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With some late game skirmishes in Game 2 and a war or words brewing between Montreal and Philadelphia, Monday night’s Game 3 should be nothing if not interesting as the series shifts to Philly - with the Flyers -130 money line betting favorites (over/under: 5.5) on WagerWeb.com.
The bad blood that started brewing in Game 2 came to a head when the Canadiens’ Tom Kostopoulos took a swing at Kimmo Timonen after the Flyers defenseman allegedly taunted him with a smile after R.J.
Umberger's goal with 2:21 to play in Saturday night's contest.
After the game, Flyers coach John Stevens said Kostopoulos' actions were cowardly. On Sunday, Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau responded.
"After the goal, they started taunting our players," the Canadiens coach said. "Just score, go to the bench, be happy. Take the game and just go. Don't go around and start (taunting) our players.
"I think (Timonen) deserved it."
Things promise to get more heated as the series resumes tonight with Game 2's shenanigans still fresh in the players' minds.
"It will get nastier, for sure," Flyers forward Joffrey Lupul said. "I don't know if it's because of that hit, but the more you play a team the more you really start to dislike them.”
Flyers goalie Martin Biron was sensational in Philadelphia's 4-2 win over Montreal in Game 2 with 34 saves. Montreal took 16 shots in the first period and 13 more in the second, which dwarfed the Flyers' game total of 23.The Flyers had lost both of their regular-season home games against the Canadiens and were 1-9 in home playoff games against Montreal. Biron said none of that matters.
"We did what we had to do in Montreal and now we have to take care of business here," he said.
The Flyers could get a boost this week if veteran forward Mike Knuble returns sooner than expected from a hamstring injury. Knuble, who hasn't played since he suffered a partial tear of his left hamstring in a Game 5 loss to Washington, skated on Sunday while the rest of the Flyers were off and said he was ready to play.
"I feel right now I'd be healthy enough to play a game," Knuble said.
Knuble had 29 goals and 26 assists during the regular season, and scored the winning goal in double overtime against the Caps in Game 4. He said after his skate that he felt better and was encouraged he could play in Wednesday's Game 4. He is ruled out tonight.
Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois, who did not play in Game 2 after suffering a leg injury in the game-day skate Saturday, did not accompany the team to Philadelphia for Game 3.
Philly has taken a 2-0 lead in each of the series’ first two games.
”We have to have a better start, I have to have a better start," said Habs goalie Carey Price, whose save percentage has dipped from .925 in the first round to .875 against Philadelphia.
The Canadiens were a perfect 4-0 against Philadelphia during the regular season and outscored the Flyers by a 15-6 margin over that span. The Flyers had a 21-14-6 record at home this year, while the Habs posted a very good 25-12-4 mark as the visitors.
Betting trends: Habs are 6-2 in their last 8 Monday games. ... Canadiens are 12-5 in their last 17 overall. ... Flyers are 7-1 in their last 8 home games. ... Flyers are 17-42 in their last 59 vs. Northeast Division. ... Canadiens are 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.
The Phoenix Suns head into Friday night's Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal down 2-0 to the Spurs and possibly without one of their starters - though Phoenix is a 6.5-point betting favorite (over/under: 194) on WagerWeb.com.
Unless Suns forward Grant Hill is certain he is 100 percent healthy by tipoff, he will be kept on the sidelines by Suns coach Mike D'Antoni; as of this writing, Hill is "unlikely."
Hill averaged 13.1 points this season, but suffered a groin strain in the final week of the season. He started against the Spurs in Games 1 and 2, but the injury has limited his effectiveness. He has played only 48 of 106 possible minutes and has scored only five points. He did not play at all in the second half of Game 2.
"If he's on the floor, he needs to be at full speed, so he can run (the floor)," D'Antoni said. "We'll take care of that. If he's not at full speed, he won't play."
Hill's absence will leave the team without one of its better defenders and ball handlers.
Otherwise, D'Antoni says there will be no major alterations in Phoenix's strategy despite the 2-0 hole.
"To be honest with you, we don't want to make a whole lot of changes," he said. "We feel good about the way things are going."
The Suns, after all, did have big leads in the first two games.But they will have to figure out a way to get Leandro Barbosa back into their offense. The Brazilian guard was productive in Game 1, scoring 12 points and nabbing eight rebounds. But in Game 2, he was a complete nonfactor, shooting 0-for-7 in 24 minutes. Barbosa, last year's Sixth Man Award winner, went scoreless Tuesday and has two points since halftime of Game 1.
By comparison, this year's Sixth Man Award winner, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, is averaging 26.5 points after averaging 19.5 during the regular season.
Barbosa, a 33 percent shooter over the past 12 regular-season and playoff games against San Antonio, missed a 3-pointer with a dwindling shot clock and two more drives in the third quarter of Game 2. D'Antoni sat Barbosa for the game's final 10:04, even with Hill ailing, and played Gordan Giricek more.
"They (the Spurs) do a good job on the pick-and-rolls," Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "Sometimes he (Barbosa) has a hard time with their (big men) near the basket. Maybe he hasn't quite figured where to mix it up with them.
"Only 13 teams have rallied from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-seven series. The Suns are 3-10 in playoff games against San Antonio in the era of D'Antoni, Nash and Amaré Stoudemire.
The Spurs are trying to make the Suns lose three consecutive games for the first time this season. San Antonio was 22-19 on the road this season and 3-11 in away games against West playoff teams.
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each has scored 58 points in the first two games of this series on better than 50 percent shooting. San Antonio's 49.4 percent shooting is well ahead of its season's 45.7 percent clip.
Betting trends: Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 conference quarterfinals games. . Spurs are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog. . Spurs are 4-12 ATS in their last 16 games as a road underdog. . Spurs are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games. . Suns are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games. . Suns are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. . Over is 4-0 in Suns' last 4 conference quarterfinals games.
One of the NHL's fantasy playoff matchups, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins against the big-market Rangers, drops the puck for Game 1 on Friday night in Pittsburgh, with the Pens -145 money line betting favorites (over/under: 5) on WagerWeb.com in the opener.
Believe it or not, the last time these two teams met in the playoffs was in 1996, when Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were two of the best in the NHL.
Well, Crosby has taken Lemieux's spot as the league's glamour player - and Jagr is a Ranger.
The Penguins are coming off a first-round sweep of Ottawa and, with the 20-year-old Crosby and the 21-year-old Evgeni Malkin, might own the best center combination on a Stanley Cup challenger since the Oilers' days with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.
They also might be the NHL's best tandem since Lemieux and Jagr in Pittsburgh, with Crosby winning the scoring title last season and Malkin coming in second to Alex Ovechkin this season.
Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa, who was acquired at the trade deadline to play alongside Crosby on the top line, has a reputation for disappearing in the playoffs, but he ranked third on the team with five points against the Senators.
Jagr, meanwhile, had two goals and six assists during the Rangers' five-game elimination of New Jersey in Round 1, and two goals and five assists as the Rangers won five of eight from Pittsburgh during the season. Crosby had a goal and seven assists in seven games against New York.The Rangers have gotten a spark from 21-year-old Brandon Dubinsky. Centering Jagr's line, Dubinsky had three goals and six points in the first round after netting 14 goals and 40 points in the regular season.
For all the offensive firepower in this series, it will come down to goaltending.
Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 107 Ottawa shots with a .955 save percentage. He has lost only twice in his last 21 regulation decisions.
The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist went 37-24-10 this year with a 2.24 goals-against average. In 18 career playoff games, he has a 10-8 record with a 2.52 GAA. He had a .917 save-percentage and 2.35 GAA in the first round, but the Devils did score 10 goals in the final three games of their series.
On defense, the Pens have the advantage offensively with Sergei Gonchar (second among NHL defensemen in the regular season with 65 points) and Ryan Whitney. But the Rangers, with a no-name defense - led by Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal - and a team approach to keeping the puck out of the net, were one of just five teams to allow fewer than 200 goals during the regular season.
The Rangers' power play had plenty of success against the Pens during the regular season (9-for-42). And the Rangers' fine penalty-killers minimized the damage done by the Penguins' talent-laden power play (5-for-35).
Home ice should play a big role in this series: The Penguins have won 10 in a row at home, but are 0-3-1 in Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have only three regulation losses in their last 30 games, but needed to go to overtime for their only win in Pittsburgh all season.
Betting trends: Rangers are 4-1 in their last 5 road games. . Rangers are 16-5 in their last 21 vs. a team with a winning record. . Penguins are 4-0 in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite. . Penguins are 43-15 in their last 58 games as a home favorite. Over is 6-1 in Rangers' last 7 overall. . Under is 9-2 in Penguins' last 11 overall. . Favorite is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings. . Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings in Pittsburgh.
All you need to know about Gayego heading into the Kentucky Derby is that the colt won the (Grade II) Arkansas Derby.
In the last four years, three Arkansas Derby winners - Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and Curlin - have gone on to become America's best 3-year-old.
Smarty Jones won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2004, Afleet Alex won the Preakness and Belmont in 2005 and Curlin won the Preakness last year. And when they didn't win, they were in the mutuel money - Smarty Jones was a close second in the Belmont; Afleet Alex was third in the Derby; and Curlin was third in the Derby and a photo-finish loser to Rags to Riches in the Belmont.
Gayego put in a five-furlong workout Saturday at Churchill Downs. Trainer Paulo Lobo instructed jockey Mike Smith to shoot for five furlongs in 1:01 (the fastest of 20 horses working that distance), and the Brazilian trainer got exactly what he expected.
Gayego was clocked in fractions of :12.40, :24.40, :36.60, and :48.60, and he galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.80.
"Exactly, exactly what I wanted," Lobo said. "I think it was an awesome work."
Gayego has finished first or second in all five career starts, including a victory in the San Pedro and a runner-up effort in the San Felipe (Grade II) prior to his Arkansas Derby win. He has earned $723,420.
Gayego's jockey, Smith, has had good recent history in Triple Crown races. The 42-year-old won the 2005 Derby with 50-1 long shot Giacomo. He also rode Derby runner-up Lion Heart in 2004 and came in third with Giacomo in the Preakness and with Tiago in the 2007 Belmont.
"Winning the Derby certainly makes you want it that much more," Smith said. "Before you could only guess what it's like."The Arkansas Derby was Gayego's first race outside of California. After having the horse compete on California's synthetic tracks, Lobo wanted to run Gayego on Oaklawn's dirt in preparation for the similar surface at Churchill Downs. The horse responded with a career-best 103 Beyer speed figure.
"I wanted to give him a chance to run on the dirt," Lobo said. "I didn't think it would be a problem. He has a very good style. He's a special horse."
In the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby, Gayego lived up to his trainer's expectations, outrunning 12 opponents and defeating runner-up Z Fortune by half a length. Gayego's time of 1:49.63 was better than Curlin's time a year earlier. In the process, Gayego became the first winner of the Arkansas Derby since Balto Star in 2001 to achieve the feat without having previously run at Oaklawn.
Smith has ridden Gayego in all five of his races. He describes the colt as "flying under the radar" and said after the Arkansas Derby: "I wouldn't trade players with anybody."
Gayego comes from less-than-noble roots. He was purchased for just $32,000 at the September 2006 yearling sale at Kenneland in Lexington, Ky. His owners, Carlos Juelle and Jose Prieto, immigrated to the United States from Cuba more than two decades ago.
Perhaps the horse's lone red flag: pedigree experts say his breeding is not suited for the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles. His sire, Gilded Time, was a speedster who wasn't so accomplished at longer distances.
Bet on the Kentucky Derby at WagerWeb.com
You could say that the Houston Rockets are in trouble. They are down 2-0 (dropping both at home) to the Utah Jazz heading into tonight's Game 3 in Salt Lake City - a place the Jazz were an NBA-best 37-4 this season (although one of those losses was to the Rockets). No wonder Utah is a sizable 9-point betting favorite (over/under: 182.5) on WagerWeb.com.
However, the Rockets are likely to get a key player back tonight in point guard Rafer Alston.
Losing Alston meant Tracy McGrady had to carry too much of an offensive burden in the first two games. It also meant going without Alston's averages of 13.1 points and 5.3 assists. And by moving Bobby Jackson into the starting lineup, the Rockets lose Jackson's vital contributions off the bench.
"I get to go back to the bench (when Alston returns), and our bench has been struggling to score points," said Jackson, who is averaging 12.5 points in the first two games but shooting only 31 percent from the floor. "Their bench is outscoring our bench (54-32 in the first two games)."
Jackson and rookie Aaron Brooks did combine for 29 points on 12 of 26 in Game 2 but were only 4-for-22 shooting in Game 1.Jackson still may start Game 3 because McGrady and coach Rick Adelman are skeptical of what Alston can offer after missing a week of practice time.
"We don't know, when he comes back, how effective he's going to be," McGrady said. "With two playoff games under each team's belt and the speed of the game and the physicality of it, we don't know if he's going to be ready for that when he first gets back."
McGrady has averaged 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two games and was one assist away from a triple-double in Game 2, but has scored just one point in the fourth quarter this series.
In Games 1 and 2, Houston shot 39.1 percent, including 10-for-41 from the 3-point line. McGrady has made 16 of 43 shots - that's 37.2 percent. He is 1-for-9 from the 3-point line.
"We're giving him a lot of different looks," Utah's Ronnie Brewer said. "But we know he's going to be aggressive and we know he's capable of scoring a lot of points - 40 or 50 points."
Deron Williams leads the Jazz in scoring at 21 points per game and averaged 7.5 assists in the two games at Houston.
Houston has lost two straight Game 3s in the postseason, while the Jazz have captured three of their last four Game 3s.
Utah is 6-1 in its last seven playoff games against Houston, going back to last year. In that first-round series, the Rockets averaged only 78 points in three games at EnergySolutions Arena and lost by 12, 13 and 14 points.
Betting trends: Under is 11-2 in Rockets' last 13 vs. Northwest Division. ... Rockets are 23-8-3 ATS in their last 34 Thursday games. ... Jazz are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. ... Under is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings in Utah.
One of the most heated rivalries in sports, much less the NHL, resumes on Thursday night in the Motor City when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Red Wings – with Detroit a -190 money line betting favorite (over/under: 5) on WagerWeb.com.
Detroit and Colorado met in five fight-filled postseasons between 1996-2002 -- with the Avs advancing three times -- and the franchises combined to win five Stanley Cups during that seven-year stretch.
"There is something special there, for sure," Detroit's Kris Draper said. "Going into the rink and playing those guys, you just didn't know what was going to happen."
Draper and Darren McCarty are two of the eight players who helped the Red Wings beat Colorado in the 2002 conference finals and win their third title in six years.
The Avs have just four players -- Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk -- still around from the previous matchup in the playoffs.Detroit beat Nashville in six games in Round 1, while the Avs beat Minnesota in six. But Colorado did not beat Detroit in four regular season games and was shut out in the final three meetings. Colorado hasn't
scored a goal against Detroit since Dec. 27, starting a scoreless streak that is at 214-plus minutes entering the series.
Colorado managed fewer than 20 shots in each shutout loss, recording 19 in a 1-0 loss Jan. 8, 15 in a 2-0 loss Feb. 1, and 18 in a 4-0 loss Feb. 18.
"We didn't get many scoring chances as a group against them this year," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think we have to make sure that when we do get them, we've got to bury them."
But the Wings will be facing a different Colorado club, with the return of some healthy players (Sakic, Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny) and the late-season additions of Forsberg and Foote. And goalie Jose Theodore is playing as well as he has since arriving from Montreal two years ago.
"They're a totally different team," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said, dismissing the season series as an advantage. "I don't believe there's any transfer whatsoever."
Theodore was in top form in Round 1, with a .940 save percentage and 1.88 goals-against average.
The Wings, meanwhile, switched from Dominik Hasek to Chris Osgood in Game 4 of the Predators series, and he responded with a 2-0 record and sterling 0.39 GAA.
Both Detroit and Colorado scored 17 goals and gave up 12 in their first playoff series.
Colorado scored six power-play goals in its quarterfinal series against Minnesota. The Avalanche scored on half of their chances (4-of-8) on the road. Detroit held Colorado scoreless on 11 chances during the regular season. The Wings, meanwhile, converted on only 11.5 percent of their power play chances against the Predators.
Forward Tomas Holmstrom said the Wings weren't happy with that.
"The margin is so small," Holmstrom said. "As long as we get chances and get to the net, good things happen and then sooner or later the puck is going to go in."
Betting trends: Under is 9-2-1 in Avs' last 12 Thursday games. ... Under is 9-3-4 in Avs' last 16 road games. ... Wings are 212-76-16 in their last 304 home games. ... Avs are 8-22 in the last 30 meetings.
Colonel John ran the fastest 5 furlongs Sunday in his last major workout before the 134th Kentucky Derby, when the California colt will race on dirt for the first time.
Colonel John was one of five prospective Derby starters to work over a fast track Sunday. He was joined on a busy tab by the Bill Mott-trained duo of Court Vision and Z Humor, Adriano and the filly Eight Belles.
Colonel John completed 5 furlongs in 57.80 seconds, quickest of 62 workouts at the distance, without any urging from exercise rider Karine Lhuillier.
"It wasn't my intention to go that fast, but it wasn't my intention the track was going to be this fast," trainer Eoin Harty said. "I think it's more the track conditions than my horse doing a little too much."
Colonel John, of WinStar Farm, waited several minutes before some of the early traffic had subsided after the break before beginning his work. He went in splits of 11.57, 23.16, 34.67 and 45.63, then galloped out six furlongs in 1:10.99.
The big question at the start of Derby week was how Colonel John would handle a dirt surface because he has raced and trained almost exclusively on the newer synthetic surfaces in California since beginning his career at Del Mar last summer. His six career starts have been on synthetic surfaces at Del Mar, Santa Anita Park, and Hollywood Park.” [The dirt] doesn't seem like it's an issue. I thought he handled it very well,” Harty said. “He's having a pretty good blow, but he seems like he's back to himself."
Harty originally scheduled Colonel John's workout for Monday, but the forecast called for rain so he moved it up.
Looking on was Elliott Walden, a former trainer and vice president of WinStar Farm.
”He went very well,” Walden said. “I don’t think it was too fast considering we’re six days out (from the Derby). We feel very comfortable about it.”
A winner of four of six starts, with two seconds, Colonel John broke his maiden in his second start during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita last October, then won the $105,000 Real Quiet Stakes at Hollywood Park, and finished up his 2-year-old campaign with a runner-up effort in the CashCall Futurity (Grade I).
This year, the son of Tiznow, out of the Turkoman mare Sweet Damsel, won the Sham Stakes (Grade III) by a half-length over El Gato Malo, then came from ninth to win the Santa Anita Derby by a half-length over Bob Black Jack.
Colonel John likely will be the second betting favorite at WagerWeb.com behind Big Brown when post positions are drawn Wednesday for Saturday's 1 1/4-mile Derby.
Bet on the Kentucky Derby at WagerWeb.com
Just a few weeks ago, who would have guessed that South Africa's Trevor Immelman would headline the field at a PGA Tour event.
Well, winning the Masters will do that, and Immelman now is one of the big names playing this week at the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas. And don't rule out Immelman winning this week - he finished runner-up at the Nelson in 2006. He is the second betting favorite to win at +750 on WagerWeb.com.
Scott Verplank (+1700) is the defending champion of this event, and he has five top-10s at this tournament.
In 2007, Verplank edged Luke Donald, who hasn't finished worse than tied for 19th the last four years at the Nelson and has played his last 12 rounds in Dallas without a score above 69. Donald (+1000 on WagerWeb.com) is currently second behind Tiger Woods in the PGA Tour's scoring average statistic (69.40).
Dallas native Justin Leonard (+2300) could make some noise this week. He hasn't missed a cut in 11 starts this year and has four top 10s to show for his efforts. He holds a share of the course record 61 at TPC Four Seasons/Los Colinas and also won in Texas last year in San Antonio.
A sleeper could be another Texas native, Chad Campbell (+1900). He has never missed the cut in six Byron Nelsons - finishing tied for 13th and fifth the past two years - and almost won his last outing in the Lone Star State (T-2 at Houston Open).
That said, only three Texans have won this event – Ben Crenshaw (1983), Billy Ray Brown (1992) and Verplank.Rory Sabbatini (+1500) was third here last year and has a good record in Texas events: He has two top-3 finishes this season.
One thing is for certain: There won't be a back-to-back winner on Tour this week. World No. 23 Boo Weekley, coming off a victory at the Verizon Heritage last week, has withdrawn from the Byron Nelson.
The Nelson, for a third consecutive year, is without Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer. It's also without eight other top-10 golfers, leaving No. 10 Adam Scott as the top-ranked player.
Scott (the WagerWeb.com favorite at +600) was planning to take two weeks off after a disappointing tie for 25th at the Masters, but he made a last-minute commitment to play this week. It will be only his second appearance in the event after almost winning in his first visit - he tied for third in 2006. Scott was tied for the 54-hole lead with Immelman, but Brett Wetterich surged past both of them with a 68 to claim his first PGA Tour victory.
Other than Immelman, five other 2008 tournament winners are teeing it up this week. Overall, the field will offer 27 of the top 50 players in the FedExCup standings.
Lastly, the Las Colinas course has had a $10 million facelift since last year, and should be more challenging as well as being more visually stimulating. So expect scores to be a bit worse this year. It will be the first time since 1993 that the tournament has been held on only one course.
If the Denver Nuggets have any hope of upsetting the top-seeded Lakers, then they need to win Wednesday night's game in L.A., although the Lakers are 8-point betting favorites (over/under: 229) on WagerWeb.com.
In NBA history, teams having taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series are 191-13. That's a staggering winning percentage of .936. In addition, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is 17-0 after his team leads 2-0 in a best-of-seven series.
A big problem facing Denver is that the Lakers have won eight straight at Staples Center and have a 16-2 record against the Nuggets there since the facility opened before the 1999-2000 season.
Denver is making one move to beef up its size: 6-foot-8 Linas Kleiza will replace 6-2 Anthony Carter in Denver's starting lineup. Kleiza scored a career playoff-high 23 points in the opener, shooting 9-for-13, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
"It's more of a matchup thing," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "They are a very big starting lineup. I thought their postups and the way they played early gave them confidence. I think our matchup will change that and also we'll put one of our better running teams on the court."
Sunday's biggest mismatch was Lakers center Pau Gasol breaking loose for 36 points. With Karl planning to stick with power forward Kenyon Martin on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, he's looking for Kleiza, who scored 23 points Sunday, to provide defense inside as well as more early offense.
It's not the first time Martin has guarded Bryant despite the seeming mismatch. He did it when he was a rookie with the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals against the Lakers."He's a freak of nature," Bryant said. "He's 6-8, 6-9. He's quick, he's long, and he’s a great defensive player. It's fun for me."
Despite scoring 32 points, Bryant didn't play particularly well in Game 1, making nine of 26 shots with one assist and three rebounds in 37 minutes. He had one assist only once in 82 regular-season games.
Denver needs center Marcus Camby to step up his man-to-man defense against counterpart Gasol, plus grab at least 10 rebounds to have a chance. Denver is 0-5 all-time in playoff games when center Camby has fewer than 10 boards, including in Game 1 when he had only seven.
The Nuggets have lost 14 straight Game 2s in the postseason. The last time Denver won the second game of a playoff series was against the Lakers on May 4, 1985. in the Western Conference finals. L.A., meanwhile, has won two of its last Game 2s in the playoffs.
The Lakers are 4-0 against the Nuggets this year, winning by an average of 15 points per game.
Betting trends: Under is 6-2 in Lakers' last 8 Wednesday games. ... Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. ... Home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 meetings.
The White Sox lost Tuesday's series opener against the visiting New York Yankees, but in Wednesday's Game 2 they again won't have to worry about dealing with reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez; New York is a +125 money line betting underdog (over/under: 9.5) on WagerWeb.com.
Rodriguez did not join the team in Chicago for the 9-5 victory in the series opener, missing his first game of the season. He spent the day in Miami, where his wife gave birth to their second daughter Monday night. He is expected to re-join the Yankees on Thursday.
The Yanks got to Chicago's bullpen on Tuesday, as that unit allowed five runs in the final 2 1/3 innings after it had allowed only four runs in 18 innings before Tuesday.
The Sox also were only 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position, compared to the previous 18 games that saw the Sox post a .318 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Morgan Ensberg likely will start at third again for A-Rod; he's 5-for-13 (.385) against Javier Vazquez, who will take the mound for Chicago.
Vazquez (3-1, 3.20 ERA) looks for his fourth straight victory when he faces one of his former teams. Since leaving New York after his lone season with the Yankees in 2004, he is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts against them.
Vazquez is 4-0 with a 2.65 ERA in his last five home starts, striking out 43 and walking just four in that span.
The Yankees will turn to struggling veteran Mike Mussina (1-3, 5.75), who tries to avoid a third straight loss. Mussina lasted a season-low three innings and allowed five runs and seven hits in a 7-5 home loss to Boston last Thursday.
Mussina hasn't had much success on the road against the White Sox since joining New York in 2001. He's 1-4 with a 5.26 ERA in six starts at U.S. Cellular Field with the Yankees.
The Yankees are 5-0 when Chien-Ming Wang starts (as he did Tuesday), 3-1 behind Andy Pettitte and 3-9 otherwise.Chicago catcher A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .371 (13-for-35) lifetime against Mussina, while Jermaine Dye is batting .377 (20-for-53) against the veteran.
Bobby Abreu's grand slam was the difference on Tuesday, and he loves U.S. Cellular Field. Abreu came into Tuesday's game leading all active players in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.541) and slugging percentage (.813) at U.S. Cellular Field. He now has six career home runs and 19 RBIs there in 14 games.
Abreu is hitting .316 (24-for-76) with three homers and 14 RBIs. He has not gone consecutive games without a hit.
"My mechanics are better right now at the plate," Abreu said. "Last year I was pulling a lot of balls to first base. Last year I was opening up too quickly."
Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain threw 1 2/3 innings of one-hit relief with a walk and strikeout in the opener, meaning he likely won't be available tonight.
Jorge Posada started at catcher Tuesday night for the first time in two weeks.
"I'm happy," said Posada, who had been kept from catching (other than an emergency inning April 13) by a strained right shoulder. "I'm happy that they really took the time to make sure that everything was fine."
Betting trends: Under is 14-5 in Yankees' last 19 on grass. ... Yankees are 41-16 in their last 57 Wednesday games. ... Under is 15-6 in Yanks' last 21 overall. ... White Sox are 7-15 in their last 22 Wednesday games. ... White Sox are 8-1 in Vazquez's last 9 starts.
Is there any way that Tuesday night's Game 2 of the Suns-Spurs series can surpass Saturday's incredible Game 1? San Antonio is a 2-point betting favorite (over/under 191) on WagerWeb.com to take a 2-0 lead tonight.
The Spurs won the series opener 117-15 in double overtime, thanks mainly to an unlikely Tim Duncan 3-point shot. Still, you have to think the Suns are confident and the Spurs not exactly overconfident heading into Game 2 since it took a near miracle for San Antonio to win Game 1 at home.
"We won in double overtime on our home court, so we're not too confident," said Duncan, who finished with 40 points and 15 rebounds and his first 3-pointer of the season. "We got over the top by just a little bit and we know they're one heck of a team."
Of Duncan's 40 points, the first 22 of those came with the Suns' Shaquille O'Neal on the bench with foul trouble. And even when Duncan was effective with O'Neal on the floor - the Spurs' forward scored nine points against him in the first overtime - the baskets came with the caveat that O'Neal was playing with five fouls.
That's why Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said he doesn't feel like he has to double-team Duncan. Phoenix still thinks an aggressive, foul-free Shaq should be enough to keep Duncan contained. "He doesn't seem like he gets as many (good shots) with Shaq on him," D'Antoni said.
San Antonio scored 72 points in the paint in Game 1. That is 12 more than Phoenix had given up in any game this season. Though it took two overtimes for the Spurs to get there, the concentration of chances near the rim was much higher after halftime (50 of 77 points came in the paint) than it was in Phoenix's opponents' season highs, when Golden State scored 120 or New Orleans had 132 in a double-overtime game.O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire tied for second in the NBA for most fouls per game. Having O'Neal and Boris Diaw with three and Stoudemire with two by halftime complicated rotations and weakened the help in Game 1.
After trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half and shooting 38 percent, the Spurs shot better than 58 percent after halftime, hit five 3s and outrebounded the Suns 25-18. However, the Suns were 46-5 this season when taking a lead to the fourth quarter and 21-1 on the road during the regular season. That went for naught in the opener but bodes well moving forward.
The turnover contest was pretty even in Game 1 (18 for Phoenix, 17 for San Antonio), but the Spurs capitalized on the mistakes much more often. The Suns scored only nine points off turnovers, while the Spurs scored 25, including five in the final 1:26 of the first overtime to wipe out a five-point Phoenix lead.
On the injury front, the Spurs' Tony Parker, who was knocked hard in the head in Game 1, said he was feeling fine Monday. And Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said Grant Hill, who has suffered from a groin injury, should be 100 percent for Tuesday; Hill only played 28 minutes in Game 1. And he said Steve Nash, who had the flu, is fully recovered.
Betting trends: Suns are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games. ... Over is 6-2 in Suns' last 8 Tuesday games. ... Spurs are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games. ... Suns are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 2 days rest. ... Spurs are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 playoff games as a favorite.
The NHL is gracing us with two Game 7s on Tuesday night. The first one is Flyers at Capitals, which will be the second time the teams will have played in 24 hours; Washington is a -155 money line betting favorite (over/under: 5.5) on WagerWeb.com.
Washington defeated Philadelphia 4-2 on Monday night to force the Game 7. It was the second time in the series the Capitals rallied from a two-goal deficit and won on an Alex Ovechkin goal.
Ovechkin had owned the Flyers in the regular season, with 12 goals in 12 career regular-season games. But after scoring the winner in the first playoff game this season, Ovechkin had had 24 straight shots and no goals before Monday night's two-goal outburst. Monday's game marked the first time in the series that the team that scored first did not win the game.
"He works so hard but I was so happy for him because I could see he was getting a little frustrated because they were doing such as good job on him,' Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said of his superstar.
Washington poured 40 shots on Flyers goaltender Martin Biron in Game 6, the most the Caps have mustered in any regulation game in the series. After firing 13 shots on goal in the first four games of the series, Ovechkin has launched 15 on net in the last two.
The Flyers will need better goaltending from Biron - who has allowed at least three goals in every game but Game 2 - if they're to advance to the next round. But he'll have to reverse a negative trend. Biron is 0-5 on the second night of back-to-back starts this season.
Biron is 8-21-6 with a 3.30 goals against average and an .879 save pct. lifetime in the second of starts on back-to-back nights. He is 5-17-3 with a 3.52 goals against average and an .869 save pct. when the second of those back-to-back starts comes on the road.
Caps goalie Cristobal Huet is 2-8-2 during his career when starting the second of consecutive starts on back-to-back nights. He has a 3.24 goals against average and an .899 save pct. in such situations.The Caps were 8-7-3 in the second of back-to-back games during the regular season; the Flyers were 7-8-2.
Philadelphia's offense has been led in the playoffs by Daniel Briere, who leads all postseason scorers with six goals and 10 points. Vaclav Prospal scored twice in the series opener, but has scored just once since, and Mike Knuble -- who had five points in the series -- has been ruled out for the series with a torn hamstring suffered in Game 5.
Washington is trying to become the 21st team in league history to come back after being down 3-1 and win a best-of-seven series. The Caps will be playing their first Game 7 in almost 12 years and the first Game 7 on Washington home ice since May 1, 1992.
The Capitals have won only one Game 7 in their history; the other time Washington rallied from a 3-1 hole was 20 years ago this month against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, which is 6-6 in Game 7s, has lost two playoff series after leading 3-1. The Flyers are 1-3 in Game 7s on the road, with their only win coming at Pittsburgh in a second-round series in 1989.
If the Capitals win Game 7, one of the NHL's biggest fantasies becomes reality: Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby in a playoff series. Washington would face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. If the Flyers win, they face the Montreal Canadiens.
Betting trends: Flyers are 3-8 in their last 11 road games. ... Caps are 8-1 in their last 9 home games. ... Caps are 8-1 in their last 9 games following a win. ... Under is 16-5 in Caps' last 21 home games. ... Over is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings. ... Flyers are 4-9-1 in the last 14 meetings.
A very even, entertaining Western Conference quarterfinal unfortunately has to end on Tuesday night when the Flames visit San Jose for Game 7, with the Sharks -190 money line betting favorites (over/under: 5) on WagerWeb.com.
The good news for San Jose is it has won two homes games already this series. The bad news is the Sharks will be facing a suddenly hot goalie: Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff blanked San Jose in Sunday’s 2-0 victory, his first playoff shutout since the 2004 Stanley Cup final series with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kiprusoff was uneven heading into Game 6: He won Game 1 in the Shark Tank, stopping 37 of 39 shots. He was yanked in Game 3 in favor of veteran backup Curtis Joseph after surrendering three goals on just five shots. Then the shutout.
"A goalie has to give his team a chance to win, plain and simple. It's one game ... and we have to win it," he said of forcing Game 7.
Calgary star Jarome Iginla (3 goals, 5 assists in the series) expects a physical game tonight.
”When you see it could be the last day of the year, it’s a different feeling and we realize they’ll be going through it themselves, so it’ll be two desperate hockey clubs,” Iginla said Monday. “We want to do the same things we did in Game 6 but we know it’s going to be more physical, they’ll be blocking more shots. It’ll be those little things that aren’t always seen but win games.”
The Sharks are 3-2 all-time in Game 7s in their history. Calgary has won five of 11 seventh games, and only once "the first round of the 2004 playoffs against Vancouver" since 1989. This will be Mike Keenan's 10th time coaching in a seventh game (he has a 5-4 record). Three went to overtime.
So Keenan is well-versed in the history of seventh games and thinks they are important because, "If you can get beyond the first round, exponentially, you can grow as a team. That would be an important factor."The Sharks are expected to have two players on the ice that weren’t in Game 6: defenseman Kyle McLaren and forward Jeremy Roenick.
McLaren has a groin injury and is day-to-day, but you know he’s playing tonight. Roenick, meanwhile, was benched mainly because he had been held off the score sheet in five games and was a minus-2.
"We're at a point now where he needed a rest," coach Ron Wilson said. "We've been playing at a frenetic pace and I need J.R. fresh. . . . He'll be in there - I talked to him about it, 'Whether it's Game 1 of the next series or Game 7 of this series, I want you fresh so you can contribute.' "
Wilson acknowledged he was frustrated and concerned with the play of Milan Michalek; the Sharks' second-leading goal scorer during the regular season does not have a point in this series.
The Sharks may be wearing down. In Game 5, they relied on great goaltending by Evgeni Nabokov to steal the game, being outshot (36-26) for the first time in the series. In Game 6, they were outshot 25-21 and beaten repeatedly in the face-off circle.
Betting trends: Under is 18-8-3 in Flames’ last 29 overall. ... Sharks are are 7-1 in their last 8 home games. ... Sharks are 21-7 in their last 28 overall. ... Over is 6-2-4 in the last 12 meetings.
A rematch of last year’s AL Division Series headlines Tuesday’s baseball action as the Los Angeles Angels visit Boston, with the Red Sox opening as -170 money line betting favorites (over/under: 9) on WagerWeb.com in the opening game.
Boston has surged to the top of the AL East and is on a five-game winning streak (and has won nine of 10) after sweeping Texas on Monday afternoon.
The Angels are also playing well, going 6-2 in their last eight games. But they well remember last season’s ALDS sweep, when the Angels batted .192, with a .253 team slugging percentage. The Red Sox hit .269 with a .495 slugging mark. But that was an injury-ravaged Angel’s team. And it didn’t have Torii Hunter, either.
The big free agent prize of the offseason missed Sunday’s game, however, with a toe injury. In fact, he has missed as many games this season (two) as all of last. But he expects to be “good to go” on Tuesday night.
What might be concerning to L.A. is Tuesday’s starter, Jered Weaver.
Weaver has only four strikeouts in his past 11 2/3 innings, two subpar efforts following two good ones. He's 0-1 in two career starts at Fenway Park with a 7.36 ERA, and is 0-2 overall against the Red Sox in four outings with a 4.70 ERA.
More bad news for the Angels is who will be on the mound for Boston - Josh Beckett.
Beckett blanked L.A. on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in a 4-0 victory in Game 1 of the ALDS.
"Beckett was about as good as we've seen him," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said then. However, Beckett's always been good against Scioscia's team.Including last year's postseason start, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA in five appearances vs. the Angels, walking eight and striking out 30.
Beckett has defeated the Yankees in his last two starts. Most recently, he pitched the Sox to a 7-5 win in New York by allowing three runs over eight innings. Beckett has six walks and 16 strikeouts over 19 1/3 innings and is holding opponents to a .200 average.
"He understands his responsibility and he's good enough to carry it out. He looked healthy," Boston manager Terry Francona said of Beckett’s last start.
That victory triggered the Red Sox's current five-game win streak, matching their longest from last season. They haven't won six in a row since a 12-game run from June 16-29, 2006.
A rejuvenated Boston lineup has been led by Manny Ramirez, who batted .417 (10-24) with four homers and eight RBIs in seven games last week (he was named AL Player of the Week). He led the AL in homers and slugging (.958).
David Ortiz even may be coming around after a slow start, going 7-for-16 (.438) with a homer and 11 RBIs in the Rangers series. He entered with a .111 average and four RBIs.
Boston has scored at least five runs for nine consecutive games.
One hitter who destroyed the Angels last year in the playoffs won’t be playing tonight: Boston’s Mike Lowell.
For the first time since going on the 15-day disabled list, the Red Sox third baseman is expected to step back into the batter's box at Fenway Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Though it will just be batting practice and not game action, it is the surest sign yet of the progress Lowell has made from a sprained left thumb sustained on April 9.
"If I'm healthy, I don't see why I wouldn't (return soon)," Lowell said. "If I'm pain-free, I'm hoping. We'll see. It's a work in progress."
Lowell is eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday.
Angels-Red Sox betting trends: Angels are 6-2 in their last 8 road games. ... Red Sox are 41-19 in their last 60 home games. ... Angels are 6-20 in the last 26 meetings in Boston. ... Over is 6-2-1 in the last 9 meetings.
Well, all that smack talking did the Washington Wizards no good. The ultra-confident Wizards dropped Game 1 to the Cavs 93-86 in Cleveland, with really no one playing particularly well when it mattered (i.e., the fourth quarter).
The Wizard carried a four-point lead into the fourth quarter Saturday but then went 4-of-20 in the period and misfired on 10 straight shots in the final 4:38.
"They are not going to continue to miss those open looks," Cleveland's LeBron James said.
Washington guard DeShawn Stevenson was only 1-for-9 in Game 1. Antawn Jamison had 23 points 19 rebounds but went 0-for-5 in the fourth and missed three straight shots - two of them 3s - that could have changed the outcome. He was 1-for-8 from behind the arc overall. Point guard Antonio Daniels played just 20 minutes and had only one assist. And outside of Gilbert Arenas, who had 24 points in 28 minutes, Washington's bench was woeful. Darius Songaila went 1-of-6, Roger Mason went 0-of-4 on four horrible attempts and Andray Blatche didn't take a shot.
Arenas, it turns out, sprained his right wrist in the late stages of Saturday's game and didn't practice Sunday, but you can be assured he will be in the lineup for Game 2 on Monday night, where Washington is a 1.5-point betting underdog (over/under: 187) on WagerWeb.com.
The Cavs were the much more aggressive team in the series opener, going to the free throw line 20 more times than the Wizards, who knocked James around whenever possible.
"I have no problem getting hit," said James, who went to the free-throw line 14 times and scored 32, points overall. "But there's a difference between a foul and a LeBron foul. If that's what their game plan is, I have to be able to get back up and continue to let my game speak for itself."Despite losing their eighth straight Game 1, the Wizards were encouraged by their performance.
"I had some open shots," Jamison said. "I took four or five that I should have thought about, and a couple of 3s where I could have drove and created shots for other people. But I got some decent shots out there.
I'm not beating myself upside the head for taking them."
Jamison likely will get those same shots again tonight if the Cavs don't adjust. Defended primarily by Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao, whose instincts tell them to get back and protect the paint, Jamison repeatedly found himself open at the 3-point line.
"I want (Wallace) to make Jamison work as hard as possible," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "We're not going to shut Jamison down. He's too good and too talented."
The Cavs, meanwhile, got great Game 1s from center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and point guard Delonte West, who finished with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover in 35 minutes. Cleveland committed only eight as a team.
On top of that, after getting torched early by Arenas, West played great defense down the stretch, when "Agent Zero" was 0-of-4 from the field.
The bad news? Wally Szczerbiak made just 2-of-10 shots and Anderson Varejao was just 1-for-6. The Cavaliers shot just 39.5 percent from the field, with James the only Cav to make at least 50 percent of his shots.
History is on the Cavs' side. In 363 prior best-of-seven series, Game 1 winners have gone on to win 78.2 percent of the time, with Cleveland owning a perfect 6-0 mark in series where it's won the first game.
If the Wizards score 100 points tonight, they are likely to win: Washington won only 10 games this season when it scored fewer than 100 points. Meantime, the Cavs won only nine games in regulation when they allowed at least 100 points.
Betting trends: Over is 21-8 in Wizards' last 29 vs. Eastern Conference. ... Under is 17-5 in Cavs' last 22 home games. ... Cavs are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games. ... Cavs are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall. ... Under is 15-6 in the teams' last 21 meetings in Cleveland.
Monday’s Mets-Cubs game at Wrigley Field could very well be an early NLCS preview, with both teams sitting near the top of their respective divisions and playing well; Chicago is a -139 money line betting favorite (over/under: 8.5) on WagerWeb.com.
The Cubs scored 26 runs and had 30 hits in their last two wins during a three-game home sweep of the Pirates.
"Two games in a row we've put some runs on the board," manager Lou Piniella said. "We've had a lot of good hitting. Our offense the last couple days has really swung the bats well."
Sunday’s win was Chicago's ninth straight against the Pirates, matching the Cubs' longest win streak against them since Sept. 5, 1938 to May 13, 1939. At 12-6, the Cubs matched their best 18-game start since 2004.
However, the record may be a bit misleading. Half of the Cubs' 12 wins have come against the terrible Pirates, and 11 of the 12 against the Central. They're 1-2 against East contender Philadelphia.
And East contender definitely fits the Mets, who are coming off a Sunday night loss at Philly that ended New York’s five-game winning streak.Ace Carlos Zambrano (2-1, 3.04 ERA) toes the rubber for the Cubs on Monday; he is 3-1 lifetime against the Mets with a 3.30 ERA in six appearances, five starts. Big Z took a no-decision in his last start against New York on Aug. 3, 2007, surrendering just one run on two hits over five innings, although he walked seven in that game.
Zambrano is 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA in three home starts this season after going 6-9 with a 4.96 ERA in 17 games there last year.
New York counters with RHP John Maine (1-1, 3.78 ERA). In two appearances at Wrigley Field in his career, he has allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings for a 14.73 ERA. In his only road start this season, he took the loss in Atlanta, allowing four runs on eight hits over four innings. He has walked 12 batters in 16 2/3 innings this season.
Chicago won only two of seven matchups against New York in 2007, including one of three at home. Both of those victories came against Maine, who had a 10.57 ERA in those contests.
Four of New York's most dangerous hitters – Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and David Wright -- are a combined 8-for-47 lifetime against Zambrano. But Wright is one of the hottest players in the majors: going 16-for-34 (.471) with three homers and 12 RBIs in the last nine games.
Meanwhile, Cubs rookie Kosuke Fukudome was scratched from the lineup two hours before game time Sunday, partly because of what is described as a "small cyst" above his right eye. Fukudome was wearing a Band-Aid over the small area and is expected back in the lineup for Monday night's game. Fukudome is hitting .317 with nine RBIs. Fellow outfielder Alfonso Soriano remains on the DL with a calf injury, although he may run some this week.
Mets catcher Brian Schneider is questionable after taking a foul tip off the forearm in Saturday's game. Outfielder Moises Alou will miss the series, though he is close to returning from a hernia.
Betting trends: Over is 11-4 in Mets’ last 15 road games. ... Mets are 15-7 in Maine’s last 22 road starts. ... Cubs are 7-1 in their last 8 home games. ... Under is 19-7-1 in Zambrano’s last 27 on grass.... Over is 10-1-1 in the teams’ 12 meetings.
Not much in sports can match the excitement of a Game 7 in the NHL, and we get our first of the 2008 postseason on Monday night in Montreal, where the Canadiens are -210 money line betting favorites (over/under: 5 goals) on WagerWeb.com to beat Boston and avoid a huge collapse.
The Habs won the first game, 4-1. And when the Canadiens took Game 2 in overtime, they'd beaten the Bruins 13 consecutive times over two seasons. They eventually took a 3-1 lead in this series, and the Bruins are 0-20 in playoff series they have trailed by that deficit. This is the first time they have forced a Game 7 in that situation. Boston, which hasn't won a playoff series since 1999, has never come back from a 2-0 deficit, either.
The Bruins are 9-7 in Game 7s, winning six of their last seven. But they have only played in one since 1994, losing that one to Montreal in '04. This will be only the fourth Game 7 on the road for the franchise (it has lost them all).
As good as Habs goalie Carey Price was in the first four games of this series is as shaky as he has been in the past two: giving up four third-period goals for the second game in a row after allowing just five in the first four games.
Meanwhile, Boston goalie Tim Thomas has limited a Canadiens team that scored 24 times on him in six regular season games to only 10 goals in the past five games.
"Obviously, we have the confidence of knowing we can beat these guys," Bruins coach Claude Julien said.The Canadiens are 26-0 in playoff series they have led 3-1. The Habs are 4-2 in their six previous Game 7 showdowns with the B's. This will be Montreal's first Game 7 on home ice since 1992.
"I have to feel confident," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "We went through a lot of challenges. We weren't supposed to be in the playoffs, finish first overall. We always found another level. We always responded well to what's in front of us. I don't think it'll be different (on Monday)."
Boston has gotten a spark from Phil Kessel. He was one of only three Bruins to play all 82 regular-season games, scoring 19 goals with 18 assists for 37 points. He led the league with five deciding shootout goals. He even notched his first career hat trick. Yet he was benched for Games 2, 3, and 4 against the Canadiens.
He has been the best player on the ice the past two games, including notching two goals in Game 6.
"The last two games, he's been unbelievable," said Julien. "If he wants to keep proving me wrong, I can take it."
During the regular season, the Canadiens led the league on the power play (24.2 percent) but are just are 2-for-29 against the 28th-best penalty-killing unit.
Perhaps the Game 6 return of Captain Saku Koivu will help the Habs. He played for the first time since he broke a bone in his foot on March 28. He had two assists Saturday and won 15 of 21 faceoffs.
Betting trends: Under is 7-2-2 in Bruins' last 11 overall. ... Under is 7-2-2 in Bruins' last 11 road games. ... Under is 6-2-1 in Habs' last 9 overall. ... Under is 8-3-1 in Montreal's last 12 home games. ... Bruins are 6-20-1 in the last 27 meetings in Montreal. ... Bruins are 16-35-1 in the last 52 meetings.
I’ve found over the years that it’s better to leisurely handicap the Kentucky Derby for at least a week than start researching on the eve of the first Saturday in May.
Sometimes I take more time when the race appears wide open. Well, this year’s 134th edition is just that.
First, I seclude myself in the quiet confines of my home office after assembling files, which include key preps that I’ve saved along the Road to the Roses dating back to February.
Secondly, I don’t try to assimilate so much information that it confuses rather than helps me. I stick to my general handicapping toolbox that includes speed figures, key races, running styles, distances and track surfaces, plus a couple of new wrinkles each year. I also keep abreast of so-called Derby curses.
Street Sense last year ended a couple of so-called jinxes that existed for decades, including winning off two preps. Previously, only two horses in the past six decades did: Sunny’s Halo in ’83 and Jet Pilot in ’47.
This year there are six contenders hoping to duplicate that feat:
Big Brown: The likely favorite posted the top speed figure this year easily winning Florida Derby. But the undefeated son of Boundary also has three career starts and no runner with four outings has won since Exterminator in 1918.
Colonel John: Son of Tiznow has stakes victories in two ’08 outings, but nary a triple digit speed figure in six career. California invader is trying dirt for the first time.Monba: He vaulted into the Top3 after Blue Grass victory. Maria’s Mon sibling won on synthetic and dirt surfaces, including Churchill Downs at 2. Keep tabs on his workouts at track.
Recapturetheglory: Illinois Derby winner triggered memories of War Emblem in ’02 wiring the field in both derbies. However, it won’t be easy getting the lead in Louisville.
Tale of Ekati: Wood Memorial hero tries to become the second winner since ’81 when Pleasant Colony triumphed at Churchill Downs. Fusaichi Pegasus did in ’08. He’ll be in the first flight.
Court Vision: This colt reminds me of Funny Cide, winless in three preps, but hit the board twice in ’03. I got 59-1 in my Kentucky Derby futures play and hit the trifecta via simulcasting. Son of Gulch must stay closer and step way up his speed. Won stakes at Churchill Downs last year and posted a bullet work at the track on April 17.
Forget about the horse-for-course angle. In the past decade, only one colt that had one or more starts at the track repeated -- Street Sense. Average finish of nearly 50 runners, including nearly two dozen that had previously won over the main track, was well off the board.
More import is how horses handle the main track working toward the Derby. The last two winners posted bullets.
And don’t worry about finding value in the Derby. Since Spectacular Bid won in 1979, only three favorites smelled the roses – all in the 21st Century: Street Sense, 9-2; Fusaichi Pegasus, nearly, 5-2; and Smarty Jones, 4-1 in ’04.
Naturally, fuller fields lead to higher payoffs. From ’92 to ’07, derbies averaged more than 17 ½ runners. There were 18 or more horses entered in 11 of those 16 years, with the lowest, 13, once.
Compare that to the ’60s and ’70s when during a 17-year span nine top choices scored from Carry Back in ’61 to Seattle Slew in ’77. Derbies averaged less than 13 ½ horses in 17 years as fields exceeded 18 twice. There were a dozen runners or fewer five times.
An injury to top contender War Pass announced over the weekend already is affecting Derby futures wagering odds. X-rays showed the son of Cherokee Run suffered a small fracture in his left front ankle, probably during the Wood Memorial on April 5 when he ran second.
My handicapping formula includes selecting horses displaying good tactical swiftness with the ability to stalk over pure speed or those that rally from off the pace, but not too far back. Add pinches of handling bad traffic situations and pedigrees that display stamina.
Finally, stir in a hunch or two and you have my recipe for success.
NASCAR visits Talladega on Sunday afternoon for the Aaron's 499, the second restrictor plate race of the season.
Jeff Gordon, the second favorite at WagerWeb.com, has been dominant here lately, as he swept both races at the super speedway last season. In last spring's Aaron's 499, Gordon moved past the late Dale Earnhardt into sixth on the all-time win list.
Gordon's fall race victory there was sixth overall at the track, breaking his tie with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for most wins by an active driver. In addition, it was Gordon's 12th restrictor-plate victory of his career and 80th career win overall. Gordon's victory also gave car owner Rick Hendrick the most owner wins (10) at Talladega Superspeedway, breaking a tie with Richard Childress.
"I love coming here," said Gordon. "I love racing with 10 (laps) to go and it's wild and crazy like that. And I think the fans here get to see an awesome show."
Jimmie Johnson, who has one win (May 2006), four top fives and five top-10 finishes at Talladega, says if someone could design a track perfect for the Car of Tomorrow, it would be this one.
The COT performs best at a wide track where drivers can take advantage of the large hole that the COT punches in the air, Johnson explained. The COT bogs down at Daytona a bit because handling is so important there. That isn't the case at four-lane-wide, never-lift-your-foot Talladega."I think it's going to be three- and four-wide racing. That's because of the new surface and that the (COT) package works so well on the track," he said.
It wouldn't be wise to overlook Carl Edwards this week. In the eight races this season - a list that includes a superspeedway (Daytona), four intermediate tracks (California, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Phoenix) and three short tracks (Bristol, Martinsville and Texas) - Edwards has three victories, four top fives and five top 10s.
"I feel like I've got the best car out there right now, and I've just got to drive it the best I can," Edwards said. "The way it's going so far, if I do my job right and communicate to the guys, we've got a really fast race car."
If it hadn't been for a 100-point penalty issued by NASCAR for having a loose oil tank cover following his victory at Las Vegas, Edwards would be second in points, 74 behind Jeff Burton. This week will be Earnhardt Jr.'s 300th career Sprint Cup Series start. He doesn't have a win yet this year, but he has six top-10 results and has been out front for six of eight races. He is the betting favorite at WagerWeb.com.
Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, has four consecutive finishes of sixth or better.
"We're running really strong and that's what counts," said Hamlin. "You try to keep knocking down these top-five finishes, and if you can do that you'll start peaking in the Chase and that's what we want to do."
Richard Childress Racing teammates Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick are first, fifth and eighth in the Cup points - and for good reason. Burton is the only driver in Cup to have finished all 2,699 laps this season, while Bowyer and Harvick are tied for second with 2,697 laps completed.
Can the West's No. 8 team upset the No. 1 for the second year in a row? We find out beginning Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles when the top-seeded Lakers host the Nuggets, with Denver an 8-point betting underdog (over/under: 223) on WagerWeb.com.
An upset isn't as unlikely as it sounds. The Nuggets won 50 games - the most wins ever by a No. 8 seed. The NBA switched to a 16- team playoff in 1983- 84, and the seven wins separating the No. 1 Lakers and No. 8 Nuggets make the narrowest gap ever.
Everyone says the Nuggets have no defensive presence: Denver finished No. 2 in the NBA in points scored and points allowed - behind only Golden State in both categories.
The Nuggets averaged 110.7 points per game. The Lakers were fourth at 108.6 points. But the Nuggets allowed 107 points per game, while the Lakers allowed 101.3. Denver was the No. 2 defensive rebounding team in the NBA. Of course, the No. 1 Lakers led the entire league with 33.1 per game.
"That team could be where we are now," Lamar Odom said of the Nuggets. "This is playoff time. It's going to be a challenge. They're great 1-on-1 players; they've got four or five guys who can get 20 points in a game."
Bad news for Denver is that it has gone 2-15 against the Lakers at Staples Center since it opened in 1999. And the Lakers were 3-0 against the Nuggets this season, winning by an average of 16.3 points. But the
teams haven't played since Jan. 21.The Nuggets play a wide-open, go-for-broke defense, trying for steals to fuel their fast breaks. Just as often, they miss. This accounts for the fact that the Nuggets led the NBA in games lost by 30 points or more. They also won 10 regular-season games by 20 points or more.
"They probably have more talent than anyone in the NBA," TNT's Charles Barkley said. "If they just tried to play defense, they could be scary."
You'll hear plenty about Kobe (28.3 ppg) and Iverson (26.4 ppg) and Carmelo (25.7 pgg) in this series, but the key matchup could be Denver's Marcus Camby vs. the Lakers' Pau Gasol.
L.A. is 22-5 since Gasol arrived, and he comes into the playoffs on a roll: 18.8 ppg on 61 percent shooting. Camby, up for defensive player of the year honors, recorded a career-best 13.1 boards per game, but his offense fell off considerably (a career-low 10.4 ppg per 40 minutes). His 3.6 blocks per game led the league by a wide margin.
Denver will also need power forward Kenyon Martin to step up: He has only 24 points in three games against the Lakers. The player he will be matched up against, Odom is playing some of his best basketball. Odom averaged 16.1 ppg on 63 percent shooting in April; the Lakers went 7-1 in those games.
L.A.'s biggest post threat, Andrew Bynum, is not likely to play in this series while still recovering from knee surgery.
Betting trends: Under is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles. . Home team is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings. . Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 3 or more days rest. . Under is 14-3 in Nuggets' last 17 playoff games as an underdog.
