Announcement

**Udog** · 10-12-2010, 11:28 PM

Bettors' best friend: Wednesday's wagering tips

Lines to watch

Central Florida at Marshall – The Thundering Herd opened as 6.5-point underdogs but now sit around +5.5 at most books. The total has dropped to 44 from 46.5 at the open.

Weather to watch

Central Florida at Marshall – 40 percent chance of thunderstorms with temperatures in the low-50s.

Who’s hot

Central Florida is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 road games.

The under has cashed in on each of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ three games this year.

Chicago Blackhawks are 37-15 in their last 52 home games.

Who’s not

New York Islanders are 15-57 in their last 72 road games.

New Jersey Devils are 8-20 in their last 28 road games and goaltender Martin Brodeur has a .851 save percentage in three starts this season.

Key stat

38.5 – percentage of power plays the New York Islanders have converted on through two games this year (5-for-13) heading into Wednesday’s game against the Washington Capitals. However, New York will be without stud center John Tavares (concussion), who had 54 points in his first season last year, until this weekend at the earliest.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Pekka Rinne (lower-body), Nashville Predators – It looks as though the Preds will be without their No. 1 goaltender when they look to tame the Chicago Blackhawks’ offense on Wednesday. Rinne picked up the injury early in the third period of Saturday’s game against Anaheim and rookie Anders Lindback came on in relief to stop all seven shots he faced in a 4-1 win over the Ducks. Lindback is expected to make his first NHL start between the pipes on Wednesday.

Game of the day

Central Florida at Marshall (5.5, 44)

Notable quotable

“I heard coach (George) O’Leary compared him to (Philadelphia Eagles quarterback) Michael Vick and compared him to (former West Virginia QB) Pat White. Where those guys really create issues for you is when they get on the perimeter. We have to try and contain him and do a good job of keeping him in the pocket.” – Marshall first-year coach Doc Holliday on UCF’s true freshman quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey, who leads the team with 283 rushing yards in of 52 carries despite splitting snaps with junior QB Rob Calabrese.

Notes and tips

UCF has been getting ready to deal with a crazy crowd at Marshall on Wednesday. The Thundering Herd have a white-out planned, with all spectators dressed in white and UCF coach George O’Leary played jet engine noise during practice this week to get his team ready for a hostile environment.

The New York Islanders will be without defenseman James Wisniewski when they travel to Washington for a date with the potent Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Wisniewski was suspended for two games after making an obscene gesture at the New York Rangers’ pest Sean Avery on Monday. Wisniewski had a goal and three points through three games while averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time per game for the Islanders.

The New Jersey Devils had just 15 skaters on the roster when they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Columbus Day matinee and they’re going to have another short bench against the Sabres. The Devils, who are feeling the pinch of the salary cap after signing Ilya Kovalchuk to a $100-million contract, signed Adam Mair to a one-year contract on Tuesday but will still be without Brian Rolston (lower-body) and Anton Volchenkov (broken nose) against Buffalo. That means they’ll likely dress 16 skaters on Wednesday.

**Udog** · 10-12-2010, 11:30 PM

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 13

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NY ISLANDERS (1-0-0-1, 3 pts.) at WASHINGTON (2-1-0-0, 4 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 7-1 (+4.6 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 7-1-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.8 Units)

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NEW JERSEY (0-2-0-1, 1 pts.) at BUFFALO (1-2-0-0, 2 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW JERSEY is 15-4 ATS (+9.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BUFFALO is 7-14 ATS (-14.6 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 4-4-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.5 Units)

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TORONTO (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (1-2-0-0, 2 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 5-9 ATS (-12.0 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 6-11 ATS (-16.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-4 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 4-4-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)

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TAMPA BAY (1-0-0-0, 2 pts.) at MONTREAL (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 64-143 ATS (+258.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 4-4 (+1.9 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 4-4-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.6 Units)

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NASHVILLE (1-0-0-0, 2 pts.) at CHICAGO (1-1-0-1, 3 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 8:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 11-7-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.7 Units)

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VANCOUVER (1-0-0-1, 3 pts.) at ANAHEIM (0-3-0-0, 0 pts.) - 10/13/2010, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 107-112 ATS (-47.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games after playing 3 consecutive road games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 4-4 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 4-4-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.3 Units)

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**Udog** · 10-12-2010, 11:31 PM

NHL

Wednesday, October 13

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres (-140, 5.5)

Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres aren’t happy about the hit that sent Jason Pominville out of Monday’s game on a stretcher.

Pominville, who had 24 goals and 62 points last season, was blindsided into the boards by Chicago’s Niklas Hjalmarsson during Monday night’s 4-3 loss. Pominville needed seven or eight stitches to close a cut above his eye.

“My job's not to make rulings,” Miller told reporters. “It's the League, it's Colin Campbell. It's up to him to set a precedent right now. No matter if the guy's trying to make a smart hockey play, he made a dumb hockey play, and he should be suspended."

The league answered that request by banning Hjalmarsson for two games. Meanwhile, the Sabres were forced to juggle their lines now that Pominville’s out with a concussion. Thomas Vanek shifted from the left wing to the right side on the second line with Tim Connolly in the middle and Tyler Ennis on the left during Tuesday’s practice.

Look for Miller and the Sabres to come out fired up on Wednesday.

Pick: Buffalo

Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens (-125, 5.5)

The Tampa Bay Lightning caught a break from the NHL’s schedule-making team early this season. They have been off since opening the season last Saturday against Atlanta, which was just what the team needed to get everything in order.

The Lightning have a new coach at the helm in Guy Boucher, who learned his craft in the Canadiens’ organization before signing on with Tampa Bay.

"We needed time," Boucher told reporters. "It's a new coach, new staff and we have 10 players that are new. We're probably the team that made the most changes in the League in terms of players, staff, ownership, GM. It's a big adjustment for everybody and the players have to deal with that the most and figure out how to act and how to play. They've done a great job at it."

The Lightning also have some French-Canadian snipers like Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Simone Gagne looking to light it up in Montreal.

Pick: Lightning

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**Udog** · 10-12-2010, 11:32 PM

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

**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 07:06 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Wednesday, October 13

Hot Teams
-- Washington won first two home games, 7-2/3-2.
-- Maple Leafs won first two games, allowing three goals.
-- Lightning won only game so far, 5-3 at home over Atlanta.
-- Predators won only game so far, 4-1 at home vs Anaheim.

Cold Teams
-- Islanders split first two games, both at home, scoring 10 goals.
-- New Jersey was outscored 14-6 in losing first three games. Sabres lost first two home games, allowing 10 goals.
-- Penguins are off to 1-2 start, scoring seven goals.
-- Canadiens split first two games, both on road.
-- Champ Blackhawks lost two of first three games.
-- Ducks were outscored 13-2 in losing first three games (all on road). Canucks split pair of 2-1 decisions to open the season.

Series Records
-- Islanders lost seven of last eight games against Washington.
-- Devils are 6-3 in last nine visits to Buffalo.
-- Penguins won three of last four games against Toronto.
-- Lightning are 3-5 in last eight visits to Montreal.
-- Chicago is 10-4 in last 14 games against Predators, beating Nashville in six games in first round of last spring's playoffs.
-- Canucks are 6-6 in last dozen visits to Anaheim.

Totals
-- Over is 6-2 in last eight Islander-Washington games.
-- Last five Buffalo-New Jersey games stayed under the total.
-- First three Penguin games stayed under the total. Over is 12-2-1 in last 15 Toronto-Pittsburgh games.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Tampa Bay-Montreal games.
-- Two of first three Chicago games went over the total.
-- Under is 2-1 in Anaheim's first three games, 2-0 in Vancouver's first couple games.

**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 07:08 AM

NHL

Wednesday, October 13

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
NEW JERSEY vs. BUFFALO
New Jersey is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Jersey's last 5 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Buffalo's last 9 games at home
Buffalo is 8-15-2 SU in its last 25 games ,when playing New Jersey

7:00 PM
NY ISLANDERS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Islanders last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
NY Islanders are 6-17-2 SU in their last 25 games ,when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing NY Islanders

7:30 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. MONTREAL
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay

7:30 PM
TORONTO vs. PITTSBURGH
Toronto is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Toronto's last 16 games
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games

8:30 PM
NASHVILLE vs. CHICAGO
Nashville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Nashville is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Nashville

10:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. ANAHEIM
Vancouver is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vancouver's last 8 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Anaheim's last 8 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Anaheim's last 8 games at home

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**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 09:34 AM

Good morning, kb!

**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 09:34 AM

NHL
Dunkel

New Jersey at Buffalo
The Devils look for their first win of the season and to build on their 19-8-3 record against Buffalo in their last 30 meetings. New Jersey is the pick (+125) according to Dunkel, which has the Devils favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (+125). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13

Game 1-2: NY Islanders at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Islanders 11.383; Washington 12.386
Dunkel Line & Total: Washington by 1; 7
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-290); 6
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-290); Over

Game 3-4: New Jersey at Buffalo (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 11.083; Buffalo 10.333
Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Buffalo (-145); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (+125); Under

Game 5-6: Toronto at Pittsburgh (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 10.587; Pittsburgh 12.202
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-190); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-190); Under

Game 7-8: Tampa Bay at Montreal (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 12.455; Montreal 11.630
Dunkel Line & Total: Tampa Bay by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+110); Over

Game 9-10: Nashville at Chicago (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.815; Chicago 12.754
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 11-12: Vancouver at Anaheim (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 10.943; Anaheim 11.777
Dunkel Line & Total: Anaheim by 1; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-135); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Anaheim (+115); Under

**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 11:30 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Wednesday, 10/13/2010

NY ISLANDERS at WASHINGTON, 7:00 PM ET VERSUS
NY ISLANDERS: 19-52 Away after a home game where both teams score 3+ goals
WASHINGTON: 32-8 at home after 1+ consecutive unders

NEW JERSEY at BUFFALO, 7:00 PM ET
NEW JERSEY: 2-8 after allowing 3+ goals in BB games
BUFFALO: 44-34 as a home favorite

TORONTO at PITTSBURGH, 7:30 PM ET
TORONTO: 4-15 after playing BB home games
PITTSBURGH: 44-19 at home when the total is 5.5

TAMPA BAY at MONTREAL, 7:30 PM ET
TAMPA BAY: 8-35 SU when playing with 3+ days rest
MONTREAL: 35-28 as a home favorite

NASHVILLE at CHICAGO, 8:30 PM ET
NASHVILLE: N/A
CHICAGO: N/A

VANCOUVER at ANAHEIM, 10:00 PM ET
VANCOUVER: 29-38 Away when the total is 5.5
ANAHEIM: 7-0 at home after playing 3 consecutive road games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 10-13-2010, 10:18 PM

ALCS preview and pick: Rangers vs. Yankees

Can the Rangers extend their longest postseason run ever or will the mighty Yankees take another step toward championship number 28?

SERIES ODDS: New York Yankees (-170) vs. Texas Rangers (+140)

PITCHING

All indications are that Rangers manager Ron Washington will not use Cliff Lee on three days’ rest, meaning the Yankees won’t face him more than twice in the series. That’s a big break for New York. It also means there’s a huge burden on C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis, neither of whom had any playoff experience before this year’s ALDS.

Wilson, who will start Game 1, is 0-1 with a 5.65 ERA in three starts against the Yankees this season. Lewis will pitch Game 2, followed by Lee and then Tommy Hunter.

Joe Girardi has named A.J. Burnett his Game 4 starter, but we think that plan might change if the Yankees find themselves behind in the series. Burnett hasn’t won since Sept. 1 and is 1-7 in his last eight decisions.

C.C. Sabathia will take the ball in Friday’s series-opener, and Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte will start Games 2 and 3, although their order hasn’t been determined. Yankee backers breathed a sigh of relief last week when Hughes and Pettitte won Games 2 and 3 against Minnesota, allowing a combined two runs over 14 innings.

Both teams pitched well out of the bullpen during the regular season, but Texas struggled in the first round. Rangers relievers had a 5.27 ERA and allowed opponents to bat .291 in the ALDS, both highs among all eight playoff teams. The AL West champs asked their bullpen to throw almost twice as many innings (13 2/3) as the Yankees did (7) in the ALDS.

Texas has an edge in the rotation, although the gap has narrowed now that Hughes and Pettitte have apparently tightened things up. New York’s bullpen is more rested and has Mariano Rivera at the back end of it.

Edge: Even

OFFENSE

In case you hadn’t noticed, New York’s batting order is flat-out loaded. The Yankees made short work of Twins starting pitching in the first round, hammering Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano and Brian Duensing for 13 runs in 15 innings.

The lineup that scored the most runs in baseball during the regular season is clicking on all cylinders. Ten different Yanks drove in runs in the ALDS, and the team hit .314 en route to its second sweep of Minnesota in two years.

The Rangers brought the thunder in their first playoff series since 1999, hitting eight home runs vs. Tampa Bay. After hitting just nine homers in 391 regular season at-bats, Ian Kinsler found his power stroke, belting three long balls including a ninth-inning shot on Tuesday that put the series away for Texas.

The Rangers’ situational hitting was another matter. They hit .206 with runners on and .231 with runners in scoring position.

The dynamic duo of Vladimir Guerrero and Josh Hamilton hit just .250 against the Yankees in the regular season with 4 RBIs in 52 at-bats. They’ll need to produce if the Rangers are going to pull off the upset.

We don’t like the fact that Yankee hitters haven’t faced competitive pitching since Saturday, but New York has the deepest lineup in the American League, plain and simple. It’s not like Texas can pull a batter like Lance Berkman off its bench for a pinch hit in the ninth inning.

Edge: Yankees

INTANGIBLES

The aura of the Yankees has intimidated its share of unproven playoff teams. Experience favors the Yankees in spades, but we don’t see these Rangers getting rattled – especially not Cliff Lee, who welcomes the opportunity to pitch against New York.

Slight Edge: Yankees

We like the Yankees to take care of the Rangers in six games, although we’d advise them to take care of business and avoid a potential Game 7 meeting with Lee.

Pick: Yankees in six games.

Announcement

Wednesday's Trends and Indexes 10/13 (NHL, Misc.)

Wednesday's Trends and Indexes 10/13 (NHL, Misc.)

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