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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:09 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, November 26

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Broncos host the Giants, the Longhorns prepare for the Aggies, and the Bulls try to stop a losing streak against the Jazz.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The NFL offers up a trio of Thanksgiving matchups on Thursday, with Green Bay (-11) at Detroit, Oakland at Dallas (-14), and the Giants (-7) at Denver. New York (6-4 SU, 4-5-1 ATS) got past the Falcons 34-31 last week, as Eli Manning completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 384 yards with three TDs and one INT. Denver (6-4 SU, 6-4 ATS) was blasted 32-3 by the Chargers last weekend, as Kyle Orton threw for just 171 yards with no touchdowns and one INT in that loss.

It's No. 3 Texas (11-0 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) vs. Texas A&M (6-5 SU, 5-5-1 ATS) in the only college football game on tap for Thursday. The Longhorns remained undefeated last week by pounding Kansas 51-20. Colt McCoy went 32-of-41 for 396 yards passing in that contest, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Aggies are coming off a 38-3 win over Baylor in which Jerrod Johnson threw for 153 yards and two TDs. Texas is pegged as the 21-point favorite for Thursday.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA offers up two games on Thursday, with Orlando at Atlanta and Chicago at Utah. The Bulls (6-7 SU, 4-9 ATS) have lost three straight games, most recently 122-98 to Portland on Monday night. Luol Deng tossed in 25 points for Chicago in that loss, while John Salmons picked up 22 points. The Jazz (7-7 SU, 6-8 ATS) fell 104-94 to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. Carlos Boozer poured in 26 points for Utah in that defeat, and Paul Millsap had 19 points off the bench.

As well, the Old Spice Classic and the 76 Classic highlight the college basketball schedule for Thursday. The 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center features the top matchup of the day, with No. 22 Minnesota taking on No. 12 Butler. The Golden Gophers (3-0 SU, 1-1 ATS) are coming off an easy 76-51 win over Utah Valley last time out, with Rodney Williams scoring 17 points. The Bulldogs (3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) got past Evansville by a score of 64-60 on Saturday.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there are just two NHL games on the Thursday schedule, with Los Angeles at Vancouver and Columbus at Ottawa. The Blue Jackets will be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses to the Rangers (7-4) and Canadiens (5-3) on Monday and Tuesday night. Antoine Vermette had a pair of goals for the Jackets in Tuesday's loss. The Senators will be without starting goalie Pascal Leclaire on Thursday; he's out for four weeks after suffering a broken cheekbone.

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:10 AM

Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips

Thursday, November 26

Cold Turkey

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and fellowship. Since 1920, the National Football League has provided bloated bloats at least one pigskin performance to enjoy on Turkey Day.

This year, a trio of NFL games allows turkey-stuffed viewers to either place a few wagers or fall into a postprandial trance.

The Thanksgiving Classic kicks off with a 12:30 p.m. (ET) meeting between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. The Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders follow with a 4:15 p.m. (ET) gametime while the New York Giants and Denver Broncos wrap up the action at 8:20 p.m. (ET).

Bettors who have backed the favorite in recent Thanksgiving years have come away with some extra Christmas money at the end of the gluttonous day.

Thanksgiving favorites are 10-1 against the spread over the last four seasons. Those 10 favorites defeated their opponents by a margin of 22.4 points.

The only favorite to lose was the Cowboys, who were defeated in overtime 24-21, by the Denver Broncos in 2004.

The favorites on Thursday are the Packers (-11), Cowboys (-13.5) and Giants (-6.5).

Lions need turkey courage

Much of the above “favorite” success can be attributed to the downfall of the Detroit Lions over the past decade.

The Lions will play in their 70th Thanksgiving game on Thursday and hold an overall 35-32-2 record.

Detroit has dropped five Turkey Day games in a row and in that span are 0-5 ATS while getting outscored 179-62. Over the last 10 seasons, the Lions are 3-7 straight up on Thanksgiving and 3-7 ATS.

The courageous-less Lions may have trouble covering the 11-point spread against Green Bay this Thanksgiving with their starting quarterback doubtful and star receiver, Calvin Johnson, questionable.

Every turkey is bigger in Texas

The only thing standing in the way of a date in the BCS National Championship for the Texas Longhorns is Texas A&M.

This Big 12 rivalry, dubbed the Lone Star Showdown, first occurred in 1894 and the Longhorns hold a decisive 74-36-5 winning record.

But in rivalries such as these; records, statistics and conventional wisdom can be thrown out the window.

Both teams are 5-5-1 ATS this season. The Aggies are 5-1 at home in 2009 and hold a 4-1-1 ATS mark at Kyle Field.

Longhorns’ quarterback Colt McCoy led Texas to a 49-9 pounding of the Aggies last year, but did not come away victorious the previous two seasons. A&M defeated the Longhorns 38-30 as 7-point underdogs last year and won 12-7 as 14-point dogs in 2007.

Texas opened as 22.5-point favorites and the spread has been bet down to a current number of 21. The total was released at 62.5 and most shops are still offering that number.

Dynamite on TNT

If football isn’t enough to satiate your Thanksgiving sports appetite, tune into TNT later in the evening for a pair of NBA matchups.

The Magic and Hawks commence the double-header at 8 p.m. (ET). Orlando is coming off a last-second home loss to the Heat, and now travel to Atlanta where the Hawks (11-3, 11-3 ATS) are 7-0 inside the confines of Philips Arena.

Orlando (11-4, 9-5 ATS) is 1-1 straight up and ATS in back-to-back situations this season. The Magic have won and covered the spread in the last three meetings of this series.

The Bulls and Jazz wrap up the NBA action with a late night tipoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (ET). Utah has never played on Thanksgiving and faces a roadtrip-weary Bulls team that has lost three in a row.

Chicago (6-7, 4-9 ATS) has dropped three consecutive games ATS while the Jazz (7-7, 6-8 ATS) have failed to cover in two straight.

The Bulls have won three straight against Utah and are 4-0 ATS in their last four games in the series.

The spread opened at 7 in favor of the Jazz with a total of 195.

Notable quotable

"That may slap me in the face, that’s happened before, but I think they have a certain amount of responsibility…to try and be with their kids and that sort of thing. I accommodate them as much as I can and still try to do our job, and that to try to win a game.”

-- Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, in response to giving his players Wednesday off after a loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:11 AM

Six-pack for Thursday

NFL trends to ponder, with Week 12 upon us........

-- Falcons covered nine of last twelve home games.

-- Cardinals covered seven of last ten road games.

-- Redskins are 7-1 as road dog in division games.

-- Seattle covered eight of last ten as favorite in division games.

-- Chargers are 3-6 vs spread when laying double digits.

-- Dolphins covered last six divisional road games.

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Thursday's List of 13: Happy Thanksgiving to everyone........

13) First of all, thanks to everyone who reads this site; I hope you have as much fun reading it as I do writing it.

12) What was the NFL thinking putting the Raiders in Dallas today?

11) Until a few years ago, the third Saturday in November was the best college football day of the year, Rivalry Saturday, with the biggest and best of the rivalries all on the same day. The season has stretched out to 12 games now, and Rivalry Saturday is gone, but this Saturday comes closest to being that day. Lot of great traditional rivalries this week.

10) Alabama and Florida have to get by their arch-rivals this week to set up basically a play-in game next week for the national title game at the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. CBS has its fingers crossed.

9) It'll be interesting to see how Gene Chizik's first Iron Bowl goes; he has a tough task, going head-to-head with Nick Saban in Alabama, but this is the job he has chosen, and if he wants to keep it, he'll need to win one of these games now and then.

8) UConn-Duke is an interesting early season hoop game Friday nite.

7) Which struggling team will emerge from Denver with a win? Broncos are first 6-4 team in NFL history that started 6-0. Giants lost four of their last five games, but a win here makes that a distant memory.

6) Can Jets avoid freefall by beating struggling Panthers in the Swamp?

5) Arizona is 5-0 on the road. Tennessee is first team in NFL history to be 4-6 after starting season 0-6. Something has to give there.

4) I'm expecting my Rams to beat Seattle this week, but Mr Jackson's sore back better heal up before Sunday, or else. Rams are going with two QBs this week; Kyle Boller backed up by 6th-round draft pick Null.

3) Steelers-Ravens figures to be good theater Sunday night. Baltimore is due to break out those hideous black uniforms.

2) How are the Texans going to bounce back from Monday's tough loss when the Colts come to town Sunday? They really need this win.

1) Two good ESPN-sponsored hoop tournaments this weekend, one at Disney in Florida, one in Anaheim (West Virginia-Clemson-Butler in the field there). Smart move filling in the gaps in the weekend TV schedule.

From: Armadillo
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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:12 AM

NBA

Thursday, November 26

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. ATLANTA
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 12-3 ATS in its last 15 games
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

10:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. UTAH
Chicago is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Chicago is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Utah is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Chicago
Utah is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Chicago

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:13 AM

NBA

Thursday, November 26

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: Today's best NBA bets
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Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks

Most teams would crumble without their starting point guard on the floor. But when you run as deep as the ocean, injuries to starters seem like mere bumps in the road.

The Orlando Magic haven’t skipped a beat since losing guard Jameer Nelson to the knee injury last week. Veteran point guard Jason Williams was promoted to the starting lineup, giving the Magic scoring and playmaking at the top of the key.

Orlando’s depth was on display in 104-96 win over the Toronto Raptors. Reserves J.J. Redick, Ryan Anderson and Marcin Gortat all had points off the pine and didn’t allow a drop off when the starters needed a seat. Redick dropped in 19 points, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

"I thought the way we played with Jason Williams, J.J. (Redick), (Mickael) Pietrus, Ryan Anderson and Marcin Gortat – that's not exactly the lineup everybody writes about when they're writing about the Orlando Magic and that's on the road against a good team – they took the lead to double figures," Stan Van Gundy told the media. "You can't ask for more than that. It's a great job by our bench, to have Rashard, Vince and Dwight all on the bench at the same time, and Jameer out, that says a lot about our depth and our character."

The Magic have won five games in a row, covering the spread in four of those contests. Orlando has won its last three meetings with Atlanta, covering in all three games.

Pick: Orlando

Chicago Bulls at Utah Jazz

The Circus Curse strikes again.

The Bulls annual road slide isn’t as much a curse as it is facing some of the toughest teams in the West on their own courts. Chicago started the six-game road stretch with a win in Sacramento but has since lost three straight, failing to cover against Los Angeles, Denver and Portland.

The Bulls have been outscored by an average of more than 19 points and out-worked on the glass by 11 rebounds over those three losses. Injuries to its forward corps have left Chicago to depend on the bench more during this trip.

"If you don't bring your game every night, you're going to lose in this league," coach Vinny Del Negro told the Chicago Tribune. "Understanding and respecting what you need to do as a pro and going to do your job every night is something I stress every night.

"We're not talented enough just to roll the ball out there. We have to execute at both ends and be efficient. Some teams have superstar players they can just throw the ball to and can get wins behind them. We have to work together as a team.”

The attitude around the team seems to be looking forward to the end of this road swing, which wraps in Milwaukee Monday. Until then, Chicago continues to live the circus life on the road.

Pick: Utah

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:14 AM

NCAAB
Long Sheet

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Thursday, November 26
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CREIGHTON (2 - 1) vs. MICHIGAN (2 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 12:00 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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MARQUETTE (4 - 0) vs. XAVIER (3 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 2:20 PM
Top Trends for this game.
XAVIER is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
XAVIER is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
XAVIER is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
XAVIER is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MARQUETTE is 82-54 ATS (+22.6 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
MARQUETTE is 25-12 ATS (+11.8 Units) in November games since 1997.
MARQUETTE is 66-43 ATS (+18.7 Units) after a non-conference game since 1997.
MARQUETTE is 66-41 ATS (+20.9 Units) versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game since 1997.

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

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ALABAMA (2 - 1) vs. BAYLOR (4 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 6:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BAYLOR is 10-2 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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FLORIDA ST (3 - 1) vs. IONA (3 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA ST is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) after scoring 60 points or less over the last 2 seasons.
IONA is 31-49 ATS (-22.9 Units) after a non-conference game since 1997.

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

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W VIRGINIA (2 - 0) vs. LONG BEACH ST (3 - 1) - 11/26/2009, 2:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
W VIRGINIA is 74-50 ATS (+19.0 Units) in non-conference games since 1997.

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

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TEXAS A&M (3 - 0) vs. CLEMSON (4 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 4:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS A&M is 29-12 ATS (+15.8 Units) in road games after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.
TEXAS A&M is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=64 points/game over the last 3 seasons.

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

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MINNESOTA (3 - 0) vs. BUTLER (3 - 0) - 11/26/2009, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUTLER is 30-14 ATS (+14.6 Units) in November games since 1997.
BUTLER is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
BUTLER is 109-78 ATS (+23.2 Units) after allowing 60 points or less since 1997.

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

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PORTLAND (3 - 0) vs. UCLA (2 - 1) - 11/26/2009, 11:00 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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HOUSTON (1 - 1) vs. OKLAHOMA (2 - 1) - 11/26/2009, 11:30 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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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:14 AM

NCAAB
Write-up

Thursday, November 26

Information on Thursday's college hoop games........

Michigan beat up on two stiffs so far, take big step up in competition in Creighton; Wolverines have four starters back from 21-14 team (9-9 in Big 11). Creighton has three starters back from 27-8 team (14-4 MVC); they lost by 10 at Dayton, they won next two games, by 25-15 points. Big 11 favorites are 11-4 vs spread. MVC underdogs are 6-7.

Marquette is 4-0 against teams so bad there weren't spreads on any of the four games; Eagles lost four starters (three guards) from LY's 25-10 team and the freshman expected to play PG is out for year. Xavier lost its top three scorers from LY and also lost its coach- they're 3-0 against stiff teams, scoring 96.3 ppg. A-14 favorites are 12-6 against the spread.

Alabama has four starters back fron 18-14 team (7-9 in SEC) but Grant is new coach and there is always adjustment period there. Bama lost at home to Cornell 71-67, then beat Providence by 9. Baylor lost three of starters from 24-15 team (5-11 in Big 12); they're 4-0 vs cupcake foes. SEC teams are 6-11 vs spread away from home. Big 12 clubs are 13-8.

Florida State lost at Florida by 16 Tuesday, its first loss after three wins by average of 35 points vs lousy teams. Iona is 3-0 vs stiffs; Gaels have four starters back from 12-19 team. FSU has three starters back from a 25-10 team (10-6 in ACC). ACC favorites are 10-6 away from home. MAAC underdogs are 5-4 against the spread.

West Virginia is Final Four sleeper, with four starters back from 23-12 team (10-8 in Big East); star F Ebanks is expected to play for first time this season. WVa is 2-0 with wins over stiffs by 23-19 pts. Long Beach State has four starters back from LY's 15-15 team (10-6 in Big West). Big West underdogs are 10-8 against the spread.

Clemson crushed its first four foes, but none of them are good; they've got two starters back from 23-9 team (9-7 in ACC). ACC favorites have covered 17-9 vs spread, 10-6 away from home. Texas A&M is 3-0, with wins by 12 at SMU, 19 vs Samford. Aggies have three starters back from LY's 24-10 team (9-7 in Big 12). Big 12 underdogs are 2-1.

Minnesota has had off-court/eligibilty issues, but they still crushed first three opponents by 37-40-25 points; Gophers have all five starters back from 22-11 team (9-9 in Big 11). Butler also has all its starters back from 26-6 team (15-3 in Horizon)- they shot 28% in last game, a 64-60 win at Evansville (-12).

UCLA has two seniors, no starters back from LY; they lost at home to Fullerton State, were tied at half with Bakersfield- they're struggling, are facing veteran Portland team (19-15 LY, 9-5 in WCC) that has senior Gs and is picked #2 or 3 in WCC. Pilots beat Oregon of Pac-10 88-81 last game, which should give them confidence here.

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:15 AM

NCAAB

Thursday, November 26

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Trend Report
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12:00 PM
CREIGHTON vs. MICHIGAN
Creighton is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games
Michigan is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games

2:00 PM
MARQUETTE vs. XAVIER
Marquette is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Xavier is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

2:00 PM
WEST VIRGINIA vs. LONG BEACH STATE
West Virginia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
West Virginia is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
No trends available

4:30 PM
TEXAS A&M vs. CLEMSON
Texas A&M is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
Clemson is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

6:30 PM
ALABAMA vs. BAYLOR
Alabama is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Baylor is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games

8:30 PM
MINNESOTA vs. BUTLER
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Butler is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Butler is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games

9:00 PM
FLORIDA STATE vs. IONA
Florida State is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
No trends available

9:00 PM
NORTH CAROLINA A&T vs. NEW MEXICO STATE
No trends available
New Mexico State is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
New Mexico State is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home

11:00 PM
PORTLAND vs. UCLA
Portland is 13-6 SU in its last 19 games
UCLA is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games

11:30 PM
HOUSTON vs. OKLAHOMA
No trends available
Oklahoma is 18-6-1 SU in its last 25 games

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:16 AM

NHL

Thursday, November 26

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
COLUMBUS vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 10 games on the road
Ottawa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games at home

10:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. VANCOUVER
Los Angeles is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Los Angeles

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:16 AM

NHL

Thursday, November 26

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators built up a head of steam at home before hitting the road. The Sens won four in a row inside Scotiabank Place but now face a tough schedule that has them away from home for six of their next seven games.

The lone home stand on this current slate comes against the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday, before Ottawa hits the bricks for the next five games. The Senators faced the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, the first road tilt of this upcoming gauntlet.

Ottawa will start this stretch without leading goal scorer Mike Fisher, who is suffering through an upper-body injury. Fisher has 10 goals on the year including the game winner in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Washington Capitals Monday.

Fisher, who is dating pop/country singer Carrie Underwood, left practice Tuesday and is currently listed as day-to-day.

"It's just a fluke thing. I think it's something that should settle down. I've never had [this injury] before, but it should be okay," Fisher told the media.

The Senators are a stellar 9-3-3 at home this year with seven of those games playing under the total. With Fisher out and numerous other injuries to Ottawa’s forward corps, expect the lineups to suffer an adjustment period at home before hitting the road Saturday.

Pick: Under

Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks

For two quick games, Vancouver’s offense decided to show up. After scoring just a goal in each of their three straight losses last week, the Canucks netted a total of 13 goals in back-to-back wins before returning to their futile form in a 1-0 loss to Chicago Sunday.

The team is currently coming off a three-day rest and is hoping that break will help it sort out those scoring woes. Vancouver is also hoping the extended layoff doesn’t have players coming out flat for Thursday’s home tilt with Los Angeles.

"It's really about preparation, you have to get up for the game, maybe more so than other games," forward Henrik Sedin told the media. "Mentally it's good for you to get away a little bit but you would like to have it more spread out.”

The Canucks are 5-6 over/under at home this season.

Pick: Under

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:17 AM

NHL

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Pucking the trends: Hossa’s return, Preds roll and Caps collapse
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Third team’s a charm

Marian Hossa is expected to make his Chicago Blackhawks debut in San Jose Wednesday. He will try to avoid losing in the Stanley Cup final for a third straight season.

Hossa will improve an already potent offense and provide a veteran presence for the youngest team in the league.

“The advantage of this team is it's mostly young guys who are just getting better and stronger in their understanding of the game,” said Hossa.

Len Ziehm of the Chicago Sun-Times, is reporting Hossa will probably start on a line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Hossa has scored 40 or more goals three times and has averaged at least a point per game in four of his last six seasons.

The Blackhawks have won seven games in a row, scoring 26 goals during that span.

Hurts like hell

After winning nine in a row on the road to open the season, the New Jersey Devils have dropped three straight away from home.

Mark Everson of the New York Post suggests that injuries finally caught up to an over-achieving squad that is missing five regulars from its lineup.

“We're running out of top six forwards and top four defensemen," said Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner.

The Devils have gone over the total only two times in their last 13 games (2-10-1). Oddsmakers have set the total at 5 for New Jersey’s last two games.

Preddy good

The Preds have won six in a row and are in the middle of a 10-2-0 run that includes wins over San Jose, Chicago, Detroit and New Jersey,

Nashville ranks near the bottom of the league in power-play at 15.4 percent. But as John Glennon of the Tennessean points out, the Preds are 11-0 when scoring a power-play goal.

"I look at special teams as maybe 30 percent of the game's outcome. Most teams only average three or four goals per game, so if you're getting one of them from special teams, that's about 30 percent,” said head Coach Barry Trotz.

Nashville is averaging 2.27 goals per game, so a power-play goal would actually account for 44 percent of its scoring.

Caps collapse?

The Washington Capitals may be first in the Southeast Division at 13-5-6, but, as Corey Masisak of the Washington Times observes, the Capitals have had difficulty holding on to third period leads.

Of Washington’s 11 losses this year, five have come after losing a third period lead.

The Capitals’ most recently lost a two-goal third period lead to the Ottawa Senators on Monday. "This was a collapse by 20 guys, and I don't know how else to sugarcoat it," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said.

On Schedule

Saturday November 28, Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings

Chicago played three games in four days during a Western Canadian trip, and now travels south to play three games in four days in California. Saturday’s tilt will be the final game of a six-game road trip.

Thursday November 26, Columbus Blue Jackets at Ottawa Senators

Thursday’s game against Ottawa will be the third road game in four nights for Columbus, and its fifth in eight days. The Senators will also be playing their third game in four nights, but will be playing at Scotiabank Place, where they are 9-3-3.

Saturday November 28th, New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Rangers fly south to Florida for back-to-back games against the Panthers and Lightning, then must face the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

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**pm530** · 11-26-2009, 05:18 AM

NOTE:
For the initial posting of trends and indexes, we have provided information available up to the time of posting.
Added updates for today’s games will be posted ASAP.

**flashypants** · 11-26-2009, 05:46 AM

thx pal happy turkey day

**Udog** · 11-26-2009, 09:08 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, November 26

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ORLANDO (11 - 4) at ATLANTA (11 - 3) - 11/26/2009, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) first half of the season this season.
ATLANTA is 19-7 ATS (+11.3 Units) in home games after a non-conference game over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 71-50 ATS (+16.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 16-5 ATS (+10.5 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 38-22 ATS (+13.8 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 31-14 ATS (+15.6 Units) in November games over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 35-18 ATS (+15.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-3 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 5-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (6 - 7) at UTAH (7 - 7) - 11/26/2009, 10:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 29-45 ATS (-20.5 Units) first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 56-39 ATS (+13.1 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-0 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-1 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Announcement

Thanksgiving Day Trends and Indexes 11/26 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

Thanksgiving Day Trends and Indexes 11/26 (NBA, NCAAB, NHL, Misc.)

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