Announcement

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:14 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 8

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Mavericks look to finish off the Lakers, the Hawks play host to the Bulls, and the Wings and Sharks continue their set in San Jose.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

On the NBA playoff schedule for Sunday it's Chicago at Atlanta and the Lakers at Dallas. The Bulls hold a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven second-round series with the Hawks, winning Game 3 by a score of 99-82 in Atlanta on Friday night. Oddsmakers have pegged Chicago as a 3.5-point road favorite for Sunday's contest, with the total for that game sitting at 179 points. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are up 3-0 on the Lakers in their Western Conference semi-final set, as Dallas took Game 3 by a score of 98-92 at home on Friday night. The Mavs will be looking to close out that series on Sunday, and the oddsmakers have them listed as 2.5-point home favorites. The total for that game is 188.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

On the American League schedule for Sunday it's Detroit at Toronto, Tampa Bay at Baltimore, Minnesota at Boston, the Yankees at Texas, Oakland at Kansas City, Cleveland at the Angels, and the White Sox at Seattle. Chicago's Mark Buehrle (2-3, 4.37 ERA) will take on the Mariners' Erik Bedard (1-4, 5.23 ERA) in that last matchup. Lefthander Buehrle is coming off a strong outing against the Orioles, holding them scoreless on eight hits over 6 2-3 innings of work. Lefthander Bedard took a no-decision against the Rangers in his last outing, allowing two runs on two hits in his seven innings.

In the National League on Sunday it's then Washington at Florida, the Dodgers at the Mets, Houston at Pittsburgh, Milwaukee at St. Louis, Cincinnati at the Cubs, Arizona at San Diego, Colorado at San Francisco, and Atlanta at Philadelphia. The Braves will give the ball to Jair Jurrjens (3-0, 1.52 ERA) on Sunday; righthander Jurrjens beat the Brewers in his last start, surrendering just two runs on seven hits over 7 2-3 innings. Cole Hamels (4-1, 2.66 ERA) will counter for the Phillies; lefthander Hamels is coming off a complete-game victory over the Nationals, surrendering a single run on just five hits.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The NHL playoffs have one game on tap for Sunday, with Detroit at San Jose in Game 5 of that Western Conference semi-final series. The Red Wings staved off elimination with a 4-3 home win in Game 4 of the set on Friday night, with Darren Helm scoring the game-winning goal late in the third period for Detroit. Niklas Lidstrom had two markers for the Red Wings that night, and Jimmy Howard stopped 25 of 28 San Jose shots. Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, and Dany Heatley replied in the loss for the Sharks. San Jose has been listed as a -150 home favorite for Sunday, with the game's total set at 5.5.

Roaring around the track . . .

Finally, the drivers of Formula 1 hit the track in the Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday. Sebastian Vettel is listed as the oddsmakers' 4/7 favorite to get the win in Turkey on Sunday, with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber just behind him on that list at 9/2 odds. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is next at 8/1 odds, followed by Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg at 9/1, and both Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Jenson Button (McLaren) back at 20/1. Vettel holds a 68-47 lead on Hamilton in the drivers championship after three races in 2011; Hamilton picked up the checkered flag in the Turkish Grand Prix last year.

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:20 AM

Sunday's six-pack

-- 164,858 fans jammed into Churchill Downs Saturday to watch a 2:00 horse race; Animal Kingdom paid $43.80 to win, meaning that not many of those 164,858 went home winners.

-- John Calipari won Saturday, when Terence Jones announced he was coming back to Kentucky for his sophomore season.

-- All eight National League games stayed under total Saturday, as total of 43 runs scored in eight games. Baseball has a scoring problem.

-- Mets are 10-3 when Jason Bay starts, 5-15 when he doesn't.

-- Why doesn't Virginia or Virginia Tech play VCU in basketball?

-- Maryland is now in same boat as NC State/Miami were, trying to get a big-name coach to run its basketball program, but not having a whole lot of luck. If they go after Brad Stevens, they'll whiff again.

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

Sunday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but........

13) You wonder if baseball’s scoring drought goes on into the summer, whether MLB will quietly suggest to its umpires that the strike zone get a little smaller, to create more hitters’ counts and theoretically, more runs being scored. As it stands now, offense is way, way down in 2011.

12) Kudos to Justin Verlander on his second no-hitter in four years, but it is getting to the point where having a no-hitter after six innings really isn't all that rare; happened five times, just this week.

11) Randy Moss’ daughter, who lives in Kentucky, has committed to play basketball for the Florida Gators. Moss went to high school with Jason Williams, who was a star guard for the Gators.

10) Not sure if Tennessee spring football game was played in a monsoon or a hurricane, but QB Tyler Bray went 5-30 passing, which is horrible, fueling speculation that free agent QB Russell Wilson might be a target of Tennessee’s coaches to play this season, after he was cut loose by NC State. Wilson is going to be a big, albeit short-lived help to some program this fall. If Wilson played for the Vols, Bray could redshirt this season, and still have three years left in Knoxville.

9) Royals’ bullpen has thrown 28 consecutive scoreless innings.

8) a 23-year old guy in New York worked quickly after hearing news of Bin Laden’s death Sunday night; he created a website, advertised he was selling t-shirts for the occasion, and within 48 hours, had sold 10,000 of them. Now that’s the American spirit, doing a quick $120,000 in business off the death of a terrorist.

7) Apparently, CBS' loud/self-promoting play-by-play guy Gus Johnson can’t agree on a new contract, so they may part ways. Johnson is most polarizing announcer on the air today; either you love his enthusiasm, or you hate his “Hey listen to me!!!” act. FOX is rumored to be going after Johnson to work its Pac-12 telecasts.

6) Road team has won all six of Javier Vazquez’ starts this season; in his last two outings, Vazquez threw 196 pitches, with only five swings/ misses. That’s a definite red flag for an aging hurler.

5) Hard not to have tears in my eyes reading Pat Forde's story about the horse trainer who had a heart transplant three years ago. Her horse was third in the Derby Saturday. The story is on espn.com and it is worth the time to go read it. Touching, real-life stuff.

4) On June 24, 1998, the Bucks drafted Dirk Nowitzki, then traded him to Dallas with Pat Gerrity for Robert Traylor. Whoops.

3) Tampa Bay Rays are just 8th team ever to start a season 0-6, then get at least four games over .500 in that same season.

2) Charlotte Weber, the woman who owns Brilliant Speed, who ran out of money at 27-1 at Kentucky Derby Saturday, is an heiress to Campbell's Soup fortune and is worth $1.2B. Must be an awful lot of people eating that soup for her to be worth a freakin' billion dollars.

1) I really hope Gary Williams goes into TV, because after seeing him agonize and sweat thru his clothes on TV for the last 25 years, I’d love to see if the guy has an actual personality. I’m told he does. Hopefully, we’ll find out.

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:22 AM

NBA
Dunkel

LA Lakers at Dallas

The Mavericks look to wrap up the series and build on their 8-0 ATS record in their last 8 games as a favorite. Dallas is the pick (-2) according to Dunkel, which has the Mavericks favored by 5. Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-2). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, MAY 8

Game 725-726: LA Lakers at Dallas (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 124.374; Dallas 129.517
Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 5; 181
Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 2; 188
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-2); Under

Game 727-728: Chicago at Atlanta (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 123.716; Atlanta 123.504
Dunkel Line & Total: Even; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 4; 179
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+4); Over

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:28 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LA LAKERS (61 - 30) at DALLAS (64 - 27) - 5/8/2011, 3:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-5 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 7-6 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO (68 - 22) at ATLANTA (49 - 42) - 5/8/2011, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 8-5 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 8-5 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:30 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 8

Western Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - DAL 3-0
LA LAKERS at DALLAS, 3:30 PM ET ABC
LA LAKERS: 4-10 ATS off BB SU losses
DALLAS: 13-0 ATS L13 games

Eastern Conference Playoffs - 2nd Round - Best of 7 - Game 4 - CHI 2-1
CHICAGO at ATLANTA, 8:05 PM ET TNT
CHICAGO: 1-10 ATS off double digit road win
ATLANTA: 41-18 Under revenging double digit loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:34 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of the LA Lakers last 14 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of the LA Lakers last 10 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas's last 10 games when playing at home against LA Lakers

8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Chicago is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Atlanta's last 10 games when playing at home against Chicago

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:37 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What bettors need to know: Sunday NBA playoff action
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks (+3.5, 179)

THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls team that showed up for Game 3 was a lot more like the club that had cruised through the regular season with the best record in the NBA. After regaining home-court advantage with their most dominant performance yet, Derrick Rose and the Bulls have the Atlanta Hawks right where they want them heading into Game 4. The Hawks will need to go back to the drawing board and find a new way to defend Rose when they host Chicago in Game 4 on Sunday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE HAWKS: Atlanta surprised plenty of people with a relatively easy victory in Game 1. The Hawks flew into the United Center and grabbed a 103-95 victory behind 34 points from Joe Johnson. But things have not been quite as easy in the last two games, as the Bulls have rediscovered their focus on the defensive end and the Hawks have been unable to keep pace. Johnson slumped to 10 points in Friday’s Game 3, shooting 4-of-12 from the floor. The bright spot again was Jeff Teague, who has recorded over 20 points in each of the last two games while filling in at the starting point guard spot for the injured Kirk Hinrich.

ABOUT THE BULLS: A bum ankle did not appear to have any effect on Rose on Friday, as the league MVP poured in a career-high 44 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds. After struggling with his outside shot in the first two games, Rose buried 4-of-7 3-point attempts in Game 3 and went 16-of-27 from the field overall. Chicago jumped out to a 19-point lead in the second quarter and kept it to double digits the entire second half. Atlanta drew to within 11 points in the fourth, but Rose buried a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-0 spurt to put it away.

WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Since going off for 22 points in Game 1, Jamal Crawford has totaled 18 on 5-of 17 shooting in the past two games for the Hawks. Luol Deng had a rough night on Friday, held to single digits for the first time in the playoffs when he finished with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting for the Bulls.

KEY STATISTIC: Rebounding. Chicago has dominated the boards in its two wins, building up a 105-73 advantage on the glass in the two contests combined. Joakim Noah has been the most prolific, pulling down 29 rebounds in the past two games.

LAST WORD: “I saw an energy level that, right away, I knew we were in trouble,” said Hawks coach Larry Drew, who called his first timeout just 49 seconds into the first quarter on Friday. “When you play an explosive guard like Derrick Rose, you have to make a commitment to getting back and making sure you try to keep him out of the paint. He’s too fast and too explosive.”

Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (-2.5, 188)

THE STORY: Win or start the offseason a month earlier than expected. That’s the task facing the two-time defending Los Angeles Lakers when they visit the torrid Dallas Mavericks in Sunday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks have a 3-0 lead in the series to place the Lakers in the most dire of playoff situations. Not a single team in NBA history has rallied to win a playoff series under those circumstances and the Lakers have looked more like a tired team against Dallas than one in the midst of another NBA title push. Dirk Nowitzki has dominated the series and hit the go-ahead shot in Dallas’ 98-92 victory in Game 3 on Friday.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS: Although Nowitzki received ample support from reserves Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic in Friday’s victory, the German proved that he was an unstoppable force in another Dallas triumph. Nowitzki scored 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting and made 4-of-5 3-point attempts. His basket with 1:23 to play put the Mavericks ahead to stay. Terry scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting in his best performance of the series and Stojakovic had 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter. The Mavericks outscored the Lakers 17-5 over the final four minutes. Point guard Jason Kidd has struggled with his shooting – he is just 8-of-26 from the field – but is averaging 8.7 assists in the three Dallas victories. Shawn Marion (1-of-7, two points) and J.J. Barea (1-of-5, four points) were not factors after playing pivotal roles in Dallas’ Game 2 victory.

ABOUT THE LAKERS: Los Angeles certainly wasn’t expecting to be in a position where its season might end on May 8. Now, the Lakers will attempt to avoid being the fifth reigning NBA champion to have been swept in a playoff series. Andrew Bynum was the Lakers’ best player in Game 3 with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant (17 points) and Pau Gasol (12 points) had average games. Lamar Odom moved into the starting lineup due to the one-game suspension to Ron Artest and scored 18 points. Artest will be back for Sunday’s contest. Los Angeles was 3-for-13 from 3-point range in Game 3 and is shooting a porous 19.2 percent from behind the arc in the series.

WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Nowitzki is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and shooting 70 percent from 3-point range in the series. Gasol is averaging just 13.3 points and shooting 42.9 percent from the field in the three games.

KEY STATISTIC: Dallas made 12 3-point baskets in Game 3. The Lakers have made 10 the entire series.

LAST WORD: “I might be sick in the head or crazy because I think we’re still going to win the series. I might be nuts. But win on Sunday, go back home and see if they can win in L.A.” – Bryant on the predicament facing the Lakers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:39 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 8

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick 'n' roll: Sunday's best NBA bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (-2.5, 188)

It has now gone from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was hard to fathom it getting any worse after L.A. lost the first two games of this Western Conference semifinal series at home. But, somehow, it did just that on Friday night in Dallas. The Lakers led almost the entire way before a late-game collapse resulted in a 98-92 Mavericks’ victory.

Now trailing 3-0, if the Lakers don’t get their act together in the second halves of games this is going to be a four-game sweep of improbable proportions.

The second-half scores in the three contests are: 52-41, 42-32, and 51-41—all in favor of the Mavs. Fourth-quarter numbers are even more glaring: 25-16, 25-19, and 32-20—again, of course, all in favor of the Mavs.

As bad as L.A. has been late in games, it does not help that Phil Jackson’s crew is going up against Dirk Nowitzki, one of the best closers in the game.

After scoring 28 and 24 in Game 1 and Game 2, respectively, Nowitzki went for 32 on Friday and was borderline unguardable in the fourth quarter. He averaged 27.3 points per game in six outings against Portland and he has scored at least 20 points the last 11 time he has taken the court.

No team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. The way these two teams are playing—especially in the pressure-packed moments—this one won’t even go to five.

“It's great we didn't panic,” Nowitzki said in his post-game interview on Friday. “They were up six late in the fourth quarter. We stuck with it. We finally got some big stops and got some shots at the offensive end. We got to go for (the sweep). We are not good enough to coast or relax. We have to go for it on Sunday with the same crowd and same hype.”

Pick: Mavericks

Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks (+3.5, 179)

Atlanta’s surprising Game 1 victory at Chicago is looking more like the aberration than the rule.

The Bulls followed the letdown with two dominant wins and have now won four of their last five games against the Hawks by double-digits. They rolled 94-76 at home and 114-81 on the road in the last two regular-season meetings before the drubbings in Game 2 on Wednesday and Game 3 on Friday.

Of course, the Bulls’ response to a loss should not come as any surprise.

During a torrid end to the regular season they recovered from a two-game slide in February to win seven of eight. They lost on March 2 then won eight in a row. They lost on March 18 then won four straight. Then they lost on March 28 and closed out the season by winning nine consecutive contests.

An angry Chicago team is not good news for the Hawks; nor is an on-fire Derrick Rose. It’s hard to imagine Rose getting even better than he has looked throughout the year, but he has done just that since receiving his MVP trophy earlier this week.

Rose went for 25 points and 10 assists in an 86-73 triumph on Wednesday; decent but modest by his standards. He then exploded in Atlanta for 44 points on 16-of-27 shooting in a 99-82 thrashing.

Teammate Kyle Korver told the Chicago Tribune: “Toward the end of the first quarter, I said on the bench, ‘This is going to be one of those nights.’

“He's playing at such a high level. I think now that all this MVP stuff is done, he doesn't have to deal with the extra hype. He can just play. He looked more poised and relaxed.”

Pick: Bulls

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:41 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Detroit at San Jose

The Red Wings look to stay alive in the series and take advantage of a San Jose team that is 1-5 in its last 6 Sunday games. Detroit is the pick, according to Dunkel, which has the Red Wings favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+120). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, MAY 8

Game 23-24: Detroit at San Jose (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 13.077; San Jose 12.011
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-140); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+120); Under

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:44 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 8

Western Conference Playoffs - Second Round - Game 5 - SJ Leads 3-1
DETROIT at SAN JOSE, 8:05 PM ET VERSUS
DETROIT: 16-6 Over off BB home games
SAN JOSE: 8-3 SU at home vs. Detroit

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:46 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 8

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VANCOUVER (61-22-0-11, 133 pts.) at NASHVILLE (50-31-0-12, 112 pts.) - 5/9/2011, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 7-10 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 10-7-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.9 Units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:49 AM

NHL

Sunday, May 8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:00 PM
DETROIT vs. SAN JOSE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Detroit is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against San Jose
San Jose is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 15 of San Jose's last 23 games

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:52 AM

NHL

Sunday, May 8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What bettors need to know: Red Wings at Sharks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (-146, 5.5)

THE STORY: The San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings are following the script they wrote during their Western Conference semifinal series last year. Detroit is hoping to write a different ending as they try to extend this season's matchup with a victory in Game 5 at the HP Pavilion on Sunday. Last postseason, San Jose won three straight one-goal decisions and were blown out in Game 4 before eliminating the Red Wings on home ice. The stage is set for an identical finish this time around with the exception of the fourth contest, which Detroit won by one goal Friday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN, RDS

ABOUT THE SHARKS: San Jose's quest for the first series sweep in franchise history ended with a 4-3 loss at Joe Louis Arena on Friday. The Sharks showed resiliency, however, as they battled back to forge a 3-3 tie after allowing the first three goals. Rookie Logan Couture recorded a goal and an assist while Ryane Clowe collected three assists. San Jose was outplayed for a good portion of the game and outshot in each period as it allowed 40 shots while registering 28.

ABOUT THE RED WINGS: Detroit had Joe Louis Arena rocking as it scored three times in the first 18:01 of the game to take a 3-0 lead. The crowd became deafeningly silent later on as San Jose chipped away at its deficit before tying the contest 74 seconds into the third period. But Darren Helm sent Hockeytown into a frenzy by snapping the deadlock with 1:27 remaining and helping the Red Wings stave off elimination. Captain Nicklas Lidstrom scored a pair of goals, giving him 54 during his playoff career. The first tally was his 181st postseason point, moving him ahead of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque for second among defenseman and tied him with Jaromir Jagr for 11th overall on the all-time list.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk recorded an assist Friday, giving him a team-leading 10 points this postseason. Lidstrom's two goals put him first on the club with four. Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler were the only Red Wings without a shot on goal in Game 4. Clowe is tied for second in the league with 12 points this postseason, one behind Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis. Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi top the Sharks with four goals apiece.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Red Wings went 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 4 and have converted 25.8 percent (8-for-31) of their opportunities in the postseason. Detroit has a 77.5 percent success rate on the penalty kill. San Jose has scored just six goals on 40 power-play opportunities for a 15.0 percent efficiency. The Sharks also have been shorthanded 40 times, allowing nine tallies for a 77.5 percent success rate.

LAST WORD: "Well, I thought it was a real good job by you guys talking about retirement yesterday. I thought he answered that bell pretty good." - Detroit coach Mike Babcock on the media's speculation about the possible retirement of Lidstrom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Udog** · 05-08-2011, 08:54 AM

NHL

Sunday, May 8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Sunday's best NHL bet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (-146, 5.5)

The Detroit Red Wings are still alive, but just barely.

Facing elimination down 3-0 in the series, Detroit survived at home on Friday night by scoring a late goal in a 4-3 victory over San Jose. Of course, it has to be noted that the Red Wings blew the entirety of a 3-0 lead before Darren Helm’s lamp-lighter with 1:27 remaining broke a 3-3 tie.

The Sharks have to feel good heading back to the West Coast with a 3-1 advantage in the series and having almost staged a remarkable Game 4 comeback. They also have to like their head-to-head matchup against the Wings.

Detroit won the season’s first meeting, but San Jose had won six in a row prior to Friday’s clash. The Sharks have also won three straight at home against the Red Wings (one in March and now two in this series).

One disconcerting issue for the visitors is that they are getting schooled at their own game.

“They play a very similar style to what we're doing, so it's nothing to get frustrated over,” defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told the Detroit News after Game 3. “They're just a little more patient than us. And they're taking benefit of the chances they're getting. We're one and done, taking a shot and then going the other way.”

Speaking of being done, that’s exactly what the Red Wings will be on Sunday.

Pick: Sharks

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 5/8 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 5/8 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment