Thursday 11-29-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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Tech Trends - Week 13
Bruce Marshall

Thursday, Nov. 29

NEW ORLEANS at DALLAS (FOX/NFL, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Surging Saints have covered nine in a row and covered last six away from Superdome. Cowboys have won and covered last three and 3-1 “over” last four after extended “under” trend prior (13-3 previous 16).
Tech Edge: Saints and slight to “over,” based on team and “totals” trends.

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Public action on Saints' odds might lead sharps to Cowboys in NFL Week 13
Patrick Everson

Week 13 of the NFL season kicks off with a big game in the Big D. We check in on the opening line and early action for that contest and three others, with insights from Derek Wilkinson, supervisor at The SuperBook at Westgate in Las Vegas.

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (+7)

New Orleans hasn’t lost since Week 1, peeling off 10 consecutive SU wins while cashing nine in a row. The Saints (10-1 SU, 9-2 ATS) topped Atlanta 31-17 on Thanksgiving night, covering as 11.5-point home favorites.

Dallas is on a three-game upswing that has it tied with Washington atop the very mediocre NFC East. Per tradition, the Cowboys (6-5 SU and ATS) also played on Thanksgiving Day, beating the Redskins 31-23 as seven-point home faves.

“New Orleans is the best team in the NFL right now, but the Cowboys are picking up steam, too,” Wilkinson said. “We only favored New Orleans by a touchdown, since the game is in Dallas. The Cowboys have only lost one game at home all season.

“We’re still anticipating the public to bet the Saints. However, if the line jumps to 7.5, I think the sharp money will come in on the Cowboys.”

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Games to Watch - Week 13
by YouWager

With the Houston Texans picking up their 8th straight win on Monday night, the race for the bye in the AFC is beginning to tighten up dramatically. Over in the NFC, it’s beginning to look as though we are going to need to go down to the final week of the season to sort out all the playoff combatants, with the Saints and Rams looking as though they will be the teams securing the bye.

Still, there is a lot of football still to be played and we are going to focus on the games coming up in Week 13 of the NFL season. We have 4 games that we really like this week, so let’s take a quick look at those match-ups.

New Orleans Saints (-7½ -105) at Dallas Cowboys (+7½ -115)

A couple of weeks ago, we might well have viewed this match-up very differently. At that time, the Cowboys looked as they were on a road leading them in the opposition direction of the playoffs, but back to back wins has them on top in the NFC East. It’s a precarious lead, though, as just a game or so separates them from the chasing pack. The Cowboys will love having home field advantage for this one, but it may not mean much given that the Saints are now on a 10-game winning streak. Dallas will put up a fight, but they will eventually come out on the losing end.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

TNF - Saints at Cowboys
Tony Mejia

New Orleans (-7.5, 52) at Dallas, 8:20 pm ET, FOX/NFLN

Dallas star Ezekiel Elliott has run for 394 yards over his last three games, more than any running back has amassed over a three-game stretch all season. As November began with a 28-14 home loss to Tennessee, Jerry Jones wasn’t smiling much when shown from his luxury box perch.

Odds lists forecasting who could replace head coach Jason Garrett included retreads like John Fox and Jack Del Rio as things looked bleak for him as they headed into Philadelphia as a 7.5-point underdog.

The Cowboys (6-5 SU, 5-4-2 ATS) have averaged 26.7 points in victories over the Eagles, Falcons and Redskins and have tied Washington atop the NFC East as it enters this prominent Thursday night matchup against the Saints (10-1 SU, 9-2). Dallas isn’t good enough that any of its remaining tests look like gimmes, but it will be opening its final five-game stretch run with the toughest opponent it will see and won’t be this large an underdog again the rest of the regular-season.

In that sense, even though they’re home, the Cowboys are playing with house money. The pressure of flaming out this season is gone since they’ll be alive for their division title regardless of what happens here. Dallas is playing its fifth game in 25 days, an extremely busy stretch that surpasses what the Saints will be finishing up – 5 games in 26 days.

Elliott has run for over 100 yards and a touchdown in three consecutive contests. If he manages to top the century mark and find the end zone against the Saints, he’ll join Emmitt Smith (’95) and DeMarco Murray (’14) atop the Dallas record books as the only Cowboys to do so in four straight. Elliott already leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (97.6) for the third straight season and is in the kind of groove that is difficult to interrupt.

If you’re going to lay the points and ride the Saints, be sure to check the injury report below for news on how Elliott might have less space to work with.

New Orleans has surrendered just 3.2 yards per attempt, the lowest rushing average allowed in the NFL through 12 weeks. The Saints defense also tops the league in allowing rushing yards per game (73.2) and are first in allowing first downs on only 14.6 percent of carries. No running back has topped the 70-yard mark against New Orleans, so the determining factor in this game will be how effective Elliott can be in keeping the Cowboys out of third-and-long sitautions. Breaking off a big play or three will also likely be required for Dallas to find itself in this come the fourth quarter given how effective the Saints have been on offense.

The Drew Brees-led attack leads the league in scoring (37.2 ppg) and has topped the 30-point mark in nine of 11 games, topping 40 in three of the last four. The Cowboys haven’t surrendered a 30-point game all season, the only NFL team that can say that. The 28 points that the Titans scored on Nov. 5 are the most Dallas has given up, having contained Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan in back-to-back weeks to help turn things around before beating the Colt McCoy-led ‘Skins last week.

This will be a significant step up in class from what Dallas faced while you were diving into turkey last Thursday, but the Cowboys have been surprisingly stingy and rank third in the league in points allowed (19.4). They’ll have to figure out ways to stop the Saints in the red zone to keep this game on the low-scoring side since it’s going to be difficult to stop Brees and this up-tempo offense between the 20s with so many weapons and space to work with. Read below for thoughts on this game’s total, which has been bet down from it’s opening figure.

Alvin Kamara ranks second in the NFL in touchdowns with 15, currently only behind L.A. Rams’ RB Todd Gurley, who has reached the end zone 17 times. This will be his first game ever against the Cowboys and Elliott, who has largely been lauded as the top running back in the game despite Kamara’s emergence, so don’t be surprised to see him have a huge game.

Kamara is built that way and has done his own damage in becoming the first back in league history with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards through their first 20 games. Kamara failed to score a touchdown for just the fourth time this season in the Thanksgiving night win over the Falcons, snapping a run of five straight contests with a score. He’s caught a single pass in each of the last few games, so expect the Saints to try to feed him early and take a shot on a receptions prop. More thoughts on those are below as well.

New Orleans is favored on the road for the fourth time in 2018 and comes in a perfect 3-0 SU an ATS and have won those games by an average of 20.6 points. The Saints’ overall margin of victory comes in at two touchdowns. They’ve covered on the road in all five of their wins and are looking to deliver for backers for a 10th straight time.

The Cowboys have covered in three straight and are a home underdog for the first time. Dallas is 4-1 at home and won its last game catching points at home when it beat Washington 38-14 on Nov. 30 of last year. It’s looking to win four straight games for the first time since 2016.

Louisiana native Dak Prescott will be facing the Saints for the first time and will be looking to build on a brilliant collaboration with new top receiver Amari Cooper, finishing with his highest rating of 2018 after throwing for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns. Cooper hauled in both scores, doing the bulk of the work on 90-yard scamper that broke Washington’s spirit. He’s been hit-or-miss with the Cowboys but more consistent than he was with Oakland, where he had games when he completely disappeared. I’d expect the game plan to get him involved early in order to keep New Orleans from keying on Elliott.

The Cowboys have flourished on Thursday night of late, winning four of five straight up. New Orleans handled Atlanta last Thursday but were beaten in Atlanta on a Thursday night in 2017, scoring a season-low 17 points.

New Orleans Saints
Season win total: 9.5 (Over -140, Under +120)
Odds to win NFC South: OFF to OFF
Odds to win NFC: 10/11 to 4/5
Odds to win Super Bowl: 2/1 to 7/4

Dallas Cowboys
Season win total: 8.5 (Over +120, Under -140)
Odds to win NFC East: 2/3 to 4/9
Odds to win NFC: 30/1 to 20/1
Odds to win Super Bowl: 60/1 to 40/1

LINE MOVEMENT

The Saints were a 6-to-5 favorite to win the NFC South according to the Westgate LV SuperBook when the season began and those odds are now off the board and have been for multiple weeks. Hopefully you're holding a Saints ticket. Dallas opened at 7-to-2 to win the NFC East, which is where it finds itself alongside Washington but is a heavier favorite than I would currently have them at.

The Cowboys paid +160 if you were of the opinion that they would make the playoffs, so that remains up in the air and those holding 'no' tickets at -190 are rooting hard for New Orleans tonight. The Saints look good for those who laid -180 on yes. The Saints were 7-to-1 to capture the NFC when the season began and the Cowboys were 15/1 when the season began. Dallas was 30/1 to win the Super Bowl and New Orleans was 14/1. Those Saints odds are far more lucrative than where they currently sit since emerging as the favorite to hoist the Super Bowl trophy.

As far as this matchup is concerned, the Saints were a 7.5-point favorite when the Westgate's early numbers were announced last week and opened there at most books. Westgate and Wynn opened at -7 and have done some adjusting over the course of the week. As of Thursday morning, you could find New Orleans -7 at many places and +7.5 is readily available if you're riding Dallas. Bovada has the only +8 I've seen.

New Orleans is in the -320 range on the money line. If you like the home 'dog outright, a payout on a Cowboys win will get you +270 to +290 depending on the shop.

INJURY CONCERNS

Dallas tackle Tyron Smith will be a game-time decision after not practicing at all this week due to a neck injury. Guards Zack Martin and Xavier Su’a-Filo are also game-time decisions after being limited in practice this week and are expected to play despite being listed as “questionable.” Adam Redmond has cleared concussion protocol and Connor Williams has overcome a knee injury, so Dallas will have some depth up front, but being able to plug in Smith is critical since he hasn’t allowed a sack and has really thrived at left tackle.

New Orleans has already ruled out its left tackle, Terron Armstead, who hasn’t allowed a sack this season either. He’ll be missing his third straight game, so the Saints have been able to adequately replace him through the efforts of veteran Jermon Bushrod, but this will be their first road game without Armstead. Rookie WR Tre’Quan Smith, who has been bothered by a toe injury, is good to go, as are guard Andrus Peat, TE Dan Arnold, DE Marcus Davenport and corner P.J. Williams. The Saints are in great shape, health-wise, for a team entering their 12th game of the season.

Outside of all the uncertainty up front, the Cowboys have also ruled out DE David Irving (ankle) and LB Sean Lee (hamstring), two of their top defenders. They’ve done a much better job replacing the invaluable Lee in the middle of their defense than they have in previous years thanks to third-year pro Jaylon Smith and rookie Leighton Vander Esch, so their matchups with Kamara and Mark Ingram should also determine a lot in this matchup. DT Taco Charlton is due back in the lineup after a three-game absence due to a shoulder injury, but fellow DT Maliek Collins remains questionable with a knee injury.

TOTAL TALK

The ‘over/under’ on this matchup opened at 54 ½ and the number has dropped to 52 ½ points as of Thursday morning.

Weekly “Total Talk” writer Chris David of VegasInsider.com offered up his thoughts on this matchup:

When looking at this matchup, the phrase ‘sharps versus squares’ can be used for both the total and the side. The betting public are pressing New Orleans and the ‘over’ while the professionals are backing the ‘under’ and Dallas as a home underdog.

It’s hard to argue against the Saints, winners in 10 straight and they’ve covered the spread in nine of those games. From a total perspective, New Orleans has watched the ‘under’ go 6-5 on the season and that includes a 3-2 mark on the road. In last week’s 31-17 Thanksgiving win against Atlanta, the Saints did their part to help the game go ‘over’ but the Falcons couldn’t keep up and they certainly left points off the board.

The New Orleans defense doesn’t warrant much recognition but the unit is allowing 12.7 PPG the last three weeks and their scoring numbers (22.4 PPG) have been better away from the Superdome. Dallas has been consistently sound on defense all season, allowing 19.4 PPG which is ranked third in the NFL.

What’s strange about the Cowboys is that they’ve seen the ‘under’ go 6-5 on the season but the ‘over’ owns a 4-1 mark at AT&T Stadium and that includes last week’s 31-23 outcome against Washington on the holiday, which was helped with a big second-half.

The Cowboys have only seen one total close in the fifties this season and that game went ‘under’ in a 22-19 road win over Atlanta in Week 11 . Including that result, Dallas has seen the ‘under’ go 2-0 in games versus the NFC South. Meanwhile, New Orleans is 2-1 to the ‘under’ in games against the NFC East and its outscored opponents 124-44 in those contests.

For what it’s worth, the ‘over’ is on a 4-1 run in this series but the last meeting in 2015 went ‘under’ (48 ½) as New Orleans captured a 26-20 home win over Dallas.

Including last week’s ‘under’ result between the Saints and Falcons, the ‘over’ has gone 8-4 in the NFL midweek matchup this season. I wasn’t surprised by the New Orleans-Atlanta result and that’s a trend we’ve seen from the Saints, who are now 4-0 to the ‘under’ in their last four games on Thursdays. Rather than toy with the game total, my lean would be to the Saints Team Total ‘under’ 30 ½.

RECENT MEETINGS (New Orleans 4-2 SU, 3-3 ATS last 8; OVER 4-2)

10/4/15 New Orleans 26-20 OT vs. Dallas (NO -3, 48)
9/28/14 Dallas 38-17 vs. New Orleans (DAL +3, 53.5)
11/10/13 New Orleans 49-17 vs. Dallas (NO -5.5, 54)
12/23/12 New Orleans 34-31 OT at Dallas (NO +3, 54.5)
11/25/10 New Orleans 30-27 at Dallas (DAL +4.5, 49)
12/19/09 Dallas 24-17 at New Orleans (DAL +7.5, 53.5)

NEXT WEEK'S NUMBERS POSTED

Westgate Vegas opens its advance lines for the following week on Tuesdays and Week 14 currently has the Saints listed as an 11-point road favorite at the Bucs. The Cowboys will be back home in another huge game as they host the defending champion Eagles for the second time. Dallas is an early 3.5-point favorite.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Warriors at Raptors


The Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday in what could be an NBA Finals preview - if the teams are at full strength. The Warriors could get some of their major pieces back in the lineup on Thursday with Stephen Curry (groin) and Draymond Green (toe) both participating in practice.

Green and Curry are both expected to return sometime during the team's five-game road trip, and Curry has progressed to the point that he is participating in team scrimmages. "He’s just trying to get his rhythm and his conditioning down," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Curry, who is averaging 29.5 points while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and 49.2 percent from beyond the arc. "He's doing well." The Raptors are looking like the best team in the NBA and extended the current winning streak to six straight by recovering from a 17-point deficit to earn a 122-114 win at Memphis on Tuesday. "We didn’t really bring our game with us, but we found it," Toronto coach Nick Nurse told reporters.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), TSN (Toronto)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (15-7): Golden State is 5-5 in the 10 games that Curry has missed, though they managed to win the last three behind some strong performances from Kevin Durant. The former MVP collected 49 points, nine assists and six rebounds in a 116-110 win over Orlando on Monday that capped a four-game homestand. "Incredible," Kerr told reporters of Durant's performance. "The guy is just amazing. He's so talented. I think the last few games he just kind of knew he had to put us on his shoulders because of the four-game losing streak, the struggles."

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (18-4): Toronto leans on its depth and got 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, from reserve point guard Fred VanVleet in Tuesday's triumph. “Obviously, we all know I haven't been shooting the ball well, so to get back on track is always fun," VanVleet, who scored in double figures in each of the last four games after reaching the mark three times in the first 10 games this month, told reporters. The Raptors are third in the NBA in scoring at an average of 117 points and shot 60.9 percent from the floor in Tuesday's win.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors PG Quinn Cook is 5-of-21 from the floor over the last two games.

2. Raptors SF Kawhi Leonard posted his third straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday.

3. Golden State took the last eight in the series, including four straight in Toronto.

PREDICTION: Raptors 123, Warriors 119

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Pacers at Lakers


The Los Angeles Lakers suffered through a terrible performance at Denver on Tuesday, but the next chance to redeem themselves is right around the corner. The Lakers will try to bounce back and avoid a three-game slide when they host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday.

Los Angeles shot 39.1 percent from the floor and went 5-of-35 from 3-point range in the 117-85 setback at Denver, and veteran center Tyson Chandler felt the team let its shooting impact other areas of the game. "It can't be just about hitting shots and feeling good about yourself," Chandler told the Los Angeles Daily News. "It has to be all the time. Like, we got to be able to hit teams with waves. That's the only way we’re going to have real success and try to wear teams down. And if we're relying on our shots, we'll have long nights." The Pacers took the first two stops of a four-game road trip, blowing out the Utah Jazz on Monday before sneaking past the Phoenix Suns 109-104 the next night. "We weren’t sharp in this game, but you have to find a way to win games like that," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters after beating the Suns. "I thought they gutted it out in that fourth quarter. We didn't even win that fourth quarter. We were able to get this one."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE LAKERS (11-9): LeBron James scored a season-low 14 points on Tuesday but the most concerning part of the loss for Los Angeles was when point guard Lonzo Ball went down with a sprained ankle and had to be removed from the game. X-rays came back negative and Ball insisted that he will play on Thursday, but the Lakers are being cautious. "It hurts," coach Luke Walton told reporters of being without both Ball and fellow point guard Rajon Rondo (wrist). "We have other guys that we trust - Brandon (Ingram), LeBron that can play that for us - but they do other things for us, too. So, it's not ideal, but we'll get a better feel for what we're looking at probably after this flight and into tomorrow morning with (Ball)."

ABOUT THE PACERS (13-8): Indiana played its last five games without leading scorer Victor Oladipo (21.4 points) due to a knee injury, but is finding ways to score up and down the roster. The reserves took charge in Tuesday's win, with power forward Domantas Sabonis collecting 21 points and 16 rebounds and small forward Doug McDermott scoring 21 points while knocking down 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. "I think I'm just getting a little better rhythm, getting some screens, some pin-downs, just getting a little ball movement out there," McDermott told reporters. "It's really helping us out a lot. Domantas has done a really good job of setting the tone and finding me and screening me, which has been huge, because as a shooter I rely on big guys like him."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers PG Darren Collison handed out 11 assists in each of the last two games.

2. Lakers SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 4-of-20 from the floor over the last three games, including 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.

3. The home team took the last five meetings in the series.

PREDICTION: Lakers 110, Pacers 107

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Clippers at Kings

Nov 29, 2018

The Los Angeles Clippers look to win in Sacramento for the 12th consecutive time when they visit the Kings on Thursday. Los Angeles has consistently outplayed the Kings in California's capital city since dropping a 116-101 decision on March 19, 2013.

The Clippers routed the Phoenix Suns 115-99 on Wednesday and have won 10 of their past 12 games to boast the top record in the Western Conference and third best in the NBA. "I don't know how to judge it," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said after the victory over the Suns. "Every game, it seems, is like a fight. We're going to (Sacramento) and they have had two or three days off. It is going to be another tough one." The Kings have dropped back-to-back games and seven of their last 11 after getting off to a strong 6-3 start. Shooting guard Buddy Hield has stepped up as the lead scoring option and has nine 20-point outings while averaging a team-best 18.8 points.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (14-6): Forward Danilo Gallinari recorded his first double-double of the season as he matched his season high of 28 points and collected 10 rebounds in the victory over the Suns. Gallinari is averaging 21.7 points and nine rebounds over the past three games and is thriving while healthy after being limited to 21 games last season in his first campaign with the club. Reserve guard Lou Williams scored 20 points against Phoenix to bounce back from his worst effort of the season -- four points on 2-of-13 shooting versus the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

ABOUT THE KINGS (10-10): Second-year point guard De'Aaron Fox is an emerging star with five double-doubles and six games of 10 or more assists during the first quarter of the campaign. Fox is averaging 17.5 points and 7.5 assists - his rookies averages were 11.6 and 4.4 - while also asserting himself as a leader and symbol of the franchise's improved product. "He's done a great job of taking it to the next level," Sacramento coach Dave Joerger told reporters. "Who knows where he can go or how good he can be, but he's given himself every chance by working really hard."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Clippers have outscored the Kings by an average of 15.2 points while winning the past five overall meetings.

2. Los Angeles C Marcin Gortat (back spasms) missed Wednesday's game and is doubtful to play against the Kings.

3. Sacramento SG Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points in Sunday's loss to Utah for his seventh straight double-digit outing.

PREDICTION: Kings 113, Clippers 111

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Islanders at Bruins

Nov 29, 2018

Although the Boston Bruins have been besieged by injuries this season, the team has gotten healthy at the expense of the New York Islanders of late. After outscoring the Islanders 13-4 during a three-game season sweep in 2017-18, the Bruins bid for their fifth straight win in the series on Thursday when the teams reconvene at TD Garden.

David Pastrnak scored twice in the second period of Boston's 4-2 setback in Toronto on Monday, but the 22-year-old Czech has struggled without star linemate Patrice Bergeron (rib, shoulder) -- with coach Bruce Cassidy replacing Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson with fellow rookie Colby Cave on the top line in that contest. Brad Marchand, the other member of the top line, notched two assists versus the Maple Leafs after mustering just one point in his previous six games. New York forward Valtteri Filppula has found his offensive game by scoring in his second straight contest during Monday's 4-1 setback to Washington, raising his point total to eight (two goals, six assists) in his last seven outings. "I'm just happy to see the puck go in," said the 34-year-old Finn, who has seven goals in 23 games after scoring 11 in 81 with Philadelphia last season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet1, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, MSG-Plus (New York), NESN (Boston)

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (12-9-2): Sidelined since Nov. 13 with a lower-body ailment, Casey Cizikas was thrilled to hear that he would be activated off injured reserve and participate in Wednesday's practice. "I'm excited just to be out there with the guys right now. We worked hard these past couple of weeks, our trainers did a great job of getting me ready and making sure I'm good to go," said the 27-year-old Cizikas, who leads the team's centermen by winning 56.6 percent of the faceoffs. Josh Bailey (team-leading 21 points) has been held off the scoresheet in four of his last five outings to reside at 398 points in his career, although he set up two of New York's four goals versus Boston last season.

ABOUT THE BRUINS (13-7-4): While Brandon Carlo (shoulder) is expected to end an eight-game absence on Thursday, Boston's pronounced injury list added yet another name as the team announced that fellow defenseman Kevan Miller is expected to be sidelined five weeks after a CT scan revealed cartilage damage to his larynx. "He plays his heart out. That's two blocked shots that have put him out. We'll miss him," Cassidy said of the 31-year-old Miller. Forward Ryan Donato was recalled on Wednesday from Providence of the American Hockey League -- the former Hobey Baker Award finalist has nine points (five goals, four assists) in 10 games in the minors while scoring once in 11 appearances with Boston.

OVERTIME

1. New York G Thomas Greiss owns a 2-3-0 career mark versus Boston despite posting a slim 1.63 goals-against average and .950 save percentage.

2. The Bruins will retire Rick Middleton's No. 16 and raise the banner to the rafters at TD Garden prior to Thursday's game.

3. The Islanders have failed to convert on their last 11 power-play opportunities to fall to 4-for-40 in November.

PREDICTION: Islanders 4, Bruins 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Wild at Blue Jackets


An inability to finish has plagued the Minnesota Wild, who are showing an alarming inability to protect third-period leads on their home ice over the past 11 games. After frittering away a two-goal cushion in a 4-3 setback to Arizona on Tuesday, the Wild will look to get back on track when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Not only did Minnesota wilt against the Coyotes, but it was unable to hold a three-goal lead against Ottawa last week and gave up two third-period tallies in a 2-1 loss to Buffalo on Nov. 17. "We've got to mature as a group. It's the same stuff that's happening," Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon said. "We've got to fix it now or we're not going to go anywhere." The Blue Jackets nearly squandered a pair of huge leads in Monday's 7-5 win at Detroit, having to hold off a comeback after scoring the first three goals and building a 5-1 edge. Columbus, which trails first-place Washington by one point in the Metropolitan Division, is 7-2-1 over a 10-game stretch that included six away contests.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS North, FS Wisconsin (Minnesota), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE WILD (14-8-2): Goaltender Devan Dubnyk is mired in his first three-game winless drought of the season, all coming as a result of Minnesota's third-period collapses. "As far as plays and different situations in the game, it’s a strange, little three-game stretch here," Dubnyk said. "But the worst thing you can do is let it affect the things that have been going well here. It becomes a challenge. That’s part of sports, and you gotta work a little harder to make sure you don’t go changing anything.” Dubnyk owns a 10-6-3 record with a 2.35 goals-against average versus Columbus.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (14-8-2): The future of Artemi Panarin, who will be a free agent after the season, has been a hot-button topic in Columbus but the fourth-year forward helped eased the present by halting a 12-game goal drought with a three-point night at Detroit. Although he was struggling to find the net, Panarin has collected 10 assists over the past nine games after setting up a pair of goals by Pierre-Luc Dubois in Monday's victory. Dubois, who also had a three-point game Monday, has 12 goals and 22 points after recording 20 and 28 as a rookie last season.

OVERTIME

1. Blue Jackets F Cam Atkinson has points in eight straight games, although his seven-game goal streak was halted Monday.

2. Wild D Matt Dumba has a seven-game point streak, tying a franchise record for a blue-liner.

3. Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky is 8-2-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average versus Minnesota.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 4, Wild 3

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Rangers at Senators


Despite a major roster overhaul starting at last season's trade deadline, the New York Rangers are among the league's biggest surprises and their improved play at home is a big reason why. Much like last season, though, New York has struggled away from Madison Square Garden and will try to change that when it opens a two-game road trip at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

The Rangers have won only three of 11 (3-6-2) away from home but will look to beat Ottawa for the second time in four days after scoring three times in the third period of Monday's 4-2 victory. "It's a hard-working team," New York forward Kevin Hayes said. "If you are not working hard, you are not playing. That's coach's rules. We work hard every night and we are kind of building an identity here." The Senators rebounded from the loss to the Rangers with a 4-3 victory in Philadelphia on Tuesday, scoring three times in the final 20 minutes to halt a four-game slide in which they surrendered a staggering 23 goals. Although Ottawa also has labored on the road with three wins in 12 games (3-8-1), it has won seven straight at Canadian Tire Centre (playoffs included) versus New York.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), RDS, TSN5 (Ottawa)

ABOUT THE RANGERS (13-10-2): Defenseman Marc Staal ended a goal-scoring drought of more than 13 months against Ottawa, but coach David Quinn was not interested in talking about his offensive production following the latest victory. “I just think he’s really had a good year,” Quinn said. "Defensively, I think he’s a calming influence on our team, in the locker room and on the ice. He works hard, he wants to get better. I’ve just liked his year, I really have.” Forward Vladislav Namestnikov is in the concussion protocol and will not be available Thursday.

ABOUT THE SENATORS (10-12-3): Rookie Brady Tkachuk, the No. 4 overall selection in this year's draft, has elevated his game over the past two weeks. Tkachuk capped a three-point night by scoring a pair of third-period goals to fuel Ottawa's comeback win over Philadelphia and also collected a pair of assists at New York to give him five tallies and eight points in the last six games. "He brings something a little different," Matt Duchene said of Tkachuk. "We don't have a power forward quite like him on this team. ... Obviously, you can see why he was such a high pick for us."

OVERTIME

1. Rangers C Mika Zibanejad has four goals and five points in four games against his former team, including one of each Monday.

2. Ottawa F Mark Stone has 12 points in 16 games against New York after scoring twice Monday.

3. Rangers F Chris Kreider has seven goals and five assists over the past 12 games.

PREDICTION: Senators 3, Rangers 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Sabres at Lightning


The Buffalo Sabres go after a historic victory and attempt to make a major statement when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night for an Atlantic Division showdown. The Sabres can break the franchise record for consecutive victories with their 11th in a row and win for the fourth time in five tries against the high-flying Lightning, including a 2-1 triumph in Buffalo on Nov. 13.

“We’re just trying to keep improving,” Sabres leading scorer Jeff Skinner told reporters Tuesday after his overtime goal beat San Jose 3-2. “Each night we’ve had guys step up and make big plays at key moment. There are still things we want to work on in our game. We have to continue to do that in this league. Teams are too good.” One thing Buffalo would like to do is make it easier on itself as the Sabres have won seven games after regulation during their longest streak since opening the 2006-07 season with 10 straight wins. The Lightning sit one point behind first-place Buffalo entering Wednesday after suffering a 3-1 loss to Anaheim on Tuesday after opening their five-game homestand with three straight victories. Tampa Bay had a 35-22 edge in shots and drew a 5-on-3 power play in the third period, but came up short as coach Jon Cooper told reporters: “Usually in a game like that, we get three or four. Tip my hat to the goalie (Ryan Miller).”

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG Buffalo, FS Sun (Tampa Bay)

ABOUT THE SABRES (17-6-2): Skinner’s goal Tuesday was his fifth during a four-game streak and 19th overall to tie for the league lead entering Wednesday’s schedule while the first-year Buffalo forward owns a team-best plus-15 rating. Captain Jack Eichel saw his six-game point streak come to an end against San Jose, but leads the team in points with 28 - one better than Skinner. Rasmus Ristolainen scored Tuesday and has two goals to go along with six assists during Buffalo’s win streak while fellow defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, a 18-year-old rookie, is a plus-9 over the last 10 games.

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (17-7-1): Right wing Nikita Kucherov set up the only tally in Tuesday’s loss to extend his point streak to seven games (two goals, 13 assists) while linemate Brayden Point scored his ninth goal in seven games and team-best 18th overall. The line of J.T. Miller, captain Steven Stamkos and Yanni Gourde has been kept off the scoresheet in three straight games after combining for eight points in the win over Florida to open the homestand. Defenseman Anton Stralman (upper body) is expected out at least another week, but left wing Ondrej Palat (lower body) is close to a return.

OVERTIME

1. The Lightning recalled G Connor Ingram and reassigned G Eddie Pasquale to Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

2. Buffalo G Carter Hutton has won eight straight decisions, allowing two goals or fewer six times in that stretch.

3. Tampa Bay D Ryan McDonagh was tied for the league lead with a plus-17 rating entering Wednesday.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Sabres 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Coyotes at Predators

Nov 29, 2018

The Nashville Predators look to rebound after seeing their six-game home winning streak come to a halt when they host the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. The Predators answered a 2-1 setback at Arizona on Nov. 15 by winning four of their next five before dropping a 3-2 decision versus Colorado on Tuesday.

Filip Forsberg recorded his seventh point in eight games with an assist on Kevin Fiala's goal midway into the second period against to the Avalanche, but Nashville failed to solve Semyon Varlamov again despite unleashing 38 shots on goal. "We've won games we haven't played well and we've lost games we could have won. That kind of cancels each other out," the 24-year-old Forsberg said. "We know we can play better. At the same time, it’s a long run." Arizona knows that all too well, as it answered a season-best five-game winning streak by losing eight of 10 before rallying from a two-goal deficit in the third period for a 4-3 win at Minnesota on Tuesday. "It was unbelievable actually how the team rallied together there," said rookie Adin Hill, who relieved an injured Antti Raanta and stopped all five shots he faced in the third period.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, TVAS, FS Tennessee (Nashville)

ABOUT THE COYOTES (10-11-2): The injury bug has been a prevalent one for Raanta, who has appeared in just 12 of the team's 23 games this season due to a lower-body ailment. "We're still evaluating 'Rants.' He had to go get looked at today. Everything's kind of on hold," coach Rick Tocchet said of the 29-year-old Finn. Hunter Miska was recalled as a precaution, although he could find himself backing up Hill on Thursday with the two combining for seven NHL appearances.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (17-7-1): Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne yielded two goals on 23 shots in a losing effort earlier this month versus Arizona, against which he owns an 18-8-2 mark with six shutouts and a .928 save percentage in 29 career encounters. Defenseman Roman Josi set up a goal versus the Coyotes and did the same against Colorado to give him seven points -- all assists -- in his last seven games. Fiala scored versus the Avalanche to extend his point streak to three games while fellow forward Ryan Hartman tallied for the second time in that stretch.

OVERTIME

1. Arizona RW Josh Archibald returned from a two-game suspension to record his first career three-point performance (two goals, one assist) in his last outing.

2. Nashville has yielded three power-play goals in the last two contests after preventing being scored upon while short-handed in its previous five games.

3. Coyotes D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (team-leading 10 assists) has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last five contests.

PREDICTION: Predators 5, Coyotes 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Blackhawks at Jets


The Chicago Blackhawks are just 3-5-2 in the first 10 games since Jeremy Colliton took over for Joel Quenneville as coach and they have dropped three of the past four. Chicago heads to Winnipeg on Thursday to take on the Jets, one of the top offenses in the league, and Colliton recognizes his team has to play better defense after giving up eight goals in a blowout loss at home to Vegas on Tuesday.

“If you don’t defend hard enough, then you don’t give yourself a chance to win,” Colliton told reporters after Tuesday’s game, in which the Blackhawks allowed three goals in each of the opening two periods of an 8-3 loss. Winnipeg continued its frustrating trend Tuesday of falling apart in the third period of games, blowing a one-goal lead in a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh. “Gave up a tight one, got a bad break on one and it’s in the back of the net,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told the media after Winnipeg dropped to 7-3-2 when leading after two periods. Forward Patrik Laine, who scored 11 goals in four games last week, was held scoreless for the first time since Nov. 16.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, TSN3 (Winnipeg)

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (9-11-5): Center Dylan Strome - acquired with forward Brendan Perlini on Sunday from Arizona - finished with a goal and an assist in his Chicago debut. Gustav Forsling scored his first goal of the season Tuesday while fellow defenseman Henri Jokiharju was inactive and did not practice Wednesday due to illness. Chicago has been outscored 11-1 in the first period during its past four games, and is 28th in the league in both goals allowed per game (3.56) and shots allowed per contest (33.5).

ABOUT THE JETS (13-8-2): Center Mark Scheifele scored twice Tuesday and forward Brandon Tanev added his third goal in the past four games, but again the Jets could not hold the early advantage. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has surrendered seven goals in losing his past two starts, five of the tallies coming in the final period. Forward Blake Wheeler recorded two assists against Pittsburgh and began Wednesday third in the NHL with 25.

OVERTIME

1. Laine is one goal away from becoming the fourth-youngest player in NHL history (20 years, 224 days old on Thursday) to reach 100 career goals.

2. The Blackhawks entered Wednesday last in the NHL on the power play (12.3 percent).

3. Chicago won the season series 3-2 last season, holding the Jets to 14 goals in five games.

PREDICTION: Jets 4, Blackhawks 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Kings at Oilers

Nov 29, 2018

The Los Angeles Kings will look to defeat the Edmonton Oilers for the second time this week and push their winning streak to a season-high three games on Thursday when the Pacific Division rivals meet at Rogers Place. Jonathan Quick, who was a spectator in Tuesday's 2-1 overtime victory versus Vancouver, is expected to get the nod and end a 12-game absence due to a lower-body injury.

While rookie Cal Petersen has filled in admirably, Quick is a 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist that has scribbled his name next to a majority of the franchise's goaltending records. This season hasn't gone according to plan for the 32-year-old Quick, who owns an 0-3-1 mark with a 4.55 goals-against average and .845 save percentage in four games. Edmonton has been pushing itself to the limit in its last four contests, venturing past regulation for the third time in that span on Tuesday by opening a three-game homestand with a 1-0 overtime win versus Dallas. Oscar Klefbom converted a 2-on-1 rush with Leon Draisaitl in overtime to give new coach Ken Hitchcock his first coaching victory with the Oilers in his native Edmonton.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), Sportsnet West (Edmonton)

ABOUT THE KINGS (9-14-1): Dustin Brown followed up his fifth career hat trick in Los Angeles' 5-2 win over Edmonton on Sunday by setting up a goal and scoring 53 seconds into overtime versus Vancouver. Like Brown, captain Anze Kopitar registered a three-point performance against the Oilers (one goal, two assists) before pushing his point total to five (one goal, four assists) in the last two contests after setting up both goals against the Canucks. Defenseman Drew Doughty was held off the scoresheet versus Vancouver, two days after he pushed his point streak to four games by registering his team-leading 12th assist against the Oilers.

ABOUT THE OILERS (11-11-2): Former Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid is known for the sizzling speed and creativity on the ice, but that style of play is taking a backseat with a new bench boss in town. "I think we're getting the message how (Hitchcock) wants us to play. It's not pretty hockey. It's a grind, it's defensive but it's effective," the 21-year-old McDavid said. The NHL scoring leader in each of the last two seasons, McDavid is still providing offense -- albeit to the tune of five points (one goal, four assists) during the 2-1-1 stretch under Hitchcock.

OVERTIME

1. While Edmonton's Cam Talbot has dropped six straight decisions, fellow G Mikko Koskinen turned aside all 28 shots he faced against the Stars to improve to 3-1-1 in his last five outings.

2. Los Angeles C Alex Iafallo, who scored a goal in his last outing, will skate in his 100th career game on Thursday.

3. The Oilers have dropped four of five encounters (1-3-1) versus Pacific Division representatives.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Kings 2

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Preview: Golden Knights at Canucks


The Vegas Golden Knights have shaken off their early-season malaise and are looking more like the team that barnstormed its way to the Stanley Cup Finals in the franchise's inaugural season. The surging Golden Knights look to make it five consecutive victories when they continue a three-game road trip at the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Vegas moved above the NHL's version of .500 for the first time this season following Tuesday's 8-3 romp in Chicago and has piled up 19 goals during the four-game winning streak. "I think we're getting better and better," Golden Knights forward Cody Eakin said. "We're hoping that we can maintain this level of play, the play that's allowed us to have success and wins moving forward." The Canucks were among the NHL's biggest surprises over the first five weeks, but they have come back to the pack with one win in the last 10 games (1-7-2). Vancouver was swept in the four-game season series by Vegas in 2017-18 but came away with a 3-2 shootout victory on the road in this season's first meeting on Oct. 24.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, AT&T-Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Las Vegas), Sportsnet Pacific (Vancouver)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (13-12-1): Despite a season-high goal total on Tuesday, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has sparked Vegas' turnaround by winning his last five starts. Fleury, named the league's Second Star of the Week after posting a pair of shutouts among three wins, has surrendered five goals over the past four games. ""My teammates have been helping a lot," Fleury said. "The forwards are coming back and cutting those cross-ice passes. The defense lets me see the puck and they take the rebounds away. Just little things have been making a difference defensively."

ABOUT THE CANUCKS (11-13-3): Vancouver halted an eight-game slide at Pacific Division cellar dweller Los Angeles on Saturday, but its offensive woes continued in a 2-1 overtime loss to the visiting Kings in Tuesday's rematch. The one positive for the Canucks was the return of forward Brock Boeser, a 29-goal scorer as a rookie last season who had missed the previous 11 games due to a groin injury. Rookie center Elias Pettersson has scored in three of the last six contests to boost his team-high total to 13 but he has only one assist over the past 10 games.

OVERTIME

1. Golden Knights F Alex Tuch has a four-game point streak, including a goal and an assist in three straight.

2. Canucks G Jacob Markstrom beat Vegas earlier this season after allowing 12 goals in three meetings in 2017-18.

3. Vegas F Max Pacioretty has six goals and three assists during a six-game point streak.

PREDICTION: Golden Knights 4, Canucks 2