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**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:36 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: October 24

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Vikings seek a win in Green Bay, the Chargers play host to the Pats, and the Chase for the Sprint Cup takes on Martinsville Speedway.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

Brett Favre and the Vikings will pay a visit to Lambeau Field on Sunday night to take on the Packers. The Vikings (2-3 SU, 3-2 ATS) pulled out a 23-21 home win over Dallas last week despite Favre throwing for just 118 yards and one touchdown. Adrian Peterson ran for 73 yards and a score for Minnesota in that victory. The Packers (3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS) have lost two straight games, falling 23-20 at home to Miami last time out. Aaron Rodgers went 18 of 33 for 313 yards with one TD and one INT for Green Bay that day. Oddsmakers have the Packers listed as 2.5-point home favorites, with a total of 44.

Rounding out the NFL schedule for Sunday: Philadelphia at Tennessee (-3), Jacksonville at Kansas City (-9.5), Buffalo at Baltimore (-13), Cleveland at New Orleans (-13), Washington at Chicago (-3), Cincinnati at Atlanta (-3.5), Pittsburgh (-3) at Miami, San Francisco (-3) at Carolina, St. Louis at Tampa Bay (-3), Arizona at Seattle (-5.5), Oakland at Denver (-8.5), and New England at San Diego (-3). The Patriots (4-1 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) slipped past Baltimore 23-20 at home last week, as Deion Branch had nine catches for 98 yards and a TD. The Chargers (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS) fell 20-17 in St. Louis in their last game. Oddsmakers have the total for the Pats/Chargers contest at 47 points.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are just three games on the National Hockey League's schedule for Sunday evening: New Jersey at the Rangers, San Jose at Calgary, and Nashville at Tampa Bay. The Lightning last played on Friday night, rolling to a 5-2 road win over Atlanta. Steve Stamkos had a hat trick for Tampa Bay that night, with Vincent Lecavalier and Brett Clark providing the team's other goals. Mike Smith stopped 28 of the 30 Atlanta shots.

Roaring around the track . . .

The Sprint Cup Series has the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on tap for Sunday afternoon, with Denny Hamlin (3/1) and Jimmie Johnson (4/1) set as the oddsmakers' favorites. Hamlin won the last two races at Martinsville, while Johnson has visited victory lane on the track six times since 2004. Jeff Gordon is next at 7/1 odds to win the Tums Fast Relief 500, with Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch all at 12/1 odds, Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer at 18/1 odds, and both Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards at 20/1 odds. Johnson leads Hamlin by 41 points in the driver standings.

As well, the drivers of Formula 1 will take to the track in the inaugural Korean Grand Prix on Sunday, with Sebastian Vettel the 2/1 race favorite. Fernando Alonso is next at 3/1 to get the win, followed by both Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber at 4/1, and Jenson Button at 12/1. Webber leads the drivers championship with 220 points on the season heading into South Korea, while both Alonso and Vettel have earned 206 points this year. Hamilton is fourth with 192 points, and Button rounds out the Top 5 with 189.

**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:39 AM

Bettors' best friend: Sunday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Devils at Rangers: The home team opened at -104, but has since seen that number drop to +101 with many books.

Jaguars at Chiefs: The Chiefs opened the week at minus-4, however an uncertain quarterback situation for the Jaguars has seen that figure bulge to minus-9.5.

Bengals at Falcons: The Falcons opened at minus-5.5, but the action has since shifted toward the Bengals as the line has fallen to minus-3.5.

Cardinals at Seahawks: The hosts opened at minus-3.5 and that number has shifted even more in their favor, falling to minus-7 with most services.

Who’s hot

The over has hit in four of the Cardinals past five games.

The Ravens are 11-3 ATS in their past 14 against teams with a losing record.

The Browns are 9-4 ATS in their past 13 overall.

The Packers are 17-8 ATS in their past 25 against the NFC North.

The Lightning are 8-2 in their past 10 overall.

Who’s not

The under is 7-2 in the Rams past nine games.

The under has hit in four of the Panthers past five games.

The under is 9-3 in the Falcons past 12 games.

The Jaguars are 5-13 ATS in their past 18 overall.

The Devils are 2-8 in their past 10 overall.

Key stat

5 -- Touchdowns allowed this season by the San Diego Chargers special teams. It’s an old cliché that there are three phases to football, but the kicking game is a disaster for San Diego. Oh yeah, and kicker Nate Kaeding, who is 7-of-9 on field goals this year, is out with an injury. Good luck, Kris Brown.

Injuries that shouldn’t be overlooked

Think the New Orleans Saints are going to change their approach to Sunday’s game against Cleveland because of a few injuries? Think again. Cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Randall Gay are out for the game and corner Jabari Greer is questionable after not practicing all week. Safety Roman Harper sat out much of practice this week with a hamstring injury and safety Pierson Prioleau is finally returning from a chest injury. However, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams doesn’t plan on playing more zone or mixing in fewer blitzes with his high-pressure scheme. Instead, he plans to go right after expected starter Colt McCoy. "It irritates me when I see coaches out there in the league and teams out there in the league that cry and whine over injuries," he said. "It's gonna happen.”

Game of the Day

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers (-3, 48)

Notable quotable

"We outman them by 70 pounds on average up front. If you can't get a foot on the one-half yard line, you get what you deserve." -- Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly on his team getting stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in a 35-17 defeat to Navy.

Tips and notes

With the status of quarterback Vince Young up in the air, the Tennessee Titans passing game will need all the help it can get. So whether it is Young or veteran Kerry Collins, the receivers will be a huge key to the team beating the Eagles. However, Justin Gage, who is battling a nagging injury, likely will be a game-time decision and breakout star Kenny Britt will play but not start as a result of getting in a bar fight this week. Even if Young is declared fit to play, he might not have anyone to throw to who can make a play.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ goaltending situation could be described as suspect at best. The team is without the injured Michael Leighton for several weeks, and veteran Brian Boucher and rookie Sergei Bobrovsky have failed to pick up the slack. Bobrovsky has dropped his past two starts to fall to 2-2 with a 2.78 GAA and a pedestrian .901 save percentage. Meantime, Boucher is 0-2 with a 2.49 GAA and an awful .898 save percentage.

The Packers were hoping to get a boost to their secondary this week against the Vikings, but it will be at least another week before the cavalry arrives. Cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby, who practiced this week, remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list after missing the first six weeks of the season. Even without them, the Packers pass defense has been solid, allowing opponents just 216 aerial yards per game and a meager seven touchdowns against seven interceptions.

**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:42 AM

Sunday's six-pack

NFL trends, with Week 7 upon us..........
-- Bengals are 3-6 vs spread coming off a bye.

-- Titans are 1-6 vs spread coming off a Monday night game.

-- Chiefs are 0-6-1 in last seven tries as a home favorite.

-- Arizona covered six of last seven against the Seahawks.

-- Saints covered one of last seven as double digit home favorite.

-- Raiders are 10-2 as road dog in AFC West games last four years.

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Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) So the last three weeks, the #1 team goes on the road and loses- the last two weeks, the #1 team gave up a TD on the opening kickoff. Next week Oregon is at USC; if they win the toss, they better receive.

12) Michigan State was down 17-0 in Evanston, 17-0 at half, but pulled out a 35-27 win, using a fake punt to spark the go-ahead drive that keeps the Spartans unbeaten. This was a fun game to watch.

11) Lot of bad weather in the southwest Saturday; there were couple of delays in the Ole Miss-Arkansas game. Games in Dallas and Waco also had long delays. Rained during lot of the Oklahoma-Mizzou game, too.

10) Congrats to Baylor Bears on becoming bowl eligible; they'll be going to a bowl for the first time since 1994 behind their terrific QB Griffin, who threw for 404 yards in Bears' 47-42 win over K-State Saturday.

9) Navy had almost a perfect day on offense, running ball for 367 yards and completing both passes it threw for 71 yards. Their 35-17 win over Notre Dame is their third in last four years against the Irish, after having gone more than 40 years without a win over Notre Dame.

8) Auburn ran ball for a ridiculous 440 yards in 24-17 win over LSU- it took a 70-yard run by Onterio McCalebb with 5:05 left to get Auburn a tough win. QB Newton is now the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.

7) Utah and TCU continue to crush opponents; Utes whacked Colorado State 59-6, while TCU smacked a good Air Force team, 38-7. Boise St is on TV this Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech.

6) Kentucky trailed 28-10 at home at halftime for the second week in row but Georgia is gaining momentum; Dawgs held Kentucky off 44-31, for their first road win of year and third win in a row overall. Having the great receiver Green eligible makes ton of difference for Richt's offense.

5) Congrats to Western Kentucky for ending long losing streak, winning 54-21 at UL-Lafayette; Hilltoppers had big lead last week but lost 35-30 to UL-Monroe, so they're making progress as they get their feet wet in the deep waters of I-A football.

4) Tulane, Syracuse, Iowa State were the three double digit underdogs to get wins Saturday. Cyclones ran ball for 199 yards with four takeaways in Austin, undoubtedly the most shocking upset of the day.

3) Nebraska (-5.5) gave up 41 points but still covered at Oklahoma State beating the Cowboys 51-41. Cornhuskers had 217 rushing yards, 323 in the air. This didn't look like the same team that played Texas last week, but then again, Longhorns looked totally different this week, too.

2) Only seven of 102 teams that played Thursday-Saturday turned ball over 4+ times; those teams were 0-7, with Ball State (+12.5) only team to even cover the spread, losing 31-24 at Toledo.

1) Remember now, there hasn't been a bowl game between the SEC and Pac-10 in 21 years, when Florida played Washington in a Freedom Bowl matchup in Anaheim. Auburn-Oregon would be awesome, as offenses both try to go really fast. Both teams might run 80+ plays.

**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:51 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Nashville at Tampa Bay
The Predators look to take advantage of a Tampa Bay team that is 4-11 in its last 15 games versus the Western Conference. Nashville is the pick (+140) according to Dunkel, which has the Predators favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+140). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24

Game 51-52: Nashville at Tampa Bay (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 12.878; Tampa Bay 11.876
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-160); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+140); Under

Game 53-54: New Jersey at NY Rangers (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: New Jersey 11.149; NY Rangers 10.961
Dunkel Line & Total: New Jersey by 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: New Jersey (-115); 5
Dunkel Pick: New Jersey (-115); Over

Game 55-56: San Jose at Calgary (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Jose 12.536; Calgary 10.959
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1 1/2; 4 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Calgary (-120); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (+100); Under

**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:52 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, October 24

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NASHVILLE (4-0-0-3, 11 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (5-1-0-1, 11 pts.) - 10/24/2010, 6:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NASHVILLE is 52-42 ATS (+96.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 130-123 ATS (+266.8 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 20-11 ATS (+35.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 1-1-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)

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NEW JERSEY (2-5-0-1, 5 pts.) at NY RANGERS (3-2-0-1, 7 pts.) - 10/24/2010, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 80-91 ATS (-60.5 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 6-6 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 6-6-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)

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SAN JOSE (4-2-0-0, 8 pts.) at CALGARY (4-3-0-0, 8 pts.) - 10/24/2010, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 109-73 ATS (+27.7 Units) when playing on back-to-back days since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 10-1 ATS (+8.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 15-5 ATS (+8.3 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 135-146 ATS (+316.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 16-5 ATS (+8.4 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
CALGARY is 4-4 (+0.7 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 4-4-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

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**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:53 AM

NHL

Sunday, October 24

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Trend Report
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6:00 PM
NASHVILLE vs. TAMPA BAY
Nashville is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Nashville is 0-3-2 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

7:00 PM
NEW JERSEY vs. NY RANGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
New Jersey is 4-8 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games when playing at home against New Jersey

8:00 PM
SAN JOSE vs. CALGARY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing Calgary
San Jose is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Calgary is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Calgary's last 13 games

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**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 09:54 AM

NHL

Sunday, October 24

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning (-154, 5.5)

Expect plenty of fireworks when these two teams take the ice.

Tampa Bay has the 27th ranked defense in the league, allowing a horrendous 3.3 goals per game. However, the team has a stunning 5-1-1 record because it’s offense is as dynamic as its defense is inept, averaging a phenomenal 3.4 goals per game, the second-best mark in the NHL.

The biggest reason for this outburst is offensive dynamo Steven Stamkos, who continues to flash his elite ability by leading the team in goals (six), assists (eight) and points (14). But don’t think this is a one-dimensional team. Through seven games, nine different players have at least two goals.

Meantime, Nashville will be paying the second of back-to-back games after taking the ice in Dallas on Saturday. The team has played only one road game prior to this weekend and is giving up a stunning 34 shots per game.

Pick: Lightning

San Jose Sharks at Calgary Flames (-114, 5.5)

To call the San Jose goaltending situation “stable” would be like calling Brittany Spears “stable.”

The team brought on board defending Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi during the offseason, but has struggled so far, going 1-2 with a 3.71 GAA and .879 save percentage in the early going. At the same time, Antero Nittymaki hasn’t been much better, going 1-0-1 in two starts while posting a 2.47 GAA.

San Jose played at Edmonton on Saturday night and likely will swap things up in net for Sunday, adding to the team’s communications issues on its backline which are leading to the Sharks allowing a woeful 3.2 goals per game.

Calgary, however, seems to finally be clicking behind forward Renee Borque, who has four goals and an assist through five games, including a hat trick in Friday’s 6-2 win over Columbus and the game-winner in a 1-0 victory against Nashville.

Pick: Flames

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**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 10:58 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, 10/24/2010

NASHVILLE at TAMPA BAY, 6:00 PM ET
NASHVILLE: 101-72 UNDER after failing to cover 3 of their last 4 ATS
TAMPA BAY: 7-0 UNDER in home games after a blowout win by 3 goals or more

NEW JERSEY at NY RANGERS, 7:00 PM ET
NEW JERSEY: 8-1 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more
NY RANGERS: 10-18 SU in home games after 1 or more consecutive unders

SAN JOSE at CALGARY, 8:00 PM ET
SAN JOSE: 13-3 SU in road games after 4 or more consecutive overs
CALGARY: 36-50 SU when playing their 4th game in 7 days

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 10-24-2010, 05:04 PM

NHL
Write-Up

Sunday, October 24

Hot Teams
-- Lightning won five of their first seven games.
-- Rangers won last two games, allowing two goals, but are 0-2 at home.
-- Sharks won three of their four games away from home. Flames won three of their last four games.

Cold Teams
-- Predators lost three of their last four games, scoring six goals.
-- Devils lost six of their first eight games.

Totals
-- Three of last four Nashville games stayed under the total. Over is 5-2 in Tampa Bay games this season.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six New Jersey games.
-- Last four San Jose games went over the total.

Series Records
-- Lightning won three of last four games against Tampa Bay.
-- Devils are 6-4 in last ten games against the Rangers; teams split last eight games at Madison Square Garden.
-- San Jose is 7-5 in last 12 games against the Flames; teams split Sharks' last six visits to Saddledome.

Announcement

Sunday's Trends and Indexes 10/24 (NHL, Misc.)

Sunday's Trends and Indexes 10/24 (NHL, Misc.)

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