Thursday 1/9/25 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

[ConleyPicks]

Sean Murphy

Thursday NHL Free play. My selection is on Carolina-159 over Toronto at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Carolina returns home after a narrow 3-2 loss in Tampa on Tuesday, eager to rebound in front of a supportive crowd. While the Hurricanes have endured some inconsistency recently, much of that has been tied to road performances. At home, Carolina has been dominant, posting an impressive 15-5 record on the season. This contest provides an opportunity to regain momentum against a quality opponent.

Toronto enters on a five-game winning streak, but it's worth noting that those victories came against struggling teams, including two each over the Islanders and Flyers and one against a slumping Bruins squad. While the Leafs have been efficient offensively, their defense has shown vulnerabilities, particularly in higher-pressure matchups.

Expect the Hurricanes to bring energy and discipline in this key home matchup, effectively stifling Toronto’s attack while leveraging their own balanced scoring and defensive strength.

Take Carolina. Projected score: Carolina 4, Toronto 3.

[ConleyPicks]

Alex Smart

Colorado played last night but are one of the better conditioned teams in the NHL. The Wild have lost each of their last nine games as home underdogs against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back. I know the Wild have won 4 straight but the Avs are playing great hockey right now and deserve respect as road chalk in this spot play situation.

Colorado has won 4 straight meetings in this series and get the nod again.

NHL Home underdogs like Minnesota of +100 to +200 against the money line - off an home win scoring 4 or more goals, in January games are 8-35 since 2021 for a go against 82% conversion rate for bettors.

Play on Avs to win -122

[ConleyPicks]

Bobby Conn

1* Free Play on Blues-176

[ConleyPicks]

Timothy Black

1* Best Bet on Avalanche-1.5 +175

No analysis provided.

[ConleyPicks]

Hunter Price

1* Free Pick on Heat-5.5 -102

[ConleyPicks]

William Burns

Washington State Cougars-16 -115 (ATS) ..

Washington State should dominate this basketball game. So far this season, the Cougars haven't been getting much respect for their success. Sitting at 13-3 this season, they have big wins over Bradley, Nevada, Boise State and San Francisco so far. The Cougars want to push the pace and will run Pacific right out of the gym tonight.

Talking about Pacific, its lost nine consecutive games. Normally, I'd like a team coming off that many L's to rebound with a win. However, that isn't happening today. The Tigers are averaging more than 10.0 PPG less than WAZZU and simply don't have the intangibles to keep up with them. This one could get ugly on Thursday evening.

Score Prediction: 97-62 Washington State.

[ConleyPicks]

ProSportsPicks

PSP Data Driven 1* Lakers-8.5 -108

At Professionalsportspicks we see a future where those handicapping sports without advanced analytics and data-driven strategies will be left behind. Our data-driven picks use data integration, search and discovery, and knowledge management along with collaboration with our in-house handicappers. By isolating relevant trends, removing human bias, and targeting only lines with a positive expected value above a certain threshold, our data-driven picks promise to outperform any and all human competitors.

Our models suggest that the value is on the favorite. LA Lakers are 13-5 SU in their last 18 games at home. Charlotte are 1-10 SU in their last 11 games.