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Free play from Golden Dragon
FREE WINNER for Friday
Boston/Utah under 209
FREE WINNER for Friday
Boston/Utah under 209
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Free play from Hawkeye Sports
Friday's Free Pick: Auburn Tigers - 8 1/2Comment
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Free play from Huddle Up Sports
Free Play: Detroit -4' NBAComment
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Arthur Ralph Sports
FREE play FRI: CBB Portland + 6Comment
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Teyas Sports
FREE PICK 11/9 NBA UTAH OVER 206 1/2Comment
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Vegas Steam Line
Your free winner for Friday: Take BROOKLYN/DENVER OVER the total of 210½Comment
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High Stakes Syndicate
Free Selection for Friday: UC Davis Aggies + 4 1/2Comment
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Kenny Towers
FREE PLAY FOR FRIDAY - ATLANTA/DETROIT UNDER 224Comment
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John Anthony Sports
Friday's Free Selection: Old Dominion Monarchs + 3Comment
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Preview: Louisville at Syracuse
In the midst of a three-game winning streak and a climb up the rankings, No. 13 Syracuse hosts slumping Louisville in an ACC matchup on Friday. The Orange are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2013, ranked 13th in the College Football Playoff rankings, and have a chance, with a win against the Cardinals, to go undefeated at home for the first time since 2001.
The key for the Orange has been a dynamic offense featuring senior quarterback Eric Dungey (13 passing TDs, 10 rushing TDs). He was quiet last week in a 41-24 triumph over Wake Forest, but the team racked up five rushing scores - one by Dungey - in scoring 40-plus points for the third straight game. In all, Syracuse is averaging 43.3 points to rank eighth nationally, while the Louisville defense comes in at 125th nationally in defense (40.8 points allowed per game). The Cardinals were smashed by Clemson last week, 77-16, as the team gave up 661 total yards, including 492 on the ground.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Syracuse -21
ABOUT LOUISVILLE (2-7, 0-6 ACC): This current six-game skid is the longest losing streak for Louisville since the team dropped 10 in a row spanning the 1997 and 1998 seasons. "I'm not too happy with the way we played, particularly on defense," coach Bobby Petrino said, "but you have to take your hat off to Clemson." The veteran coach hopes his team bounces back behind Jawon Pass, who has completed more than 58 percent of his passes only once all season and has thrown at least one interception in seven of the nine games.
ABOUT SYRACUSE (7-2, 4-2): This is a big game for the Orange, who cannot afford a loss if they hope to reach a major bowl game, especially with meetings with Notre Dame (netural site) and Boston College (road) still remaining on their schedule. While Dungey has been solid, fellow senior Jamal Custis leads the team in receiving yards (734) and receiving scores (five). "Can't say enough about what (the seniors have) done to change this culture ... and give us an opportunity to do greater things in the future," coach Dino Babers said. "Whatever happens, they're going to be known as the class that got this thing turned around and headed in the right direction."
EXTRA POINTS
1. Louisville has taken four straight meetings, including a 56-10 thumping of the Orange last season.
2. Syracuse has won 13 of its last 16 weekday games.
3. The Orange are a plus-12 in turnover margin, the best mark in the ACC.
PREDICTION: Syracuse 55, Louisville 19Comment
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Preview: Fresno State at Boise State
Boise State’s blue turf has not been kind to No. 17 Fresno State, which is winless in its last nine games against the Broncos at Albertsons Stadium. The surging Bulldogs, who are 23rd in the College Football Playoff rankings, look to end the streak Friday in a critical Mountain West showdown against the Broncos, who have won four in a row following a loss to San Diego State.
Fresno State is riding a seven-game winning streak and boasts a stellar defense that has allowed an average of 7.2 points in five conference contests. Defensive backs Mike Bell and Tank Kelly have three interceptions apiece but figure to be tested by Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien, who needs 36 yards to become the Mountain West’s all-time passing yardage leader. “He’s an experienced, great player,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Tedford told reporters. “He’s had a lot of success throughout his career and he has a lot of playmakers around him. He’s very smart, doesn’t turn it over. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country.” The game features a pair of senior signal-callers in Rypien and the Bulldogs’ Marcus McMaryion, who threw for 274 yards and two scores in last week’s 48-3 win over UNLV.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Fresno State -3
ABOUT FRESNO STATE (8-1, 5-0 Mountain West): Fresno State has held its last 19 opponents to 30 points or fewer and has one of the top linebackers in the country in junior Jeff Allison (team-high 84 tackles), who left last week’s game early due to injury but is expected to start Friday. The Bulldogs’ impressive offensive line provides elite protection for McMaryion, who has 20 touchdown passes against three interceptions and has only been sacked five times. The team’s deep receiving corps include tight end Jared Rice and wide receiver KeeSean Johnson (62 catches for 858 yards and six scores).
ABOUT BOISE STATE (7-2, 4-1): The Broncos’ injury-plagued defense recorded seven sacks against BYU but received another blow after linebacker Riley Whimpey (team-high 55 tackles) was ruled out for rest of the season due to a torn ACL suffered late in the contest. Fresno native Tyler Horton leads the secondary with 30 tackles and four recovered fumbles. The Broncos have struggled to run the ball consistently this season, but Alexander Mattison provided a spark with 89 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 21-16 win over BYU.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Fresno State has outscored its opponents 119-14 in the third quarter.
2. The Bulldogs closed last year’s regular season with a 28-17 home victory over Boise State before the Broncos answered with a 17-14 win in the Mountain West championship game in Boise.
3. Fresno State is 7-0 on the road under Tedford in Mountain West regular-season games.
PREDICTION: Fresno State 27, Boise State 17Comment
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Preview: Devils at Maple Leafs
Gracenote
Nov 8, 2018
In the hockey hotbed that is Toronto, Mitch Marner has found himself firmly under the microscope in the wake of Auston Matthews' recent shoulder injury. Marner has shouldered the load in the interim, collecting six points since Matthews went down and eight in his past seven overall heading into the Toronto Maple Leafs' game against the visiting New Jersey Devils on Friday.
Marner's goal just nine seconds into the second period stood up as the game winner as Toronto posted its second straight victory and fourth in six outings with a 3-1 triumph versus Vegas on Tuesday. John Tavares picked up the primary assist on Marner's tally to extend his point streak to three games while fellow forward Nazem Kadri netted his third goal in five contests to seal the win. Victories have been few and far between for New Jersey, which has answered a sterling 4-0-0 start by falling for the seventh time in nine outings (2-6-1) with a disastrous 7-3 setback in Ottawa on Tuesday. "It's a commitment to detail and compete," Devils captain Andy Greene said. "It's like a yo-yo right now. We're up, we're down. We're up, we're down. That's mental. That's where we've got to focus and be ready and commit to our game style."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), TVAS, TSN4 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (6-6-1): Reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall opened the scoring and Kyle Palmieri cleaned up a rebound for his team-leading 10th goal before the floodgates opened in Canada's capital city. New Jersey aims to turn the page with the return of Jesper Bratt, who has been sidelined all season as he recovered from a broken jaw sustained in Oct. 4 in Sweden. The 20-year-old Bratt recorded 13 goals and 22 assists in 74 games during his rookie season in 2017-18.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (10-5-0): Known for sluggish starts, Frederik Andersen has hit the ground running out of the gate as he looks to improve upon a sterling 2017-18 season that saw him set a franchise record with 38 wins and finish fourth in the Vezina Trophy voting. "I, personally, feel good," said the 29-year-old Dane, who has yielded two goals or fewer in each of his last six games. "We're keeping a little bit more to the outside, which is helping me out, seeing the puck better and clearing the shooting lanes. It's not so many times I have to fight through traffic and, obviously, that makes my job easier." Andersen, who has made at least 30 saves in six of his eight victories this season, dropped two of three meetings with New Jersey in 2017-18 to see his career mark versus the club dip to 4-2-0 with one shutout, a 2.00 goals-against average and .937 save percentage.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey G Keith Kinkaid is just 1-3-0 with a 3.57 goals-against average on the road as opposed to 5-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA at home.
2. Toronto C Patrick Marleau is riding a three-game point streak and sits at 599 assists for his career.
3. Devils RW Stefan Noesen, who has missed the past four games with a lower-body injury, and D Steven Santini (broken jaw) returned to practice Thursday.
PREDICTION: Maple Leafs 4, Devils 2Comment
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Preview: Blue Jackets at Capitals
Gracenote
Nov 8, 2018
The Columbus Blue Jackets had the Washington Capitals on the ropes in the spring, winning Games 1 and 2 on the road of their first-round series before the latter provided the knockout blow with four consecutive victories. The Metropolitan Division foes will face off for the first time since that series on Friday at Capital One Arena in Washington.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored four goals and set up four others in that first-round series against the Blue Jackets and finished with 32 points in the postseason as the Capitals claimed the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship. The 26-year-old Russian has continued his torrid play into the 2018-19 campaign, collecting one goal and five assists on his five-game point streak to boost his point total to a team-best 19. While Washington has won two in a row for the first time this season, Columbus snapped a two-game skid with a 4-1 triumph over Dallas on Tuesday. Two-time Vezina Trophy recipient Sergei Bobrovsky yielded just one goal for the third time in four outings in that contest and bids to atone for a postseason series in which he registered a 3.18 goals-against average.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet1, FS Ohio (Columbus), NBCS Washington
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (8-6-1): Columbus' staggered results this season are worrisome for captain Nick Foligno, who admitted he thought the team would be inspired following last season's playoff loss to the Capitals. "I thought we'd come out with something to prove and not worry about the battle and compete level we haven't had," the 31-year-old Foligno said. "That should be standard with the feeling we all had after Washington and what I heard guys saying, and how that team (Washington) upped their compete and their battle and we didn't to a degree." Artemi Panarin, who notched his team-leading 11th assist and 16h point on Tuesday, collected seven points in the first three games of the playoff series before being held off the scoresheet and posting a minus-6 rating in the final three.
ABOUT THE CAPITALS (7-4-3): T.J. Oshie returned to action after being on the receiving end of a pair of blows to the head to score the go-ahead goal with 1:14 remaining in the third period of Wednesday's 2-1 win over Pittsburgh. "My face is a little messed up but I'm feeling pretty good now," said the 31-year-old Oshie, who recorded four points (three goals, one assist) in the final five games of the first-round series versus Columbus. Like Oshie, captain Alex Ovechkin has scored in back to-back contests overall and resides one power-play goal shy of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux (236) for seventh place in NHL history.
OVERTIME
1. Columbus RW Josh Anderson, who leads the team with seven goals, was held without a point in all four regular-season games versus Washington last season.
2. Capitals G Braden Holtby turned aside 41 of 42 shots on Wednesday after yielding at least three goals in seven of his previous nine appearances.
3. Blue Jackets C Boone Jenner is riding a three-game assist streak.
PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 2Comment
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Preview: Rangers at Red Wings
Gracenote
Nov 8, 2018
The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have regained their footing after stumbling out the blocks to start the season. The red-hot Rangers bid for their fifth consecutive victory on Friday when they open a brief two-game road trip against their Original Six rivals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
"We're building something here. We had a rough start and we're getting wins," New York forward Kevin Hayes said after recording his fourth career three-assist performance in Tuesday's 5-3 victory over Montreal. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 31 shots versus the Canadiens to boost his career win total to 436, which is one shy of tying Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for seventh place on the NHL's all-time wins list. The former Vezina Trophy recipient has registered four shutouts to highlight a 7-4-4 career mark versus Detroit, which has rebounded from the worst start in franchise history by posting wins in four of its last five contests. "I wouldn't say it takes the sting out of the slow start, but it's something to build off of for sure," said forward Justin Abdelkader, who scored his third goal in five games during Tuesday's 3-2 shootout win versus Vancouver.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE RANGERS (7-7-1): Mika Zibanejad scored and set up a goal to boost his team-leading point total to 13, with 11 (five goals, six assists) coming in the last nine games. The 25-year-old Swede hasn't been as productive versus Detroit, however, as he was held off the scoresheet in all three games last season and has just one goal and one assist in the last 15 encounters. Fellow forward Chris Kreider netted his team-leading seventh goal on Tuesday heading into a tilt with the Red Wings, against whom he has notched 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last 12 contests.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (5-8-2): Jimmy Howard faced at least 37 shots for the fifth time in six outings following his 40-save performance versus Vancouver, with his stellar play keeping Detroit within arm's length following a quick 2-0 deficit. "We're bending and not breaking," the 34-year-old told the Detroit Free Press. "Earlier in the season when stuff started to go wrong, the body language was off and things really exploded on us." Gustav Nyquist scored just his second goal of the season on Tuesday to both forge a 2-2 tie and extend his point streak to five games, during which he has five of his team-high 11 assists.
OVERTIME
1. New York has secured at least one point in 14 of its last 16 meetings (10-2-4) with Detroit.
2. Red Wings C Dylan Larkin has collected two goals and six assists in his last five contests.
3. Rangers D Neal Pionk has scored in back-to-back games to boost his point total to eight (two goals, six assists) in the last nine contests.
PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Red Wings 2Comment
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Preview: Sharks at Blues
Gracenote
Nov 9, 2018
After a lukewarm start, the St. Louis Blues are getting the return they expected when they paid a large sum to acquire Ryan O'Reilly. The 27-year-old center attempts to extend his point streak to nine games when the Blues host the San Jose Sharks on Friday.
O'Reilly, who was obtained from Buffalo over the summer for three players, a first-round draft pick and a second-round selection, notched four assists in his first two games with St. Louis before being kept off the scoresheet for three straight contests. He has amped up his game since, registering seven goals and eight assists during his eight-game streak - with a trio of three-point performances that includes his first career hat trick in the Blues' 4-1 triumph over Carolina on Tuesday. San Jose had its three-game road point streak snapped Thursday as it dropped a 4-3 decision in Dallas. Timo Meier scored his team-leading 12th goal as the Sharks battled back from a 3-1 deficit before allowing the winning tally with 5:47 remaining in the third period.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (San Jose), FS Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (8-5-3): Joe Thornton skated in his 1,500th NHL game on Thursday, becoming only the 19th player in history to accomplish the feat. The 39-year-old former Hart Trophy winner celebrated by recording his 1,032nd assist, pulling him within one of Mario Lemieux for 11th place on the NHL's all-time list. Captain Joe Pavelski is second on the team with seven goals but has yet to register an assist this season.
ABOUT THE BLUES (5-5-3): It didn't take long for Robby Fabbri to get back in the swing of things, as the 22-year-old center scored a goal in his third game back from a knee injury on Tuesday. Fabbri, who recorded 18 tallies and 37 points as a rookie in 2015-16, tore the ACL in his left knee in his 51st game the following season and missed the entire 2017-18 campaign after re-injuring himself during training camp. Vladimir Tarasenko has landed on the scoresheet in nine of his last 10 contests and collected four goals and three assists during his five-game point streak.
OVERTIME
1. The Blues have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their last six games.
2. Thornton's next goal will be the 400th of his career.
3. St. Louis is 3-2-0 on its seven-game homestand that concludes Sunday against Minnesota.
PREDICTION: Blues 4, Sharks 2Comment
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