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**StarDust Bum** · 12-06-2010, 06:07 PM

Crosby and Pens try to stay hot against Devils

NEW JERSEY DEVILS (8-16-2, 18 pts)

at PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (18-8-2, 38 pts)

Puck drops: Monday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Pittsburgh -230, New Jersey +190, Total: 5.5

The hottest team in the NHL will host the team with the second-fewest points in the NHL Monday night in Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome the New Jersey Devils.

The Penguins have certainly straightened out since starting the season slowly. After beginning the season 9-8-2, including winning just three of their first nine home games, the Penguins have won nine straight, with five of those wins coming at home. Sidney Crosby has been performing out of this world. He is on a 15-game point streak during which he has an amazing 17 goals and 14 assists. Marc-Andre Fleury is 10-0-1 in his past 11 starts, allowing two goals or fewer nine times.

The Devils are suffering their worst season since 1990-91. Every season since that campaign, New Jersey has finished with at least 85 points, with the lone exception being the strike-shortened 1995 campaign. Scoring has been the Devils main problem as they are the only team in the NHL to average less than two goals per game (1.78)

For the Devils, Mark Fraser and forward Jacob Josefson are recovering nicely from hand injuries, while defenseman Anssi Salmela is skating again as he rehabs from knee surgery. Defensemen Matt Taormina (ankle) and Bryce Salvador (concussion) and forward Zach Parise (knee) are also out of the lineup. Martin Brodeur is practicing with the team again and will travel to Pittsburgh, but it's expected that the earliest he will play will be on Friday in Ottawa.

Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin was a late scratch Saturday with a knee injury and is day-to-day. Forward Mike Comrie has missed the past several games with a lower-body injury. Forward Jordan Staal (hand) has yet to play this season.

On paper, this matchup is about as one-sided as you can get. The Penguins are averaging 3.2 goals per game over their win streak while the Devils can’t even reach two goals per game for the season. If you are a risk taker, then you can make a nice sum of cash by choosing New Jersey, but I just can’t see the Devils stopping the Penguins and at the same time putting the puck past a very hot Marc-Andre Fleury. I’m taking Pittsburgh.

The FoxSheets says:

PITTSBURGH is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) against terrible power play teams - scoring on < 13% of their chances over the last 2 seasons. The average score was PITTSBURGH 4.1, OPPONENT 1.9 - (Rating = 3*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-06-2010, 06:08 PM

Red Wings host slumping Sharks Monday night

SAN JOSE SHARKS (12-9-4, 28 pts)

at DETROIT RED WINGS (17-4-3, 37 pts)

Puck drops: Monday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Line: Detroit -160, San Jose +140, Total: 5.5

Few teams have dominated any sport as the Red Wings have dominated the NHL over the past two decades. Detroit is looking to add to their record 10 straight seasons of 100 points, and are well on their way of achieving that this season. Offensively, the Red Wings have been spectacular this season as they lead the NHL in goals per game (3.45) and assists per game (6.3). Jimmy Howard has been excellent in goal, winning 15 of his 19 starts this season while posting a .919 save percentage. Dating back to last season, Howard has wins in 28 of his past 34 starts for Detroit. Howard has been especially terrific at home, going 9-0-2 with a 2.51 GAA and a shutout.

They're hardly a last-place team, but that's where San Jose finds itself in what is an incredibly competitive Pacific Division. With just four wins in their past 10 games, the Sharks trail fourth-place Anaheim by one point and first-place Dallas by five. San Jose has excelled this season on special teams as they rank in the top half of the league in power-play percentage (23.4) and penalty-kill percentage (83.3). Benn Ferriero has scored three goals in four games and has recorded points in each of the four games he has played since being recalled from AHL Worcester.

Sharks defensemen Jason Demers (upper body), Niclas Wallin (left ankle) and Kent Huskins (upper body) are day-to-day. Devin Setoguchi (upper body) is out. Detroit center Mike Modano is out with a severed tendon in his wrist.

The Red Wings have been nearly unbeatable at home this season (10-1-2) and Jimmy Howard owns San Jose in his career (3-0-1, 1.96 GAA). Those stats make Detroit the easy pick in this one.

FoxSheets says:

DETROIT is 92-31 ATS (74.8%, +28.0 Units) in home games against good offensive teams - >=29 shots on goal, convert >=17% pp since 1996. The average score was DETROIT 3.3, OPPONENT 2.0 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-06-2010, 06:09 PM

Washington looks for another 100-point game

PORTLAND PILOTS (7-2)

at WASHINGTON HUSKIES (5-2)

Tip-off: Monday, 10:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Washington -18

For over 300 Division I-A basketball teams the goal of this season is clear, to be able to say we’re number one in April. The Washington Huskies can say that right now. Not about their national ranking (which is 22nd and respectable, considering that they are the only Pac-10 team in the Top 25), but about its offense. Washington has the No. 1-rated attack in all of college basketball. The Huskies are averaging 95.7 PPG, and Monday night it will be up to the Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference to contain the high-flying Huskies, as Washington will be looking to hit the century mark for the fifth time this season.

Coach Lorenzo Romar’s team boasts five players who are scoring in double figures, and they are led by one of the most electrifying guards in the country, 5-foot-8 Isaiah Thomas, who is averaging 15.3 PPG. Senior forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning is just behind Thomas at 14.9 PPG and he is also chipping in 6.0 RPG. Meanwhile, fellow senior Justin Holiday leads the team in rebounding, and is third in scoring at 13.4 PPG. Washington’s 51.0 FG% is eighth-best in the country, and with 20 assists per game, the Huskies are seocnd-best in the nation in that category. Washington is looking to make it three straight wins after losing back-to-back games to Top 10 powers Michigan State and Kentucky in the Maui Invitational.

Portland is 2-12 all-time versus Washington, but did upset them to start the ‘08-09 season, 80-74. Jared Stohl went scoreless in 15 minutes of action in that game, but on Monday night, the Pilots’ leading scorer (15.0 PPG) will try to highlight his senior year with another victory over the Huskies. The Pilots are shooting a respectable 46.3 FG% as a team, but are only averaging one more assist than turnover per game. Failure to protect the basketball on the road against the top offensive attack in all of basketball could be the kiss of death for Portland. The Pilots are looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s meeting, an 89-54 drubbing in which the Pilots trailed by 30 points at the break after a forgettable first half, in which they only scored 17 points.

These two FoxSheets trends like Washington to win and cover the spread:

Play On - Favorites of 10 to 19.5 points (WASHINGTON) - team from a major Division I-A conference against a team from a mid-major Division I-A conference, off a home win scoring 85 or more points. (112-64 since 1997.) (63.6%, +41.6 units. Rating = 2*).

Lorenzo Romar is 29-14 ATS (+13.6 Units) after a game where they made 50% of their 3 point shots or better as the coach of WASHINGTON. The average score was WASHINGTON 78.8, OPPONENT 70.9 - (Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-06-2010, 06:10 PM

Howard should return Monday vs. Atlanta

ATLANTA HAWKS (13-8)

at ORLANDO MAGIC (15-5)

Tip-off: Monday, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Line: TBD

Only eight players were active for the Magic in their 96-85 loss in Milwaukee, as Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus were home with a stomach virus. Ryan Anderson was also out with a sprained foot. The 11-point loss to the Bucks snapped a six-game winning streak for the Magic.

Howard, Nelson and Pietrus also missed Friday's 104-91 win at Detroit, and they remain day-to-day. Redick missed Friday's game and Tuesday's win over Chicago. Anderson is listed as doubtful for Monday.

Howard won't want to miss his third straight game, especially given his success against the Hawks. He's averaged 22.0 points and 16.8 rebounds against Atlanta the past six meetings and is at 21.3 PPG, 12.1 RPG and 2.4 BPG for the season. In a Nov. 8 home win over the Hawks, 93-89, he scored 27 points and pulled down 11 boards.

The Magic have five players who are scoring in double-digits this season. Vince Carter is second on the team in scoring (15.4 PPG), while Jameer Nelson is third with 14.9 PPG and a team-best 7.1 APG.

Carter scored 19 points against Atlanta in the season's first meeting, hitting 8-of-12 from the field.

The Hawks are having their own health problems as Joe Johnson will remain out for at least a month. Johnson (17.1 PPG, 5.2 APG) is sidelined four-to-six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery this past Thursday. He scored 23 in the early-November loss at Orlando.

The Hawks lost at Miami on Saturday, 89-77, which ended a five-game winning streak and gave them their third road loss in 10 games (7-3 SU and ATS).

Al Horford (16.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG) scored 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting, but the rest of the team was held to 31.9% FG. Horford had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in the first meeting between the two teams.

Johnson and Horford are two of six players who are averaging double-figures in scoring for Atlanta. Josh Smith (14.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG), Jamal Crawford (14.0 PPG), Mike Bibby (10.3 PPG) and Marvin Williams (10.1 PPG) are the others.

The November loss marked Atlanta's sixth straight defeat in Orlando. The Hawks haven't won on the road against the Magic since a 99-85 victory on Oct. 29, 2008. The Magic swept four games from the Hawks in the 2010 playoffs, winning by an average of 25.3 points.

Including this postseason matchup, the Magic are 11-2 SU (10-3 ATS) against the Hawks over the past three seasons. This FoxSheets trend likes Orlando to continue their success against the Hawks by winning and covering the spread:

Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (ORLANDO) - off a road loss by 10 points or more, good team, winning 60-75% or more of their games on the season. (239-157 since 1996.) (60.4%, +66.3 units. Rating = 2*).

Ten of the past 13 meetings have finished Under the Total, but this FoxSheets trend thinks the Over will occur:

Play Over - Any team (ORLANDO) - off a road loss against opponent off an embarrassing road loss scoring less than 80 points. (74-36 over the last 5 seasons.) (67.3%, +34.4 units. Rating = 2*).

**StarDust Bum** · 12-06-2010, 06:11 PM

Utah looks to continue home dominance over Memphis

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (8-13)

at UTAH JAZZ (15-6)

Tip-off: Monday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Utah -9.5, Total: 201

After seeing its seven-game winning streak (both SU and ATS) end on Friday, Utah will look to pick up its offense and start another streak when it hosts Memphis on Monday night. In their last game, the Jazz dropped a 93-81 decision to Dallas at home. The Mavericks held Utah to 39.2% shooting and 20 points below their season average.

Deron Williams, who leads the Jazz with 21.6 PPG and 10.0 APG and was named Western Conference Player of the Month for November, made just 4-of-13 shots against the Mavericks and had four turnovers. He finished with 12 points and seven assists, but had scored at least 22 in all but two of Utah's games during the winning streak. He's missed the last two games against the Grizzlies, but has averaged 23.0 points and 11.0 assists in the previous three.

Paul Millsap (18.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG) led Utah with 21 points against Dallas, and Al Jefferson (16.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG) finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. He's also had plenty of success against Memphis, averaging 16.7 PPG, 9.3 RPG and shooting 60% in three games versus the Grizzlies as a starter, all Utah wins.

Memphis has lost three in a row and four of its last five, including a tough 108-107 setback at Denver on Sunday night. However, its lone win during that stretch was a 98-96 triumph over the Lakers. Against the Nuggets, the Grizzlies were down 62-47 at the half, but led 77-76 heading into the fourth quarter. Rudy Gay (21.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 2.7 APG) led the Grizzlies with 24 points. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games against the Jazz last season, and in 13 career meetings versus Utah, he's averaging 13.5 PPG.

Zach Randolph's numbers against Utah are even better than his statistics this season (16.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG). He's averaging 20.7 PPG and 10.3 RPG in three games against the Jazz.

The two teams will play each other for the first time this season. Last year, Utah won the season-series, 2-1. That included two blowouts at EnergySolutions Arena by scores of 120-93 and 117-94. The Jazz had won 11 straight games over the Grizzlies until Memphis broke through in the final game, 91-89, at FedExForum.

Utah has won six straight home meetings against Memphis by an average of 19.8 points. The Jazz are 23-6 all-time at home versus the Grizzlies. Expect Utah to handle Memphis, who will be playing for the second consecutive night in high altitude.

This four-star FoxSheets trend likes Utah to win and cover the spread:

Play On - Home teams (UTAH) - off an upset loss by 10 points or more as a favorite, playing with 2 days rest. (49-15 over the last 5 seasons.) (76.6%, +32.5 units. Rating = 4*).

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