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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:13 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: April 7

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods hit the links in Augusta, the Celtics look for a victory in Chicago, and the Phillies play host to the Mets.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA's schedule for Thursday has Portland at Utah and Boston at Chicago. The Bulls (57-20 SU, 47-29-1 ATS) have won four straight games as they try to lock down top spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and they beat Phoenix 97-94 at home in their last game on Tuesday night. The Celtics (54-23 SU, 36-39-2 ATS) have won two games in a row, most recently knocking off Philadelphia 99-82 at home on Tuesday night. Boston is 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS against Chicago so far this season, but the Bulls won the most recent matchup 90-79 as a 2-point home favorite on January 8. Derrick Rose had 26 points for the Bulls that day, while Paul Pierce had 21 points for the Celtics.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Thursday has Oakland at Toronto, Minnesota at the Yankees, Tampa Bay at the White Sox, Detroit at Baltimore, and Boston at Cleveland. Jon Lester (0-0, 8.44 ERA) will get the ball for the Red Sox in that last matchup, while the Indians counter with Fausto Carmona (0-1, 30.00 ERA). Lefthander Lester gave up five runs on six hits (including three home runs) over 5 1-3 innings of work in a no-decision against the Rangers in his first start of the season last week. Righthander Carmona was rocked for 10 runs in three innings in his season debut against the ChiSox.

Over in the National League on Thursday it's then Houston at Cincinnati, Colorado at Pittsburgh, Atlanta at Milwaukee, Washington at Florida, and the Mets at Philadelphia. Jon Niese (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will take the mound for New York on Thursday, and he'll have to contend with the Phillies' Roy Halladay (0-0, 1.50 ERA). Lefthander Niese had to settle for a no-decision in his first start of the year against the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits over his seven innings of work that day. Righthander Halladay also picked up a no-decision last week, giving up one run over six innings pitched against the Astros.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The NHL offers up four games on Thursday night, with Montreal at Ottawa, Colorado at Dallas, Minnesota at Vancouver, and Atlanta at the Rangers. The 43-32-5 Rangers are still jockeying for playoff position in the lower half of the Eastern Conference's Top 8 and they'll have to carry on without forward Ryan Callahan, who is out indefinitely with a broken ankle. New York is coming off a 5-3 comeback win over the Bruins on Monday night, while the 33-34-12 Thrashers lost 6-3 in Nashville in their last game on Tuesday. Atlanta, though, is 2-1 against the Rangers so far this season, winning their most recent matchup 3-2 at home at -110 on the moneyline in an UNDER result back on February 11.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the first major golf tournament of the year gets underway on Thursday morning, with the best players in the world hitting the links at Augusta National for the 2011 Masters. Defending-champion Phil Mickelson, who also won last weekend at the Shell Houston Open, is the oddsmakers' +550 pick to pick up yet another green jacket on Sunday. Tiger Woods is next on that odds list at +800, with Lee Westwood and Nick Watney both at +1500, and Rory McIlroy, Aaron Baddeley, Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson, and Dustin Johnson all sitting at +2000 odds to win the Masters this weekend. Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar, and Luke Donald are all at +2500 odds to claim the victory.

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:16 AM

Thursday's betting tips: Chicago Bulls can't cover

Weather to watch

Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees – Meteorologists currently predict a 60 percent chance of rain after Game 1 of the series was rained out on Wednesday.

Who’s hot

NBA: The under is 12-3 in Boston’s last 15 games overall.

MLB: Baltimore and Cincinnati were 4-0 heading into Wednesday’s games

NHL: New York Rangers have won eight of their last 11.

NHL: Montreal has won four of its last five meetings with Ottawa.

NHL: Seven of the last nine meetings between Colorado and Dallas have played under the total.

Who’s not

NBA: Utah has covered in only eight of its last 28 home games.

NBA: Chicago has dropped three straight against the number and four of its last five heading into Thursday's date with Boston.

MLB: Tampa Bay is 0-5 heading into Thursday’s game at the Chicago White Sox.

NHL: Atlanta is 4-11 in its last 15 road games.

Key stat

1 – The Tampa Bay Rays have scored just a single run four of their five losses to begin the season while totalling just seven total runs so far. That has the club’s under bettors off to a 4-1 start to the year. The Rays visit the Chicago White Sox Thursday afternoon with David Price sharing the hill with Edwin Jackson. Oddsmakers have the White Sox set as a -115 favorite with the total at 8.5.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Marcus Camby, Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers will be without their shot-blocking big man Thursday against Utah as a neck injury kept him from traveling with the team. The good news is Portland doesn’t think the injury is serious. Camby averages 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

Game of the day

Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-4.5, 179)

Notable quotable

“There’s just a lot of distractions going on right now. People skipping (regular-season) games and talking about the playoffs. We can’t get caught up in that. Boston is next. We’ve got to lock in.” – Bulls forward Luol Deng about finishing off the last couple of regular season games before the playoffs.

Notes and tips

The San Francisco Giants have activated closer Brian Wilson from the 15-day DL after an oblique strain kept him on the shelf for the start of the season after suffering the injury on March 17. Wilson led the league with 48 saves last season and the Giants started this year 1-4 without him.

The Utah Jazz could be dealing with another short bench against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz had just nine healthy bodies in Tuesday’s upset win over the Los Angeles Clippers and may be dealing with a similar lineup Thursday. Devin Harris is currently a game-time decision, while Ronnie Price (leg), Raja Bell (foot), Andrei Kirilenko (knee) and Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb) are also questionable.

Carey Price has been a workhorse in goal for the Montreal Canadiens and they’re going to get him some rest now that they have secured a playoff spot. Alex Auld is expected to get the call between the pipes when the Habs visit Ottawa Thursday. Auld has appeared in just 15 games this season, recording a 2.62 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:19 AM

Thursday's six-pack

-- '85 Cardinals are only team to start a season 0-4 and make the World Series that year- they lost that series to Kansas City.

-- Since 1995, two of 128 playoff teams started the season 0-4; Reds in '95 and the Diamondbacks in '99. Bad omen for the Red Sox.

-- Michael Young started at 1B for Texas Tuesday; guy plays anywhere he can to help the team. A great teammate.

-- Patriots have six of the first 100 picks in this month's NFL Draft.

-- Reds are now 5-0 after spotting Houston a 4-0 lead then crushing the Astros 12-4.......Cincinnati has scored 43 runs in five games.

-- Congrats to Indiana Pacers for making NBA playoffs for first time in five years; they're lucky they're in the East, though.

*********************

Thursday's List of 13: In a perfect world............

13) I’d get rid of the DH, except for spring training and All-Star Game; a pitcher should never, ever bat in an All-Star Game.

12) No more mid-week NFL games, except for Thanksgiving Day; if the NFL insists on having these Thursday games, then they would have to be mixed in with team’s byes, so they have proper recovery time. No team should have to play two games in less than six days.

11) I’d like to see NBA put a team back in Seattle, a city that supported the Sonics loyally for decades. The era of teams holding cities up for new arenas is on hold, thanks to the economy. Figure it out, David Stern.

10) I’d like to see our government confront these oil companies and put a lid on gas prices; gas hit $4.00 a gallon here today. Of course, I have a better chance of dating Vanna White than this has of happening.

9) In a perfect world, college football analysts wouldn’t be allowed to mention the Heisman Trophy until Halloween, at the earliest; some of these nitwits talk about it before Labor Day.

8) If I had my way, cigarettes would be illegal; they help cause cancer, why would anyone smoke? What good are cigarettes?

7) Charles O. Finley belongs in Baseball Hall of Fame; Jerry Tarkanian belongs in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

6) I would allow Catholic priests to be married; I’m pretty sure every other religion allows this. They need more priests who aren’t child abusers- this would help.

5) If I could, I’d shorten NBA playoff series to best-of-5; little more drama wouldn’t hurt. How many upsets are there in a best-of-7 series? Not many.

4) NHL definitely needs a presence on ESPN, even if it was only one game a week; they’d get better exposure on game highlights. Just think its healthy for them to get some airtime on ESPN, so the average fan sees what a great sport hockey is.

3) I live in upstate New York; we definitely need Steak ‘n Shake here, and a Sonic or Whataburger wouldn’t hurt either. But definitely a 24-hour Steak ‘n Shake would be a gold mine around here.

2) Ivy League should have a postseason conference tournament, even if it was only the top four teams in the league on a Saturday-Sunday deal. It would definitely turn a profit, but snobbish elitists in the Ancient 8 like to be different.

1) I’d love to see major league baseball have a salary floor and a salary cap; if you can’t afford a $70M payroll, sell the club. Smart teams would win the most, people like the Wilpons would still be an embarrassment, but at least everyone would have a fair chance.

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:22 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Boston at Chicago
The Celtics look to build on their 9-2 ATS record in their last 11 games as an underdog. Boston is the pick (+4 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by only 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+4 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Game 501-502: Boston at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 120.403; Chicago 121.873
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1 1/2; 186
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 4 1/2; 179
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+4 1/2); Over

Game 503-504: Portland at Utah (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Portland 123.012; Utah 114.523
Dunkel Line & Total: Portland by 8 1/2; 182
Vegas Line & Total: Portland by 4; No Total
Dunkel Pick: Portland (-4); N/A

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:24 AM

NBA
Write-Up

Thursday, April 7

Hot Teams
-- Chicago won eight of last nine games, but failed to cover last three. Celtics won three of their last four games.
-- Trailblazers are 8-4 in last 12 games, covering 8 of last 9 at home.

Cold Teams
-- Jazz lost eight of their last nine games.

Totals
-- Under is 12-3 in Boston's last fifteen games. Over is 8-2 in Chicago's last ten games.
-- Seven of last eight Utah games stayed under the total.

Back-to-Back
-- None.

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:27 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 7

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. CHICAGO
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Boston's last 16 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

10:30 PM
PORTLAND vs. UTAH
Portland is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Utah
Portland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Utah is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
Utah is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 games at home

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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:29 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 7

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Double dribble: NBA TNT doubleheader preview
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Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-4.5, 179)

Boston and Chicago are set to do battle on Thursday night in a potential preview of the upcoming Eastern Conference finals. The Bulls have the inside track on the No. 1 seed and they are three games clear of the Celtics and Heat.

These two teams have faced each other three times this season, with Boston leading the head-to-head series 2-1. After winning a pair of home games in November and December, the Celtics fell at Chicago 90-79 on Jan. 8. They’ll have to do a better job on the glass against one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. Boston actually won the boards battle by 10 on Dec. 3, but the Bulls dominated 43-31 in rebounds on Nov. 5 and 48-27 on Jan. 8.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

The Celtics (54-23, 36-39-2 ATS) are coming off another potential playoff preview, as they went up against Philadelphia at home on Tuesday and hammered the Sixers 99-82. Boston featured a balanced scoring attack and shot 52.6 percent from the floor while limiting its opponents to 39.3 percent shooting.

“We’re not going to play those guys [the Bulls and Heat] in the first round,” Rajon Rondo told the Boston Globe afterward. “Tonight was a good test for us. (The Sixers) might be a first-round team and we did a good job making a little statement as far as it’s going to be difficult to beat us in a seven-game series.”

How about just one game? That’s what Chicago (57-20, 46-29-2 ATS) will be looking to do on Thursday, but the visitors probably won’t have a backer in Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins.

“We ran up against a team that played probably as well as they’ve played in a long time,” Collins told the Globe after Tuesday’s loss.

The Celtics, furthermore, are the healthiest they have been in a while. Although Shaquille O’Neal will almost certainly miss the game with a calf strain, the team is used to playing without him (Shaq has missed 22 of Boston’s last 23).

TRENDING TOPICS

The Celtics are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.

The Bulls are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.

The under is 8-2 in Boston’s last 10 road contests and 12-3 in its last 15 overall. However, the over is 8-2 in Chicago’s last 10 overall.

Head-to-head, the Bulls are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings with the Celtics and the under is 9-3 in the last 12 at the United Center.

Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (N/A)

Portland and Utah will be going head-to-head for the fourth time this season when they collide on Thursday night. The Jazz went on the road to win 103-94 back on Nov. 11, but the Trail Blazers got revenge twice in December; 96-91 at Utah and 100-89 at home three days later.

Interestingly, Portland’s Brandon Roy missed all three games. Knee injuries have kept him out for two extended stretches during this campaign, and both coincided with contests against Utah. Roy is good to go now the Jazz will get their first look at him on Thursday.

At the same time, though, they will have to do a better job focusing on the Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge. The 6-foot-11 power forward is averaging 25.7 in his three outings versus Utah and also pulled down 11 boards in the first showdown.

TRAIL TO THE PLAYOFFS

Portland (45-33, 40-35-3 ATS) got blown out 108-87 at home by Golden State on Tuesday, but it still clinched a playoff spot by virtue of Houston’s loss to Sacramento.

Nonetheless, the Trail Blazers have no reason to sandbag it throughout the remainder of the regular season. They stand in sixth place (which would likely pit them against Dallas in Round 1) but are just one game ahead of eighth-place Memphis, meaning a first-round series against either the Spurs or Lakers is real possibility.

“It's a big concern when you lose,” point guard Andre Miller told OregonLive.com. “We don't want to throw away games, especially at this point when you're trying to position for a playoff spot.”

ALL THAT JAZZ

Which Jazz team will show up on Thursday? That’s a tough call.

Will it be the one that has stumbled through most of the season and had lost eight in a row prior to Tuesday, or will it be the one that just went into the Staples Center and stunned the Western Conference-leading Lakers?

Sample size suggests it will be the former, and the injury report indicates the same. Raja Bell (foot), Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb) Devin Harris (hamstring), and Andrei Kirilenko (knee) are all questionable for Thursday’s clash. All four players have missed at least two straight games.

That is not good news for Utah (37-41, 32-44-2 ATS), who’ll miss Mehmet Okur (back, out for season) and Ronnie Price (calf, out indefinitely).

TRENDING TOPICS

The Trail Blazers are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with losing SU records.

The Jazz are 5-20-1 ATS in their last 26 outings against teams with winning SU records and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.

The under is 4-0 in Utah’s last four against the Western Conference and 5-0 in its last five overall.

Head-to-head, the over is 7-2 in the last nine meetings between the two teams and the home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 encounters. The Trail Blazers are 1-5 ATS in their last six trips to Utah.

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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:31 AM

NBA

Thursday, April 7

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Pick 'n' roll: Thursday's best NBA bets
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Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls (-4.5, 179)

The Bulls aren’t playing quite as well as you would think.

Chicago has won eight of its past 10 games but is just 4-6 against the spread (ATS) over that span. Even more disturbing is the team’s inability to put away lesser competition in the second half. The Bulls have failed to cover the spread in three straight and five of their past seven. That streak includes wins over Toronto, Detroit and Phoenix that all were much closer than they should have been.

The team’s dirty secret is its transition defense. The Bulls are among the best defensive clubs in the league, but are having trouble getting back and keeping teams from scoring easy baskets. Over the past five games, Chicago has scored more transition points than its opponent just once and is giving up an average of 15 fast break points per game.

Oh, and did you realize Rajon Rondo is on fire?

Boston is averaging 98 points per game over its past five – cracking the century mark three times – and it is thanks to the play of its stellar point guard. Rondo is averaging 10 points and 13.5 assists the past two games as the Celtics finally appear to be regaining momentum late in the season.

“Hopefully we can stay healthy going into the playoffs and just get some momentum,” Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. “It’s good to start getting healthy when you see Troy Murphy out there in practice (Monday), and you see (Nenad) Krstic come back. The signs are there. It’s just about building the chemistry now.”

Pick: Celtics

Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (N/A)

Gordon Hayward is starting to find his groove – and the rest of the league is taking notice.

The rookie from Butler took over an 86-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers that saw him go 9-of-14 from the field en route to 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Hayward has cracked double figures in four of the team’s past six games. Not surprisingly, he actively involves teammates when he finds his own shot, notching at least four assists in each of those double-digit scoring performances.

But there is something even more important Hayward brings to the lineup: stability. An underrated athlete and defender, his increased minutes have coincided with the team playing better defense. Overall, Utah has seen the under hit in five straight games and seven of the past 10.

And it’s not like the Trail Blazers have been lighting the scoreboard up.

Portland has failed to score more than 100 points seven times in the past 10 games. The team has seen two of the past three of five of the past 10 go under the total. The team also is coming off a disappointing, 108-87 loss to Golden State.

“I wish I could explain it,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “We looked tired the whole game. We were not reacting. We looked a little winded early, and (the Warriors) pretty much had their rhythm, their tempo most of the way.”

Look for that to be a slow tempo both teams settle in to.

Pick: Under

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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:33 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Montreal at Ottawa
The Senators look to build on their 4-1 record in their last 5 games as a home underdog. Ottawa is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Senators favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Game 1-2: Atlanta at NY Rangers (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 10.777; NY Rangers 11.815
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: NY Rangers (-210); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (-210); Over

Game 3-4: Montreal at Ottawa (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 11.311; Ottawa 12.545
Dunkel Line & Total: Ottawa by 1; 4
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Ottawa (+110); Under

Game 5-6: Colorado at Dallas (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado 10.663; Dallas 11.317
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas (-280); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-280); Under

Game 7-8: Minnesota at Vancouver (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 11.235; Vancouver 10.066
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-230); 5
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+190); Over

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:34 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Thursday, April 7

Hot Teams
-- Rangers won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Ottawa won four of its last five home games. Canadiens won three of their last four games.
-- Dallas Stars won last two games, allowing three goals.

Cold Teams
-- Thrashers lost three of their last four games.
-- Colorado lost six of its last seven games.
-- Minnesota lost 10 of its last 12 games. Canucks lost their last couple games, scoring one goal.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Ottawa games. Four of last five Montreal games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Colorado games stayed under the total.
-- Last eight Vancouver games stayed under the total.

Back-to-Back
-- None

Series records
-- Rangers lost seven of last nine games against Atlanta.
-- Canadiens won four of last five games against Ottawa.
-- Dallas Stars lost five of their last six games against Colorado.
-- Canucks are 12-5 in their last 17 games against Minnesota.

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:36 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 7

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. NY RANGERS
Atlanta is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Rangers
Atlanta is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games on the road
NY Rangers are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games
NY Rangers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:30 PM
MONTREAL vs. OTTAWA
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games
Ottawa is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games

8:30 PM
COLORADO vs. DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Colorado's last 20 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 9 games on the road
Dallas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Dallas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Colorado

10:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. VANCOUVER
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games
Vancouver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:40 AM

NHL

Thursday, April 7

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Ice picks: Thursday's best NHL bets
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Atlanta Thrashers at New York Rangers (-215, 5.5)

It’s experimenting time for the Rangers. That’s not what the team wants to hear as it comes down the playoff stretch.

New York is coming off a surprising, 5-3 win over Boston, but will be without sparkplug Ryan Callahan. The winger is considered one of the team’s top forwards and had notched 23 goals and 25 assists this season before breaking his leg in the win over the Bruins. The team now will have to juggle lines and try to overcome the emotional toll losing one of its top players will take.

Callahan also leads the team in power play and game-winning goals despite already missing 19 games due to injury. Oh, and the team has scored only once in its past 23 power play chances.

“We’ve just got to get back to basics,” said Rangers defenseman Bryan McCabe. “Our problem right now is we’re just getting one chance, and it’s going back down the ice. When it was clicking, we’d sustain a lot of pressure and be in the zone for a minute-thirty, getting a lot of scoring chances. It’s tough to score on one chance every time we get in there.”

The Thrashers also are having their fair share of problems. The team is averaging just 2.4 goals per game over its past 10 and has been dreadful on the power play over that span. Atlanta has scored just twice in their past 32 chances on the man advantage during that run of futility in finding the back of the net.

Pick: Under

Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators (+110, 5)

The Canadiens are finally back on a roll.

Montreal has won two straight and three of the team’s past four games as it is beginning to clamp down on defense again. In those wins, the team has allowed a combined three goals against the Devils, Thrashers and Blackhawks.

And the squad's defense could get even stinger this week. Defenders Jaroslav Spacek and Alexandre Picard are expected to return from injury and will give an immediate boost to the team’s blue line. Ace defensive center Jeff Halpern also has a chance to return from a lower body injury that saw him sidelined for the win over the Blackhawks.

“If I was 20, maybe I’d have been back sooner. But I think there was lots of damage inside and it took a little more time to heal,” Spacek said. “We’re all happy with my progress and I hope I can play some games before the playoffs. I’ve tried to push myself a little hard, and sometimes you have to go two steps forward and one step back. Everyone’s been working hard to get me ready.”

Meantime, the Senators will have to find some new options to help them score.

Ottawa will be without injured forwards Daniel Alfredsson and Marek Svatos and defender Erik Karlsson who each have been shut down for the balance of the season. The Senators just don’t have enough left to skate past a Montreal here.

Pick: Montreal

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**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:51 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Oakland at Toronto
The A's look to build on their 9-3 record in Trevor Cahill's last 12 starts. Oakland is the pick (+100) according to Dunkel, which has the A's favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Game 951-952: Houston at Cincinnati (12:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Myers) 15.420; Cincinnati (Lecure) 15.274
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+125); Over

Game 953-954: Colorado at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Rogers) 14.668; Pittsburgh (Maholm) 15.848
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Pittsburgh (-110); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-110); Under

Game 955-956: Atlanta at Milwaukee (1:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hanson) 14.068; Milwaukee (Marcum) 15.753
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-105); Under

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Philadelphia (3:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 16.101; Philadelphia (Halladay) 17.016
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-210); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-210); Over

Game 959-960: Washington at Florida (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Lannan) 13.735; Florida (Johnson) 14.680
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-200); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-200); Over

Game 961-962: Boston at Cleveland (12:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lester) 13.942; Cleveland (Carmona) 15.116
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-180); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+160); Under

Game 963-964: Oakland at Toronto (12:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Cahill) 15.896; Toronto (Romero) 15.059
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+100); Over

Game 965-966: Minnesota at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Liriano) 15.346; NY Yankees (Burnett) 16.475
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-150); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-150); Under

Game 967-968: Tampa Bay at Chicago White Sox (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 14.923; White Sox (Jackson) 14.572
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+100); Under

Game 969-970: Detroit at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Penny) 15.023; Baltimore (Tillman) 16.369
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-145); Over

**Udog** · 04-07-2011, 08:53 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Thursday, April 7

Hot pitchers
-- Myers is 4-1, 3.86 in his last six starts.
-- Maholm is 2-0, 1.31 in his last three starts.
-- Hanson has a 2.02 RA in his last four starts.
-- Halladay is 3-1, 1.70 in his last five starts.
-- JJohnson has a 2.42 RA in his last three starts. Lannan is 3-1, 3.80 in his last four starts.

-- Toronto won last four Romero starts (3-0, 3.91). Cahill is 4-2, 3.48 in his last seven starts.
-- White Sox won last four EJackson starts (1-0, 4.56).
-- Tillman is 2-0, 0.00 in his last two starts he tossed six no-hit innings in his first '11 start.

Cold pitchers
-- Lecure is 0-4, 5.27 in his last five starts.
-- Rogers is 0-2, 6.84 in his last five starts.
-- Marcum is 1-2, 5.10 in his last five starts.
-- Niese is 0-3, 7.86 in his last five starts.

-- Carmona is 1-2, 7.32 in his last four starts. Lester is 0-1, 12.54 in his last couple starts.
-- Liriano is 0-3, 7.36 in his last four starts. Burnett is 1-3, 8.41 in his last five starts.
-- Price is 0-3, 5.49 in his last three starts.

Totals
-- Three of Lecure's four home starts LY went over total.
-- Four of last five Rogers starts stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Hanson starts stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eight Niese starts went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine JJohnson starts went over the total.

-- Five of last seven Lester starts went over the total.
-- Last five Cahill starts went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Liriano starts went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Price starts.
-- Four of last five Tillman starts stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Phillies won four of their first five games. Mets won three of their last four games.
-- Rockies won three of their first four games. Pirates are 4-2 so far.
-- Reds won their first five games, scoring 43 runs.
-- Braves won three of their last four games.

-- Orioles won four of their first five games.
-- Indians won last three games, outscoring foes 18-6.
-- Blue Jays won four of their first five games.

Cold teams
-- Nationals lost four of their first five games.
-- Astros lost their first five games, allowing 41 runs.
-- Brewers lost four of their first six games.

-- Rays lost their first five games, scoring a total of seven runs.
-- Oakland lost four of its first five games.
-- Red Sox lost their first five games, allowing 37 runs.

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Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 4/7 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 4/7 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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