
-- Blackhawks won four of last six games with Calgary.
-- Coyotes won five of last six games with Edmonton.
Totals
-- All four Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Calgary-Chicago games stayed under.
-- Four of last five Edmonton-Arizona games went over.Comment
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Arthur Ralph Sports
Free play Cards w/ Miller + 105Comment
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Gamblers Data
Free Play Wednesday
Blackhawks +115Comment
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Mighty Quinn
Mighty won with the Giants on Tuesday and likes the Royals on Wednesday.
The deficit is 997 sirignanos.Comment
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Hondo
Hondo’s gigantic pick
How ’bout them Royals! Hondo cashed again with Kansas City Tuesday night, which reduced the dwindling NRN (nasty red number) to 1,245 mitchells.
Wednesday night: Mr. Aitch will strike up the band for a 10-unit play on Vogelsong — and that’s the name of that tune.Comment
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Today's MLB Picks
St. Louis at San Francisco
The Cardinals look to bounce back from yesterday's 5-4 loss as they face a Giants team that is 3-8 in Ryan Vogelsong's last 11 home starts. St. Louis is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+100). Here are all of today's MLB picks.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15
Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. ESTGame 965-966: St. Louis at San Francisco (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Miller) 15.662; San Francisco (Vogelsong) 14.209
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+100); OverGame 967-968: Baltimore at Kansas City (4:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Gonzalez) 14.509; Kansas City (Vargas) 16.113
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/AComment
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Today's NHL Picks
Boston at Detroit
The Red Wings host Boston tonight and come into the contest with a 1-4 record in their last 5 games versus the Bruins. Boston is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Bruins favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Boston (-120). Here are all of today's picks.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. ESTGame 51-52: Calgary at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 10.207; Chicago 12.686
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 2 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-260); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (-260); UnderGame 53-54: Boston at Detroit (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 12.640; Detroit 11.012
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1 1/2; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Boston (-120); 5
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-120); UnderGame 55-56: Edmonton at Arizona (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Edmonton 11.446; Arizona 10.572
Dunkel Line & Total: Edmonton by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/AComment
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WinningAngle
WEDNESDAY
NBA BASKETBALL----PRESEASON
Play Detroit +3.5 over Charlotte (NBA TOP PLAY)
Play Indiana +6 over Cleveland (NBA TOP PLAY)
Detailed information and Analysis will start once the regular season begins in a few weeks.
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NHL HOCKEY
Play Boston -105 over Detroit (NHL TOP PLAY)
Play Arizona -155 over Edmonton (NHL TOP PLAY)Comment
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