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Nevada Sharpshooter
Your free winner for Friday: Take HARVARD -9½ over Brown
Your free winner for Friday: Take HARVARD -9½ over Brown
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Huddle Up Sports
Free Play: Harvard -9'Comment
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Hawkeye Sports
Friday's Free Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets - 140Comment
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Golden Dragon Sports
Free Pick IUPUI +10Comment
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Arthur Ralph Sports
FREE play: FRI Geo SOUTHERN PICKComment
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Platinum Plays
Free Pick: Free Pick IUPUI Jaguars +10 over UW-MilwaukeeComment
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The Vegas Steam Line
Your free winner for Friday: Take IONA -5 over NiagaraComment
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High Stakes Syndicate
Free Selection for Friday: Iona Gaels - 5Comment
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Free Selection from Kenny Towers
Un 6.5 NYI/Car - NHLComment
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Sharp Bettor
Sharp Bettor FREE Play for Friday, February 16, 2017
02/16 06:00 PM CB (821) GEORGIA STATE VS (822) GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Take : Georgia SouthernComment
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Roz Wins
Roz's Friday February 16, 2018, Free Pick
2/16 05:00 PM CB (817) IUPUI VS (818) WISC MILWAUKEE
Take : Wisc MilwuakeeComment
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Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Preview and Predictions
By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
The Columbus Blue Jackets haven't been shy about testing opposing goaltenders, as they became the first team since the NHL's expansion era began in 1967-68 to string together three straight games with at least 50 shots on goal. The Blue Jackets aim to continue their target practice on Friday as they bid for their 12th consecutive home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I hope that doesn't stop," captain Nick Foligno said of his team's deluge of shots after it recorded a franchise second-best 57 on goal in the Blue Jackets' 6-3 setback to Toronto on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Foligno scored two goals and set up another versus the Maple Leafs to increase his point total to 10 (four goals, six assists) in his past 12 games, but Columbus has dropped six of its last eight (2-5-1) overall. The Blue Jackets reside on the outside looking in at the postseason picture as they begin a four-game stretch against Metropolitan Division foes, including two encounters in the next seven days versus Philadelphia. Captain Claude Giroux, who had an assist in the Flyers' 2-1 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets on Dec. 23, raised his point total to 32 (six goals, 26 assists) in his last 32 games after collecting a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 5-4 shootout loss to New Jersey.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, TVAS, FS Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (28-19-10): Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has been heating up on the ice with 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in his past seven games, but hockey might not be foremost on his mind at the moment. The 24-year-old attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the site of a tragic shooting that left 17 dead and others injured on Wednesday. "They always say it's close to home, but when it is actually home, it is pretty tough to see," Gostisbehere said. "I haven't really processed it yet. I still can't believe it. I was only there for two years and I felt safe in that school every day I was there. To see something like that happens, those kids and teachers, it (stinks)."
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (29-24-4): Sergei Bobrovsky has reversed course from a sluggish start to February by turning aside 63 of 65 shots to record back-to-back victories. The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient has tormented the Flyers since being traded from the club in June 2012, posting a 9-2-0 mark with two shutouts and a 1.79 goals-against average in 11 career encounters. Bobrovsky made 30 saves in the teams' meeting in December before stopping Sean Couturier, Giroux and Jakub Voracek in the shootout to preserve the victory.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia G Michal Neuvirth owns a 2-1-0 mark with a 1.99 goals-against average and .934 save percentage against Columbus.
2. Blue Jackets RW Oliver Bjorkstrand, who had an assist in the first encounter with the Flyers, has scored two goals and set up three others during his three-game point streak.
3. Philadelphia C Travis Konecny has recorded 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in his last 21 games.
PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Flyers 1Comment
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Islanders vs. Hurricanes Preview and Predictions
By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
The Carolina Hurricanes attempt to extend their home winning streak to four games and maintain their hold on the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference when they host the New York Islanders on Friday. Carolina followed a 5-2-1 homestand with a 5-2 loss at New Jersey on Thursday and sits one point ahead of the Islanders and Columbus.
Jeff Skinner scored for the Hurricanes in the loss, giving him four goals in his last three games and leaving him one shy of 200 for his career. New York blanked the cross-town Rangers 3-0 at home Thursday behind a 50-save performance by Jaroslav Halak to complete a 2-2-0 homestand. Mathew Barzal collected three assists in the triumph to climb within one point of team leader John Tavares (63). The 20-year-old leads all NHL rookies in points and has set up nine goals over his last four games, putting him one assist behind Josh Bailey (47) for first on the Islanders.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New York), FS Carolinas
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (28-25-6): Defenseman Thomas Hickey helped back Halak's 42nd career shutout Thursday with a goal, which was his 100th NHL point. Jordan Eberle scored his 20th goal of the season in the win over the Rangers, making him the third member of the team to reach the plateau (Tavares and Anders Lee have 29 apiece). The 27-year-old Eberle, who was acquired from Edmonton in June, has recorded 20 goals in five straight campaigns and six of his last seven after netting 18 as a rookie with the Oilers in 2010-11.
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (27-22-9): Justin Williams recorded his second consecutive two-assist effort Thursday to raise his season total to 28 - four behind team leader Teuvo Teravainen. The 36-year-old Williams needs two points to reach 40 for the fifth straight campaign and two assists to hit 30 for the seventh time in his 17 NHL seasons. Sebastian Aho had a three-game point streak (two goals, four assists) halted in New Jersey but tops the club with 46 points and is five away from 100 for his career.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders have allowed a whopping 101 shots over their last two games.
2. Carolina D Jaccob Slavin is riding a four-game point streak during which he has notched a goal and three assists.
3. New York LW Jason Chimera hopes to be back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Thursday, ending his consecutive games played streak at 245.
PREDICTION: Islanders 4, Hurricanes 2Comment
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Avalanche vs. Jets Preview and Predictions
By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
The Winnipeg Jets bid to even their season series with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday as they attempt to defeat their Central Division rival for the second time on their franchise-high 10-game homestand. Connor Hellebuyck turned aside all 25 shots he faced in the Jets' 3-0 victory on Feb. 3 to highlight their current 4-2-1 stretch at Bell MTS Place.
Winnipeg owns a 7-2-2 mark in its last 11 overall and 21-5-2 record at home to raise expectations north of the border. "We're embracing that pressure. We expect the best out of ourselves. I think we put more pressure on ourselves than the fans put on us," said Bryan Little, who scored in the Jets' 4-3 overtime victory over Washington on Tuesday. Slowing down the high-flying Jets will be the responsibility of Semyon Varlamov, who improved his save percentage to .936 in his past 11 games by turning aside all 43 shots he faced in Colorado's 2-0 win over Montreal on Wednesday. The victory was the first for the 29-year-old Russian since Dec. 29, and he sustained a groin injury in his next start versus Winnipeg - the Avalanche won 3-2 in overtime - before returning to face the Jets on Feb. 3.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (31-21-4): Sidelined for his team's last seven games, center Nathan MacKinnon (team-leading 61 points) inched closer to returning to the lineup after taking part in an optional practice on Thursday. The 22-year-old did not travel with the team to Winnipeg but could return against Edmonton on Sunday, coach Jared Bednar said. "It's a big hole and we've missed him. We've managed to tread water here and carve out some points without him," Bednar said of the Avalanche's 4-3-0 mark without MacKinnon in the lineup. "Certainly, adding him back into our lineup changes things significantly for us, so we're looking forward to when that day comes."
ABOUT THE JETS (33-15-9): Mark Scheifele scored a short-handed goal with 15 seconds remaining in the third period on Tuesday before capping his three-point performance (two goals, one assist) by threading a pass to Tyler Myers for the winner in overtime. The 24-year-old Scheifele's goal in the first period - his first since returning from a 16-game absence due to an upper-body injury - was made possible by a nifty feed from defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, who has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past five contests. Blake Wheeler, who has seven assists in his last seven games, has scored two goals and set up two others versus Colorado this season.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado RW Blake Comeau returned to practice on Thursday and is expected to end a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury versus Winnipeg.
2. Jets C Mathieu Perreault has seven points (one goal, six assists) in the past nine contests.
3. Avalanche C Alexander Kerfoot has scored in back-to-back games after being held off the scoresheet in each of his previous six tilts.
PREDICTION: Jets 5, Avalanche 2Comment
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Blues vs. Stars Preview and Predictions
By Gracenote for Scores and Stats
The Dallas Stars squandered a chance to move into third place in the Central Division, absorbing a 6-0 beating by Vancouver in their most lopsided loss of the season. With four days off to regroup from the shellacking at home, Dallas will try to wrest third place from St. Louis when it hosts the division-rival Blues on Friday night.
The Stars had won five in a row and were coming off a shootout win over two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh before they were flattened by Vancouver -- the second-worst team in the Western Conference. "We got embarrassed in our building. It's frustrating. It's disappointing," acknowledged captain Jamie Benn of Dallas, which trails the Blues by two points with two games in hand. St. Louis will be trying to rebound from a crushing defeat of a different kind, blowing a three-goal, third-period lead in a 4-3 overtime loss at Central-leading Nashville on Tuesday night. The Blues had won five in a row in the series, including the first two meetings this season, before the Stars ended the streak with a 4-2 win on Dec. 29 in Dallas.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network, FS Midwest (St. Louis), FS Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE BLUES (34-21-4): Alex Steen stayed hot when he scored once and set up another tally against the Predators to give him 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) over his past 13 games. Steen, who has two assists in two matchups versus the Stars this season, said he struggled to find his touch after suffering a broken thumb in the preseason when he was slashed by Dallas' Antoine Roussel. Vladimir Tarasenko has scored in four consecutive games against the Stars and has 13 tallies in 21 games against them.
ABOUT THE STARS (33-20-4): Coach Ken Hitchcock, fired a year ago by St. Louis, could get a key cog back on his blue line with the expected return of defenseman Marc Methot, who has appeared in one game since Nov. 6 due to a knee injury. "It really is like adding a really good player at the trade deadline," Stars forward Jason Spezza said. "He's a guy who knows how to be calm when the pressure is the highest." Forward Martin Hanzal sat out Thursday's practice but Hitchcock said he'll be in the lineup Friday.
OVERTIME
1. Blues D Jay Bouwmeester sat out practice Thursday but is expected to appear in his 1,100th career regular-season game.
2. Stars D John Klingberg, the top scoring blue-liner in the league, has five points in his last five versus the Blues.
3. St. Louis acquired F Nikita Soshnikov from Toronto in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
PREDICTION: Stars 4, Blues 3Comment
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