Sunday Trends and Indexes 10/14

[pm530]

Baseball – Short Sheet

MLB
Short Sheet

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Sunday, October 14th
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NL Championship Series
Game Three
Colorado Leads, 2-0
TV: TBS

Arizona at Colorado, 8:35 ET
Livan Hernandez (R) vs. Josh Fogg (R)

Hernandez:
Arizona 17-3 Under revenging a one run loss
Arizona 24-10 Under off BB losses

Fogg:
Colorado 6-0 SU in October
Colorado 8-2 SU off 6+ wins

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[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


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Tips and Trends
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Sunday, October 14

Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies (TBS | 8:37 PM ET)

Colorado's Josh Fogg is a dominant 6-1 lifetime vs. Arizona with a 3.71 ERA. Fogg is just 5-4 at home though with a 5.97 ERA and struggled in his last start against San Diego in the regular-season finale, giving up five runs and eight hits in just four innings of an eventual 9-8 victory. SLIGHT EDGE: ROCKIES
Arizona's Livan Hernandez struggled mightily on the road during the regular season, going 4-8 with a 5.19 ERA. However, Hernandez earned a win in Game 3 of the NLDS at Chicago, allowing one run and five hits in six innings with five walks and two strikeouts. EDGE: ROCKIES
The Rockies are only hitting .214 in their last 10 games against left-handed pitchers.
The Rockies are 19-1 in their last 20 games.
The Rockies are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
The UNDER is 8-2 in Arizona's last 10 games.

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet

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Sunday, October 14th
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Detroit at Los Angeles, 8:05 ET
Detroit: 51-14 SU off a division game
Los Angeles: 3-13 SU as a home underdog of +150 or less

Minnesota at Anaheim, 8:05 ET
Minnesota: 5-15 SU away in the first half of the season
Anaheim: 12-1 SU as a home favorite of -150 or less

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[pm530]

National Football League - Gameday

NFL
Gameday


Sunday, October 14

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NFL Gameday
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Sunday NFL Gameday

Sunday's marquee matchup has the unbeaten New England Patriots taking on the unbeaten Dallas Cowboys. Here's a look at that contest and three more in NFL Gameday . . .

Washington Redskins at Green Bay Packers (-3) (Total 40.5)
Lambeau Field, 1:00pm ET (FOX)

The Redskins moved to 3-1 on the season by thumping the Lions 34-3 at home last week. Jason Campbell went 23-of-29 for 248 yards passing in that contest, and he tossed TD strikes to both Mike Sellers and Chris Cooley. Antwaan Randle El had seven catches for 100 yards, while Clinton Portis ran for 72 yards on 18 carries. Santana Moss missed the game against the Lions with a groin injury, but he's expected back this week

The Packers blew their chance to get to 5-0 last week, giving up 20 second-half points in a 27-20 loss to the Bears. Brett Favre completed 29-of-40 pass attempts for 322 yards in that defeat, with one touchdown strike and two interceptions. DeShawn Wynn ran for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Greg Jennings had four catches for 83 yards and a TD. Jennings should be able to play through his sore shoulder Sunday afternoon.


Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6.5) (Total 37)
ALLTEL Stadium, 1:00pm ET (CBS)

The Texans are in last place in the AFC South right now, but they're also above the .500 mark at 3-2 on the season. Houston came back to defeat the Dolphins at home last week, with Matt Schaub going 20-of-34 for 294 yards and an interception. Ron Dayne ran for 40 yards on 16 carries for the Texans and found the end zone, while Kris Brown booted five field goals in the win. Andre Johnson (knee) won't return to action this week.

Jacksonville went up 10-0 after the first half and then hung on for a 17-7 road win over the Chiefs last week. David Garrard went 20-of-27 for 218 yards for the Jaguars in that contest, throwing a touchdown pass to Dennis Northcutt. Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 82 yards and a score on nine carries, while Fred Taylor ran for 51 yards. Jags kicker Josh Scobee won't return from his quad injury Sunday, and he could be out for the year.


New England Patriots (-5.5) at Dallas Cowboys (Total 53)
Texas Stadium, 4:15pm ET (CBS)

The Patriots stayed on a roll by doubling up the Browns 34-17 last week. New England was up 20-0 at halftime in that contest, then cruised to the victory. Tom Brady was good on 22-of-38 pass attempts for 265 yards, with three touchdown strikes and no interceptions. Ben Watson picked up 107 receiving yards and two scores, and Donte' Stallworth had the other offensive TD. Sammy Morris ran for 102 yards on 21 attempts.

Rookie kicker Nick Folk had to boot a game-winning 53-yard field goal twice last week to get the Cowboys past the Bills 25-24 and keep them undefeated on the season. Dallas QB Tony Romo had a rough outing, completing just 29-of-50 pass attempts for 309 yards, with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Jason Witten picked up 103 receiving yards and a score, and Patrick Crayton had six catches for 73 yards and a TD.


New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) (Total 43)
Qwest Field, 8:15pm ET (NBC)

The Saints fell to 0-4 last week by ending up on the wrong end of a 16-13 decision versus the Panthers. New Orleans gave up 10 points in the fourth quarter to squander their lead in that contest. Drew Brees went 29-of-47 for 252 yards on the day, with no TD passes and two interceptions, while Reggie Bush ran for just 67 yards on 21 carries. Devery Henderson was the Saints' offensive standout, with 101 yards off four catches.

Seattle couldn't get anything going on offense last week as they were blanked 21-0 by the Steelers at Heinz Field to fall to 3-2 on the season. Matt Hasselbeck went just 13-of-27 for 116 yards passing on the day, with no touchdowns and one interception, while Shaun Alexander rushed for just 25 yards on 11 carries. Wide receiver Deion Branch will miss this Sunday night contest because of the foot injury he suffered last weekend.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Dunkel Index

MLB
Dunkel Index

Arizona at Colorado
The Rockies have yet to lose in the postseason (5-0) and have now won 19 of 20 overall down the stretch. That puts Clint Hurdle's team in a category with the 1976 Reds as the only two teams to win their first five playoff games. The bats have cooled off a bit for the Rockies as they are hitting just .211 as a team with the big bats of Matt Holiday and Todd Helton hitting just .125. But the pitching has responded, especially a bullpen that has allowed only two runs over 20 postseason innings. Colorado should count on another strong outing from starter Josh Fogg tonight as he was 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA in his last seven starts. Fogg has also enjoyed success against the D-backs with a 6-1 record and 3.71 ERA in 12 career outings. Coming home, the Rockies look like the pick in Game Three (-145) according to Dunkel, which has Colorado favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-145). .

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

Game 959-960: Arizona at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Hernandez) 15.489; Colorado (Fogg) 17.201
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-145); 10
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-145); Under

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Dunkel Index

NHL
Dunkel Index

Detroit at Los Angeles
The Red Wings are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season and have usually had success against the struggling Kings. Detroit has won 13 of the last 14 meetings, including six of the last seven in LA. Dominik Hasek has won five consecutive starts against the Kings while allowing only nine goals. Overall Hasek is 14-4-0 with a 2.03 GAA against Los Angeles. The Kings have lost four straight and were awful defensively in losing to Boston at home (8-6) on Friday. Since opening with a 4-1 win over Anaheim in London, the Kings have allowed 22 goals during the four-game skid with both goalies (Jonathan Bernier and Jason LaBarbera) playing badly. Detroit looks like the pick (-155) in this one according to Dunkel, which has the Red Wings favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-155). Here are all of today's games.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

Game 51-52: Detroit at Los Angeles
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 12.126; Los Angeles 10.018
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 2; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-155); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-155); Over

Game 53-54: Minnesota at Anaheim
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 12.159; Anaheim 11.026
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+135); Under

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[pm530]

Hockey – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


Sunday, October 14

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DETROIT (3-1-0-1, 7 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (1-4-0-0, 2 pts.) - 10/14/2007, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 51-14 ATS (+21.1 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 5-16 ATS (+5.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 80-118 ATS (+226.9 Units) after a non-conference game since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 7-27 ATS (+36.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 5-21 ATS (+30.0 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 4-18 ATS (-20.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 2-12 ATS (+15.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 7-1 (+5.3 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 7-1-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.6 Units)

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MINNESOTA (4-0-0-0, 8 pts.) at ANAHEIM (2-3-0-1, 5 pts.) - 10/14/2007, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 40-20 ATS (+15.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 14-4 ATS (+9.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 7-6 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 7-6-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.5 Units)

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[pm530]

Baseball – Added Notes

MLB
Added Notes

Sunday, October 14

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What bettors need to know: Game 3 - Arizona at Colorado

Hernandez vs. Fogg

Colorado’s Josh Fogg will take the mound Sunday night when the Rockies attempt to take a 3-0 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. Fogg was 10-9 overall this season with a 4.79 ERA and was 5-4 at Chase Field with a 4.83 ERA.

The veteran right-hander pitched two scoreless innings of relief in the D-backs’ 10-5 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of their NLDS. Fogg pitched four innings and allowed five runs in the Rockies’ 9-8 win over the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card tiebreaker on October 1.

Livan Hernandez gets the nod for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander was 11-11 during the regular season with a 4.93 ERA and led Arizona to a series clinching Game 3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Hernandez allowed five hits and one run in Arizona’s 5-1 victory.

Hernandez is 4-6 against the Rockies dating to 2004, while Fogg is 7-3 against the Diamondbacks dating to 2005.

Rock and roll

The Rockies have been magnificent since a September 15 trouncing by the Marlins. They have won 19 of their last 20, including 10 straight on the road and eight straight overall.

A Game 2 win over the D-backs on Friday made Colorado the first NL club to win its first five postseason games since the Wild Card was introduced in 1995.

The Rockies return home Sunday for Game 3 of the NLCS with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Diamondbacks.

“Denver is going to be a crazy place this weekend, and we're excited to go home and keep playing the way we've been playing,” Rockies first baseman Todd Helton told MLB.com. “But we still have some work to do.”

It might not be as hard as Helton thinks.

Since the league championship series expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1984, 14 of the 17 teams that won the first two games advanced to the World Series.

“We expect to win every game,” Rockies pinch-hitter Ryan Spilborghs told reporters. “To come out of Arizona with two wins is pretty much what we expected.”

Squeaking by

It certainly hasn’t been the Rockies’ offense that has landed them a 2-0 series lead over the Diamondbacks. Colorado is batting a dismal .211 and has 22 strikeouts in two games against Arizona.

“We're fundamentally sound, we pitch better, we find ways to win,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle told reporters after their Game 2 win. “That has played out very well. We've got nine straight road wins and four in the postseason. That speaks for itself.”

Arizona, comparatively, continues to find ways to lose.

The D-backs loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but third-baseman Mark Reynolds struck out to end the inning. Reynolds also had a fielding error that scored a Colorado run in the second inning.

“We've come back from some difficult circumstances this year,” Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin told the Arizona Daily Star. “It's only two games and they have to get four to win.”

Crunching the numbers

The Rockies are 7-1 in their last eight games as a home favorite and are 8-2 in Fogg’s last 10 starts at Coors Field.

Fogg is also 5-1 in his last six starts overall and 5-0 in his last five starts against the NL West.

Conversely, the Diamondbacks are 6-13 in Hernandez’ last 19 starts as a road underdog and 7-15 in Hernandez’ last 22 road starts.

“I know what happens in the playoffs, and that is that one run can be the difference,” Hernandez told reporters. “It is important to make some runs and save some runs. You never see a 14-0 playoff game or a 10-0 game. Every game is close.”

The under has cashed in five of the six series meetings between Arizona and Colorado at Coors Field.

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[pm530]

Baseball today - Sunday, Oct. 14

SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Oct. 14

Arizona at Colorado (8:37 p.m. EDT). Livan Hernandez faces Josh Fogg in Game 3 of the NLCS.

STARS

-Trot Nixon, Indians, snapped an 11th-inning tie with a pinch-hit single, and Cleveland broke loose for six more runs to beat Boston 13-6.

RECORD BREAKER

Manny Ramirez hit his 23rd postseason homer in Boston's 13-6 11-inning loss to Cleveland on Saturday, a two-run drive to break the playoff record he had shared with former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams.

BIG GAME PITCHER

Livan Hernandez was 11-11 with a 4.93 ERA this season, but he was by far Arizona's best starter against Colorado, going 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in five starts (35 innings). Hernandez, starting Sunday with the Diamondbacks in a 2-0 hole, has a 7-2 career postseason record, including a combined 5-0 in the division series and the NLCS.

HIRED

Dusty Baker was hired as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, agreeing to a three-year deal Saturday with a team coming off its seventh straight losing season. Baker managed the Giants for 10 years, leading them to the World Series in 2002. He left San Francisco after a falling out with ownership and went to the Cubs, leading them to the NLCS in his first season. He'll replace Pete Mackanin, who got the job on an interim basis after Jerry Narron was fired in July.

SPEAKING

''To start something up in the 11th inning, it's kind of ridiculous to be playing at 1:30 in the morning, but you don't get these opportunities too much.'' - Cleveland's Trot Nixon, after the Indians won Game 2 of the ALCS 13-6 in 11 innings on Saturday. The game lasted 5 hours, 14 minutes. It ended at 1:37 a.m. EDT, when Joe Borowski got a game-ending double play.

SEASONS
Oct. 14

1905 - Christy Mathewson blanked the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 to give the New York Giants the World Series in five games. All were shutouts, with Mathewson getting three, Joe McGinnity one and Chief Bender of Philadelphia one.

1929 - The Philadelphia A's rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 and take the World Series in five games. Mule Haas' two-run homer tied the game and Bing Miller's RBI double won it.

1965 - Sandy Koufax tossed his second shutout to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins and the world championship in seven games.

1969 - New York's Tommie Agee made two spectacular catches to save five runs and secure a 5-0 victory over Baltimore as the Mets took a 2-1 lead in the World Series.

1971 - Pittsburgh's Nelson Briles threw a two-hitter against the Orioles for a 4-0 victory to give the Pirates a 3-2 edge in the World Series.

1975 - The Reds took a 2-1 lead in the World Series with a controversial 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox in Cincinnati. In the 10th, Reds pinch-hitter Ed Armbrister attempted a sacrifice bunt and bounced the ball in front of the plate. Catcher Carlton Fisk fielded the ball but collided with Armbrister and threw the ball into center while trying to force Cesar Geronimo at second. Geronimo went to third - and later scored the game-winning run - and Armbrister moved to second. Home plate umpire Larry Barnett ruled there was no interference despite heated protests by the Red Sox.

1976 - Chris Chambliss hit a ninth-inning home run off Kansas City's Mark Littell to give the New York Yankees a 7-6 victory over the Royals and their first American League pennant since 1964.

1984 - Kirk Gibson hit two home runs to lead Detroit to an 8-4 victory and the World Series in five games over the San Diego Padres.

1985 - Ozzie Smith's one-out, ninth-inning home run off Tom Niedenfuer gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a 3-2 lead in the National League playoffs.

1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first Canadian team to reach the World Series with a 9-2 win over the Oakland Athletics in Game 6 of the American League championship series.

1997 - The Florida Marlins defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-4 behind Kevin Brown's complete game and Bobby Bonilla's three RBIs to win the NL championship series, 4-2.

1998 - The San Diego Padres reached the World Series for the first time since 1984, shutting down the Atlanta Braves' comeback bid behind MVP Sterling Hitchcock for a 5-0 victory in Game 6 of the NL championship series.

2000 - Roger Clemens pitched a one-hitter and struck out an ALCS record 15 as the New York Yankees beat Seattle 5-0. Clemens tied the LCS record with San Francisco's Livan Hernandez, who struck out 15 in Game 5 of the 1997 NLCS between Florida and Atlanta.

2006 - Magglio Ordonez hit two home runs, including a series-ending, three-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to lead Detroit to a 6-3 victory and an ALCS sweep of Oakland.

Today's birthdays: Carlos Marmol 25; Jerry Gil 25; Boof Bonser 26; Duaner Sanchez 28; Ryan Church 29.

[pm530]

Hockey today - October 14

SCOREBOARD
Sunday, Oct. 14

Minnesota at Anaheim (8 p.m. EDT). The teams split four meetings last season, with each being decided by one goal.

STARS
Saturday

-Joe Sakic, Avalanche, got his 15th career hat trick with three goals in Colorado's 5-1 win over Columbus.

-Olli Jokinen, Panthers, had a goal and two assists and tied Florida's career scoring mark in a 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay.

-Robert Lang and Jason Williams, Blackhawks. Lang scored the tying goal with 1.5 seconds left in regulation and Williams got the winner 43 seconds into overtime and Chicago stunned Dallas 2-1.

-Sidney Crosby, Penguins, scored his first two goals of the season, including the winner with 5:22 left in the third period, to lead Pittsburgh past Toronto 6-4.

-Kristian Huselius, Flames, scored twice and Calgary outlasted Nashville 7-4.

-Patrik Elias, Devils, scored two goals, including one on a power play with 27 seconds left and New Jersey rallied for a 6-5 win at Atlanta.

-Derek Roy, Jaroslav Spacek and Brian Campbell, Sabres. Roy and Spacek each scored twice and Campbell had four assists in Buffalo's 7-3 rout of Washington.

-Eric Belanger, Wild, scored a short-handed goal with 3:15 left to help Minnesota edge Phoenix 3-2.

-Aaron Ward, Bruins, scored with 12 seconds left to give Boston a 2-1 win at San Jose.

DOMINATION

Colorado is 22-1-1-1 against Columbus since the Blue Jackets joined the NHL in 2000 after a 5-1 win on Saturday night.

QUICK STRIKES

Ottawa set a team record for fastest three goals in Saturday night's 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. Dany Heatley, Chris Phillips and Patrick Eaves scored in a span of 52 seconds in the second period to top the previous mark of 1:16 against the New York Islanders on March 15.

TIED AT THE TOP

Olli Jokinen had a goal and two assists to tie Scott Mellanby for Florida's career scoring lead in a 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday night. Jokinen has 156 goals and 198 assists for 354 points in seven season with the Panthers.

BRICK WALL

Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom has allowed just four goals over four appearances this season after surrendering two in a 3-2 win at Phoenix on Saturday night. Backstrom had a 1.97 goals-against average last season and was part of the William Jennings Trophy-winning tandem that allowed the fewest goals in 2006-07.

OH, CANADA!

Carolina won its third straight road game in Canada on Saturday night, 3-1 at Montreal. The Hurricanes routed Toronto 7-1 on Monday, and beat Ottawa 5-3 on Thursday.

TOUGH DEBUT

Dallas' Tobias Stephan lost a shutout in his first NHL game with 1.5 seconds left in regulation and allowed a power-play goal 43 seconds into overtime for a 2-1 loss at Chicago on Saturday night. He stopped 38 shots.

BROTHERLY LOVE

Henrik Sedin set up his twin, Daniel, for two goals 2:18 apart in the second period to help Vancouver beat Edmonton 4-1 on Saturday night. The Sedins have combined for 31 points in their last 10 games against Edmonton.

SIMON SAYS

Islanders forward Chris Simon returned from a 25-game suspension dating to last season to play for New York against Philadelphia on Saturday night. Simon picked up where he left off, dropping his gloves in the second period to fight Flyers forward Riley Cote.

SPEAKING

''This is not last year's team. There's just a totally different attitude in the locker room. There's no question it looked like a different team pulled it out.'' - Philadelphia coach John Stevens after the Flyers improved to 3-1 with a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night. The Flyers were the worst team in the NHL last year with a 22-48-12 record.

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[Udog]

NHL
Ice picks: Sunday's best NHL bets

Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks (-140, 5)

The Wild are definitely streaking with four straight wins, but they've played under the 5-goal total in two of those wins. They pushed the total in the other two, a 3-2 win over Columbus and another 3-2 win over Phoenix.

The Ducks started their season with a long road trip that took them to London and back with a three-game stint in the East. They won just one of five games on the road but are finally back in Anaheim where they beat Boston 2-1 in their home opener Wednesday.

There's still no word on Teemu Selanne or Scott Niedermayer, while Mathieu Schneider is out for a month. Francois Beachemin has stepped up with a goal and four assists and Ryan Getzlaf leads the team with 22 shots on goal but Anaheim's offense is unpredictable at best.

This matchup could come down to goaltending. Jean-Sebastien Giguere could return any day now, possibly as early as tonight. Ilya Bryzgalov (2.46 GAA) will remain the Ducks' starter until Giguere is fit. Niklas Backstrom has allowed just four goals on 98 shots for a 1.00 GAA and will start for the Wild tonight.

Pick: Under 5


Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings (+141, 5 1/2)

Detroit's first three wins of the season were at home but the Wings aren't likely to feel the pressure of a road trip, especially not when it's in Los Angeles to face the Kings.

Home ice hasn't provided much of an advantage to the Kings who have dropped both home games this season and are 0-for-4 in their last four overall. Their only win this season was a 4-1 defeat of the Ducks in London, England.

Despite the string of losses, the Kings have posted 15 goals in six games while Henrik Zetterberg has three of Detroit's 16 goals in six games.

The Wings have won six of their last seven meetings at the Staples Centre and 13 of their last 14 matchups overall.

Pick: Wings -151

[Udog]

NHL
Sunday's key NHL matchup notes

Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks (-131, 5)

Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere appears to be very close to returning to Anaheim's (2-3-1) lineup after undergoing hernia surgery in August.

If Giguere is unable to play on Sunday, Ilya Bryzgalov likely would start again. Bryzgalov made 18 saves against the Bruins for his first win of the season, and went 3-1-0 with a 2.09 GAA against Minnesota in last season's playoffs.


Detroit Red Wings at Los Angeles Kings (+145, 5 ½)

Since a season-opening 4-1 victory over Anaheim, Los Angeles has surrendered 22 goals during its four-game skid. Among the league's worst defensive teams in 2006-07, the Kings have allowed an NHL-worst 23 goals this season.

[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Sunday, October 14

League Championship Series

Hernandez is 1-0, 1.80 in five starts vs Colorado this year; the Diamondbacks three of his four no-decisions vs Rockies, who have won 19 of last 20 games, allowing only three runs in first two games of series. Hernandez is 3-2, 5.63 in his last six starts overall. Fogg is getting first playoff start here; he worked in the Philly series, in relief-- he is 1-1, 3.00 in four starts vs Arizona in '07-- this is his first start in 18 days. Rockies won seven of his last nine starts at Coors Field.

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Sunday, October 14

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Today's NHL analysis

Hot Teams
-- Red Wings are 3-2, allowing two goals in all three wins, 4/3 in their two losses; they're 0-1 on road.
-- Minnesota is off to 4-0 start, allowing four goals.

Cold Teams
-- Kings lost their last four games, allowing 22 goals.
-- Anaheim lost three of last four games, but won their only one at home, 2-1 vs Boston.

Series Records
-- Detroit won seven of its last eight games against the Kings.
-- Home side won ten of last 11 Minnesota-Anaheim games; the Wild lost last six games here (4-2/2-1/3-2/2-1/3-2/4-1). Anaheim beat Minnesota 4-1 in playoff series last spring.

Totals
-- Over is 3-1 in Red Wings' last four visits to Staples Center.
-- Under is 5-1 in Anaheim games this season.

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[pm530]

College Football – Write up

NCAAF
Write-up


Sunday, October 14

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Sunday's game

Boise State thrashed New Mexico State 58-0 last Sunday, while Nevada scored 41 points at home but lost to Fresno; Broncos are 28-11 vs spread in last 39 tries as home favorite; they won their last five games vs Nevada (44-7/56-3/58-21/49-14/39-7) and Wolf Pack covered just three of last 12 as road dog, losing their first two road games this year, at Northwestern (36-31) and at Nebraska (52-10).

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