NY Islanders +1.07 over CAROLINA (REG) Pinnacle
Win, lose or draw, this “betting against the Canes” train keeps rolling and there’s no reason to get off until they show us something different. Carolina has now dropped a remarkable 13 games in a row and once again they’re sure not going to get any sympathy from this perennial bottom feeder. The Islanders are finally onto something good after years of futility. At the very worse, they’ll come out enthusiastically like they always do and play hard for 60 minutes. The Islanders have dropped three of four after a four-game winning streak, however, the losses came against the red-hot Sabres and Devils followed by an OT loss in Washington. Now the Islanders will take a huge, huge step down in class from that quartet and its chances of winning are greater than the Islanders chances. Any take-back against this frustrated and beaten down host has to be considered a good one. Play: NY Islanders +1.07 (Risking 2 units).
Toronto +1.97 over CHICAGO(REG) Pinnacle
The Blackhawks remain one of the most overvalued teams in the league due to its great start this season after they put the hockey world on notice last year. They were a big favorite over the Av’s last game and although they won 3-2 in OT they were not the better team. The Av’s led 2-1 late and after Chicago tied it, Colorado hit three posts in the final minutes of the game. The Blackhawks have also played one of the easiest schedules in the league thus far. Meanwhile, the Leafs have played extremely well on the road and extremely well over the past 10 games or so. They’ve picked up points in all but one of its last eight and they’re most definitely a tough team to beat. Chicago’s biggest weakness is its goaltending and when you’re a huge favorite with shaky goaltending you’re also a huge risk at such a big price. It’s for that reason, among others, (the Blackhawks have the Sharks on deck) that the Maple Leafs are a solid pooch in a game they most definitely have a chance to win.
BUFFALO -½ +1.34 over Calgary Pinnacle
If nothing else, one has to trust that the Flames could very easily overlook this one in anticipation of a game tomorrow night on hockey’s biggest stage. Playing in prime time on Hockey Night in Canada in Montreal or Toronto is equivalent to NFL teams playing on Monday Night Football. It’s also worth noting that the Flames and Sabres have met just four times over the past seven years, thus, the motivation level for the Flames could be low in anticipation of tomorrow night’s match-up. In addition, the Sabres are just so tough to beat, especially at home, where they have six wins in eight games. The Flames are tough; make no mistake about that, not to mention an outstanding road record as well. However, this one is a good situational play in the Sabres favor and it says here the Flames will be ripe to get beat. Play: Buffalo -½ +1.34 (Risking 2 units).
NEW ORLEANS +1.31 over Portland Pinnacle
The Hornets don’t have much sting this year but that can change in a hurry, as this is a good team with the league’s bet point-guard in Chris Paul. They also added Emeka Okafor in place of Tyson Chandler and that has to be considered an upgrade. The Hornets have some ugly losses this season including one to the Knicks but the bottom line is that they’re undervalued, especially at home, because of its poor start. Byron Scott was fired yesterday and many cite the reason was Scott’s reluctance to play prized rookie Darren Collison in favor of Bobby Brown or Devin Brown. GM Jeff Bower takes over and in its first game with its new coach, expect the Hornets to respond, as this is most definitely a .500 club at worst and a club that can win as many as 50 games if they get right-sided. The Trail Blazers are among the elite with a relentless defense and four wins in a row. However, two of those wins were against Minnesota, one was against Memphis and the other came over San Antonio when Tony Parker went down early in the game. Prior to that four-game streak, the Blazers were just 2-3 with wins over Houston and the Thunder. This is the Blazers fifth game in seven nights and its third road game in a row and thus, it creates a great opportunity for the Hornets to get it going. Play: New Orleans +1.31 (Risking 2 units).
Toronto/L.A. CLIPPERS over 204½ Pinnacle
This one opened at 209 and has been steadily dropping all day. It may still drop a little lower so you might want to monitor it and wait for the best possible number. The reason for the under taking all the money is likely due to the Raps last game in which they held the Bulls to 29 second-half points and the loss of Clips PG Eric Gordon. However, the Bulls have yet to reach 100 points this year and put up 60 in the first half before going ice cold in the second. The Bulls were completely gassed but make no mistake, they scored 29 points because of horrible shooting and not because the Raps were great defensively. The Bulls had open looks, as every team does against this extremely soft defense of the Raptors. Toronto loves to move quickly up court, exchange baskets, shoot tons of threes and they have the personnel to do it. This is a great shooting squad but they simply do not play defense and give up more second chance points than anyone. The Clip Joint will crash the offensive boards and should get more than a few put-backs. This one should be a fast-paced game with plenty of points and until the Raps get Reggie Evans back they’ll continue to give up way too many. Play: Toronto/L.A. Clippers over 204½ (Risking 2.12 units to win 2).
Randall the Handle 11/13
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