Expert Sports Picks and Analysis from Al McMordie

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, NBA, NHL and UEFA Champions League Previews and Odds - 10/22/2024

Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024

The Tuesday sports card features NCAAF, NBA, NHL, and UEFA Champions League action.Week 9 in NCAAF college football starts with two games between FBS opponents. Sam Houston travels to Florida International on ESPNU at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bearkats were on a four-game winning streak before their 31-14 upset loss at home against Western Kentucky as a 1-point favorite last Wednesday. The Golden Panthers have lost four of their last five games after their 30-21 upset loss at UTEP as a 7-point favorite on Wednesday. Sam Houston is a 5.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 46 (all odds from DraftKings). Louisiana Tech hosts UTEP on the CBS Sports Network at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs lost for the fourth time in their last five games after their 33-30 upset loss in overtime at New Mexico State as a 12-point favorite last Tuesday. The Miners ended a six-game losing streak with their upset victory against FIU last week. Louisiana Tech is a 6-point favorite with an over/under of 50.The National Basketball Association regular season tips off with two games on TNT. The Boston Celtics play at home against the New York Knicks at 7:40 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 221.5. The Minnesota Timberwolves play in Los Angeles against the Lakers at 10:10 p.m. ET as a 1-point road favorite with an over/under of 219.The National Hockey League has 16 games on its slate. The Philadelphia Flyers are home against the Washington Capitals on ESPN at 6:10 p.m. ET as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Florida Panthers host the Minnesota Wild at 6:40 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The New Jersey Devils play at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 6:55 p.m. ET as a -166 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Dallas Stars are in Buffalo to play the Sabres at 7:10 p.m. ET as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The New York Rangers visit Montreal to play the Canadiens at 7:25 p.m. ET as a -225 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The Toronto Maple Leafs play in Columbus against the Blue Jackets at 7:40 p.m. ET as a -230 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The New York Islanders are home against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:55 p.m. ET as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Winnipeg Jets are in St. Louis to play the Blues at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -155 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Vancouver Canucks travel to Chicago to play the Blackhawks at 8:25 p.m. ET as a -180 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The Colorado Avalanche play in Seattle against the Kraken on ESPN at 8:40 p.m. ET as a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Nashville Predators host the Boston Bruins at 8:55 p.m. ET as a -122 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Edmonton Oilers play at home against the Carolina Hurricanes at 9:10 p.m. ET as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Utah Hockey Club are home against the Ottawa Senators at 9:25 p.m. ET as a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Calgary Flames host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 9:40 p.m. ET as a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Anaheim Ducks play at home against the San Jose Sharks at 10:25 p.m. ET as a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Vegas Golden Knights are home against the Los Angeles Kings on ESPN at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. Matchday 3 in the UEFA Champions League begins with nine matches. Two matches start at 12:45 p.m. ET. AC Milan hosts Club Brugge as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. Monaco plays at home against Red Star Belgrade as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5.Seven matches conclude the UCL card at 3:00 p.m. ET. Paris Saint-Germain is home against PSV Eindhoven as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. Juventus hosts Stuttgart as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Arsenal plays at home against Shakhtar Donetsk as a -2.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. Aston Villa is home against Bologna on the CBS Sports Network as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Girona hosts Slovan Bratislava as a -2.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. Sporting Lisbon is at Sturm Graz as a -1.5 goal-line road favorite with an over/under of 3.5. Real Madrid plays at home against Borussia Dortmund as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. All nine Champions League matches are available on Paramount+.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, NHL and EPL Previews and Odds - 10/21/2024

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Oct 21, 2024

The Monday sports card features NFL, NHL, and EPL action. Week 7 in the NFL concludes with two games. The Baltimore Ravens travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak after their 30-23 win against Washington as a 7-point favorite last Sunday. The Buccaneers won for the second time in their last three games with their 51-27 victory at New Orleans as a 3.5-point favorite on Sunday. Baltimore is a 3-point road favorite with the total set at 50.The Los Angeles Chargers travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals on ESPN+ at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Chargers ended a two-game losing streak with a 23-16 win at Denver as a 3-point favorite last Sunday. The Cardinals have lost three of their last four games after their 34-13 loss at Green Bay on Sunday. Los Angeles is a 1-point road favorite with an over/under of 44. The National Hockey League has one game on its slate. The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Maple Leafs had won three games in a row before a 4-1 loss against the New York Rangers on Saturday. Toronto is a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5.Matchweek 8 in the English Premier League concludes with one match on the USA Network. Nottingham Forest plays at home against Crystal Palace as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, NHL, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 10/20/2024

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Oct 20, 2024

The Sunday sports card features NFL, MLB, NHL, and EPL action. Week 7 in the NFL continues with 12 games. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the technical home team against the New England Patriots on the NFL Network at 9:30 p.m. ET at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The Jaguars are a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 42 (all odds from DraftKings). Seven NFL games kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Indianapolis Colts play at home against the Miami Dolphins as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 43.5. The Minnesota Vikings are home against the Detroit Lions as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 50.5. The Green Bay Packers host the Houston Texans as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 48.5. The Philadelphia Eagles travel to New York to play the Giants as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 42.5. The Buffalo Bills play at home against the Tennessee Titans as a 9-point favorite with an over/under of 41. The Cincinnati Bengals play in Cleveland against the Browns as a 5.5-point road favorite with a total of 41.5. The Atlanta Falcons are home against the Seattle Seahawks as a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 52. Three NFL games start during the second window of afternoon games. Two NFL games start at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Washington Commanders host the Carolina Panthers as a 9.5-point favorite with a total of 51.5. The Los Angeles Rams play at home against the Las Vegas Raiders as a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 43.5. The San Francisco 49ers are home against the Kansas City Chiefs at 4:25 p.m. ET as a 2-point favorite with a total of 47. The New York Jets are in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET for Sunday Night Football. The Jets are a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 39. Major League Baseball continues the best-of-seven league championship round of the playoffs with Game 6 of the NLCS. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the New York Mets on FS1 at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Mets come off a 12-6 victory at home in Game 5 on Friday. The Dodgers still hold a 3-2 series lead. They have yet to name their starting pitcher to go against New York’s Sean Manaea. Los Angeles is a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The National Hockey League has three games on its slate. The Winnipeg Jets play at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 3:10 p.m. ET as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. Two more games complete the NHL card at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Colorado Avalanche visits San Jose to play the Sharks as a -258 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Los Angeles Kings play in Anaheim against the Ducks as a -185 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.Matchweek 8 in the English Premier League continues with two matches on the USA Network. Manchester City is at Wolverhampton at 9:00 a.m. ET as a -1.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 3.5. Liverpool are home against Chelsea at 11:30 a.m. ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5.

Vegas Writer's NHL Morning Skate

by Vegas Writer

Saturday, Oct 19, 2024

Saturday's edition of the "Morning Skate" recaps a three-game card that included a game where three players notched their first career four-point games as the Winnipeg Jets extended their franchise-record season-opening winning streak.Heading into Saturday, we still have three unbeaten teams: Calgary (4-0-0), Winnipeg (4-0-0) and Tampa Bay (3-0-0). Only one was in action last night, as the Jets torched the San Jose Sharks in an 8-3 blowout.Let's take a look at the main highlight from Friday: Cole Perfetti (2 goals, 2 assists), Vladislav Namestnikov (1 goal, 3 assists) and Neal Pionk (1 goa1, 3 assists) posted single-game career highs for points as the Jets continued their offensive tear. Winnipeg has outscored opponents by a combined 18-5 margin through their first four games and now lead the NHL with a +13 goal differential. Through the first 10 nights:Favorites are 45-26, including a 20-7 run since Tuesday.Overs are 34-32-5.Tonight's FEATURED GAME (lines courtesy DraftKings):Edmonton at Dallas (-110, 6o, -115)Edmonton visits the Dallas Stars in a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Final in which the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after six games.That series opened with a double-overtime winner from Connor McDavid and closed with an emotional 2-1 Oilers Game 6 victory that saw McDavid open the scoring and then assist on the series-clinching goal. McDavid led all players in the series with 3 goals and 7 assists in six games played.Edmonton has won three straight from Dallas, and six of the last 10, while the guest has won five of the last nine meetings between these Western Conference rivals.PREDICTION: As contentious as this rivalry can be, and the fact five of the last seven meetings have stayed under, I can see how this final tally could stay low. Dallas comes into this one ranked 27th in the league with 2.60 goals-for-per-game, while Edmonton ranks 30th with 2.2 gpg.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAAF, MLB, CFL, NHL and EPL Previews and Odds - 10/19/2024

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Oct 19, 2024

The Saturday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, CFL, NHL, and EPL action.Week 8 in NCAAF college football continues with 48 games between FBS opponents. Thirteen of these NCAAF games kick off in the opening window between noon ET and 2:00 p.m. ET, with three games starting on major national television at noon ET. Miami (FL) travels to Louisville on ABC as a 5.5-point road favorite with the total set at 60.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Indiana hosts Nebraska on Fox as a 6.5-point favorite with an over/under of 49. Missouri plays at home against Auburn on ESPN as a 4-point favorite with a total of 49.5. Twenty-two NCAAF games between FBS opponents start in the 3:30 p.m. ET to 4:15 p.m. ET window. Three college football games on major national television at 3:30 p.m. ET. Notre Dame plays at Georgia Tech on ESPN as a 13.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 49. Michigan is at Illinois on CBS as a 4-point road favorite with a total of 44.5. Alabama visits Tennessee on ABC as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 57. Arizona is home against Colorado on Fox at 4:00 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 58. Thirteen NCAAF games between FBS opponents begin at 7:00 p.m. ET or later to complete the Saturday football card. LSU plays at Arkansas on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 57. Thirteen college football games on major national television begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. Texas hosts Georgia on ABC as a 5-point favorite with a total of 57.5. Kansas State is at West Virginia on Fox as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 55.5. Iowa travels to Michigan State on NBC as a 6-point road favorite with a total of 39.5. Utah plays at home against TCU on ESPN at 10:00 p.m. ET as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 50. Major League Baseball continues the best-of-seven league championship round series of the playoffs with one game. The New York Yankees plays in Cleveland against the Guardians on TBS/truTV/Max at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Yankees took a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series with their 8-6 victory on Friday. Carlos Rodon gets the ball for New York to face Tanner Bibee for the Guardians. The Yankees are a -122 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5.The National Hockey League has 13 games on its slate. The Tampa Bay Lighting are in Ottawa to play the Senators at 1:10 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Nashville Predators are home against the Detroit Red Wings at 2:10 p.m. ET as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Dallas Stars host the Edmonton Oilers at 4:10 p.m. ET as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Vegas Golden Knights visit Florida to play the Panthers at 6:10 p.m. ET as a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. Six NHL games drop the puck at 7:10 p.m. ET. The New Jersey Devils play at home against the Washington Capitals as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Toronto Maple Leafs are home against the New York Rangers as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Minnesota Wild play in Columbus to play the Blue Jackets as a -180 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The New York Islanders host the Montreal Canadiens as a -218 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Vancouver Canucks play at Philadelphia against the Flyers as a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The Carolina Hurricanes are in St. Louis to play the Blues as a -135 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Buffalo Sabres travel to Chicago to play the Blackhawks at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The Boston Bruins are in Utah to play the Utah Hockey Club at 9:10 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Seattle Kraken play at home against the Calgary Flames at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 6. Week 20 in the Canadian Football League concludes with two games. The Toronto Argonauts are home against the Ottawa Redblacks at 3:00 p.m. ET as a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 49.5. The British Columbia Lions host the Montreal Alouettes at 7:00 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 48.Matchweek 8 in the English Premier League begins with seven matches. Tottenham plays at home against West Ham United on the USA Network at 7:30 a.m. ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5. Five EPL games start at 10:00 a.m. ET. Fulham is home against Aston Villa as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Ipswich Town hosts Everton as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 2.5. Manchester United hosts Brentford as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 3.5. Newcastle United plays at home against Brighton and Hove Albion on the USA Network as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5. Southampton is home against Leicester City as a -0.5 goal-line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Arsenal visits Bournemouth on NBC at 12:30 p.m. ET as a -0.5 goal-line road favorite with a total of 2.5.

Vegas Writer's NHL Morning Skate

by Vegas Writer

Friday, Oct 18, 2024

Friday's edition of the "Morning Skate" recaps a busy Thursday that saw 11 games occur across the league, including five road wins, one that saw the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers fall to 1-0-1 at home this season.Heading into Friday, we still have three unbeaten teams: Calgary (4-0-0), Tampa Bay (3-0-0) and Winnipeg (3-0-0). Only one was in action last night, as the Lightning took down the visiting Vegas Golden Knights, 4-3, after two late goals inside the final 2:22 of the third period.Let's take a look at some of the highlights from Thursday: Artemi Panarin (3 goals, 1 assists) notched the league's fourth hat trick of the season to lead the New York Rangers to a 5-2 road in in Detroit. He became the first player in franchise history to start a season on a four-game multi-point streak. The Rangers (3-0-1), meanwhile, pushed their season-opening point streak to four games and are off to their best start to a campaign since 2008-09.Nikita Kucherov (2 goals) capped Tampa Bay's late comeback against Vegas. He leads the league with six goals this season. Kucherov scored the go-ahead marker with just 54.1 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Lightning start a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2020-21Connor Bedard (2 assists) and Adam Fantilli (1 goal) hit the score sheet to lead the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets past the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres, respectively. The victories were both teams' first home win of the season.After a dismal 0-3-0 start to the season, the Edmonton Oilers have found their footing, as they scored a 4-2 road win in Nashville, their second straight victory. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl connected on the game-winner as McDavid recorded his first goal of the season while extending his point streak against the Predators to 14 games. Through the first nine nights: Favorites are 42-26, including a 17-7 run since Tuesday. Overs are 32-31-5. Tonight's FEATURED GAME (lines courtesy DraftKings):San Jose at WINNIPEG (-325, 5.5o, -120)As mentioned, the Jets are one of three teams in the league that haven't lost a game. This is a very big number, and I would never advise laying this much money. But Winnipeg has won three of the last four meetings. The Jets have also won four of the last five meetings in Winnipeg with a scoring margin of +7 goals.This used to be a series the Sharks owned in Winnipeg, as they won 12 of the first 17 meetings, including a tie way back in 2003. But the Jets have improved over the years, and they're a much better team than the Sharks.San Jose arrives for its third-straight road game, after losses in Dallas and Chicago, spanning four days. The Sharks, who lost last night in Chicago, will be playing their fifth game in nine days, and they're still looking for their first win.PREDICTION: Again, I would never tell anyone to play a $3 favorite. But I would advise a $1.30 favorite, and that's what we can bring the number down to by laying the puck line with the Jets. While the resurrection of the Fly Boys in the NFL remains to be seen with Davante Adams now wearing green, we can count on Mark Scheifele and company to continue their unbeaten run with a puck-line win.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, CFL, MLB, and NCAAF Previews and Odds - 10/18/2024

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Oct 18, 2024

The Friday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, NHL, and CFL action. Week 8 in NCAAF college football continues with four games between FBS opponents. Duke hosts Florida State on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils had their five-game winning streak end with a 24-14 loss at Georgia Tech as a 10-point underdog on October 5th. The Seminoles have lost two games in a row after their 29-13 loss at home against Clemson as a 16.5-point underdog on October 5th. Duke is a 3-point favorite, with the total set at 42.Oregon travels to Purdue on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Ducks remained undefeated after six games with their 32-31 upset win at home against Ohio State as a 3.5-point underdog on Saturday. The Boilermakers are on a five-game losing streak after their 50-49 loss at Illinois in overtime last Saturday. Oregon is a 28.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 60.5. BYU plays at home against Oklahoma State on ESPN at 10:15 p.m. ET. The Cougars remain unbeaten after six games with their 41-19 victory against Arizona as a 2.5-point favorite on Saturday. The Cowboys are on a three-game losing streak after their 38-14 upset loss at home against West Virginia as a 3-point favorite on October 5th. BYU is a 9-point favorite with a total of 52.5. Fresno State plays at Nevada on the CBS Sports Network at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are on a two-game losing streak after their 25-17 loss at home against Washington State as a 3.5-point underdog on Saturday. The Wolf Pack won for the second time in their last three games after a 42-37 upset victory as a 3-point underdog against Oregon State last Saturday. Fresno State is a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 49.5. Major League Baseball continues the best-of-seven league championship round series of the playoffs with two games. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in New York to play the Mets on FS1 at 5:08 p.m. ET. The Dodgers took a 3-1 series lead with their 10-2 victory on Thursday. Jack Flaherty takes the mound for Los Angeles to face David Peterson for the Mets. The Dodgers are a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The New York Yankees visit Cleveland to play the Guardians on TBS/truTV/Max at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Guardians won their first game of this series last night in a 7-5 victory in ten innings. The Yankees have a 2-1 lead in the series. New York taps Luis Gil to pitch against Cleveland’s Gavin Williams. The Yankees are a -118 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.The National Hockey League has three games on its slate. The Carolina Hurricanes play in Pittsburgh against the Penguins at 7:10 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Winnipeg Jets are home against the San Jose Sharks at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -325 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Colorado Avalanche host the Anaheim Ducks at 9:10 p.m. ET as a -238 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5.Week 20 in the Canadian Football League kicks off with one game. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats play at home against the Calgary Stampeders on the CBS Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 51.5.

2025 NBA Championship Futures Selection

by Al McMordie

Thursday, Oct 17, 2024

The 2024-25 NBA season will tip-off on Tuesday. So, it's that time of the year where I pull out my crystal ball to forecast this upcoming season's champion. Last season, I tabbed the Boston Celtics, at 4-1 odds, and was rewarded in June when Boston hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy. That was an NBA record-18th championship for the storied franchise (one more than their rival, the Lakers). And they'll look to put more distance between themselves and the Lakers this season.The Celtics are currently the favorite, with odds of +325 at BetMGM. Other leading contenders include the Oklahoma City Thunder (+500), New York Knicks (+675), Philadelphia 76ers (+1000), Denver Nuggets (+1100), Minnesota Timberwolves (+1200), Dallas Mavericks (+1200) and the Milwaukee Bucks (+1400) (all odds courtesy of BetMGM).Last season, the Celtics had a scoring margin in the regular season of +11.34. Dating back to 1990, only two other NBA teams had scoring margins greater than 11.34. In the 1995-96 season, the Bulls outscored their foes by 12.24 ppg. And then, in 2016-17, the Golden State Warriors' margin of victory was 11.63. Boston retained all the key pieces from last year's title-winning team, so I don't expect much, if any, of a drop-off -- at least in the post-season. Though it is certainly possible that the Celtics underperform in the regular season, much like Golden State did in the above-referenced 2017-18 season after winning the 2017 title (the Warriors' wins dropped from 67 to 58 that season). Still, the 2018 Warriors and 1997 Bulls did win a title for the 2nd straight year following their historic campaigns.It's true that off-season acquisitions were made by the Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges) and 76ers (Paul George), in particular, to try to close the talent gap between themselves and their Atlantic division rival. But I don't think they've done nearly enough to change the result come the post-season. We'll take Boston at +325 to win the 2025 NBA Title.Good luck, as always....Al McMordie

Big Al's Daily Angle: NFL, NCAAF, MLB and NHL Previews and Odds - 10/17/2024

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Oct 17, 2024

The Thursday sports card features NFL, NCAAF, MLB, and NHL action. Week 7 in the National Football League kicks off with one game. The Denver Broncos travel to New Orleans to play the Saints on the Amazon Prime Network at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Broncos were on a three-game winning streak before their 23-16 loss at home against the Los Angeles Chargers as a 3-point underdog on Sunday. The Saints have lost four games in a row after their 51-27 loss at home against Tampa Bay as a 3.5-point underdog on Sunday. Denver is a 3-point road favorite with the total set at 37. Week 8 in NCAAF college football continues with two games between FBS opponents. Marshall hosts Georgia State on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. ET as an 8.5-point favorite with an over/under of 51.5. Virginia Tech plays at home against Boston College on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 48.5.Major League Baseball continues the best-of-seven league championship round series of the playoffs with two games. The New York Yankees play at Cleveland against the Guardians on TBS/truTV/Max at 5:08 p.m. ET. The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in this series with their 6-3 victory on Tuesday. Clarke Schmidt takes the mound for New York to face Matthew Boyd for the Guardians. The Yankees are a -115 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in New York to play the Mets on FS1 at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in this series after their 8-0 win on the road last night. Los Angeles sends out Yoshinobu Yamamoto to pitch against the Mets’ Jose Quintana. The Dodgers are a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5. The National Hockey League has 11 games on its slate. Six NHL games drop the puck at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Dallas Stars visit Washington to play the Capitals as a -148 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Tampa Bay Lightning are home against the Vegas Golden Knights as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Buffalo Sabres play in Columbus against the Blue Jackets as a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Los Angeles Kings are in Montreal to play the Canadiens as a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The New Jersey Devils travel to Ottawa to play the Senators as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Florida Panthers host the Vancouver Canucks as a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 6.The New York Rangers play in Detroit against the Red Wings at 7:40 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Two more NHL games start at 8:10 p.m. ET. The New York Islanders are in St. Louis to play the Blues as a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 6. The Edmonton Oilers travel to Nashville to play the Predators as a -122 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Chicago Blackhawks play at home against the San Jose Sharks at 8:40 p.m. ET as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Seattle Kraken are home against the Philadelphia Flyers at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.

Vegas Writer's NHL Morning Skate

by Vegas Writer

Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

Wednesday's edition of the "Morning Skate" recaps a busy Tuesday, with six of the nine home teams winning, a netminder scoring a goal, and another one getting a bit of revenge.Defenses are still trying to come around, as five of the nine games landed on six or more goals. A total of 55 goals were scored, or, an average of 6.1 goals per game.Let's get right to it to find out what took place with Tuesday's games: Alex Ovechkin notched another milestone during the Capitals' 4-2 win over Vegas, as he became just the sixth player in NHL history with 700 career goals and 700 career assists. But the bigger storyline was goalie Logan Thompson making his Washington debut against his former team and posting 24 saves to help the Capitals win their first game of the season.Filip Gustavsson, meanwhile, not only made 27 saves to improve to 2-0-1 on the season with a win in St. Louis, but he capped the victory with the first goalie goal in Wild history. Gustavsson became the 15th goaltender in league history to score.While Vegas lost for the first time this season, the Dallas Stars (4-0-0, 8 points) and Calgary Flames (4-0-0, 8 points) edged the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively, to stay unbeaten.Stick tap to Ryker Evans, who scored the first of Seattle’s season-high seven goals to help the Kraken defeat the Predators in Nashville, 7-3.Also, Jackson Blake, son of former NHLer Jason Blake, scored the first goal of his career and finished with the game-winner as Carolina captured its first win of the season, a 3-1 victory over Chicago. Through the first seven nights: Favorites are 32-21 after a 7-2 showing Tuesday. Overs are 24-25-4 Tonight's FEATURED GAME (lines courtesy DraftKings):Buffalo at Pittsburgh (-120, 6.5u -118)Huge clash in Steeltown tonight, with the game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins part of a TNT doubleheader.Intrigued to see the showdown of star defensemen - Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson and Buffalos' Rasmus Dahlin.Karlsson and Dahlin are two of six Swedish-born defensemen in NHL history to record a 20-goal season, and tonight we're talking about two teams in the bottom 12 in terms of goals allowed.Pittsburgh is allowing the fifth-most goals per game (4.00), while the Sabres allow the tenth fewest goals per contest (3.00).Dahlin, who is in his first season as Sabres captain, is seven points from becoming the third defenseman to record 300 points with the franchise.Karlsson is 25 points from moving into the top 15 on the NHL’s all-time list among defensemen.PREDICTION: Considering how both teams have played to this point, this could become a physical game early on. These teams have stayed under in eight of the last 10 meetings, and could see this one stay low as well.

5 NBA Future Bets to Make Before the Season Begins:

by William Burns

Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

The NHL has now commenced and that leaves us with another sport to watch out for. Basketball. The NBA season begins on October 22nd with the Knicks/Celtics & TWolves/Lakers. It should be another fantastic year and I'm looking forward to it very much. Let's take a look at five NBA Future Bets to make this season prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook. ---------------- 1.) Victor Wembanyama to Win the Defensive Player of the Year (-170) You can't really bet on anyone else here. Last season, in his rookie year, Wemby completely dominated on the defensive side of the ball. As a matter of fact, he averaged 1.2 steals per game as well as 3.6 blocks a game. Some would say that he got robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year just because he was a rookie. Now, I'm not going to say he got "robbed." But, I am going to say that Rudy Gobert (who won it last year) needs to be ready for the biggest challenge of his life this season. The 7'3" 20yr old played 71 games last season. If he can play anywhere close to that this season, he'll be a threat to break some block records in his first two seasons in the NBA. Nobody wants to challenge the big man in the paint with his insane wingspan. The Spurs are slightly better than last season as well which should help take the Frenchman's game to even another level. Expect Wemby to win his first DPOY this season. 2.) Denver Nuggets Over 51.5 Wins (-105) After disappointingly losing to the Timberwolves in the Conference Semi-Finals last year, the Nuggets will want to regain their throne as the best team in the West this year. Although it was a down season for them, they still managed to finish second in the conference with 57 wins on the season. Yes, that's a lot of wins to try and repeat this season. But, they've still got plenty of the pieces from these past few seasons and should be able to at least make it "over" the total. The Nuggets added Russell Westbrook & Dario Saric this offseason which should help bolster their depth. Don't get me wrong, 51.5 wins is still quite a bit considering that this is probably the most competitive conference of the two with about 12 teams that could make a push into the playoffs this year. That being said, this Nuggets team is good enough to do just that once again this season. Prediction: 55-27 record. 3.) Lauri Markkanen to Make the All-Star Game (+320) After being an All-Star during the 2022-23 campaign, Lauri Markkanen wasn't able to get back to it in 2023-24. That being said, I do believe that he will be able to reach the All-Star game again this season. The Jazz big man is one of the deadliest perimeter forwards in the game right now. His ability to stretch the floor and cause havoc under the basket has really set him a part from others. Lauri only played 55 games last year, which is why he wasn't eligible for contention. But, he still averaged 23.2 PTS, 8.2 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.9 Steals & 0.5 Blocks. This season, he's getting tremendous value to make this All-Star game. Although he wouldn't be considered a front-runner by any means, Lauri is good enough and should be in contention to be an All-Star for the second time in his career this season. 4.) Stephen Curry to be the 3s Made Per Game Leader (-275) As everyone now knows, Stephen Curry is the greatest three-point shooter to ever live in the game of basketball. He's made three after three over the course of his career which is why he stands alone as the #1 three point getter of all-time. Last year, he led the NBA for the eight time in this category. As a matter of fact, Steph was 73 3pt FG's ahead of the next best guy who was Luka Doncic. That's absurd. Curry and the Warriors are reloading again this season as they hunt for another deep playoff run. They've got tons of depth which a good playoff team always needs. Losing Klay Thompson wasn't ideal for the Dubs, but that should open up even more 3pt opportunities for Curry this season. He's the big favorite in this category for a reason and there's no doubt in my mind that as long as he stays healthy, that he will win his ninth 3pt's Made in a Season title this season. 5.) Stephon Castle to Win Rookie of the Year (+1000) Out of all of the rookies, I'm going to go a different route than most people would expect. Yes, Zach Edey is the favorite. His size and connection with Ja Morant has looked very strong so far. There is also Zaccharie Risacher, Reed Sheppard, Alexandre Sarr, Rob Dillingham & Matas Buzelis to consider. That being said, I'm going to go with Stephon Castle. The UCONN point guard can do it all and will do whatever Head Coach Greg Popovich asks of him. With other guard Devin Vassell out of the lineup for at least a couple of weeks, this is the perfect opportunity for the youngster to show the NBA what he's made of. Castle didn't put up monster numbers at UCONN last season. But, he didn't have to. He did the little things and it helped them win their second championship in as many seasons. He still was able to average 11.1 PTS, 4.7 REB, 2.9 AST in 34 contests last season. Castle is going to need to work for his playing time this year. But, don't be shocked if he builds a great relationship with both CP3 & Wemby. Popovich won't have any other choice than to keep him in the starting lineup all season long. -----------------In less than a week now, we will have another sport to cheer on. I finished the year on a fantastic 24-13 (+$9,700) NBA sides run last season. Jump on board with a subscription today before I start winning big!

Big Al's Daily Angle: MLB, NHL, and NCAAF Previews and Odds - 10/16/2024

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

The Wednesday sports card features NCAAF, MLB, and NHL action.Week 8 in NCAAF college football continues with two games between FBS opponents. Western Kentucky travels to Sam Houston on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Hilltoppers have won four of their last five games after their 44-17 victory against UTEP as an 18.5-point favorite on Saturday. The Bearkats are on a four-game winning streak after their 41-21 win at UTEP as a 10-point favorite back on October 3rd. Western Kentucky won last year’s meeting by a 28-23 score at home as a 10-point favorite on November 18th. Sam Houston is a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 55.5 (all odds from DraftKings). Florida International plays at UTEP on the CBS Sports Network at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Golden Panthers lost for the third time in their last four games in a 31-24 loss in overtime at Liberty last Tuesday. The Miners are winless in their first six games this season after a 44-17 loss as an 18.5-point underdog last Thursday. UTEP pulled off the upset in the meeting between these two teams last season with their 27-14 win on the road as a 3.5-point underdog on October 11th. Florida International is a 7-point road favorite with an over/under of 47.5. Major League Baseball continues the best-of-seven league championship round series of the playoffs with Game 3 in the NLCS. The New York Mets host the Los Angeles Dodgers on FS1 at 8:08 p.m. ET. The Mets evened this series at 1-1 with their 7-3 victory on the road against the Dodgers on Monday. They have won three of their last four games. Los Angeles had won three games in a row before the loss. New York taps Luis Severino to pitch against the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler. The Dodgers are a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 7.5.The National Hockey League has four games on its slate. The Pittsburgh Penguins play at home against the Buffalo Sabres on TBS/truTV/Max at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Penguins have won two of their last three games after their 6-3 win at Montreal on Monday. They have four points from their 2-2-0 record. The Sabres ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory against Florida on Saturday. They have two points with their 1-3-0 record. Pittsburgh is a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Toronto Maple Leafs are home against the Los Angeles Kings at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Maple Leafs are on a two-game winning streak after their 4-2 victory against the Penguins on Saturday. They have four points from their 2-1-0 record. The Kings have lost two in a row after an 8-7 loss at Ottawa on Monday. They have four points with their 1-2-2 record. Toronto is a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Colorado Avalanche host the Boston Bruins on TNT/truTV/Max at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Avalanche have lost their first three games of the season after a 6-2 loss at home against the New York Islanders on Monday. The Bruins had won two games in a row before their 4-3 loss to Florida on Monday. They have four points coming from a 2-2-0 record. Colorado is a -122 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Utah Hockey Club is in Anaheim to play the Ducks at 10:10 p.m. ET. The former Arizona Coyotes had won their first three games of the season before a 3-0 loss at New Jersey on Monday. They have six points on the season from a 3-1-0 record. The Ducks have split their first two games of the season after a 3-1 loss in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights on Sunday. The Utah Hockey Club is a -135 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.

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