Announcement

**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:11 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, April 2

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The East-leading Cavs take on the Wizards, the Blues take on the Red Wings, and the NIT stages its championship matchup.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

LeBron James and the Cavaliers will be looking to get past the Wizards on Thursday night when they meet in Washington in just one of three games on the NBA schedule. The Wizards and Cavs last met on January 4, when Washington pulled out an 80-77 upset win as a 9-point home 'dog. James scored 30 points for Cleveland in that loss, while Antawn Jamison had 26 points for the Wizards.

It's Milwaukee at Philadelphia and Utah at Denver in the other two games on the NBA hardwood on Thursday. The Sixers beat the Bucks 110-105 on January 7, with Milwaukee a 7.5-point home favorite in that contest. The Jazz and Nuggets met in Utah on March 6, with the Jazz winning 97-91 as a 9.5-point home favorite. Deron Williams picked up 25 points and 11 assists for Utah in that win.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Eight games make up the National Hockey League's schedule for Thursday night, including St. Louis at Detroit. The Red Wings will be looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to the Predators on Sunday, with Chris Osgood giving up four goals on 30 shots. The Wings and Blues last met up on March 14, with Detroit grabbing a 5-2 win; St. Louis last managed to beat Detroit in March 2008.

The other Western Conference power will also take to the ice on Thursday night, as San Jose will be in Edmonton to face the Oilers. Rounding out the schedule: Ottawa at Boston, the Rangers at Carolina, Montreal at the Islanders, Anaheim at Vancouver, Los Angeles at Phoenix, and Calgary at Dallas. The Flames fell 2-1 to the Sharks in their last game on Monday, with Jarome Iginla scoring their goal.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The NIT championship game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, with Baylor taking on Penn State. The Bears won their semifinal matchup with San Diego State by a score of 76-62 on Tuesday night, with Curtis Jerrells scoring 25 points and LaceDarius Dunn adding 23 points. Penn State got past Notre Dame 67-59 on Tuesday , with Talor Battle pouring in a team-high 17 points and Andrew Jones contributing 16 points and 15 rebounds in the victory.

Finally, the PGA Tour tunes up for The Masters this week with the Shell Houston Open at Redstone GC in Humble, Texas. Phil Mickelson is pegged as the 5/1 Vegas favorite to get the win this week, with each of Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Camilo Villegas, and Geoff Ogilvy listed at 15/1 odds. Ogilvy and Chad Campbell both finished at 14-under in this tournament last year, two strokes back of winner Johnson Wagner. Mickelson finished 23rd at 6-under.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:12 AM

Six-pack for Thursday

-- In his career, CC Sabathia has a career record of 33-42 vs teams with winning records, 65-26 against teams with losing records.

-- Arizona's Chad Qualls led the NL last season, throwing his first pitch over the plate 68% of the time.

-- Carlos Gomez of the Twins had 30 bunt hits LY, more than all but four major league teams.

-- Angels were 63-13 LY when they scored five or more runs.

-- Halos reliever Jose Arredondo won ten games LY while tossing just 61 innings, the least innings ever thrown by a 10-game winner.

-- Only 40.4% of pitches thrown to Vladimir Guerrero LY were in the strike zone, the fourth year in row he saw the least strikes- he still swung at 59% of the pitches he saw.

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Late Night Update

-- A kid in McDonald's All-Star game didn't start because he forgot to put his jersey on under his warmup top.

-- Clemson's assistant football coaches will be paid total of $1.8M next season; that’s not counting what the head coach is paid.

-- Sounds like Tim Floyd is the frontrunner for the vacant Arizona coaching position; if Floyd moved to a league rival, it would be a huge slap in the face to USC's program.

-- MLB Network is awesome; spicing up a lousy TV night was the Milwaukee-Arizona exhibition game-- good stuff.

-- Texas-El Paso beat Oregon State 70-63; deciding Game 3 of the second annual CBI tournament is Friday night in El Paso.

-- Can someone explain to me why Don Nelson gets paid so much to coach in the NBA? What has he ever won?

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:12 AM

Thursday's List of 13: Top thirteen fantasy shortstops.....

13) Jerry Hairston, Cin-- Hit highest percentage of line drives in the major leagues last season.

12) Jed Lowrie, Bos-- Good doubles park, team will score lot of runs

11) Rafael Furcal, LA-- Dynamic leadoff hitter, when healthy.

10) JJ Hardy, Milw-- Miller Park is one of better hitters' parks.

9) Orlando Cabrera, A's-- Surprisingly consistent with the bat.

8) Miguel Tejada, Hst-- Good hitters park, but Miggy's on decline.

7) Derek Jeter, NYY-- Since defense doesn't count, he's still useful.

6) Stephen Drew, Ariz-- JD's brother better bet for keeper leagues.

5) Troy Tulowitzki, Colo-- 81 games a year at Coors Field.

4) Michael Young, Tex-- Last year he'll be eligible as a shortstop.

3) Hanley Ramirez, Fla-- Isn't surrounded by as much talent as the top two guys on this list.

2) Jose Reyes, NYM-- Am thinking Citi Field will be hitters' park.

1) Jimmy Rollins, Phil-- We know Phillies play in hitters' ballpark.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:13 AM

NBA
Write-up

Thursday, April 2

Hot Teams
-- 76ers won five of their last six home games.
-- Cavaliers won their last thirteen games (3-7 vs spread in last ten).
-- Jazz won five of their last seven games. Nuggets won four in row, nine of last ten games.

Cold Teams
-- Bucks lost six of their last seven gamess.
-- Wizards lost eight of their last nine games.

Totals
-- Seven of last nine Milwaukee games stayed under the total.
-- Last five Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Denver games stayed under the total.

Back-to Back
-- Bucks are 4-6 vs spread on road if they played the night before.
-- Cavaliers are 1-3 vs spread when playing first of two consecutive nights on the road.
-- Jazz are 6-3 vs spread if they play again the next night.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:14 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 2

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. PHILADELPHIA
Milwaukee is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Milwaukee is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee

8:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. WASHINGTON
Cleveland is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Washington is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Washington is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing Cleveland

10:30 PM
UTAH vs. DENVER
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games when playing Denver
Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Denver is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

7:00 PM
MIAMI vs. CHARLOTTE
Miami is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Miami is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Charlotte is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Miami
Charlotte is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Miami

7:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. INDIANA
San Antonio is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 11 of San Antonio's last 13 games when playing Indiana
Indiana is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:15 AM

NBA

We will update when added info and projected scores are available.

Thursday, April 2

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Tips and Trends
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards [TNT | 8 PM ET]

Cavs:

Cavs are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games vs. Southeast Division.
The UNDER is 5-0 in Cleveland's last 5 games overall.

Key Injuries - C Ben Wallace (shin) is OUT.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Wizards (NA):

Washington is 3-0 ATS in its last 3 home games.
The UNDER is 8-3 in Washington's last 11 games vs. Central Division.

Key Injuries - F Darius Songaila (neck) is probable.
G Juan Dixon (ankle) is questionable.
G Gilbert Arenas (knee) is doubtful.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets [TNT | 10:30 PM ET]

Jazz: Utah has dropped five of six on the road, with the only win during that stretch coming at Oklahoma City on March 20th. The Jazz are coming off a 125-104 loss at Portland on Tuesday and realize this is a very big divisional game with an opportunity to gain a full game on the Nuggets in the playoff race. “We’re going to get our mind right for Denver, and play a lot better,” Utah power forward Carlos Boozer said. “I believe in my teammates, I believe in our coaching staff, I believe we have the strength and the will to come back from this and bounce back.”

Jazz are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Utah's last 9 games vs. Western Conference.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Nuggets (-4, O/U 209): Denver moved into the #2 spot in the Western Conference playoff race and clinched a playoff spot with a 111-104 win over New York on Tuesday. However, the Nuggets realize they still have a lot of work to do before the regular season is over. “We’re excited about clinching,” Denver star Carmelo Anthony said. “At least we know we are in the playoffs, that’s a good sign. We still have games to go and win. Two losses back-to-back will put you in the eighth spot. That’s tough, that’s tough right now. I’m happy with the way we’re playing, I’m happy we clinched, I’m happy we’re in the playoffs. But we still want that home court.”

Nuggets are 12-5 ATS in their last 17 Thursday games.
The UNDER is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:16 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 2

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets (-4, 209)

In the highly competitive Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets became the fourth team to clinch a playoff spot. They don't really have time to celebrate, though, as the second and seventh seeds are separated by just 2.5 games.

The Northwest Division-leading Nuggets look to win their fifth in a row and move closer to securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs Thursday night when they host the Utah Jazz, one of the teams chasing them in the playoff race.

After being written off early, Denver (49-26) continued its impressive turnaround with Tuesday's 111-104 win over New York to clinch a playoff berth for the sixth straight season.

"We're excited about clinching," said Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 32.2 points in his last five games. "At least we know we are in the playoffs, that's a good sign. We still have games to go and win. Two losses back-to-back will put you in the eighth spot. That's tough, that's tough right now. I'm happy with the way we're playing, I'm happy we clinched, I'm happy we're in the playoffs. But we still want that home court."

In each of the past five seasons, the Nuggets went on the road to start the playoffs and were eliminated in the first round each time.Denver, which was fifth in the West just last week, moved into the No. 2 spot with San Antonio's loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The Nuggets also lead Portland by 1.5 games in the division, while third-place Utah (46-28) is 2 1/2 back.

The Nuggets are heading into the postseason in the right direction, winning four in a row and nine of 10 after losing their previous three. Denver must win five of its final seven to match the franchise record for victories set in 1987-88.

The Nuggets still have four games at home, where they've won a season-high six straight and 13 of 15. Denver is just 1-2 against the Jazz this season, but defeated them 117-97 at the Pepsi Center on Jan. 25.

Utah has lost five of six on the road - its only victory in that span coming against the lowly Thunder on March 20.

Struggling away from Salt Lake City, it's going to be tough for the Jazz to make a move in the standings, considering they also have road games against New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Jazz are coming off Tuesday's disappointing 125-104 loss at Portland, allowing the Trail Blazers to shoot 61.8 percent from the floor. It was Utah's worst field goal defense since Houston shot 62.7 percent on Feb. 2, 1995.

Pick: Over

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:18 AM

NCAAB
Long Sheet

When additional trends are available, we will update.

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Thursday, April 2
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BAYLOR (24 - 14) vs. PENN ST (26 - 11) - 4/2/2009, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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Saturday, April 4
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MICHIGAN ST (30 - 6) vs. CONNECTICUT (31 - 4) - 4/4/2009, 6:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games after scoring 80 points or more this season.
CONNECTICUT is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MICHIGAN ST is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in all neutral court games over the last 2 seasons.
MICHIGAN ST is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MICHIGAN ST is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing on a neutral court over the last 2 seasons.
MICHIGAN ST is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
MICHIGAN ST is 12-5 ATS (+6.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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VILLANOVA (30 - 7) vs. N CAROLINA (32 - 4) - 4/4/2009, 8:45 PM
Top Trends for this game.
N CAROLINA is 23-11 ATS (+10.9 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
N CAROLINA is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in road games in non-conference games this season.
N CAROLINA is 13-4 ATS (+8.6 Units) after allowing 60 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
N CAROLINA is 44-27 ATS (+14.3 Units) in road games in all tournament games since 1997.
N CAROLINA is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in a NCAA tournament games over the last 2 seasons.
N CAROLINA is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
VILLANOVA is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15 or more games this season.
VILLANOVA is 10-1 ATS (+8.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game after 15+ games this season.
VILLANOVA is 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:20 AM

NCAAB
Short Sheet

When additional games and trends become available, we will update.

Saturday, April 4th

Michigan State vs. Connecticut, 6:05 ET
Michigan State:
19-8 ATS as neutral court underdog
18-7 ATS vs. non-conference

Connnecticut:
12-2 Over on neutral court
2-5 ATS playing with 5 or 6 days rest

Villanova vs. North Carolina, 8:45 ET
Villanova:
19-7 Under when the total is 150 to 159.5
21-8 Under as an underdog

North Carolina:
12-3 ATS off BB Covers as a favorite
8-1 ATS in NCAA Tournament games

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:21 AM

NCAAB
Write-up

Thursday, April 2

NIT
Baylor won six of its last seven games since start of Big 12 tournament; they were underdog in five of the seven games, they're 3-11-1 vs spread as a favorite this season. They're an experienced, guard-oriented club that likes to play fast. Penn State plays slower pace; they held Notre Dame to 33% from floor in 67-59 win Tuesday. Lions will have busloads of students rooting for them (had 16 busloads Tuesday). Both sides have won 15 of their 17 non-conference games this season.

Friday, April 3

CBI
Oregon State lost its last four road games, by 10-25-16-7 points- its last win on road was Feb 14, at Wash State. Miners won seven of last eight at home, with only loss to Memphis- they're 5-1 vs spread as a favorite in non-league games. After shooting 60% in Game 1 home win, Beavers shot just 43% in Game 2, and forced only two UTEP turnovers-- they were outscored 22-8 at foul line in Game 2.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:22 AM

NCAAB

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Trend Sheet
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Thursday, April 2

7:00 PM
BAYLOR vs. PENN STATE
Baylor is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Baylor is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Penn State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Penn State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

Saturday, April 4

6:07 PM
MICHIGAN STATE vs. CONNECTICUT
Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Michigan State is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
Connecticut is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Connecticut is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games

8:47 PM
VILLANOVA vs. NORTH CAROLINA
Villanova is 14-7 ATS in its last 21 games
Villanova is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
North Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
North Carolina is 18-2 SU in its last 20 games

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:23 AM

NHL
Write-up

Thursday, April 2

Hot teams
-- Bruins won last four games, scoring 18 goals.
-- Carolina won last six games, allowing five goals in last four.
-- Canadiens won three of their last four games.
-- Blues won five of their last six games.
-- Sharks won five of their last seven games.
-- Ducks won seven of their last eight games. Vancouver won eight of its last ten contests.
-- Coyotes won three of their last four games.

Cold teams
-- Senators lost three of their last four games.
-- Rangers lost three of their last four road games.
-- Islanders lost five of their last six games.
-- Red Wings lost three of their last four games.
-- Flames lost three of their last four games. Stars lost seven of eight.
-- Edmonton lost five of its last six games.
-- Kings lost eight of their last ten games.

Totals
-- Under is 3-0-1 in last four Boston games.
-- Last four Carolina games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Montreal games went over the total.
-- Three of last four St Louis games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Calgary games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Edmonton home games.
-- Three of last four Anaheim games went over the total.
-- Six of Kings' last seven games stayed under the total.

Back-to-Back
-- Islanders are 4-1 at home if they played the night before.
-- St Louis is 5-2 when they lost the night before.
-- Calgary is 3-6 if it plays again the next night.
-- Coyotes lost last seven games if they played the night before.

Series Records
-- Bruins won their last six games against Ottawa.
-- Rangers won seven of last ten games against Carolina.
-- Islanders won last two games against Montreal, after losing previous six meetings with the Canadiens.
-- Red Wings won seven of last eight games against St Louis.
-- Flanes lost five of last seven visits to Dallas.
-- Sharks won three of last four visits to Edmonton.
-- Canucks won five of last seven games against Anaheim.
-- Los Angeles lost three of last four games against the Coyotes.

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:24 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 2

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. NY ISLANDERS
Montreal is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of the NY Islanders last 19 games when playing at home against Montreal

7:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. CAROLINA
NY Rangers are 2-7 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games

7:00 PM
OTTAWA vs. BOSTON
Ottawa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Ottawa's last 13 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:30 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. DETROIT
St. Louis is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing St. Louis

8:30 PM
CALGARY vs. DALLAS
Calgary is 7-14-3 SU in its last 24 games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing Dallas
Dallas is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Calgary
Dallas is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games at home

9:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. EDMONTON
San Jose is 4-10-1 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Jose's last 11 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games when playing San Jose

10:00 PM
ANAHEIM vs. VANCOUVER
Anaheim is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Vancouver
Anaheim is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Vancouver is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Anaheim
Vancouver is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Anaheim

10:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. PHOENIX
Los Angeles is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Los Angeles's last 15 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

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**pm530** · 04-02-2009, 04:24 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 2

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Ice Picks: NHL best bets
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Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars (+120, 5.5)

The Calgary Flames can’t afford to drop this game in Dallas. Calgary now sits in fourth place in the Western Conference after watching the Canucks jump over them on Tuesday night.

The Flames have lost three of their last four games and in the process have found the back of the net just four times. Head coach Mike Keenan is trying to jumpstart the offense by mixing a number of different players alongside Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen including 36-goal scorer Mike Cammalleri.

"Personally, I've just got to keep making plays, and not think about it,'' said Cammalleri, "The puck is going to eventually wind up in the net.”

The Stars have been ravaged by injuries with nine regulars out of the lineup. They snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-2 win in Los Angeles.

“I think it was just a matter of us playing a smart, simple game," coach Dave Tippett said. "We relaxed and played the way we know we can play."

Dallas has won two of the three meetings this season with all three games finishing with totals of four goals or less. The Stars have struggled at home lately going 2-9 in their last 11.

Pick: Flames

Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders (+160, 6)

The Canadiens played one of their best games of the season on Tuesday night beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1.

Sophomore goaltender Carey Price was in top form making 28 saves to pick up his 23rd win of the season. Price has now started four in a row for the Habs and seems to getting better each game.

"His best complete game in a long time. Any time you have a goaltender who gives off an aura of confidence and who is making the strong saves and cleaning up his area, it’s part of what makes up a good team game. It allows the other players to relax,” said coach Bob Gainey.

The Habs are averaging 3.60 goals per game in their past five outings while the Islanders have allowed 3.80 goals against in their last five. New York has been burned for five goals in three of its past five games.

This will be the first road game in almost two weeks for the Canadiens after going 3-1-1 during a five-game home stand. Montreal is desperate to hold onto its playoff spot while the Islanders are getting set for the Jonathan Tavares sweepstakes.

Pick: Canadiens

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Announcement

Thursday Trends and Indexes 4/2 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

Thursday Trends and Indexes 4/2 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

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