Announcement

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:09 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Tuesday, October 20

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees and Angels continue the ALCS in California, and the Penguins look to extend their winning streak to six games.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

It's Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday night, with Scott Kazmir and the Angels hosting CC Sabathia and the Yankees. Lefthander Kazmir will be looking to bounce back from a rough ALDS outing against the Red Sox in which he gave up five earned runs on five hits over his six innings of work. Lefthander Sabathia made short work of the Angels in Game 1 of this series, surrendering just one earned run on four hits over eight innings of work. Sabathia also fanned seven.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

As well, the National Hockey League offers up three games on Tuesday, with Atlanta at Montreal, Columbus at Calgary, and St. Louis at Pittsburgh. The Blues improved to 3-2-1 on the season with a 5-0 blanking of the Ducks on Saturday night. Andy McDonald scored twice in that win, while Ty Conklin made 26 saves for the shutout. The Penguins are riding high at 7-1-0 this year after getting past the Lightning 4-1 last time out. Sidney Crosby collected two assists in that game.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:09 AM

Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips

Tuesday, October 20

Habs and have nots

During their five-game losing streak, the Montreal Canadiens have managed just nine goals despite holding a 152-126 edge in shots. A puny power play has been a factor; the Habs are 2-for-16 with the extra man and wasted a two-man advantage of 1:55 in Saturday's loss to Ottawa. The Canadiens are -118 vs. the visiting Atlanta Thrashers with a total of 6.0.

Great Scott?

There was some disagreement in the media as to whether Angels manager Mike Scioscia should have started Scott Kazmir in Game Two of the ALCS ahead of fellow lefthander Joe Saunders, who pitched very well. Kazmir was 2-1 with three quality starts and a 3.20 ERA vs. the Yankees this season. The Angels are +125 with a total of 8.5.

The real McCoy?

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy may lose his thumbnail but won't lose any playing time. Despite a bruised right thumb that kept him out of practice Monday, McCoy plans to play Saturday at Missouri. The Longhorns ar giving 13.5 points and are just 1-4-1 against the spread.

A peek at Pike

Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike practiced Monday with a cast on his left forearm to protect a surgical plate that shifted when he was hit in a win over South Florida. Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said Pike will not play vs. Louisville unless he can protect himself. Unbeaten Cincinnati is giving 17.5 points to Louisville and is 4-2 against the spread.

A look ahead

Tulsa will be playing its second straight weekday game when it ventures to Texas-El Paso, where soemthing's got to give. The Golden Hurricane have played to the under in their last eight games. But these schools have cleared the total in five of their last six meetings, including last year's 102-point explosion. Tulsa is giving seven points with no total as yet, although the number has been in the low 70s the last two years.

Sleeping in

The NBA season is just over a week away, and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is experimenting with not having shootarounds on the day of home games. The team instead will arrive four hours before the 7:30 p.m. ET tip time and prepare for the game. Shootarounds are almost always held in the morning to get players thinking about the game and prevent them from staying out late the previous night, always a temptation in New York. The Knicks have 28 home games that follow a day off and start at night. They are 30-1 to win the Atlantic Division, 40-1 to win the Eastern Conference and 100-1 to win the NBA Finals.

Notable quotable

"I wasn't scared, but it wasn't something I was comfortable with."

-- Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, explaining to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer his state of mind while waiting for the results of a biopsy over the summer. The growth in his jaw was benign and James had it removed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:10 AM

Six-pack for Tuesday

Odds on teams to win the college hoop tourney in April

-- Kansas 5-1-- Morning line favorite has expectations.

-- Kentucky 11-2-- Speaking of expectations, Calipari has a lot.

-- Florida 40-1-- Billy the Kid having trouble rebuilding after titles.

-- West Virginia 40-1-- Pretty good bet, at this price.

-- St John's 350-1-- First they'd have to finish over .500.

-- Siena 500-1-- Local Albany team in some preseason top 25's.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday's List of 13: Random thoughts as I head home......

13) I'm thinking the Dodgers are going to spend the winter thinking bad thoughts about walking Matt Stairs and hitting Carlos Ruiz in the ninth inning Monday night. Losing Game 4 like that is pretty much a disaster.

12) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver were killing Mike Scioscia for not running for Mathis when he was the winning run earlier in the game, but when he got the game-winning hit later on, Scioscia once again looked brilliant.

11) FOX has to be happier than hell the Angels won, stretching series at least until Thursday, since there are two off days scheduled this week, for whatever reason. Why do they need a day off Wednesday, when the teams will still be in Orange County?

10) According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, they were getting $10 a cup for hot chocolate in the Bronx last week. Greedy bastards. $10 for a freakin' cup of hot water with some Swiss Miss in it. Good grief.

9) Tennessee Titans were #1 seed in AFC last year; now they're 0-6 and looking like a team that has quit. Will be interesting to see how they play when they come back from their bye week.

8) Next spring's NFL Draft is supposed to be the strongest in years.

7) If I ran an NFL team, the punter wouldn't hold for kicks; either one of the receivers or my backup QB would. Need someone who is athletic and can make a play if snap is bad. Having punters hold is convenient for practice purposes-- what else do they do during practices?

6) Jets ran ball for 318 yards Sunday but lost; last time an NFL team did that was the Cleveland Rams way back in 1944.

5) Steelers allowed a defensive or special teams TD in each of their last four games.

4) Dallas Cowboys had themselves a good day Sunday, and they didn't even play-- Redskins, Giants, Eagles all lost their games this week.

3) Hard to believe, but LSU ranks 105th out of the 120 college football teams in passing. They need to recruit one of those young hotshot QBs, in case Jefferson doesn't start improving.

2) In fairness, thought Tim McCarver had an excellent game Monday; a couple times, he pointed something out that happened right after that. He was a brilliant analyst when he worked games every day. Other than the Mathis/pinch-running thing, he was just like that again Monday.

1) LSU's head athletic trainer is a guy named Jack Masucci who makes 30% of the bats used in the major leagues, including Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard's bats. Pretty good second job.

From: Armadillo
----------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:11 AM

MLB
This Day in Baseball

On October 20 in Baseball History...

1910 - Philadelphia's Jack Coombs, on one day of rest, had a complete game victory to beat the Chicago Cubs 12-5 and give the Athletics a 3-0 lead in the World Series. Coombs also had three hits and drove in three runs in the game.

1935 - Hank Greenberg is named AL MVP by the Baseball Writers. Wes Ferrell is runner-up.

1936 - Carl Hubbell (26-6) edges out Dizzy Dean (24-13) for MVP honors in the NL.

1960 - Coach Ralph Houk, 41, is named to succeed Casey Stengel as manager of the Yankees. He briefly led the Yankees in 1960 when Stengel was hospitalized.

1967 - Charlie Finley names Bob Kennedy the first manager of the Oakland A's.

1972 - In the fifth game of the World Series, Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds homered on the first pitch of the game from Oakland's Catfish Hunter, and the Reds went on to win 5-4.

1973 - Reggie Jackson of Oakland had RBI doubles in the first and third innings to lead the A's to a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets and set up a seventh game in the World Series.

1982 - The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 in Game 7 to win the World Series.

1985 - After giving up just two hits in eight innings, Royals southpaw Charlie Leibrandt is raked with three two-out hits and loses 4-2. St. Louis has a 2-0 Series lead.

1987 - The Cards get all their runs against the Twins in the seventh inning to win Game Three 3-1.

1988 - Orel Hershiser pitched a four-hitter and Mickey Hatcher and Mike Davis hit two-run homers to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics and the World Series title in five games. Hershiser became only the third player to win the MVP in both the playoffs and the World Series.

1990 - The Cincinnati Reds completed one of the biggest upsets in baseball history, beating the Oakland Athletics 2-1 to win the World Series in four games.

1993 - Devon White's two-run triple capped a six-run eighth inning as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied for a 15-14 victory over the Phillies and a 3-1 World Series lead. The 29 runs shattered the Series record of 22 set in Game 2 in 1936, when the Yankees beat the New York Giants 18-4. It was also the longest nine-inning game in series history - 4 hours, 14 minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:15 AM

MLB

Tuesday, October 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payoff pitch: Today’s best mound matchup
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CC Sabathia (New York Yankees) vs. Scott Kazmir (Los Angeles Angels)

CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 ERA)

Sabathia has been nearly untouchable in his first two postseason starts of 2009. The burly left-hander is posting a 2-0 record and 1.23 ERA, with his most recent trip to the mound lasting eight innings in which Sabathia allowed just one run on four hits while striking out seven batters in Game 1 of the ALCS.

That improved his postseason totals to 4-3 with a 5.45 ERA in seven career playoff starts. He has a postseason strikeout-to-walk count of 39-to-23 and has lasted an average of just over five innings per postseason start.

That Game 1 victory was his first win over the Angels this season. In the regular season, Sabathia was 0-2 with a bloated 6.08 ERA including a rough outing at Angels Stadium in the middle of July. He was hit for five earned runs on nine hits while walking three batters in just under seven innings of work. Sabathia has a 12-6 record and 3.53 ERA on the road this season.

Scott Kazmir (10-9, 4.89 ERA)

Kazmir was roughed up by a familiar foe, the Boston Red Sox, in his first start of the playoffs. He allowed six runs on five hits while walking three batters in six innings of Game 3 of the ALDS. However, the Angels bailed the left-hander out with a dramatic comeback to sweep the Red Sox and hand Kazmir a no-decision.

With that blunder, Kazmir’s postseason totals took a hit. He is 1-1 in six career playoff starts and watched his postseason ERA climb to 4.83. As a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, Kazmir faced the Yankees eight times before making the move to Los Angeles, where he has played New York once as a member of the Angels. He has a career 3-3 record and slim 2.42 ERA and has held New York to a .214 batting average in those nine starts.

His most recent outing versus New York was a six-inning, three-hit, three-run outing at Angels Stadium which the Halos dropped 3-2. As a home starter, Kazmir is 5-4 with an ERA just south of 6.00 going back to his time in Tampa Bay. In Los Angeles, he has yet to record a win after going 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in three home starts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**pm530** · 10-20-2009, 04:28 AM

MLB

Tuesday, October 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:57 PM
NY YANKEES vs. LA ANGELS
NY Yankees are 3-10 SU in their last 13 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 14 of NY Yankees's last 20 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels are 11-3 SU in their last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of LA Angels's last 9 games

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 07:53 AM

MLB
Dunkel

NY Yankees at LA Angels
The Yankees look to bounce back from yesterday's 5-4 loss and build on their 7-0 record in C.C. Sabathia's last 7 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game. New York is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the Yankees favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-135). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Game 901-902: NY Yankees at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Sabathia) 16.888; LA Angels 16.553
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-135); Under

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:04 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NY YANKEES (108 - 60) at LA ANGELS (101 - 67) - 7:55 PM
C.C. SABATHIA (L) vs. SCOTT KAZMIR (L)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 101-67 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA ANGELS are 26-14 (+10.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
LA ANGELS are 12-2 (+11.6 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 this season.
LA ANGELS are 94-59 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA ANGELS are 39-18 (+17.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
LA ANGELS are 61-39 (+15.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA ANGELS are 51-40 (+9.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA ANGELS are 51-35 (+12.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
KAZMIR is 39-21 (+13.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 25-7 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 29-12 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 45-23 (+25.0 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 16-3 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 108-60 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY YANKEES are 72-36 (+21.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY YANKEES are 59-33 (+13.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY YANKEES are 36-17 (+12.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 6-7 (+0.3 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.5 Units)

C.C. SABATHIA vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
SABATHIA is 6-7 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.390.
His team's record is 6-9 (-6.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-8. (-2.2 units)

SCOTT KAZMIR vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
KAZMIR is 6-5 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 2.66 and a WHIP of 1.252.
His team's record is 7-7 (+1.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-8. (-2.4 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:06 AM

MLB
Short Sheet

Tuesday, October 20th

American League Championship Series
Best of Seven
Game Four
Yankees Lead, 2-1
TV: FOX
NY Yankees at LA Angels, 7:55 ET
CC Sabathia (L) vs. Scott Kazmir (L)

Sabathia:
9-1 Over Away 2nd half of season
NYY 4-12 at LA Angels

Kazmir:
25-7 TSR in home games
LAA 14-1 if they had 6+ extra base hits last game

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:19 AM

MLB

Tuesday, October 20

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips and Trends
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels [FOX | 7:57 PM ET]

Yankees (-$1.35, O/U 8 over -$1.15): The Yankees traditionally do not play well at Angel Stadium losing 21 of their last 29 road games to the Angels. CC Sabathia (19-7, 3.37 ERA) is out to change that. The big lefty is facing the Angels on three days rest after pitching a terrific eight innings against them on Friday in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. Sabathia held the Angels to one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Sabathia wasn’t bothered by pitching after a nine-day layoff or the frigid temperatures and strong winds at Yankee Stadium. New York has won 22 of the past 30 times Sabathia has started, including 6-1 during his last seven road outings. The Yankees have won eight of their last 12 road games overall. The over is 14-5-1 the past 20 times the Yankees have played the Angels in Los Angeles.

The Under is 19-11 this season in games Jerry Layne has been the home plate umpire in, including going under in 6 of his last seven.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5

Angels: The Angels have won 14 of their last 19 home games when facing a left-handed starter. Los Angeles has lost 12 of its last 17 playoff games, however. The Angels 5-4 11-inning victory on Monday did end a six-game ALCS losing streak. Scott Kazmir has made four career starts at Angel Stadium, three since joining the team on Aug. 28 after being traded from Tampa Bay. His ERA during these outings is 3.16. Kazmir has been tough on the Yankees going 6-5 in 15 career starts with a 2.67 ERA in 87 2/3 innings. The southpaw had a 1.71 ERA for the Angels in 36 1/3 innings during the regular season. Kazmir had his least effective start for the Angels in Game 3 of his team’s opening playoff series against Boston. Kazmir yielded five earned runs in six innings allowing five hits and three walks at Fenway Park.

The Under is 16-5-1 in the Angels’ last 22 games versus a left-handed starter.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4 (UNDER - Total of the Day)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:24 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Write-ups will resume with the World Series.

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:27 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Atlanta at Montreal
The Thrashers look to take advantage of a Montreal team that is 0-6 in its last 6 home games. Atlanta is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Thrashers favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

Game 51-52: St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis 13.607; Pittsburgh 12.766
Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 1; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-200); 6
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+180); Over

Game 53-54: Atlanta at Montreal
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 12.812; Montreal 11.361
Dunkel Line & Total: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-120); 6
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+110); Over

Game 55-56: Columbus at Calgary
Dunkel Ratings: Columbus 11.766; Calgary 12.044
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-145); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (-145); Under

NHL
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST LOUIS (3-2-0-1, 7 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (7-1-0-0, 14 pts.) - 10/20/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 128-87 ATS (+248.6 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 23-9 ATS (+11.2 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 17-6 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 97-52 ATS (+26.6 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 1-0-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATLANTA (4-1-0-0, 8 pts.) at MONTREAL (2-5-0-0, 4 pts.) - 10/20/2009, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 109-120 ATS (+270.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
MONTREAL is 43-50 ATS (+98.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 17-21 ATS (-18.1 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 4-4 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 4-4-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COLUMBUS (5-1-0-0, 10 pts.) at CALGARY (5-2-0-1, 11 pts.) - 10/20/2009, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 14-31 ATS (+49.0 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 26-21 ATS (+54.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 15-10 ATS (+28.3 Units) 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
COLUMBUS is 5-4 (+1.3 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 5-4-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.9 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NHL
Short Sheet

Tuesday, 10/20/2009

ST LOUIS at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 PM ET
ST LOUIS: 0-4 SU off a road shut out win
PITTSBURGH: 23-9 SU on Tuesday nights

ATLANTA at MONTREAL, 7:30 PM ET
ATLANTA: 10-6 SU after BB wins
MONTREAL: 4-8 SU at home after 2+ consecutive unders

COLUMBUS at CALGARY, 9:30 PM ET
COLUMBUS: 14-31 SU after scoring 4+ goals in their previous game
CALGARY: 24-10 SU when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

NHL
Write-Up

Write-Ups will resume next week.

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:28 AM

NHL
Additional

Tuesday, October 20

Refer to post #1 for Matchup Links to more trends/stats *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PITTSBURGH
St. Louis is 2-7-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games

7:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. MONTREAL
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games

9:30 PM
COLUMBUS vs. CALGARY
Columbus is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Columbus's last 10 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Calgary's last 7 games at home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips and Trends
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

St. Louis Blues at Pittsburgh Penguins [7:05 PM ET]

Blues: The Blues are coming off a big 5-0 win against Anaheim on Saturday, which ended a three-game losing streak. Goalie Ty Conklin recorded 26 saves in the shutout. The Blues opened their season winning two games against Detroit in Sweden. St. Louis scored nine goals in its two victories versus the Red Wings. However, the Blues managed just five goals in losing their next three games before defeating Anaheim. The Blues were 0-for-10 on the power play during their losing skid. St. Louis ranks ninth in the NHL with a 2.47 goals-against average. The Blues and Penguins are 5-1-1 to the under in their past seven meetings. The under is 5-0-3 in the Blues’ last eight games against opponents with winning records. The visiting team has lost in eight of the past 11 head-to-head games. The Blues will still be without injured defenseman Barret Jackman for this game.

The Blues are 5-11 in their last 16 games versus Eastern Conference foes.

Key Injuries - Defenseman Barret Jackman (ankle) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 2

Penguins (-$2.00, O/U 6 under -$1.25): The Penguins are off to their second-best start in franchise history at 7-1-0. They’ve won five in a row. Pittsburgh has allowed just six goals in its last four games. Defenseman Jay McKee had seven blocks in the Penguins’ last game, a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday. McKee leads the lead with 28 blocked shots. McKee had spent the previous three seasons with St. Louis. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is 7-0-0 with a 2.08 goals against average. However, he’s yielded three goals in each of his last two games versus St. Louis. The Penguins have allowed 13 goals in their last four games against the Blues. They have lost three of their last four to St. Louis. Pittsburgh is 40-14 the past 54 times it has played on two days rest. The Penguins have won 39 of their last 53 games.

The Penguins are 21-7 in their last 28 Tuesday games.
The Under has cashed in 8 of Pittsburgh’s last 11 games

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4 (Side of the Day)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thrashers vs. Montreal Canadiens (-118, 6)

Montreal plays in just its second home game of the season Tuesday night and it’s not clear if that’s a good thing. Nobody’s home fans are quicker to boo their own side when things aren’t going well and right now, things aren’t going well.

The Habs have lost five straight games after scraping out two overtime wins to open the season.

Scoring goals has been the biggest problem with just 13 in regulation time through seven games. The power play is a pathetic 2-for-22 and many blame that on the injury to defenseman Andrei Markov in the season opener.

In hopes someone else can kick start things, Montreal is recalling offensive-minded blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron from Hamilton for Tuesday’s game, but we wouldn’t advise to expect any miracles.

Pick: Under 6

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Calgary Flames (-145, 5.5)

If the Flames are still upset about losing to Columbus last week, they’ll have a chance to take it out on the Blue Jackets Tuesday.

Columbus beat the Flames in a tight-checking 2-1 game last Tuesday that had an extra bit of sting for the Flames because the loss came just one day after their now infamous 6-5 embarrassment to the Blackhawks. (The Flames had a 5-0 first period lead in that game).

Even though the Flames have looked a little better in their two games since the loss to Chicago, they apparently haven’t learned their lesson. They held a 5-0 lead after two periods over the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend but were outscored 3-0 in the third to make the game closer than it should have been.

The good news is that Columbus plays such a defensive style from end to end that it’s unlikely Calgary will have a chance to build a big lead and then give its fans a heart attack.

Pick: Under 5

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 10-20-2009, 11:29 AM

Len's Top 5

Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for October 20, 2009 from Len Berman Sports.

1. Quick Hits

The Angels live. They beat the Yankees 5-4 in 11 innings in game 3. The Yankees lead the series two games to one.
The Phillies take a stranglehold on the Dodgers with their dramatic 5-4 win. They lead 3 games to 1.
Today's schedule: Game 4 Yankees @ Angels 7:57 ET FOX
The surprising Denver Broncos are now 6-0 after winning in San Diego last night, 34-23.
Brazil's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, vows to clean up the drug and gang violence that led to 21 deaths this past weekend. The pressure is on after Rio won the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Rubbing salt. StubHub offered Mets playoff tickets yesterday so their fans can "be there as the Mets chase immortality." StubHub called it an "email glitch" and "regrets the error."

2. Not so Average Joes

It was a rough night for a couple of Joe's. Yankee manager Joe Girardi is being questioned for "micro-managing." In retrospect, he used one reliever too many in last night's loss to the Angels. Dodger manager Joe Torre made the safe call. He had his closer on the mound in the bottom of the 9th. The Dodgers were one out away from evening the series when Jimmy Rollins hit a game winning two run double. As a result of all this, hold off on that Joe Torre return to Yankee Stadium for the World Series.... if there is a World Series at Yankee Stadium.

3. Inflation

I went to game 2 Yankees/Angels the other night. I was a guest in a suite. I thought back to the first Yankee postseason game I ever attended. Quite different. I took the subway (round trip 30-cents) to game 2 of the 1961 World Series, bought a $2.10 bleacher ticket, and just walked in. A bleacher seat the other night went for $25.00. Tolls and parking ran $40. The share each Yankee got for winning the 1961 World Series was $7389. This year $7389. almost bought you 3 regular season seats for one game, right behind home plate.

4. For God's Sake

Ya gotta love it. When The Knicks played Maccabi Tel Aviv the other night, Maccabi coach Pini Gershon got two technical fouls so he was "outta there." But he didn't want to leave the bench. A rabbi came onto the court to plead his case with the refs. The rabbi explained that kids were watching and it was important to teach peace and forgiveness. Oy. The refs didn't buy it. Good thing Tel Aviv doesn't have a hockey team. There would be no need for a penalty box.

5. Broadcast 101

The other day while discussing an ointment players use to keep warm, former Yankee pitcher David Wells said the smell in the TBS studio wasn't the ointment. He joked on the air that "he had farted." In all my years, that's one phrase I never used on the air. Hey, if I had, maybe I'd still be on TV?

Happy Birthday: Mets World Champion and current broadcaster Keith Hernandez. 56.
Bonus Birthday: My hero, Mickey Mantle, would have been 78 today.

Today in Sports: The Cincinnati Reds pulled off their shocking World Series sweep of the powerful Oakland A's. 1990.
Bonus Event: Brilliant move! The New York Nets sell Julius Erving to Philadelphia. (The Nets haven't won a title since.) 1976.

Announcement

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 10/20 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 10/20 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment