Scott Ferrall
WEDNESDAY'S (FREE) NBA PRE-SEASON
ORLANDO -4 to Memphis--Grizzlies suck
NJ -2 to Philly--Sixers beat Cleve last night
DETROIT -4.5 to Cleveland--Cavs had back to back games
Minney -3 to Chicago--T'Wolves get lucky
SAN ANTONIO -6 to Washington--Spurs too much at home
PORTLAND -3.5 to Clippers--Blazers are better and the Clips will blow this year without Brand
WEDNESDAY'S (FREE) NBA PRE-SEASON
ORLANDO -4 to Memphis--Grizzlies suck
NJ -2 to Philly--Sixers beat Cleve last night
DETROIT -4.5 to Cleveland--Cavs had back to back games
Minney -3 to Chicago--T'Wolves get lucky
SAN ANTONIO -6 to Washington--Spurs too much at home
PORTLAND -3.5 to Clippers--Blazers are better and the Clips will blow this year without Brand
Randall the Handle
HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Dallas +1.30 over NEW JERSEY (REG) PINNACLE
After going 0-4 in OT games this season, I’m going to play the dog in regulation only and may change that later. Last night was about as frustrating a night as can be, as all three games had a two-goal lead and all three lost. It was similar to Saturday’s games in which we had a lead in every game going to the third period and instead of going 4-0, I ended up with a 1-3 record. It stings but like goal scorers say, at least I’m getting the chances. Tonight I’ll play one of the most favorable angles in all of sports and that’s the “play against the team returning home from a trip” angle. The Devils played four road games in seven days and three of those were against rivals New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, and Washington. The Devils have been off since Saturday and that, too, is beneficial and it’s a nice little layoff. Besides the “angle” I like the Stars anyway. New Jersey is an offensively handicapped team and it’s just not smart to lay juice with a team that will score one or two goals per game more often then not. The Stars are coming off a nice win against the Rangers and they’re definitely not outclassed here. Also, Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston are both out for the home side and those are two guys that provide some offensive punch. In any case, the Stars are definitely live tonight and I’m on it. Play: Dallas +1.30 (Risking 2 units).
Florida +1.70 over OTTAWA (REG) PINNACLE
Despite a 2-3 record, the Panthers have been impressive and could easily be 5-1 instead of 2-3. They clearly outplayed The Hurricanes in their opening day 6-4 loss and they outplayed the Habs on Monday in a 3-1 loss. Both those games were on the road and hard work inevitably gets rewarded. Meanwhile, the Senators are a team that can be exploited in the defensive end. They allow a ton of scoring chances and their defense does not move the puck out of the zone very effectively. As a result of that the Senators are not getting enough shots on goal (27, 23, 26 and 22 over their last four games). The Sens have been a powerhouse for years but they really started to come apart at the end of last year and frankly, things don’t look much better this season. The team is in desperate need of some quality defenseman after they traded Joe Corvo late last season and lost D-men Andrej Meszaros, Wade Redden, Mike Commodore and Lawrence Nycholat this season. The main man on D this season is Flip Kuba. Bottom line is that the Sens do not warrant being a big favorite over anyone and these Panthers are definitely not getting the respect they deserve. Overlay. Play: Florida +1.70 (Risking 2 units).
CHICAGO/Edmonton over 5½ -1.05 PINNACLE
It’s no secret that scoring is up this year and the NHL would have it no other way. Offense attracts customers and the NHL has been trying to market the league in the US for years. Refs are skating with their right arm halfway in the air just waiting to make a call. Anyway, what we have here is two extremely talented offenses going at one another and there is likely going to be a ton of penalties and a ton of scoring chances. Also consider that Dwayne Roloson will be between the pipes for the Oilers and he’ll be making his first start of the year. Nikolai Khabibulin gets the call for the Blackhawks and he’s been very shaky indeed. Thus, we have two potent offenses against two questionable goaltenders and asking these two to score six seems very reasonable. Personally, I can’t stand totals but damn, this one looks very beatable. Play: Chicago/Edmonton over 5½ -1.05 (Risking 2.10 units to win 2).
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HOME TEAM IN CAPS
Dallas +1.30 over NEW JERSEY (REG) PINNACLE
After going 0-4 in OT games this season, I’m going to play the dog in regulation only and may change that later. Last night was about as frustrating a night as can be, as all three games had a two-goal lead and all three lost. It was similar to Saturday’s games in which we had a lead in every game going to the third period and instead of going 4-0, I ended up with a 1-3 record. It stings but like goal scorers say, at least I’m getting the chances. Tonight I’ll play one of the most favorable angles in all of sports and that’s the “play against the team returning home from a trip” angle. The Devils played four road games in seven days and three of those were against rivals New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, and Washington. The Devils have been off since Saturday and that, too, is beneficial and it’s a nice little layoff. Besides the “angle” I like the Stars anyway. New Jersey is an offensively handicapped team and it’s just not smart to lay juice with a team that will score one or two goals per game more often then not. The Stars are coming off a nice win against the Rangers and they’re definitely not outclassed here. Also, Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston are both out for the home side and those are two guys that provide some offensive punch. In any case, the Stars are definitely live tonight and I’m on it. Play: Dallas +1.30 (Risking 2 units).
Florida +1.70 over OTTAWA (REG) PINNACLE
Despite a 2-3 record, the Panthers have been impressive and could easily be 5-1 instead of 2-3. They clearly outplayed The Hurricanes in their opening day 6-4 loss and they outplayed the Habs on Monday in a 3-1 loss. Both those games were on the road and hard work inevitably gets rewarded. Meanwhile, the Senators are a team that can be exploited in the defensive end. They allow a ton of scoring chances and their defense does not move the puck out of the zone very effectively. As a result of that the Senators are not getting enough shots on goal (27, 23, 26 and 22 over their last four games). The Sens have been a powerhouse for years but they really started to come apart at the end of last year and frankly, things don’t look much better this season. The team is in desperate need of some quality defenseman after they traded Joe Corvo late last season and lost D-men Andrej Meszaros, Wade Redden, Mike Commodore and Lawrence Nycholat this season. The main man on D this season is Flip Kuba. Bottom line is that the Sens do not warrant being a big favorite over anyone and these Panthers are definitely not getting the respect they deserve. Overlay. Play: Florida +1.70 (Risking 2 units).
CHICAGO/Edmonton over 5½ -1.05 PINNACLE
It’s no secret that scoring is up this year and the NHL would have it no other way. Offense attracts customers and the NHL has been trying to market the league in the US for years. Refs are skating with their right arm halfway in the air just waiting to make a call. Anyway, what we have here is two extremely talented offenses going at one another and there is likely going to be a ton of penalties and a ton of scoring chances. Also consider that Dwayne Roloson will be between the pipes for the Oilers and he’ll be making his first start of the year. Nikolai Khabibulin gets the call for the Blackhawks and he’s been very shaky indeed. Thus, we have two potent offenses against two questionable goaltenders and asking these two to score six seems very reasonable. Personally, I can’t stand totals but damn, this one looks very beatable. Play: Chicago/Edmonton over 5½ -1.05 (Risking 2.10 units to win 2).
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