Service Plays Wednesday 4/13/11

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

The Rx.com Mod Team has created this Service Play sub-forum in order to supply an area for Rx Service Play Posters to expand upon their posting topics without creating a logjam in the main forum where the three principle threads are maintained..

Posters can track services here if they care to but we will need any trackers to do so in an accurate and civil manner. We did not create this area for posters to ridicule or bash any services..

You can also discuss who is hot and who is not. The general state of the pay for plays industry and any other subject or topic related to service plays.

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Please remember, this forum is not here for regular posters who cap their own games to post ther daily plays. Please use our individual sport forums to post your plays. Professional cappers (those that sell plays) must remain in the Site Promotion Forum.

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Lastly The Rx Moderators are appealing to you our everyday posters to report any promotional threads or posts that are made by services or individual touts. No links or contact information to an individual service will be allowed. Just the name of the service. Please report any threads or posts that are promotional attempts by services and touts to use this forum to promote themselves..

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I will leave this thread open for a month to take questions and do my best to answer them. I will check in daily but am off on Wednesday and Thursday.

I hope this additional Service Play Forum will satisfy those posters that would like to widen the scope of topics relating to service plays and the industry in general to have their own threads. Mods will be liberal as possible regarding topics but this forum was specifically created to allow you more freedom to express your ideas regarding service plays and related subject matter. No off topic threads will be allowed.

Thank you, wilheim




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Thank you, wilheim.......

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[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB Betting Preview: Red Sox face Tampa Bay Rays
By: Willie Bee

One way or another, there's going to be a lot of booing Wednesday night at Fenway Park in the series finale between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Not that booing would be an unfamiliar sound in Beantown, just that this time it could be a little bit uglier.

How much uglier? Manny Ramirez won't even be returning to Boston in a Rays jersey and he's still going to be booed.

Wednesday's battle begins at 4:10 p.m. (PT) and will be broadcast to the two local markets plus nationally on MLB TV.

The mound matchup pits Tampa Bay's James Shields (1-1, 4.73) against John Lackey (1-1, 15.58) for the BoSox. Shields is known for being at the center of one of the most memorable bench-clearing brawls in Fenway history, and that's saying something. Lackey is known for throwing BP to the opposition so far this year, and Sox Nation's leash is growing shorter by the minute.

Speaking of ugly, Monday's series opener was just that amid jeers from the locals. Former Boston idiot Johnny Damon got the ball rolling for Tampa Bay with a homer in the top of the first inning, a portent of another hideous outing for Daisuke Matsuzaka against the Rays. Last year's AL East champs picked up just their second win of the season as plus 145 underdogs, 16-5.

The Rays, who had won seven of the last 10 at Fenway following Monday's game, came into the series last in the majors in scoring, hitting, slugging and getting on base.

Tuesday's second game saw Boston open as a minus 175 favorite behind its ace Jon Lester. David Price of the Rays was slated to make it a double-southpaw matchup to keep the opening total at eight runs, low by Fenway Park standards.

It's been a little less than three years since Shields ignited a melee in Boston by beaning Coco Crisp. That June 5, 2008 game also saw then-Boston teammates Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis get into it in their own dugout. Maybe Mars was in retrograde. Or is it Mercury?

Either way, Fenway has been a little house of horrors for Shields with the Rays 1-8 in his nine Boston starts, his ERA a little more than 8.50. His lone win here came last season during a four-game sweep by the Rays in Boston.

Tampa Bay won three of Shields' four starts versus the Sox in 2010, splitting the two in Boston. The righty struck out an impressive 26 in 26 1/3 innings, but also was charged with 14 earned runs (4.78). David Ortiz, JD Drew and Dustin Pedroia have hammered Shields throughout their careers. Youkilis has been hammered (3-for-31, 10 Ks).

Lackey so far qualifies as an $80 million bust for the Sox. Certainly he's got plenty of time and talent to turn that around, but with Boston 17-18 in his 35 starts and Lackey's ERA approaching five in a Boston jersey, he's a bust.

The right-hander out of Abilene, Texas made four starts against the Rays in 2010, the record split 2-2 for Boston, a win and a loss each on the road and at home. Tampa Bay hitters torched him at home in April, but Lackey came back with a solid start at Fenway in late-June.

Rain, rain and more rain is in the Boston forecast through Wednesday. If this game is rained out, chances are the two clubs will make it up Monday, Aug. 15 when both are slated to have an off day prior to the start of a quickie two-game set in Boston. The fact a make-up date is so easy could affect the umpires' willingness to tolerate any wet stuff before calling the game.

Marty Foster should be south of the dish in this one, just his second go at calling balls and strikes on the campaign. If Foster's games fit a single trend, it's that home favorites come out ahead. Thirteen of the last 16 home teams priced up to minus 180 drove their backers to victory lane.

The Rays travel overnight back to Tampa Bay where they begin an 8-game homestand on Thursday, four each against the Twins and White Sox. The Red Sox have Thursday off before beginning a 4-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Halladay, Phillies battle MLB odds at Washington Nationals
By: Brad Young

National League East rivals Philadelphia and Washington continue a three-game series with Wednesday’s matchup.

The Phillies ranked second in the majors entering Tuesday's games in scoring differential at +26, scoring a robust 59 runs while yielding just 33. The Nationals have a -6 scoring differential, posting 37 runs while surrendering 42.

ESPN2 will provide coverage of Wednesday’s contest beginning at 4:05 p.m. PT from Nationals Park in Washington, DC.

Philadelphia gives the starting assignment to Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) hoping he can continue his early season dominance. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner blanked the New York Mets Thursday as a 190 home ‘chalk,’ 11-0.

The veteran right-hander worked through seven innings on 113 pitches, 74 of them strikes, allowing six hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. The 11 runs eclipsed the 7 ½-run closing total, helping the ‘over’ cash his second straight start.

Halladay opened the season April 1 with a no-decision against Houston. The 6-foot-6 hurler was reached for one run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts over six innings. The 33-year-old was almost dealt the defeat until the Phillies rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Halladay dominated the Nationals last season in three starts, going a combined 23 innings while surrendering just one run on 16 hits with five walks and 20 strikeouts. The Phillies won those three games by a combined score of 20-1.

Washington hurler John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) picked up a no-decision in Thursday’s matchup against Florida. The Nationals eventually won that contest in 11 innings, 5-3, while the combined eight runs slithered ‘over’ the 7½-run closing total. The ‘over’ has cashed in both of his starts this season.

The southpaw went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The Siena product threw 60 strikes during his 90-pitch effort.

Lannan started his season April 2 by beating Atlanta as a 124 home underdog, 6-3, while the combined nine runs went ‘over’ the 7 ½-run closing total. The five-year veteran was reached for one run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts over five innings.

Lannan went 0-3 against the Phillies last year in three starts, going a combined 14 1/3 innings, yielding 11 runs on 21 hits (two home runs) with five walks and six strikeouts. The Nationals lost as a 183 home underdog, 11-1, a 161 home ‘dog, 6-4, and as a 192 home ‘dog, 8-0. The ‘over’ cashed in all three matchups. In fact, Washington is just 1-10 in Lannan’s past 11 starts versus Philadelphia.

The Phillies have seen the ‘over’ go 7-1-1 their last nine games overall. Philadelphia has dominated this head-to-head series, posting a 39-13 record the past 52 matchups.

The Phillies conclude a six-game NL East road trip with Thursday’s contest. Washington continues its six-game homestand with three games against Milwaukee.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Wednesday's Best MLB Bets

Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers (-125, 9)

So far, everything’s fallen in place nicely for the Texas Rangers this season. Their starting pitching has been fantastic and the bullpen has been nearly as good to pace the team to a terrific start.

However, they’re going to have to deal with some adversity now that slugger Josh Hamilton will be out for at least six weeks after he fractured his upper right arm trying to score from third on a shallow pop up during Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Detroit.

"I listened to my third base coach,” Hamilton told reporters. “That's a little too aggressive. The whole time I was watching the play I was listening. [He said], 'Nobody's at home, nobody's at home.' I was like, 'Dude, I don't want to do this. Something's going to happen.'”

Hamilton was hitting .333 at the time of the injury, but has yet to hit a dinger. While he’s definitely a big loss to the batting order, Texas’ attack won’t completely fall apart or anything.

Pick: Over

Florida Marlins at Atlanta Braves (-135, 7)

The Atlanta Braves are coming off a complete win against the Marlins that could get the club heading in the right direction.

Atlanta had lost five of its last six games before Tommy Hanson fired seven scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 5-0 victory. Hanson was fantastic, allowing just four hits while striking out five but bettors should be just as encouraged about the club’s offensive outburst.

Jason Heyward swatted his third dinger of the year and catcher Brian McCann added his first of the campaign to help the Braves crack the five-run plateau for the first time in eight games.

We like Atlanta to keep the momentum going on Wednesday.

Pick: Braves

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA Betting: Dallas Mavericks host Hornets
By: David Schwab

The New Orleans Hornets close out their regular season against the Dallas Mavericks in a possible preview of a first-round matchup between the two in the upcoming NBA playoffs.

Tip-off from American Airlines Arena in Dallas is set for 5 p.m. (PT) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

New Orleans is currently eighth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind seventh-place Memphis. The Hornets are coming off a 90-78 loss to Utah on Monday night as a seven-point home favorite that dropped their record to 46-35 straight up and 39-40-2 against the spread. Right now it appears that the Hornets will face No.1 seed San Antonio in the first round, but there is still an outside chance they could face Dallas with a win in this game combined with a pair of Grizzlies’ losses.

This team has pressed on since losing leading scorer David West for the season with a torn ACL. Chris Paul, who is averaging 16 points, 4.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists a game, and Carl Landry (11.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG) have done a pretty good job so far at filling the void.

Trevor Ariza continues to elevate his game and has become a solid scoring threat in West’s absence with 75 points in his last five games.

New Orleans is ranked 27th in the league in scoring with 95 points a game, but is fourth in fewest points allowed, giving up an average of 93.7. Its points allowed has risen to 97 a game with West out of the lineup, while its points scored has remained at 95. The Hornets are shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range.

Dallas’s 98-91 overtime victory at Houston on Monday as a 3 ½-point favorite gives it a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers for the second seed in the West. The Lakers host the Spurs on Tuesday night before closing at Sacramento on Wednesday.

The Mavericks have now won three straight to run their record to 56-25 SU and 43-36-2 ATS. This follows a recent four-game losing streak that preceded a five-game winning streak.

The one constant for Dallas over this roller-coaster ride down the stretch has been the play of Dirk Nowitzki. He is scoring 22.9 points a game and pulling down an average of seven rebounds.

Shawn Marion is averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds and Jason Terry is adding 15.8 points a game off the bench. Jason Kidd still leads the team in assists with 8.2 a game and Tyson Chandler is the leading rebounder with 9.4.

The Mavericks are averaging 100 points and 41.4 rebounds a game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field. They are 12th in the league from three-point range; converting on 36.3 percent of their attempts and are 77.6 percent foul shooting team.

New Orleans is 1-3 ATS in its last four games on the road but 3-2 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in three of its last five games.

Dallas is 3-2 ATS in its last five home games and 3-0 ATS in its last three games overall. The total is 2-2-1 in its last five games overall.

Head-to-head, the Hornets have won two of three games SU this season, but lost to the Mavericks 98-95 in Dallas as a three-point underdog on Nov.15. The total has gone ‘over’ in two of these games.

This time around the Mavs should open as a four- or five-point favorite and remain a solid pick to win and cover as they will most likely need one more victory to ensure second place in the conference.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA Betting: Rosters in flux for Knicks, Celtics
By: Michael Robinson

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are slated to meet in the first round of the playoffs, but first they finish their respective regular seasons on Wednesday night. Both teams are expected to rest key players.

There will be local television coverage at 5 p.m. (PT) from TD Banknorth Garden. The Knicks have a Tuesday night game hosting Chicago, with the result still pending.

Boston (55-26 straight-up, 37-42-2 against the spread) is locked into the third seed in the Eastern Conference after an overtime loss (95-94) at Washington on Monday night, coupled with a Miami win at Atlanta.

Coach Doc Rivers strangely decided to rest his ‘Big 4’ of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo despite only being a game behind Miami. Boston will now have to travel to South Beach in a potential Game 7 in the second round.

The 189 combined points scored against Washington was a ‘push’ of the total. There were only 168 points scored in regulation. The ‘under’ is 4-0-1 in Boston’s last five games.

The Celtics also failed to ‘cover’ as seven-point favorites. They’re 1-3 SU and ATS in their last four games, including embarrassing losses at Chicago (97-81) and Miami (100-77) when playoff seeding was firmly on the line.

Rivers is trying to get a pulse on his guys. They still seem upset about the Kendrick Perkins deadline trade to Oklahoma City, going just 14-12 SU and 10-16 ATS since. The team struggled heading into the playoffs last year before making the Finals, but this situation feels more ominous.

Shaquille O’Neal was supposed to soften the blow from the Perkins trade by returning from his Achilles injury. He did come back for five minutes of one game before hurting his calf. His return for the playoffs is still unknown, leaving the underwhelming duo of Jermaine O’Neal and Nenad Krstic to man the middle.

Rivers will likely sit the ‘Big 4’ again on Wednesday and point guard Delonte West is doubtful (ankle). That leaves a projected starting lineup of Jermaine O’Neal, Glen Davis, Jeff Green, Von Wafer and Carlos Arroyo. Davis and Green are two solid scorers, but it leaves them very thin at guard if West is out.

The Knicks (42-38 SU, 46-32-2 ATS) have been going in the opposite direction of Boston, winners of seven straight (6-1 ATS). That moved them into sixth in the East and a playoff date with Boston for the first time since 1990.

New York’s last game was a 110-109 win at Indiana on Sunday. The Knicks are scoring 115.7 PPG during this winning streak and allowing 105.9 PPG.

The 219 combined points scored against Indiana actually went ‘under’ the big 220½-point total. The ‘under’ is 3-0 in New York’s last three games after the ‘over’ was 7-0 in the previous seven.

Forward Carmelo Anthony has averaged 30.9 PPG the last seven games and just as importantly, 49.4 percent from the field. The Knicks’ play has been up-and-down since acquiring him from Denver, including a 1-9 SU stretch right before this winning streak.

Power forward Amare Stoudemire (ankle) has missed the last two games and should sit until the playoffs. Anthony and Chauncey Billups are expected to play against Chicago, but will likely rest against Boston.

The Knicks starting lineup on Wednesday could be Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Shawne Williams, Ronny Turiaf and Shelden Williams. Coach Mike D’Antoni will stick with his up-tempo offense and defense could be scarce on both sides.

Boston is 3-0 SU, but 1-2 ATS against New York this year. The one game with Anthony was a 96-86 win in New York as 1½-point favorites on March 21. The Celtics had a late charge to win the game.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Pick 'n' Roll

Wednesday's Best NBA Bets

New Orleans Hornets at Dallas Mavericks (-9.5, 189.5)

Not even the Mavericks can believe they are in position to earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

If Dallas wins out, the team that looked dead in the water with a four-game losing streak earlier this month could make a case it’s the hottest team entering the postseason. The Lakers own the tie-breaker against the Mavericks, but if Dallas keeps losing, there is a chance the Thunder could pass them as well and the team would tumble all the way down to the No. 4 seed.

But the way the Mavericks have been playing, the team likely shouldn’t have to worry about that.

Dallas is 3-0 SU and ATS the past three games and coming off a 98-91 win over the Houston Rockets that saw the team not rely on its trademark offense. Rather, it made a defensive statement.

"Our defense was solid all night, really," Nowitzki said. "That really won us the game down the stretch. We didn't execute well, in flow. We didn't have a lot of stuff going on the fast break."

Meantime, the Hornets are all but locked into the eighth seed and likely will rest a high percentage of their starters to avoid potential injuries.
Dallas has a lot to play for. New Orleans has reason not to play.

Pick: Mavericks

Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors (N/A)

The Heat might have to sign most of a D-League team to have healthy bodies for this one.

When asked about playing in the season finale after already having the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference locked up, LeBron James made his feelings clearly known.

“I could use it,” he said of the rest, “I definitely could use it.”

So expect lots of towel waving from James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh who all could be wearing suits on the sidelines. Also joining them should be a hobbled Erick Dampier and swingman Mike Miller who is battling a myriad of injuries.

“He had a tough one,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Miller. “He’s adjusting still to the padding on his left hand. He’s fine right now. He’s got ice pretty much on all parts of his body.”

Dexter Pittman isn’t going to know what to do with all the minutes he is going to get in this one.

Meantime, the Raptors also will have plenty of regulars on the pine for this one. Guards Jose Calderon, Sonny Weems and Leandro Barbosa are each expected to be out with various ailments and forward Andrea Bargnani could be out with a bum ankle.

This one will be ugly and don’t expect there to be enough talent on the floor for there to be enough points to push this one over the total.

Pick: Under

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Odds: Blackhawks, Canucks open playoff series
By: Barry Daniels

The eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks will get a chance to defend their Stanley Cup title Wednesday night when they travel to Vancouver to play the top-seeded Canucks in Game 1 of this best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal round.

Most sports books monitored by Don Best Sports' Real-Time Odds have installed the Canucks as 175 favorites for Game 1, which begins at 7 p.m. (PT). The ‘total’ opened at 5 ½ goals.

Vancouver also has been established as a hefty 215 favorite to capture the series, with Chicago listed at plus 185.

The Blackhawks are playing a Vancouver team they've had great success against during the previous two playoffs, ousting the Canucks in the conference semifinals in six games in each of the last two years.

The teams split four games this season, with the ‘over/under’ also going 2-2.

The initial meeting (Oct. 20) saw the Blackhawks nip the Canucks in a shootout as 150 home favorites, 2-1. The combined three goals dipped ‘under’ the NHL odds. The Canucks lost despite out-shooting the Hawks, 37-32. Vancouver was 1-for-3 on the power play, while Chicago was scoreless in three opportunities.

Exactly one month later, Chicago clobbered the Canucks 7-1 as 150 road underdogs. The combined eight goals soared ‘over’ the 5 ½-goal closing total. The Hawks outshot the Canucks 31-28 thanks to eight power play chances (scoring once). Vancouver was 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

Vancouver got in the winning column on Dec. 3 by blanking Chicago 3-0 as 110 road underdogs. The combined three goals ducked ‘under’ the 5 ½-goal closing total. Chicago lost despite out-shooting the Canucks, 32-18. However, the Hawks were 0-for-4 on the power play compared to Vancouver’s 1-for-5.

The most recent meeting (Feb. 4) saw the Canucks even the season series with a 4-3 victory as 150 home favorites. The combined seven goals skipped ‘over’ the 5 ½-goal closing total. Chicago again outshot Vancouver, 45-32, but again failed to notch a power play goal in five chances. Vancouver was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

The underdog is now 6-2 in the last eight series meetings between the Hawks and Canucks. The ‘over’ is 9-1-1 in the last 11 matchups at Vancouver and 7-3-2 in the last 12 overall meetings.

One of Chicago’s goals will be to get traffic in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, something that Dustin Byfuglien did very well the last two postseasons. But Byfuglien was one of those players lost in the offseason purge, so Chicago must find someone else to try and bother one of the NHL's top goaltenders.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville has indicated that both David Bolland (concussion) and Troy Brouwer (shoulder) made the trip to Vancouver. The Don Best Sports injury report lists both players as “questionable.”

Bolland, a center who is one of Chicago's most versatile players and a key on the checking line, missed the final 14 games.

Vancouver defenseman Andrew Alberts (wrist) is also listed as “questionable.”

Goaltender comparison: Luongo finished the regular campaign with a 38-15-2-5 ledger, a miniscule 2.11 GAA and a 928 save percentage. He also registered four shutouts.

Chicago’s Corey Crawford is 33-18-3-3 with a 2.30 GAA, a .917 save percentage and four shutouts.

Offense: Vancouver (1st, 3.3 GPG) - Chicago (4th, 3.1 GPG)

Defense: Vancouver (1st, 2.2 GPG) - Chicago (12th, 2.7 GPG).

Special teams: Vancouver (1st on power play at 24.3 percent, 3rd on penalty kill at 85.6 percent – Chicago 4th on power play at 23.1 percent, 25th penalty kill at 79.2 percent.

The second game of this seven-game series will take place Friday at 7 p.m. in Vancouver, with the Versus network providing television coverage.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL Betting: NY Rangers, Capitals start in DC
By: Adam Markowitz

After 82 games of grinding it out in the regular season, the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals are finally ready to get started in the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup.

On Wednesday night, the postseason gets started for these two Eastern Conference combatants in the No. 1 vs. No. 8 series. This NHL playoff betting affair drops the puck at 4:30 p.m. (PT) at DC's Verizon Center.

The Rangers are fortunate just to be in the postseason, but now that they have gotten to the dance they really could be in for a heck of a run if Henrik Lundqvist gets his mojo on. The Swede arguably was the most important player on any team this season picking up the slack for an offense that ranked No. 16 in the league at 2.7 GPG.

Sure, the numbers for Boston Bruins' netminder Tim Thomas are more impressive, but the argument could be made that Lundqvist should be the Vezina Trophy winner. He went 36-27-5 this season with a 2.28 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Lundqvist also led the league in shutouts with 11.

Two of those clean sheets came against these Capitals, something that has to give him and the Rangers a ton of confidence. He stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 7-0 whipping of the regular season Eastern Conference champs in December, and followed that up by destroying the Washington offense in a 6-0 win with a 35-save shutout in February in two of his most impressive performances of the season.

The Washington offense is significantly better than one would think just based on some raw numbers. Averaging 2.7 GPG leaves the Caps right there with the Rangers this season, but the difference is that the men from our nation's capitol have some legitimate superstars with a ton of playoff experience.

Alexander Ovechkin was tame this season by his own standards, as he "only" accounted for 32 goals and 53 assists for the year. Mike Knuble and Alexander Semin were both 20+ goal scorers as well.

However, the tide really started to turn on this season for Washington when Jason Arnott came to town. He played in 11 games with the Capitals since coming over from the New Jersey Devils via trade right at the deadline, and the team went 10-0-1 in those 11 games. Arnott accounted for four goals and seven assists in DC this season, and he ended with 17 total goals in 73 games with Washington and New Jersey combined.

The good news for the Rangers is that the road team has won six of the last eight in this series. However, the Capitals are 8-1 in their last nine played here at Verizon Center. New York has won three in a row in this series since December, but Washington won the first go around of these postseason foes 5-3 at Madison Square Garden in November.

Stanley Cup odds feature the Caps as minus 170 choices to take the series opener. The 'total' is at a flat-5, with the 'over' being favored at minus 130.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Ice Picks

Wednesday's Best NHL Bets


New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (-170, 5)

The Capitals are finally healthy. But it might have come a bit too late.

Top defenders Tom Poti and Mike Green each have missed a ton of time with various injuries and are expected to both take the ice for Game 1 without having played in a game for over a month. The duo add depth, punch and experience to the team’s backline, however they will need time to get back into the flow of live action.

That’s a luxury teams in the postseason don’t have. One mistake can start a landslide that will send a team home. Washington also has the revolving crease policy with its goaltenders and just recently tabbed Michal Neuvirth for the start.

Neuvirth has a 2.45 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage, but hasn’t exactly been a wall lately. Over his past five games he has allowed 14 goals despite picking up four wins during that span. He also must find a way to help Poti and Green ease back into the lineup.

On the other bench, the Rangers have been playing playoff hockey the past two weeks and finally have found a way to juggle their lines and overcome the loss of star forward Ryan Callahan.

All that is just too tough a task for the Capitals to pick up the victory.

Pick: Rangers

Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins (-150, 5.5)

The Pittsburgh Zamboni driver is going to have his work cut out for him between periods of this series.

Tampa Bay has rocketed into the postseason thanks to its stellar offense. The Lightning have seen three straight and seven of their past 10 go over the total as the team is using its up-tempo system late in the season to skate teams off the ice. During its hot scoring streak, the Lightning are averaging 3.3 goals per game.

But Pittsburgh isn’t exactly lollygagging up the ice either.

The Penguins have seen four straight and six of their past 10 go over the number. The team finally has adjusted to life without Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby and has begun to finally properly utilize it’s deep roster. Over its past four outings, Pittsburgh is averaging a phenomenal 4.3 goals per game.

"It underlines what our team has been able to do," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "It's undeniable that we won hockey games and that we won them in a lot of different ways."

But when these two teams meet, it usually results in one thing: goals.

The four meetings this season have resulted in lots of work by the goal judges. The over was 2-1-1 this season between the sides with the only push being a 6 goal total earlier this year.

Pick: Over

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

DCI NHL

Season: 378-282 (.573)

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Game 1, best-of-7
WASHINGTON 3, N.Y. Rangers 2
PITTSBURGH 3, Tampa Bay 2
Western Conference Quarterfinals
Game 1, best-of-7
VANCOUVER 3, Chicago 2
Phoenix vs. DETROIT: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
ANAHEIM 3, Nashville 2

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Today's NHL Picks

NY Rangers at Washington

The Rangers look to build on their 6-0 record in their last 6 games as a road underdog from +110 to +150. New York is the pick (+150) according to Dunkel, which has the Rangers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (+150). Here are all of today's picks.
<table id="table1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4"><tbody><tr> <td style="height: 12.75pt; width: 564px;" height="17">WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
Time Posted 8:30 a.m. EST (4/12)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 95px;">Game 1-2: Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay 11.390; Pittsburgh 12.681
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-150); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-150); Over</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 95px;">Game 3-4: Phoenix at Detroit (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 11.299; Detroit 12.639
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-175); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-175); Under</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 95px;">Game 5-6: NY Rangers at Washington (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Rangers 12.640; Washington 11.568
Dunkel Line & Total: NY Rangers by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Washington (-170); 5
Dunkel Pick: NY Rangers (+150); Over</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 95px;">Game 7-8: Chicago at Vancouver (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago 12.776; Vancouver 11.716
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-175); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+155); Under</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 95px;">Game 9-10: Nashville at Anaheim (10:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Nashville 11.666; Anaheim 11.323
Dunkel Line & Total: Nashville by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Anaheim (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: Nashville (+125); Over</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

DCI NBA

Season
Straight Up: 794-344 (.698)
ATS: 592-597 (.498)
ATS Vary Units: 1375-1421 (.492)
Over/Under: 615-591 (.510)
Over/Under Vary Units: 734-723 (.504)

BOSTON 101, New York 96
CHARLOTTE 91, Atlanta 90
CLEVELAND 103, Washington 99
ORLANDO 103, Indiana 93
PHILADELPHIA 102, Detroit 94
Miami 106, TORONTO 96
CHICAGO 104, New Jersey 83
DALLAS 99, New Orleans 90
Houston 111, MINNESOTA 104
OKLAHOMA CITY 101, Milwaukee 89
Denver 108, UTAH 102
Portland 102, GOLDEN STATE 99
Memphis 100, L.A. CLIPPERS 96
San Antonio 107, PHOENIX 104
L.A. Lakers 102, SACRAMENTO 98

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Free Selection from Arthur Ralph Sports

621 - 472 57 % Run over 2 1/2 YEARS

Free winner WED LA Angels-160

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mighty Quinn

Mighty missed with the Rangers Tuesday.

Wednesday it's the Blue Jays. The deficit is 1395 sirignanos.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Hondo

Hondo, trapped in an early-season death spiral, failed to extricate himself last night with the Blue Jays, whose failure in Seattle upped the accounts payable to 140 conines.

Tonight, no joshing, sports fans, Mr. Aitch is going with Johnson to outduel Hudson in Atlanta -- 10 units on the Marlins.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer Crusher
Play of the Day:

FCAberdeen + GlasgowRangers Over 2.5
This match is happening in Scotland

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Baseball Crusher
Play of the Day:

RedSox -155 over Rays

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Basketball Crusher
Play of the Day:

Wizards + Cavs Under 213.5

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sportsbook Investing
Play of the Day:

RedSox -155 over Rays