Wednesday 12-27-17 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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NHL

Wednesday, December 27

Trend Report

OTTAWA @ BOSTON
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Ottawa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games

MONTREAL @ CAROLINA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 8 games on the road
Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

DETROIT @ NEW JERSEY
Detroit is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
New Jersey is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games

BUFFALO @ NY ISLANDERS
Buffalo is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Islanders's last 5 games

COLUMBUS @ PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Columbus's last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Columbus

DALLAS @ MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
Minnesota is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Dallas

NASHVILLE @ ST. LOUIS
Nashville is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Nashville's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games at home

EDMONTON @ WINNIPEG
Edmonton is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Edmonton is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Winnipeg is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
Winnipeg is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home

WASHINGTON @ NY RANGERS
Washington is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
Washington is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games
NY Rangers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NY Rangers is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games at home

ARIZONA @ COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Arizona's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 19 of Arizona's last 24 games
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Arizona
Colorado is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

LAS VEGAS @ ANAHEIM
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Las Vegas's last 5 games on the road
Las Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games at home
Anaheim is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games

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NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: Matthews and the Leafs take to the desert

Vegas Hits the Road

Even the most novice NHL bettor knows that the expansion Vegas Golden Knights have been a sensational home play - but the top team in the Western Conference comes out of its holiday break looking to improve its road showing with games on consecutive nights against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights are a modest 8-7-1 away from Vegas - compared to a ridiculous 15-2-1 home mark - but have already won all three meetings with the Ducks and Kings so far this season. Vegas has moved all the way up to +1,600 on Bet365 to do the improbable and win the Stanley Cup in its first season.

Headed in Opposite Directions

The Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins have been polar opposite teams over the same six-week stretch as they prepare to do battle Wednesday night at TD Garden. The Senators have just three victories in their previous 18 games to tumble all the way down to second-last in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Bruins have 13 wins over their past 17 games to vault themselves into third spot in the competitive Atlantic Division. But Ottawa might just have a psychological edge in this one, having won 10 of the past 12 meetings - including a six-game triumph in last year's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Auston Comes Home

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews will need plenty of tickets Thursday night as he returns to his native Arizona for a showdown with the Coyotes. Matthews has led the Maple Leafs to second place in the Atlantic as they kick off a three-game road trip that finishes with a New Year's Eve encounter with Vegas. Toronto is in good position to improve its standing in the Eastern Conference, as the Coyotes come into this one with just eight victories on the season. The Coyotes come in ranked second-last in the league in both goals scored per game (2.2) and average goals allowed (3.5).

Injury Updates

* The Colorado Avalanche will be without defenseman Tyson Barrie for a while after he suffered a broken hand in his final game prior to the holiday break. The Avalanche are already struggling on the back end, ranked 24th overall in goals against per game.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets have suffered a major blow, losing forward Cam Atkinson for the next 4-to-6 weeks with a fractured right foot. The Blue Jackets are an unbelievable 10-1-0 SU in games in which Atkinson has recorded at least one point.

* Times have been tough for the St. Louis Blues since losing talented forward Jaden Schwartz to an ankle injury. The Blues have just three wins in eight games without Schwartz, and have scored just 12 total goals over that stretch.

Player News

* The scoring leader at the NHL's holiday break is Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov, whose 51 points are five more than runners-up John Tavares and Josh Bailey. Tampa leads the NHL in goals at 3.74 per game and is 21-14-0 O/U to date.

* Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid ranks outside the top 5 in league scoring, and his team could use an uptick after the break. Edmonton has won eight of its previous 10 games in which McDavid has registered at least one point.

* San Jose netminder Aaron Dell might have waited until he turned 26 to reach the NHL, but he's making the most of his chance. Dell has won each of his previous five starts, while San Jose is 4-8-1 O/U in his 13 appearances this season.

Stanley Cup Futures

* The high-scoring Lightning come out of the holiday break with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup title - and it isn't close. Tampa Bay is +525 on Bet365 entering Wednesday's action; Toronto and New Jersey are next in line at +1,000.

* Picking a winner out of the Western Conference? Might as well throw darts at this point. Four teams are listed between +1,400 and +1,600, with the Kings at the head of the pack; St. Louis and Nashville are next in line at +1,500, followed by expansion Vegas.

* You'd need to be quite brave to take the Coyotes to win the championship - but the payoff would be legendary. Arizona comes out of the holiday rest period at a whopping +400,000 on Bet365 to come from last place and win the Stanley Cup title.

Over/Under Trends

* The Sharks are well on their way to being the worst over play in hockey for the second consecutive season. San Jose has just 11 overs through its first 34 games of 2017-18, after posting just 22 overs all of last season.

* The New York Islanders continue to be a premier over play, having exceeded the total in each of their previous six games - three of which carried a total of 6. New York is 25-10-1 O/U for the year, highlighted by a 14-3-0 mark at home.

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Brandon Lee

Dec 27 '17, 7:35 PM in 36m
NBA | Wizards vs Hawks
Play on: Hawks +6 -106 at 5Dimes

10* FREE NBA PICK (Hawks +6)
I think we are getting a great price here on the Hawks at home against the Wizards. Washington comes in off an impressive 111-103 win over the Celtics on Christmas Day. A game they had circled on the calendar given how much the two teams don't like each other and the Celtics being the ones responsible of knocking them out of the playoffs last year. I believe it has the Wizards in a prime letdown spot and this is a team that has had a hard time as it is getting up to play bad teams. Washington is a mere 5-17-1 ATS in their last 23 road games vs a team with a losing home record. Atlanta is just 4-9 SU in their last 13, but have been an excellent team to back, as they are 10-3 ATS during this stretch. They are going to be the fresher team here, as they have had 3 days off and the Hawks are a solid 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when playing on 3 or more days of rest. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs a team with a winning record. Give me Atlanta +6!

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John Martin

Dec 27 '17, 7:35 PM in 36m
NBA | Wizards vs Hawks
Play on: Hawks +6 -106 at 5Dimes

1 Unit FREE PLAY on Atlanta Hawks +6
The Washington Wizards just got their revenge on Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics have losing to them in a seven-game series in last year’s playoffs. Now they are primed for a letdown here on the road against the Atlanta Hawks tonight. The Hawks will be ready for them as they’ve had three days off having last played on Saturday. And this Hawks team continues to get no love from the books despite being covering machines over the last several weeks. The Hawks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The Wizards are 5-17-1 ATS in their last 23 road games vs. a team with a losing record. Give me the Hawks.

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Jack Jones

Dec 27 '17, 10:35 PM in 3h
NBA | Grizzlies vs Lakers
Play on: Lakers -2½ -110 at betonline

Jack’s Free Pick Wednesday: Los Angeles Lakers -2.5
It’s pretty sad to see how far the Memphis Grizzlies have fallen this season at 10-24. They got off to a decent start, but then their best and most important player Mike Conley got hurt. They haven’t been the same since.
The Grizzlies are just 3-20 SU & 4-17-2 ATS in their last 23 games overall. They are coming off a 97-99 loss in Phoenix last night at the buzzer to add insult to injury. So now they’ll be playing the 2nd of a back-to-back, which is always tougher for them because they are short-handed right now.
The Lakers have gone through a brutal stretch of Cleveland, Golden State, Houston, Golden State, Portland and Minnesota in their last six games overall. It’s no wonder they have gone 1-5. But now they get a break in the schedule against the struggling Grizzlies and should be able to take advantage.
Home-court advantage has been huge in this series as the home team is 8-1 straight up in the last nine meetings. The Lakers are 4-0 SU & 4-0 ATS in their last four home meetings with the Grizzlies, winning outright as underdogs all four times. Now they are just small 2.5-point favorites here and should be able to get the win and cover. Bet the Lakers Wednesday.

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Doug Upstone

Dec 27 '17, 8:30 PM in 1h
NCAA-F | Purdue vs Arizona
Play on: OVER 64 -110

In the Foster Farms Bowl, Play Over on neutral field teams like Arizona when the total is between 63.5 and 70, in a game involving two average teams (within +/- 50 YPG of their opponents), in non-conference games. This situation is a remarkable 24-4, 85.7 percent!

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Bobby Conn

Dec 27 '17, 8:30 PM in 1h
NCAA-F | Purdue vs Arizona
Play on: OVER 65½ -110

1* Free Play on Purdue/Arizona over 65½ -110

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Sal Michaels

Dec 27 '17, 8:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Nuggets vs Wolves
Play on: Wolves -5½ -110 at GTBets

Free Play on Wolves -5½ -110

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Info Plays

Dec 27 '17, 8:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Knicks vs Bulls
Play on: UNDER 209 -115

1* Free Play on Knicks vs Bulls under 209 -115

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Dave Price

Dec 27 '17, 8:05 PM in 1h
NBA | Nets vs Pelicans
Play on: Pelicans -10 -108 at 5Dimes

Dave’s Wednesday Free Play:
1* on New Orleans Pelicans -10
The Key: The Pelicans went into the break with back-to-back blowout road victories over Orlando by 14 and Miami by 15. I expect them to return from their break with another blowout win over the Brooklyn Nets tonight. The Nets will be playing the second of a back-to-back after losing 97-109 in San Antonio last night. The Pelicans have had 3 days off since that win over Miami and should be locked in with energy to burn. The Nets are 18-32 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days over the last 3 seasons. The Pelicans are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a losing record. Take New Orleans.

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Hunter Price

Dec 27 '17, 7:35 PM in 36m
NBA | Wizards vs Hawks
Play on: Hawks +6 -107 at 5Dimes

1* Free Pick on Hawks +6 -107

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Elite Sports Picks CBB Utah St. -12

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Joe Wiz CFB Texas +3

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Monster Sports Picks CBB San Diego St. -3

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Primetime Sports Picks NBA Boston -1