Thursday 11-30-17 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Canucks vs. Predators Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
by Gracenote on 11/29/2017

The Nashville Predators have a chance to complete a perfect month of November at home when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. The Predators own the best home record in the Western Conference at 9-1-1 and have won six consecutive games at Bridgestone Arena, part of a 10-1-1 overall record in their last 12 games.

One reason for Nashville's success at home is the power play, which has connected in all 11 games at Bridgestone Arena -- matching a franchise record set in 2006. "A huge factor," said Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who scored on the man advantage in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Chicago. "It changes games and is very important." Vancouver owned one of the league's top records away from home before losing three in a row on its six-game road trip that concludes Thursday. The Canucks have lost their last three visits to Nashville and have scored a combined five goals in the past four meetings against the Predators.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver), FSN Tennessee

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (11-10-4): Bo Horvat scored for the fourth time in eight games to push his season total to 10 -- halfway to his career-high 20 set in 2016-17 -- but he's unhappy with Vancouver's regression on the road trip. The Canucks posted a pair of 5-2 wins at Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before losing three straight. "We've got to get back to frustrating teams rather than turning it into a track meet where you're trading chances," Horvat said after Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Islanders. "We need 20 guys."

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (15-6-3): Forward Austin Watson converted on the power play for only his third goal of the season and 12th of his career, but it was his play at the other end of the ice against Chicago that drew raves. Watson blocked three shots in the final seconds of Tuesday's win to add to his game-high five hits. "It was unreal. We were celebrating on the bench like somebody just scored a hat trick," Josi said. "It was unbelievable. That's what makes him so valuable. He's a true warrior."

OVERTIME

1. Predators F Filip Forsberg is the only player in the NHL to score in every home game, collecting eight goals and nine assists.

2. Canucks LW Daniel Sedin has been held off the scoresheet the past two games to remain two points shy of 1,000.

3. Predators G Pekka Rinne has won five straight starts but is 11-9-2 overall against Vancouver.

PREDICTION: Predators 3, Canucks 2

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Golden Knights vs. Wild Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
by Gracenote on 11/29/2017

Born in Southern California, Jason Zucker was raised in Las Vegas and is the only Nevada-produced player in NHL history. Zucker will get a firsthand look at the expansion franchise on Thursday as his Minnesota Wild welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the Xcel Energy Center.

Zucker, who is a former IHL Las Vegas Thunder stick boy and roller hockey star, has 10 of his team-leading 13 goals during a 12-game stretch. The 25-year-old carries a four-game point streak into Thursday's tilt for Minnesota, which has dropped four of six and has been on the receiving end of back-to-back drubbings by Central Division rivals St. Louis and Winnipeg. Vegas saw its second five-game winning streak of the season come to a halt after suffering its first shutout in franchise history on Tuesday, with Radek Faksa's hat trick accounting for the damage in a 3-0 setback to Dallas. "I thought we played a pretty strong game but we just couldn't get any grade-A scoring chances," Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, AT&TSN-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), FSN North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (15-7-1): Erik Haula made himself at home in Minnesota, as the Finnish-born forward was a prep school and college star in the state before spending the past four seasons with the Wild. "The whole deal is going to be super weird," the 26-year-old Haula told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I'm going to try to have as much fun with it as possible. I definitely had this day marked on my calendar." Haula, who joins former Wild forward Alex Tuch and defenseman Clayton Stoner in returning to Minnesota, has answered a sluggish start to the season by recording 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last 11 games.

ABOUT THE WILD (11-10-3): Coach Bruce Boudreau didn't mind doing the math when discussing the recent generous play on defense by Minnesota, which has yielded 13 goals in its last two games and 30 over its last seven on the heels of three consecutive shutouts. "That's 4 1/2 goals a game. If you're going to do that, you can't win in the NHL," Boudreau said. "It's almost impossible for me to think you can get three shutouts in a row and seven games later you allow 30 goals." Devan Dubnyk will look to stop the bleeding after permitting 18 goals in his last four outings, albeit with a 2-1-1 mark.

OVERTIME

1. Minnesota C Eric Staal (team-leading 13 assists, 21 points) has scored four goals and set up nine others in his last 12 contests.

2. Vegas D Brayden McNabb signed a four-year, $10 million contract, the team announced Wednesday.

3. Wild F Zach Parise skated on Wednesday for the first time since microdiscectomy surgery on Oct. 24. There is no timeline for his return to practice or games, however.

PREDICTION: Wild 3, Golden Knights 2

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Stars vs. Blackhawks Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
by Gracenote on 11/29/2017

After coming up short against a nemesis on the road, the Chicago Blackhawks return home with a chance to extend a winning streak against another division rival. The Blackhawks will host the Dallas Stars on Thursday in the first leg of a home-and-home series, looking to earn their sixth consecutive victory in the series.

The Stars won the Central Division in 2015-16 and Chicago succeeded them the following season, each with a Western Conferece-best 109 points. Their success against one another was pivotal in each team's run to a division title -- the Blackhawks won all five meetings last season, while Dallas captured four of five the previous campaign. Currently tied for third place in the Central, Chicago and the Stars enter Thursday's matchup playing some of their best hockey. Chicago was on a 4-0-1 run before dropping a 3-2 decision at Nashvile while the Stars have won four of five after snapping Vegas' eight-game home winning streak with a 3-0 victory.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Anaheim), NBCSN Chicago

ABOUT THE STARS (13-10-1): One game after Tyler Seguin registered a hat trick, Radek Faksa duplicated the feat -- albeit in more dramatic fashion -- at Vegas, scoring all of the team's goals in the second period, including two eight seconds apart. "I am very happy for the goals. I get very emotional when I score. But the most important thing is the team win," Faksa said. "I am glad we had a greasy win on the road. We needed it." Goaltender Ben Bishop registered his second shutout, both coming in the last eight games.

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (12-9-3): Fresh off his first career hat trick in a 7-3 rout of Anaheim on Monday, rookie Alex DeBrincat collected an assist in Tuesday's loss to give him seven goals and 11 points over his last four games. Corey Crawford, who was rested in Tuesday's loss at Nashville, is 4-0-1 in his last five starts and won all three appearances against Dallas last season while allowing a combined seven goals. Chicago is not lacking for chances, producing at least 35 shots on goal in 12 of its last 14 games.

OVERTIME

1. Despite Tuesday's shutout, Bishop's goals-against average is two higher on the road (3.62) than at home (1.61).

2. Blackhawks F Patrick Kane, who had a seven-game point streak halted Tuesday, has 23 goals and 50 points in 40 games versus Dallas.

3. Dallas is 1-for-23 on the power play over the past seven games.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 5, Stars 3

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Maple Leafs vs. Oilers Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
by Gracenote on 11/29/2017

Taken at their word, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid aren't heaping adding significance on Thursday's game pitting the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs against the Edmonton Oilers. "It's just another game," said Matthews, the reigning Calder Memorial Trophy recipient, of facing off against the current Hart Trophy winner in McDavid.

"You don't really get too worked up about the whole matchup, individual matchups, that the media likes to make out," Matthews said before reiterating that "it's just another hockey game." Matthews leads Toronto in both goals (12) and points (24) and extended his assist streak to three contests in Tuesday's 4-1 triumph over Calgary in the opener of a three-game trek through Western Canada. Fellow 20-year-old McDavid leads Edmonton in goals (10), assists (20) and points (30), but the Oilers have endured somewhat of a dry spell with the NHL's 26th-ranked offense (2.7 goals per game) - prompting coach Todd McLellan to alter lines on a semi-regular basis. "Obviously you'd like to stick with a line for games in a row, but it hasn't worked out that way," said McDavid, who could see Jesse Puljujarvi ascend to his top line along with Milan Lucic.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, TSN4 (Toronto), TVAS, Sportsnet West (Edmonton)

ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (16-9-1): Nazem Kadri got right back on the horse after seeing his career-best nine-game point streak come to halt, as the 27-year-old scored in the third period on Tuesday to give him 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his last 11 contests. Kadri drilled the Oilers with three goals in two encounters last season to increase his point total to 10 (six goals, four assists) in nine career meetings. Fellow forwards William Nylander (three assists) and Zach Hyman (one goal, two assists) are riding three-game point streaks while Nikita Zaitsev has scored in back-to-back contests.

ABOUT THE OILERS (10-13-2): Cam Talbot's availability is in question as the 30-year-old workhorse is nursing an upper-body injury, prompting Edmonton to bring in a University of Alberta goaltender for Wednesday's practice. Coach Todd McLellan said that Talbot "tweaked something in his upper body" while making 29 saves in a 4-3 overtime win against Arizona on Tuesday. Should Talbot need a breather, backup Laurent Brossoit will vie for his first win of the season as he owns an 0-3-0 mark with a 3.31 goals-against average and .881 save percentage.

OVERTIME

1. Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl is one assist shy of 100 for his career while fellow C Ryan Strome is one goal short of 50.

2. Toronto is 0-for-10 on the power play in its last five games after scoring five times with the man advantage in its previous three.

3. Oilers RW Zack Kassian, who is an Ontario native, has three points (one goal, two assists) in his last four games after mustering just two assists in his previous 21.

PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 5, Oilers 3

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Coyotes vs. Flames Preview and Predictions

By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
by Gracenote on 11/29/2017

With the Arizona Coyotes in a full-fledged rebuild, the team made the move to trade veteran goaltender Mike Smith to the Calgary Flames in the offseason. Smith has started all but three games this season for the Flames and will face his former team for the first time when Calgary hosts the last-place Coyotes on Thursday night.

Smith has been inconsistent in his first season in Alberta and has played better overall on the road, sporting a 2.19 goals-against average and .941 save percentage as opposed to marks of 3.06 and .901 at home. Calgary has dropped three of four overall (1-2-1) and is coming off a 4-1 setback to Toronto on Tuesday in the opener of a four-game homestand. Arizona failed to earn a regulation win in its first 20 games this season but has since gone 4-2-1 following a 3-2 overtime loss at Edmonton on Tuesday. In the last meeting between the teams, the Coyotes rolled to a 5-0 victory at Calgary on Feb. 13 behind a 36-save performance from Smith to end a five-game losing streak in the series.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, Sportsnet360 (Calgary)

ABOUT THE COYOTES (6-17-4): Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was forced from Tuesday's game at Edmonton due to an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, but coach Rick Tocchet expects him to miss the next two games. Antti Raanta (upper body) remains sidelined, which means a fourth consecutive start for Scott Wedgewood, who bounced back from getting yanked in Vegas on Saturday with a solid performance versus the Oilers. "Wedgie was really good for us," forward Christian Fischer said. "He got the point for us."

ABOUT THE FLAMES (13-10-1): Forward Kris Versteeg (lower body), who missed the past two games, was placed on injured reserve as the team seeks a second opinion on his injury, coach Glen Gulutzan said. Calgary recalled forward Garnet Hathaway, who was off to a hot start with Stockton of the American Hockey League, notching 11 goals and eight assists in 18 games. "Anywhere he'll play he's going to be a factor," center Mark Jankowski said. "That's the good thing about him -- he can be a factor on any line, he can play with anyone."

OVERTIME

1. Flames leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau has one goal and four assists in his last eight games versus Arizona.

2. Coyotes F Clayton Keller leads the team with 11 goals but hasn't scored in 11 games.

3. Flames LW Sam Bennett missed practice Wednesday to get stitches in his face but it expected to play Thursday.

PREDICTION: Flames 4, Coyotes 2

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Arthur Ralph Sports

THURS: Mich State -6

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Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Thursday, November 30, 2017

NFL (301) WASHINGTON REDSKINS VS (302) DALLAS COWBOYS

Take: UNDER

Reason: Your free play for Thursday, November 30, 2017 is in the NFL contest between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. If either of these two teams hope to keep their slim Wild Card chances alive, they must win this game. Both the Redskins and the Cowboys are 5-6 heading into this contest. Dallas has lost three straight games since they lost Ezekiel Elliot to his suspension. But most glaringly, is the fact that the offense just doesn't work without him. The Cowboys have scored 7, 9 and 6 points in the three games since his departure. The Redskins will have revenge on their minds here after being beaten by the Cowboys at home 33-19. Washington snapped its two game losing streak last week with a win over the Giants, 20-10. Both these teams had the extra rest after playing on Thanksgiving day. I'm going to be on the UNDER here tonight. Mainly because of the lack of offense the Cowboys have displayed the last three games. Take the UNDER here on Thursday.

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BRAD DIAMOND
NHL | Nov 30, 2017
Golden Knights vs. Wild
Wild-162

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SEAN MURPHY
NHL | Nov 30, 2017
Canucks vs. Predators
Predators-189

Thursday NHL free play. My selection is on Nashville over Vancouver at 8:05 pm et on Thursday.
We're being asked to lay a fairly steep price with the Predators on Thursday night but I believe it's warranted. In fact, I think the line could be even higher.
Nashville checks in 9-1 on home ice while Vancouver has gone a respectable 8-5 on the road. I believe it's the Canucks that are in line for regression right now, however.
The home team has won five straight meetings in this series, with three of those wins going Nashville's way. The Preds haven't dropped a home game against the 'Nucks since March of 2015 and that came by way of a shootout.
Vancouver is at the tail-end of a long road trip, one that started well but has seen the wheels come off lately with three straight losses.
Meanwhile, the Preds have dropped just one of their last six games, that coming in a shootout in Carolina.

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SCOTT SPREITZER
NCAA-B | Nov 30, 2017
North Texas vs. Oklahoma
OVER 154½

Last year's rebuilding effort looks to paying off for the Sooners. Lon Kruger wanted an athletic squad with the ability to get up and down the floor in a hurry and he sure has that this season. The Sooners average 96.3 ppg and make over 51% of their FGA. Defensively, they carry teams with them, allowing 80.2 ppg. OU has trouble defending the deep perimeter where they have allowed opponents to connect on 40% of their 3-pointers. North Texas will oblige with a fast-paced game and like the Sooners, they don't get out to the arc well on the defensive end. We expect a high scoring game that eclipses the posted total. I'm recommending a play on the Over between North Texas and Oklahoma on Thursday. Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

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DUSTIN HAWKINS

Free Play on NC-Wilmington -1½ -115

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WESLEY SCOTT
NCAA-B | Nov 30, 2017
Pacific vs. UC Riverside
Pacific-2

The Pacific Tigers (3-4 Overall, 1-1 Away) visit the UC Riverside Highlanders (2-3 Overall, 1-1 Home) in a battle of West Coast and Big West conference teams.
The Pacific Tigers started the season slow losing their first three games of the year, but were winners in their last game.
The Tigers crushed Canisius 80-58 three days ago. Pacific shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from three point land.
Through seven games, the Tigers are scoring 77 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field.
Tonight, Pacific is going to need to be more aggressive rebounding the ball. UC Riverside is averaging 40 rebounds per game verses Pacific's 35 per this year.
The Highlanders are coming off a blowout loss at Michigan, 87-42. In this game, UC Riverside will face a more evenly matched opponent in the Pacific Tigers.
UC Riverside's 3-4 record might not be the best looking on paper, but the squad has played some decent non conference games.
Look for key free throws or a big three late in the game to be a deciding factor in this matchup. UC Riverside is shooting 66.7 percent from the line and 23.2 percent from deep.
The Tigers are a much better 72 percent from the charity stripe and 34.5 percent from three point range as a team.
Take the Pacific Tigers for a close win in W.Scott's free NCAA hoops play.

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BEN BURNS

Cavs-7½

Ok, so the Cavaliers decided to sleep in a little late this season. They’re awake now, and it’s a huge problem for the rest of the NBA. The Cavs are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 and there is nothing to believe that they won’t continue to wreak havoc tonight in Atlanta against a Hawks team that has won only twice at home this season (worst in the league at home, BTW) and is coming off a 34-point beatdown at wake-like Philips Arena. This one could get very ugly very fast. Throw in the revenge factor from the inexplicable loss to the Hawks at home in early November and all signs do indeed point to a blowout. Consider Cleveland in this one.

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BIG AL

Our complimentary selection for Thursday, Nov. 30 is:

Michigan State -6 over Notre Dame.

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JEFF BENTON

Your Thursday freebie is the Cavaliers over the Hawks.

Cleveland had some early season issues, including a stunning home loss to Atlanta back on November 5th, 117-115, but the Cavs have righted their ship and have been sailing in the waters of victory of late.

The Cavaliers enter this road game having won 9 in a row, and they have covered the spread in their last pair of wins.

Atlanta, even with that win back in early November over Cleveland, has won only 4 times straight up in their first 20 games played.

Believe it or not, the Hawks have won straight up the last 3 times they have faced the Cavs, and are 4-1 straight up the last 5 series meetings!

I have a feeling LeBron James will be on a mission tonight to gain big-time revenge.

Play the Cavaliers minus the number.

5* CLEVELAND