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Sports Handicapper King
NHL HOCKEY
10* Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL comp Phoenix Coyotes
NHL HOCKEY
10* Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL comp Phoenix Coyotes
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WUNDERDOG
1 OF 3
Game: Dallas at Phoenix (10:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Phoenix -120 (moneyline)
The first glimpse here gets attention with the 6-2 Stars getting the plus side of the line vs. a .500 Phoenix team. Looking a little closer the Stars have been that same .500 team on the road, as they have been perfect at home. Remember this same Coyotes team had Dallas on the ropes early in the season in a 2-1 loss in a shootout, and that was in Dallas. They will be playing with revenge here, but played Dallas even on the road. The Stars are losing their twinkle as a road dog at just 2-6 in their last eight and just 4-10 in their last 14 after scoring 2 or less in their previous contest. The Coyotes are up for the challenge as a short home favorite from -110 to -150 where they are 27-11 in their last 38. Play on Phoenix in this one.Comment
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David Banks
Troy Trojans vs. FIU Golden Panthers
The Sun Belt once again takes center stage on the college gridiron when the Florida International Golden Panthers host the Troy Trojans under the Tuesday night lights; kick-off from FIU Stadium is set for 8:00 ET on ESPN & ESPN3.com.
The Trojans out of Troy, AL will look to pull even in Sun Belt play on Tuesday night after amassing a 1-2 SU record in games against MTSU, Louisiana and UL Monroe. Coach Larry Blakeney’s kids have put forth very mediocre results to date when taking the program’s success over the last handful of seasons into account. They enter this spot just 2-4 SU and a woeful 1-5 against the closing number. They will have had 10 full days to prepare for this conference battle and enter having gone 5-1 ATS off their bye the last six times. Troy has dropped all three of its road games to date by an average of 16 PPG. The main problem for this squad has come on the defensive side of the ball where the Trojans have given up an average of 460.8 YPG (#113) and 34.7 PPG (#110).
Florida International looked to be well on its way towards becoming a player for the 2011-12 Sun Belt championship holding a 16-13 lead heading into the 4th quarter last week at Arkansas State, but head coach Mario Cristobal’s kids had no answer for Red Wolves QB Ryan Aplin who torched them for a career high 164 yards and two TDs on the ground. The loss dropped the Golden Panthers to 4-3 SU & 3-4 ATS on the year and saw them fall into a 5th place tie in the Sun Belt at 1-2 SU. FIU has won 10 of the L/15 times it hosted a SBC tussle, but has failed to cover each of its L/4 overall games played. For them to come out on top tonight, the defense will have to hold down the Trojans passing game (#16 at 298.7 YPG) since the visitors have managed to run for just 102.7 YPG on the ground (#108).
FIU put an end to its six-game losing streak at the hands of Troy last year in the Trojans own house beating them 52-35 as 8.5-point underdogs; the ‘over’ has cashed in each of these division rivals L/3 meetings. The Trojans have won and covered each of their L/5 games played on a Tuesday night, but check in with a 2-5 ATS tally their L/7 road games. Florida International enters with a 2-6 ATS record the L/8 times it went off the board a home chalk, and is just 1-4 ATS versus the L/5 sub .500 teams faced. The road team has covered five of the six all time meetings between these schools.
PICK: OVERComment
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SPORTS WAGERS
CHICAGO -½ -104 over Anaheim (REG) Pinnacle
After a rather nondescript season a year ago, the Blackhawks are once making some noise. The best news is that they’re coming off back-to-back OT losses at home and that means we should see an extra-focused Chicago club here. The Blackhawks rank second in the league in goals per game, just behind the Caps and that bodes well here against a Ducks team that has major problems behind the blue-line. Additionally, Jonas Hiller has been very shaky the past two starts, allowing five goals on 19 shots before being yanked against the offensively challenged Coyotes on Sunday and allowing three goals on 19 shots to the Stars this past Friday. The Ducks look sloppy and completely out of sync in their past four games and this is about the last team they would want to face under these conditions. Play: Chicago -½ -104 (Risking 2.08 units to win 2).
Dallas +108 over PHOENIX Pinnacle
Goaltenders in the NHL are having a bigger impact than ever on the outcome of games. Kari Lehtonen of the Stars has been singlehandedly responsible for the Stars 6-2 record. Lehtonen has started six of those games and the Stars are 6-0 in those contests. His GAA is 1.48 and his save percentage is .957. The Stars have allowed two goals or less in six straight games and although they lost their last game in L.A., 1-0, it may have been their best performance to date. Dallas wraps up a four-game trip here with a 2-1 record and should have plenty motivation left in hopes of making this first trip of the year a hugely successful one. Phoenix is coming off a 5-4 win against the Ducks. They’re now 3-3 on the year and while they play hard and have gotten moderate results, its goaltending is rarely going to be better than the opposition’s and that alone makes the Stars worthy of a bet, taking back a price. Play: Dallas +108 (Risking 2 units).
San Jose -½ +125 over NASHVILLE (REG) Pinnacle
The Sharks 3-3 record is one of the more misleading marks in the league and so, too, is the Preds 3-3-0-1 record. The Preds have scored two goals or less in five straight games. Against Edmonton last week they managed a measly 12 shots on net the entire game. Against Calgary this past Saturday, Nashville managed 14 shots on net the entire game, yet managed to win 2-0. In another one of its wins, they beat the Blue Notes in a game in which they recorded a paltry 16 shots on net. In summarizing the play of the Preds this season, they’ve been badly outplayed, they look awful offensively and they’re fortunate they’re not 1-6. Furthermore, Nashville is returning home from a three-game trip through Western Canada and as a result, this assignment is a daunting one at best. The Sharkies are among the elite teams. They opened the year with one win in four tries at the Shark Tank. They completely dominated every game over that stretch but ran into one hot goalie after another. Then they took to the road and reeled off two straight wins over Boston and New Jersey. San Jose is re-energized, they’ve been off since Friday and they have no excuses for losing to this vastly inferior host. Sharks in a great spot and if the Preds aren’t already shaking in their blue suede skates, they should be. Play: San Jose -½ +125 (Risking 2 units).Comment
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JOHN CHANG
---Start Time 8:00 PM EST---
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL GOLDEN PANTHERS -6.5 over Troy Trojans, 10 dimes
Troy is guilty of one of the worst defenses in the country. Look for FIU and their multiple offensive threats to get things going at home.
---Start Time 9:35 PM EST---
Vancouver Canucks (-145) over EDMONTON OILERS, 5 dimesComment
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