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The Chicago Blackhawks came away with an important win in Game 2 against the Phoenix Coyotes and with it, they stole momentum. The loss could end up being quite significant not only because they lost home-ice advantage to a team that really needs it but also that they suffered a number of key injuries.

The Coyotes will be without forward Lauri Korpikoski and potentially top-line center Martin Hanzal and goaltender Mike Smith. Both skated Tuesday morning and are more likely to play but are game-time decisions. Even if they play, the might not be 100%, so that's a concern - especially with leading goal scorer Radim Vrbata already playing through injury.

The Blackhawks were 27-8-6 at home this season compared to 18-18-5 away, so clearly playing at the United Center offers them a keen advantage. Look for them to use it tonight. Bet the Blackhawks. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been awful over the last month as they've lost 12 of 14. In their last 13 games, they have allowed an average of four goals per game and on Saturday, they'll host the Philadelphia Flyers, who are the highest scoring team in the league.

Toronto just can't stop their downward momentum right now and they've even tried. They've fired a head coach (Ron Wilson) but it still hasn't helped. They'll be shorthanded due to injuries on Saturday as Joffrey Lupul and Colby Armstrong were hurt in recent games.

The Flyers have won four straight and allowed just five goals in those games. They've also won three of their last four trips to Toronto and eight of the last 10 meetings overall. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been on fire recently and offer great value as a home underdog on Tuesday. On the season, Tampa Bay is 20-9-2 at home, so they are usually a good home bet anyways. On top of that, they have won four straight and are well rested as the Ottawa Senators visit.

Meanwhile, the Senators have lost two straight and aren't coming in with as much momentum.

The key here should be the absence of goaltender Craig Anderson for the Senators, who absolutely owns the Lightning. Anderson has won all three meeting with the Lightning this season while giving up just three goals in the process. For his career, he's 6-1-2 against them with a 1.24 GAA.

Without Anderson and without momentum, this is a good spot to bet against Ottawa and take Tampa Bay. 10* play.

The St. Louis Blues are typically a strong play on the under as 30 of their 45 games have gone under as well as seven of their last nine. The under has also cashed in seven of their last nine on the road with a total set at five.

It could be an even stronger play tonight because they're in Calgary. Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff thrives against the Blues when playing at home. He's gone 9-2-1 with a 1.49 GAA in his last 12 home starts against them. The Flames have given up just two goals in the last three meetings with St. Louis at the Saddledome.

The under is also 10-1 for the Flames when they scored 10 goals or more in their last game and 7-3 when at home with a total of five. Bet the under. 9* play.

The Boston Bruins have been somewhat inconsistent over the last month but Saturday is a statement game for them. The Ottawa Senators have a shot to catch them in the division but Boston has a good chance to show that they're still the boss.

The Senators have played well recently, scoring 28 goals in their last six games, but they've had a really tough time dealing with Tim Thomas. The Bruins netminder has won eight straight in Ottawa while posting a 1.35 GAA.

Meanwhile, the Sens will be without their starting goaltender Craig Anderson (hand) for a while and backup Alex Auld will be in net. He has a 3.28 GAA this season and it's up to 4.08 when he starts at home. Bet the Bruins. 10* play.

The Buffalo Sabres have finally started playing well and they'll have a good chance to keep momentum going on Friday. The Sabres are 4-0-1 in their last five games and that's mostly in part to the play of goaltender Ryan Miller.

Miller has posted two shutouts in his last three starts. When he's playing well, the Sabres are hard to beat.

The Dallas Stars will make the trip on Friday and they will be in a back-to-back situation and it will also be their third game in four nights. Fatigue surely could be a factor. The Stars are 0-9 this season on back-to-back days. Bet the Sabres. 10* play.

The Winnipeg Jets have gone sour since the flip of the calendar to 2012 and they aren't likely to have much success in Washington on Thursday. The Jets have won just six of their last 17 games overall and have had plenty of problems scoring.

The Jets have just eight goals in their last seven games. They've struggled on the road all season long but the Capitals have 19 home wins, which is the most in the Eastern Conference.

Tomas Vokoun will be in net for the Caps and he's 16-5-0 at home this season with a 2.07 GAA. Bet the Capitals. 10* play.

The New York Giants and New England Patriots played to a 17-14 scoreline the first time they met in the Super Bowl. While there's likely to be more points this time, the under still looks good.

The Patriots haven't allowed more than 27 points in any one game this season and while they played a very easy schedule, they haven't scored more than 23 against any team with a winning record.

Both teams know how to stifle each other defensively, especially the Giants, who know how to rush Tom Brady and get him out of rhythm.

Both teams will play ball control and keep away (only two possessions in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLII and only 10 first half points). Bet the under in this one. 10* play.

The Baltimore Ravens are a huge underdog in New England on Saturday but they'll be on even footing with the Patriots when the game starts.

Overall, the Patriots have an elite passing game but their defense is brutal, their running game is suspect and they don't have the type of balance that Baltimore offense.

The Patriots have played just two teams with a winning record this season and they lost both games. As for Baltimore, they played seven teams with a winning record this year and won each time. They've faced New England three times in the last three years (each time on the road) and they won once (in the playoffs 33-14) and lost twice by a margin of 4.5 points.

They'll be confident on Sunday and nine points is too much to lay with a team that is suspect. Baltimore is more than capable to win this game outright and that's actually what we'll be expecting. Bet the Ravens. 10* play.

The Ottawa Senators are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now with wins in eight of their last nine games. They'll host the struggling Winnipeg Jets on Monday, which should allow them to keep momentum going.

The Jets have been a brutal road team all season long as they give up 3.57 goals per game on the road (fourth-worst in the NHL) compared to just 2.22 at home. Chris Mason will be in net on Monday and he's 1-2-0 on the road this season with a 3.00 GAA and a .884 save percentage. At home, he's 4-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA and a .938 save percentage. He's 2-4-0 against Ottawa with a 2.90 GAA.

The Sens have been playing much better recently because of their goaltending. Craig Anderson is 8-0-1 in his last nine starts while posting a 1.66 GAA. He's 7-1-2 with a 2.46 GAA in 11 career meetings with the Jets.

The Jets have lost five of six while scoring just nine goals in those six games. They have three wins in their last 12 road games. Bet the Sens. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

The Minnesota Wild can't get off the mat as they have lost 11 of their last 12 and can't seem to figure out what's wrong.

While the Wild are the coldest team in the league, the Sharks are the hottest with an 8-1-1 span in their last 10.

The Sharks should have an edge in net as Antti Niemi has won four of five starts against Minnesota while posting a GAA of 1.61. The Wild have been giving up an average of 31.8 shots per game over their last 10 and the Sharks have averaged 35 shots per game over their last eight, so whoever is in net for the Wild can expect to have a busy night. Bet the Sharks. 10* play.

The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants are two similar teams, but there are some key edges that point us to the Giants in this contest.

For starters, the Falcons didn't play well against winning teams all season. They lost four of six games against teams above .500 and covered the spread just once in those games. As for the Giants, they were 5-2 against the spread against teams with a winning record.

It's hard to trust the Falcons, who are an indoor dome team, going on the road outside in the cold. The Falcons run defense ranked sixth in the NFL but collapsed down the stretch of the season, giving up 398 yards on 65 carries (6.15 yards per carries) in their final four games. They'll be without starting linebacker Stephen Nicholas on Sunday.

The Giants tend to play to the level of their competition, and with a quality team visiting in the playoffs, look for them to take care of business. Bet the Giants. 10* play.

The Houston Texans beat the Cincinnati Begnals in Cincy earlier this year and they get another crack on Saturday.

One reason why this contest might be easier is this time they are at home and Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has been dealing with the flu this week. They'll have problems running the ball against the Texans stout run defense, so the Bengals backfield could be very ineffective. Also, we don't know the extent of the flu as it could have been passed around to more players than just Dalton.

The Texans were 5-1 against the spread against teams with a winning record while the Bengals were just 2-5 overall against teams above .500.

Playing at home, take the Texans in this spot. 10* play.

The Florida Panthers have struggled recently with just four wins in their last 12 games. That includes a 3-2 loss in New York on Thursday night and the Panthers are just 1-4 this season in back-to-back situations. They are also 12-26 in their last 38 back-to-back games.

They don't fare well in new Jersey either as the Devils have won 10 of the last 13 meetings in New Jersey. The Panthers come into this game on a five-game road losing streak as well. The Panthers are also 1-5 this season on the road when the total is set at five. Bet the Devils. 10* play.

Virginia Tech has just two losses on the year, both coming to Clemson, but the interesting note is that Michigan is a very similar team to the Tigers.

The Tigers did whatever they wanted to the Hokies and they were really one of the few capable offenses that the Hokies faced. Georgia Tech also had a good output. The Wolverines are humming heading into this contest as they racked up 339 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Purdue, and they topped 223 rushing yards in seven of 10 games. The Hokies gave up 200 rushing yards or more in four of their last five games, and they could be vulnerable.

The Wolverines defense has a good front lines and if they can slow down running back David Wilson, they'll have a great chance to win. They have the 12th run defense in the nation, so they should be more than capable. Bet the Wolverines. 10* play.

Writeup coming shortly. 10* play.

Two good offenses will be on the field on Thursday but both teams have brutal defenses. While most people are comfortable laying 10 with the Baylor Bears because they are ranked and are led by the Heisman Trophy winner, the truth is that Washington's offense is nearly as good and their defense might be a tad better.

Look for Washington to pound the football with Chris Polk to keep the Baylor offense off the field. Polk has been great on the ground all season long and we've seen Baylor gashed multiple times on the ground this season (Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, etc.).

10 points is too much to lay in this spot. Bet the Huskies. 10* play.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the second-highest scoring team in the NHL and on Monday, they'll host a team that's given up more goals than any other team in the Western Conference.

History shows these teams tend to play overs as 11 of the last 14 meetings have gone over the number. On top of that, the three under games have been pretty close too as only one of the last 14 meetings has seen less than five goals. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Carolina Hurricanes have been brutal this season and have lost 11 of their last 14. On the other hand, they're host a New Jersey Devils team that was playing it's best heading into the Christmas break. The Devils have won seven of nine entering Monday and they've played great in this series as well.

The Devils have won eight of 10 in this series. In Monday's game, they won't have to deal with Jeff Skinner, who is out with a concussion. Bet the Devils. 10* play.

The Oakland Raiders are out for revenge and they should be able to get some against a Kansas City Chiefs team that played their Super Bowl last week.

The Chiefs are coming off a stunning upset of the then-perfect Green Bay Packers and it will be tough for them to match the intensity they put forth in that game. On top of that, the Raiders should be fired up to get some revenge against the Chiefs, who shut them out 28-0 at home earlier this season.

The Raiders main weakness on defense is their pass defense but the Chiefs are more of a dink and dunk team. They need to run the ball to have success and Oakland is more than capable of slowing that down.

Oakland has covered the spread in 12 of their last 16 divisional games and they still control their playoff destiny. Bet them to win on Saturday. 10* play.

The Boise State Broncos are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to big-game preparation and they'll do the same in this one.

This will be quarterback Kellen Moore's final game with the Broncos and he's eyeing his 50th career win, which would make him the winningest quarterback in college football history. He's playing along with 21 other seniors that will be fired up to finish strong.

Meanwhile, the Arizona State Sun Devils choked away their BCS chances by blowing a 6-2 start with four losses to finish the year. They mailed in those efforts as Arizona and Washington State both passed for nearly 500 yards while California ran for 247 yards. The Sun Devils didn't allow less than 29 in any of those four games.

They've also fired head coach Dennis Erickson already and this will be his last game. They'll be deflated to be here after having a shot at the BCS and going up against a Top 10 team in the country, they'll get smoked one more time. 8* play.

The Denver Broncos simply aren't getting any respect. Even after winning seven of their last eight games, the media, fans and other NFL players continue to doubt them as some kind of a gimmick.

The bottom line in this spot here is that the New England Patriots might not actually be the better football team - believe it or not.

Sure, Tom Brady is outstanding and he's got better offensive weapons with Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, but defense and home-field advantage tend to win out in the long run in the NFL and both will be on the Broncos side.

The Broncos are giving up just 27% third down conversions over the last eight games and they've picked up 12 turnover and 25 sacks in that span. There's no question that Brady will move the ball but Denver might be able to slow him down, whereas there is less faith that the Patriots defense can slow anyone down at all.

The Patriots barely escaped with a 34-27 win in Washington last week after the Redskins racked up 463 yards of offense. The week before, the hapless and winless Indianapolis Colts scored 24 points on New England.

Denver has the running game and ball control-type of offense to pull off this win - let alone cover seven points.

Tim Tebow has continually improved as a passer each week and this week might be his easiest game. The Pats have the NFL's worst defense, allowing 416 yards per game and the league's worst pass defense (giving up 8.1 yards per passing play). They have just 29 sacks on the year.

This game will be far closer than most expect. Bet the Broncos. 10* play.

The Dallas Stars have played well in their last two road games and the goaltending of call-up Richard Bachman has been the key. He's stopped 71 of the last 72 shots he's faced and has fueled the Stars to back-to-back wins.

Now they'll take on the Islanders on Thursday with some revenge in mind. The Stars were up 2-0 on the Isles in their December 3rd meeting but collapsed and lost 5-4. They allowed four goals to Matt Moulson in that game so needless to say, slowing him down will be crucial.

The Isles have allowed 24 goals in their last six games and the Stars are 8-2-1 in their last 11 at Long Island. Bet the Stars. 10* play.

The Green Bay Packers are the highest scoring team in the NFL and they shouldn't have too many problems getting to at least 30 versus the Oakland Raiders. After all, the Miami Dolphins scored 34 points

Green Bay hasn't scored less than 27 points in any of their last six games while Oakland has played well offensively too. The other two times when they fell flat on their face, coughing up the big lead to Buffalo and getting shutout by Kansas City, the Raiders bounced back with 34 and 24 points.

Aside from last week's debacle, the Raiders have scored at least 24 in every game since their bye. Bet the over. 10* play.

There's little faith in the Chicago Bears this week after they couldn't even beat the Kansas City Chiefs at home. Without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, the Bears mustered just three points against a so-so Chiefs defense, and the task will get much harder on the road in Denver.

The Bears are not getting any consistent passing from quarterback Caleb Hanie, they can't block for him and now there's no ground game for support. Denver isn't great on offense but at least Tim Tebow can move the football. Overall, they are playing with far more confidence than the Bears. Bet the Broncos. 10* play.

Oklahoma State has been building towards this game for years and after flopping in a similar position last season, they are going to be more than ready for this one.

Bedlam will have plenty of high stakes and for the first time in a long time, this game means more to the Cowboys than it does the Sooners. The Cowboys, though, have had two weeks to prepare for this contest and are going to bring one of their best efforts of the season.

The Sooners just aren't quite right this year. They have suffered injuries to their top wideout and rusher, but even aside from that, they aren't running the ball crisply and they are having problems in the red zone.

Oklahoma State has one of the most explosive offenses in the country and they are going to get their yards and points. One can expect the Sooners to counter, but they have been a different team on the road this season - as they usually are.

With home field advantage, two weeks off, less injuries and more motivation, bet the Cowboys to get the job done in this spot. 10* play.

The Buffalo Bills are a sinking ship these days as they have lost three straight and four of five. The scary part is that they have been outscored 106-26 in the last three games and have not been competitive at all.

One of those losses came at home to the very same New York Jets as the Bills couldn't get anything going on offense. Believe it or not, life could be much easier for the Jets this time around.

For starters, the NFL's third-leading rusher, Fred Jackson, is now out for the year. Top receiver Stevie Johnson will play, but he isn't 100%. No. 2 receiver Donald Jones is out for the year as his Naaman Roosevelt. The Bills will also be without kicker Rian Lindell, safety George Wilson and cornerback Terrence McGee.

The Jets are relatively healthy and have had 10 days to prepare after playing on Thursday Night Football last week. This season, they have been far more effective at home (4-1) than on the road (1-4). Bet the Jets. 10* play.

The Penn State Nittany Lions stunned the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend at The Horseshoe and now have a shot to play for in the Big Ten title game if they can win at Camp Randall.

Unfortunately for them, winning at Camp Randall is quite challenging.

The Wisconsin Badgers have been vulnerable at times over the last few seasons but they are nearly untouchable at home.

This is really a matchup of one team who has an explosive, multi-faceted offense (Wisconsin) against a team that has a listless offense that needs smoke and mirrors to get the job done (Penn State). The Nittany Lions whipped out the Wildcat last week and unfortunately for them, it may have come a week too early. It would have been a nice surprise for Wisconsin but the Badgers will now be prepared for it.

The Lions defense will keep them in it for a half but the Badgers will continue to throw body blows and after halftime, Penn State won't be able to respond. Bet the Badgers. 10* play.

The Philadelphia Flyers have lost two straight but they've got a good chance of ending that stretch when they face the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

The Isles are the lowest-scoring team in the NHL while the Flyers have scored more goals than any other team in the league. The Isles have been shutout in back-to-back games.

Rick DiPietro will be back in net for the Isles on Wednesday and he's struggled all season long. In his last outing, he was pulled after giving up three first period goals to the Boston Bruins. For his career, he is 7-14-0 against Philadelphia with a 3.34 GAA.

The Flyers have won 24 of the last 26 meetings between the teams overall and playing on the road shouldn't be a problem for them. They've actually played better away (6-2-1) than at home (5-4-2) this year. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Arizona Cardinals have struggled this season but their defense has been strong of late. They stifled the Philadelphia Eagles offense last week and we're going to look for them to keep their team in the game once again this week.

The 49ers obviously have a strong defense of their own and they'll be handed the challenge of slowing down John Skelton this week. He was somewhat lucky against Philadelphia last week as he missed a number of throws and two of his biggest plays came on tipped passes. Without much of a running game, don't expect the Cardinals to be scoring very much on the road this week.

For the 49ers, they'll continue to pound away on the ground, make smart decisions and do what the defense gives them. That should translate to a low-scoring affair in the Bay today. 10* play.

The fact that Baylor is even ranked is somewhat comical. We're talking about a team is just 3-3 in their last six and lucky to even be .500.

Last week, against hapless Kansas, the Bears were trailing the Jayhawks 24-3 in the fourth quarter - and that was at home. Granted they made their way back in a stunning comeback but Kansas has been brutal this season and no ranked team should be trailing them by that much at home.

In this contest, Oklahoma will have three advantages. For starters, they are coming off a bye week, so they have had two weeks to prepare. Secondly, they have a huge edge on the lines of scrimmage, so they should be able to impose their will all game long. And thirdly, they have the significantly better of the two defenses. While they will expect to get some stops, Baylor might not get any and will likely cough up points in and around the half-century mark.

Seven Baylor opponents have topped 30 this year - and that includes the likes of Rice. Oklahoma will score at will and win easily. 10* play.

The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Calgary Flames on Friday night and the two teams couldn't be at opposite ends of the spectrum right now.

The Flames have lost three of four and are one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL while the Blackhawks have won four straight and are the highest scoring team in the league.

The Flames have scored one goal or less in five of their last eight games while the Blackhawks have scored 21 in their last four. They are 10-0-2 in their last 12 when they score three goals or more and that shouldn't be a problem against Miikka Kiprusoff, who is 2-8-2 lifetime against them with a 4.02 GAA.

The Blackhawks have won 15 of the last 19 meetings between the teams and the Flames have just two wins in their last eight home games. Bet the Blackhawks. 10* play.

The Ottawa Senators recently upended the New York Rangers 5-4 in a shootout but the second meeting of the season between these teams should be quite different.

The Rangers have won four straight while the Senators have lost three straight. For the most part, the Rangers have been a better road over the last year or so, and that definitely shows in this series.

The Rangers have won five straight in Ottawa while outscoring the Senators 16-6. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is 6-0-0 with a 1.32 GAA against them in his last six starts there.

The Sens are slumping and Daniel Alfredsson is likely out again on Wednesday. When they beat the Rangers on October 29th, they were playing with plenty of confidence and climbed out of a 4-1 third period hole to win 5-4 in a shootout. The Rangers will tighten things up a big for this contest and they surely won't sleep on the Senators this time around. Bet the Rangers. 10* play.

The New England Patriots are 26-2 after a loss in their last 28 times and we'll expect a serious bounce back on Sunday.

They actually need a win as the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are nipping at their heels and another loss might put their playoff position in a bit of peril.

That's not likely to happen given how the undisciplined New York Giants have played in recent weeks. Last week, the Giants made Matt Moore look like Peyton Manning as he picked them apart in the first half. The Giants couldn't regain their footing until the fourth quarter, when they finally eked out a win.

This week, they are shorthanded as running back Ahmad Bradshaw has a fractured foot, backup Brandon Jacobs has a fractured ego and has been ineffective anyways, and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks isn't healthy.

This is a game for the Patriots to get right and get back over the 30-point mark. Look for plenty of points from them as they win and cover. 10* play.

While the public has been pounding this over all week long, we've got a different view of the game.

The San Diego Chargers are overmatched in this game from just about every perspective. They're not healthy, they're not rested and they're not very good overall. For them to win, their best path to achieve that will be to run the ball and play keep away.

Green Bay is rested and they have had two weeks to prepare for this game. They watched the blue print of how to beat the Chargers and that was simply by running the ball and keeping Philip Rivers on the sidelines.

Since the Packers are on the road, they won't be looking to blow anyone out. They'll be happy with a simple win. That might lead to more field goals than touchdowns and we already know that the Chargers do exactly that when they get into the red zone.

It's a tall total but this doesn't look like a shootout. Bet the under. 10* play.

Josh Harding has provided steady neminding for the Minnesota Wild and that's fueled some confidence for the team. They've won three straight and host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, who are on a back-to-back situation.

Brian Elliott has played well in net for the Blues but there is a chance we'll see Jaroslav Halak since they are playing on consecutive nights. Halak is 0-1-2 with a 3.42 GAA against the Wild in his career while Elliott was pulled after giving up three goals in just 13 minutes of action in his only start against Minnesota.

The Wild have won four of the last six meetings and given the way they are playing right now, should add to that trend. Bet the Wild. 10* play.

With two evenly matched teams on Saturday night in the game of the year, we're going to side with the road team and take the points. It's simply too good to pass up.

The LSU Tigers have proven a whole heck of a lot more this season than the Alabama Crimson Tide in terms of stomping quality opponents. LSU's wins over Oregon, West Virginia have been far more credible than Alabama's wins over Arkansas and Penn State. The Nittany Lions are a weak Big Ten team at best.

This will be a close game no doubt and we're probably going to see an under, so that makes it even more enticing to take the points.

But our keys here are that LSU's defense just has a little more swagger, their quarterbacks offer more experience and more dimensions and they've posted a better turnover margin on the season. Factoring that and the points means we have a good play on LSU. 10* play.

Vanderbilt has had a nice season, but they just aren't primetime. Their defense is decent, but their offense has been absolutely pathetic. Now they have to go on the road to The Swamp for homecoming and this one could get ugly.

The Commodores do their dirt on the ground and the Gators defense simply won't allow that this week. While the offense has been much maligned at times, the Gators defense has been prime time and they've hung on for as long as they've could in most games. In this contest, they'll finally have the edge on talent and they'll go to town.

If Vandy is forced to throw, they'll have to rely on the arm of Jordan Rodgers, who was four-of-19 for 47 yards against Georgia and 49-of-105 on the season with five interceptions.

The Gators will win the turnover battle and get back over .500 with an easy win in this spot. 10* play.

The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames renew their rivalry on Tuesday and neither team has started 2011 like they'd like to.

The Canucks are just 5-5-1 but appear to have some momentum after their 7-4 win over the Washington Capitals in their latest outing. A meeting with Calgary should keep the momentum going as they have won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Miikka Kiprusoff has struggled versus Vancouver, posting a career GAA of 3.24. Meanwhile, Roberto Luongo has been awful for the Canucks this year as he's allowed less than three goals just once in his seven starts (3.54 GAA).

Eight of the last 11 meetings have gone over. Bet the over. 10* play.

The San Francisco 49ers have been tough and rugged throughout the season, and we'll expect more of it as they come off of their bye week.

The Cleveland Browns are beaten up and worn down, and they don't tend to have a lot of success when they can't run the ball. That's going to be a problem against the 49ers defense, who is going to suffocate them.

Meanwhile, the 49ers will line up and pound the ball with Frank Gore, who is just 110 rushing yards short from becoming the franchise rushing leader. The Browns have the 19th-ranked rushing defense.

Cleveland hasn't looked so hot on the road this year, barely beating the Colts in Indianapolis and getting roughed up by the Raiders in Oakland. They just don't have the offense to really keep up on the road, so look for the 49ers to take advantage. Bet the 49ers. 10* play.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have already spanked a similar team that they'll be facing on Saturday, so we'll look for more of the same.

Notre Dame crushed Air Force by a count of 59-33 and while the Falcons scored 33 points, they really labored to move the ball against the Irish's improved defense. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish moved the ball at will and found themselves in scoring position on almost every possession.

There's no reason to think the same won't be the case against a Navy squad that is in fact worse. They are 2-5 and lost at home to Air Force earlier this year. They've also got losses to East Carolina, Rutgers and Southern Miss, who scored 63 points.

There is also the revenge factor as Notre Dame has lost two straight to Navy. They won't be losing a third and the two previous losses will ensure that they won't let up. Again, the key here is turnovers but facing a weak defense, we'll expect that not to be much of a problem. Bet Notre Dame. 10* play.

The Montreal Canadiens are struggling, they are battling injuries and they won't get any sympathy from the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Habs have just one win in eight games to start the season and it might not get any better in the near future. These days, playing at home could be a detriment as the fans are getting very nervous.

The list of injuries includes Max Pacioretty, Scott Gomez, Jaroslav Spacek, Chris Campoli and Andrei Markov. The latter three defenseman are the big losses as the play in front of All-Star goaltender Carey Price has been sub par. He's been blitzed for 16 goals in four home games.

The Flyers have a lot of size and strength, and that's typically been a problem for Montreal. Philadelphia is 3-0-0 on the road this season and they'll take advantage of a reeling Habs squad tonight. Bet the Flyers. 10* play.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been outworked, outhustled and outplayed for two straight home games but we can expect a much stronger effort on Monday night.

For starters, they'll face Jonas Gustavsson who's in net for the Toronto Maple Leafs after starting goaltender James Reimer was injured on Saturday. Gustavsson hasn't even played two full games this season and he's allowed nine goals (on 61 shots). That should help us get to the over as the Flyers have outshot six of their seven opponents this season and will be firing pucks from all angles on him.

The Leafs have been a scrappy team so far this season and if the Flyers are at all flat-footed again, the Leafs will find good scoring opportunities. They'll be up against backup Sergei Bobrovsky and not Ilya Bryzgalov, who is 4-0-0 with a 1.55 GAA against Toronto.

Meanwhile, Gustavsson has only faced the Flyers once in his career, which resulted in a loss after giving up six goals. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Miami Dolphins are a veteran team that has yet to register a win this season, and they know exactly what's going to happen to their head coach in a short period of time.

Their mood is bad, their moral is low and they are on a short week after another flat effort.

The Denver Broncos are a much better team but at least there is a spark. Tim Tebow will get the start and the entire team seems to rally around him every time he's in the lineup. That's going to be the difference as good things seem to happen when he's in the game while the Dolphins experience the opposite with Matt Moore. 10* play.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have cooled off in recent weeks and are coming off their first loss of the season, which was a setback at Virginia.

But Miami will offer them a chance to get back on track and we get to bet them in a place where they are finally offering value.

Georgia Tech pummeled N.C. State and handled Maryland but in each of those games, the Yellow Jackets allowed their opponent back into the game late in the fourth quarter. That caught up with them in Virginia as they're sloppy play started early opposed to late.

But overall, the Yellow Jackets are still an explosive running team and if they can hit a few throws to keep the Hurricanes defense off balance, there's no reason to believe they can't win this game.

Miami has had problems stopping the run all season long. They rank 11th in the ACC in run defense and considering who they are facing this week, that's a big problem. Miami will get their share of points too but they have been up and down all season long. At the end of the day, don't be surprised if the Yellow Jackets have the win. Bet Georgia Tech. 10* play.

Ole Miss has lost four times this season and scored a total of 40 points in those contests. Without question, they are one of the worst teams in the SEC and among the worst in the nation. Normally, when you mention a team be 'worst in the country' and you're referring to the SEC, you're talking about Vanderbilt but surprisingly enough, Vandy stomped Ole Miss 30-7.

The bigger concern here is two-fold: first off, Ole Miss knows that Houston Nutt is gone at the end of the season. Secondly, they know that they really don't have the talent to compete with quality SEC teams.

The Rebels defense gave up 226 rushing yards to Trent Richardson last week and the scary part is that the pass defense has been just as weak recently.

Arkansas is a team that's going to score points against the best of defenses, so you know they'll put up plenty this week. Unfortunately Ole Miss, who is ranked 103rd in points scored, is not built to hang around.

The Rebels are without their top pass rusher Wayne Dorsey and their top corner Marcus Temple. Ole Miss needs turnovers - and lots of them - just to hang around. Bet the Razordbacks. 10* play.

The New York Rangers are an overrated team in our eyes and they've shown exactly as much through three games so far this season. They won't be an easy team to face on a nightly basis but overall, they are a few bricks short of a load.

They've lost all three games so far this season and have been forced out on the road plenty as Madison Square Garden is being renovated. After playing two games in Europe, they visited Long Island and took a loss on Saturday.

The Rangers have been one of the most undisciplined teams as they've averaged a whopping 20:40 penalty minutes per game.

That won't bode well against the Vancouver Canucks power play, especially with the Rangers on the road.

The Canucks should get a boost with the return of center Ryan Kesler tonight and that's going to expose their depth and the Rangers lack of it.

Not only might the Rangers be worn down, it's not as if they played well against the Canucks anyways. Vancouver has won nine of the last 11 meetings.

Henrik Lundqvist is 0-3-0 with a 4.59 GAA against the Canucks in his career. Roberto Luongo is 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA against the Rangers. Bet the Canucks. 10* play.

It's hard to see this game going over when only one team is really going to be able to move the football.

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense has been absolutely awful this year as their 20-point total last week was their highest of the week. That actually was somewhat fluky as the Cincinnati Bengals blew a coverage and let the Jags score an easy touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Even with those 20 points, the Jags have still averaged just 11.8 points per game. Going on the road to Heinz Field is not the place to find solutions to a sluggish offense.

The good news is that the Jags defense should be able to play physical early and keep this game close in the first half. They also match the Steelers physicality and that will work for a while until their offense hangs them out to dry.

Unless the Jags start turning the ball over like crazy, this game should be low scoring. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Florida State Seminoles have had problems aplenty, but losing to Duke would take that to a whole other level.

The reality about Florida State is that they aren't a top-five team as they were in the preseason. We know that. We also know that if injuries happen, they can't compete with elite teams. But they can still definitely beat Duke.

This is a get-right game for Florida State and they'll face a Duke team that has high spirits, but hasn't faced a defense like Florida State's.

Duke is not a good defensive team and they are going to get exposed. With E.J. Manuel back in the lineup, the Seminoles will do what they weren't able to do in previous weeks: pass the ball at will. The Blue Devils also don't have much of a running game, so that will allow the Seminoles defense to tee-off on Sean Renfree.

Any other year, Florida State might have a tough time getting up for this game but after facing Oklahoma and Clemson in back-to-back weeks followed by a sloppy effort at Wake Forest, not only will they be fired up they'll be plenty focused. Bet the Seminoles. 10* play.

The Carolina Panthers have been a backdoor sweetheart all season long and we expect that to continue. They continue to be overlooked by the public mostly because they aren't winning games, but they simply don't have any quit to them now that they are being led by Cam Newton.

They'll be challenged this week as their awful defense goes up against the New Orleans Saints and their explosive offense, but really, that's nothing new for Carolina. They faced the Green Bay Packers at home a couple of weeks ago and they did just fine getting the back door cover.

The Saints defense is going to blitz the heck out of Newton but we've already heard that story before. The Packers did it, the Bears did and the Jaguars did it. Each time Newton did fine.

Look for Carolina to get their ground game going, which has been somewhat dormant to start the year and with Newton throwing the ball all over the place, expect them to keep this within a touchdown at home against a division rival. 10* play.

Two rookie quarterbacks will be leading the offenses on Sunday but the Jacksonville Jaguars may have a sense of remorse when they see who the Cincinnati Bengals drafted in the second round.

The Jaguars drafted Blaine Gabbert 10th overall in the 2011 Draft and have watched him complete 47.8% of his passes with two touchdowns and two picks while averaging 5.9 yards per pass.

The Bengals took Andy Dalton in the second round and he's completed 58.1% of his passes with four touchdowns and four picks, while leading his team to two wins. They could easily be 3-1 right now.

Both teams have good defenses but the question is which offense will be able to move the ball. The Jags have no receiving weapons and little help from their quarterback. That makes it a tough chore to cover three points at home. Bet the Bengals. 10* play.

Iowa has owned Penn State, winning eight straight meetings, and they'll be facing one of the easier editions of this team.

The Nittany Lions are a disaster on offense right now as both quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden have been terrible. The inconsistency at the position is not just affecting the offense as the entire team seems to get deflated when they struggle - or turn it over.

Different than previous years, Penn State doesn't have the running game to mask the quarterbacking problems. This is direct play against Penn State who's offense is dragging this team down in a major way. Bet Iowa. 10* play.

Fresno State has defeated a BCS AQ team in each of the last four seasons and they've got one visiting on Saturday. The good news for them is that they're not very good.

Ole Miss is an absolute wreck these days but Fresno State won't care. It's the first time they have ever hosted an SEC school and they are going to play like this is their BCS Championship Game.

The Bulldogs have actually looked quite good to start the year. They were on the road twice to star the year and were a handful for both California and Nebraska. They've won two straight and quarterback Derek Carr has proven to be an emerging star. With Robbie Rouse balancing the offense with a good effort on the ground, the Bulldogs can actually move the ball and score - something that Ole Miss can't say for themselves.

The Rebels are averaging 235 passing yards per game (118th in the country). Throw in the fact that the Rebels have to travel across the country for this one and Fresno State should be able to get their signature win of 2011. 10* play.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are the toast of the town so far this season but they haven't proved their mettle on the road. They'll be in for a dogfight on Saturday night and don't expect things to come as easy for them as they did against Arkansas.

We still don't know a lot about this team other than they have a great defense. They've run the ball on a number of feeble defenses but if they can do it this week, then we'll be believers.

The Gators have a stifling defensive front filled with plenty of athleticism. They aren't going to be pushed around by anyone in the SEC and the Crimson Tide - for the first time this season - will have a tough time running the ball. If that's the case, the workload falls on the shoulders of quarterback AJ McCarron and again, we don't know how he'll respond when the game is on the line.

Florida has improved coaching this year with the help of Charlie Weis manning the offense. He's a Super Bowl winning coordinator and he'll find ways to attack the Tide defense, as good as it is. Arkansas proved that there are some places to exploit and Florida has plenty of speed to do that.

This is a respect game for Florida as they have been run off the field by Alabama the last couple of seasons. At home, in front of a raucous crowd on Saturday night, they'll be game to play and pull the upset. There's less between these teams than most people think so with points and the home-field advantage, we're chomping Florida. 10* play.

This has all the makings of a shootout and we're not going to be scared away by a high total.

Both teams have excellent offenses and feeble defenses, so it's not hard to envision points aplenty.

For Texas Tech, their front seven is as weak as it gets. That means Kansas will be able to find success on the ground and if that's the case, Jordan Webb will be able to spread the ball around. The Red Raiders coughed up 256 rushing yards to Texas State and New Mexico found room. Kansas will as well.

Meanwhile, as bad as the Red Raiders run defense is, the Jayhawks secondary is even worse. They gave up 325 passing yards to McNeese State and struggled against Northern Illinois. They also gave up 604 total yards to Georgia Tech along with seven touchdowns.

Defense is optional in this contest and both teams will feel like they are in practice. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Baltimore Ravens have dominated the NFC under John Harbaugh and the same will be the case this week against a beat up St. Louis Rams squad on a short week.

The Rams offense is likely to be without Steven Jackson, who is the questionable to doubtful range. Even if he plays, he won't be at 100% and running at the Ravens in between the teams rarely works anyways. Backup Cadillac Williams is also questionable and hasn't practiced most of the week and there's a good chance he's also out. That puts more pressure on the Rams passing game, which has struggled to find it's rhythm under new coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Rams are struggling in the red zone, where they've converted once in five trips.

The Ravens are pissed after their letdown on the road in Tennessee last week. After smoking the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week One, they came out flat and were rolled by a medium-grade Titans team. Expect the Ravens offense to get back on track as they've averaged 27.7 points per game against NFC teams under Harbaugh and 26.3 last year. They'll get back on track with a win this week. 10* play.

The Arizona Wildcats are a team in flux right now and a matchup against another elite team isn't going to help matters.

The Wildcats were spanked by the Stanford Cardinal 37-10 last week and now they host the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks, who have an even more explosive offense.

While the Wildcats do have a possible NFL-type quarterback in Nick Foles and arguably the deepest receiving corps in school history, they lack virtually everywhere else and it's killing them right now. Their offensive line has five new starters and gave up five sacks to Stanford last week. They are getting no push for the running game has just 240 yards this season - and that's including their game against Northern Arizona. This past week alone, they gave up 242 rushing yards to Stanford.

The Wildcats defense is also very green on their line of scrimmage and they are getting pushed around real easy right now. They allowed Stanford to go for scoring drives of 91, 81, 80, 72, 65, 64, and 57 yards.

The other thing to note here is that home-field advantage might not be such a great thing for Arizona as fans start to turn on the team and head coach Mike Stoops. About 2000 less people attended last week to see a Top 10 team and the potential No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, Andrew Luck than came for the home opener against Northern Arizona. Attendance could continue to drop as the team struggles.

Lastly, a big, back-breaking issue for the Wildcats - especially from a momentum perspective - is their place kicking. Jaime Salazar missed kicks from 36 and 45 last week and the coaching staff could go back to Alex Sendejas, who crippled the team with awful misses last year.

Any way you cut it, the Wildcats are in bad shape right now and Oregon isn't the cure. They've already lost 37-14 to Oklahoma State and 37-10 to Stanford. We'll lay the points with Oregon in this contest. 10* play.

Houston Nutt's time as head coach if the Ole Miss Running Rebels is running out. The biggest issue these days is that his smoke and mirrors offenses are producing no points.

JUCO quarterback transfer Zack Stoudt is under center - and he could be replaced shortly - and he's done absolutely nothing. He's passed for 397 yards and two touchdowns in three games. The Rebels scored seven points against Vandy and 13 against BYU. Georgia's defense should be on par or better than Vandy, which means we're not going to see a ton of points.

In any case, it's hard to see Ole Miss scoring a lot any way you cut it. Their strategy has to be to pound the ball, play conservative and keep this game close so they have a shot in the end.

As for Georgia, they are likely going to lean on running back Isaih Crowell to keep things steady on the road. This is an important game for Georgia, so they may be a bit conservative to start out until they have a lead.

Even so, if Georgia reaches the the 30-34 point range, that gives us - and Ole Miss - 17 points to work with to keep this game under. That's more than reasonable given how they've performed, so we're playing the under. 10* play.

People keep laughing when I tell them that the Washington Redskins are a decent team but I guess they'll have to keep winning to fend off the critics.

Nobody wants to say it out loud, but Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman looked good in their season-opening 28-14 win over the New York Giants, completing 21-of-34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. Beyond that, the Redskins ran the ball effectively enough to keep the dogs off of Grossman's back.

The Cardinals defense coughed up 477 yards of total offense at home to the Carolina Panthers, who were 2-14 last year. Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton did whatever he wanted and there's little reason to believe the Redskins won't do the same as well.

The Cards overall effort was questionable as they used a blown coverage by the Panthers and then awful coverage on a punt return for a touchdown by the Panthers two come from behind in a 28-21 win. They also nearly let the Panthers tie it as they fell short on the one-yard-line as time wore down at the end of the fourth quarter.

Now the Cards have to go on the road on a long East coast trip. They're rarely a good road team in the East time zone and after last week's effort, there's not a whole lot of reason to have faith in them.

We'll stick with the Redskins, laying just a field goal at home. 10* play.

At face value, it would be pretty easy to lay the points with Wisconsin and think nothing of it. They've arguably been the most impressive team in the nation through two weeks but there's a little more to this matchup when you scratch below the surface.

For starters, first-year head coach Dave Doeren was the Badgers defensive coordinator up until this year. The Badgers have a relatively conservative defense and Doeren will know where the holes are.

Secondly, as good as Wisconsin is at Camp Randall, they have a little bit of that Sooner syndrome - as I like to call it - that when you get them off their home field on the road or a neutral site, they are far more vulnerable.

Keep in mind that when you look back at what Wisconsin's done so far, they could be perceived as overrated. The UNLV they smoked in Week 1, Washington State crushed by a wide margin in Week 2. The Oregon State team they beat last week lost to Sacramento State at home in Week 1.

Northern Illinois has an excellent quarterback in Chandler Harnish, who could be playing as good as anyone right now. He's the type of quarterback that's accurate enough to keep the NIU defense on the sidelines and keep moving the chains. The fact that the Badgers top cornerback Devin Smith was lost for the season should only help matters.

The Badgers will likely eventually pound out a win but look for NIU to hang around in this neutral-site affair. 10* play.

The Indianapolis Colts rarely care about preseason action and that was blatantly evident once again in their first preseason contest. With starting quarterback Peyton Manning on the shelf, not only did the backups for the Colts fail to step up, many of them didn't seem to care. Truth be told, they have a veteran roster with few spots up for grabs, so there isn't much of a competitive spirit.

They lost 33-10 to the St. Louis Rams in the opener, and were down 23-3 at halftime.

The Washington Redskins are a team with plenty of competition on the roster - including the two main quarterbacking spots. Rex Grossman looked great in his first preseason game and now John Beck will push him even more in the second contest. The Redskins have battles all across their roster and many players are looking to make an impression.

Furthermore, head coach Mike Shanahan needs to show progress. Any win is a boost of confidence for his club, so look for them to go much harder than the Colts tonight. 10* play.

Brandon McCarthy and Alex Cobb have both been pitching fairly well for their respective teams, so we'll be looking at an under between the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

McCarthy has an ERA of 3.89 over the last month while posting a WHIP of 1.19 in that span. He has a career ERA of 3.70 against Tampa Bay

Meanwhile, Cobb is 3-0 with a 3.70 ERA since the All-Star Break. He's posted a WHIP of 1.05 over his last three starts.

The under is 16-5 when the Rays are a home favorite of -125 to -150 and 35-17 when they play at home. Bet the under. 10* play.

Doug Fister will make his debut for the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday and he could get a rude welcome from the Texas Rangers.

Fister played for Seattle in the AL West, so Texas will be familiar with him. He has a career ERA of 4.78 against them. Both Nelson Cruz and David Murphy have career OPS' above 1.23 against him. He's allowed 12 earned runs in his last three starts (5.35 ERA).

Matt Harrison has a hideous track record against the Tigers as he's 0-3 with an ERA of 7.84 and a WHIP of 2.23.

The over is 11-6 when the Tigers are at home with a total of 9 to 9.5 and it's 4-1 when they are at home as an underdog of +100 to +125. Bet the over. 10* play.

Neither Aaron Cook or Hiroki Kuroda has been pitching lights out, yet the Rockies and Dodgers are faced with a low total of 7.5.

Kiroda has allowed 10 earned runs in his last 18.1 innings pitched. He has a career ERA of 6.37 with a WHIP of 1.61 against the Rockies. That's his highest ERA against any one NL opponent.

He'll take on Cook, who is 1-2 with a 7.66 ERA on the road this season. Opposing batters are hitting .379 against him on the road and he's posted a WHIP of 1.99. Bet the over. 10* play.

Two lefties will be on the mound as John Danks and the Chicago White Sox take on Bruce Chen and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

We'll be eyeing the under for a number of reasons.

Danks has a career ERA of 2.74 and a WHIP of 1.20 when facing the Royals. The under is 5-3 in those starts. Danks has given up just three earned runs in his last 23.2 innings pitched (1.16 ERA) and he doesn't usually get much support from the White Sox. They have averaged 2.7 runs per game over his last 12 starts.

Bruce Chen has also pitched well against the White Sox, posting an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.19 for his career against them. He's done well at home with a 3.52 ERA, .275 BAA and a 1.39 WHIP.

Four of the last six meetings have gone under and the under is 29-14 when the White Sox face a team with a losing record. 10* play.

The Chicago White Sox will look to stay hot out of the All-Star break after winning two of three in Detroit, when they face the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

The White Sox will send Mark Buehrle to the mound, who has a career record of 21-11 against the Royals and his team's records are 33-14. He has a career ERA of 3.68 and a WHIP of 1.26 against them.

He'll take on Kyle Davis, who has been a disaster this season. Davies has lost eight straight decisions and he's been coughing up runs at an alarming pace. If his 7.74 ERA isn't telling enough, the 25 runs he's given up in his last six outings should be (9.36 ERA).

The Royals are just 7-17 against lefties this season and 39-77 over the last three years. Bet the White Sox. 10* play.

The Toronto Blue Jays will once again face John Lackey (and the Boston Red Sox again will face Brendan Morrow) as the two AL East rivals square off on the fourth of July.

Lackey has been thrashed all season long - particularly at Fenway Park. At home, he has an ERA of 7.88 while opponents bat .302 against him while posting a WHIP of 1.69. He's faced the Jays twice this season and has allowed 13 earned runs in 12.2 innings of work. He has an ERA of 8.83 in his last six starts against Toronto. The over is 11-6 in games where Lackey has faced the Jays.

Meanwhile, the Jays will counter with Morrow, who has an ugly track record against Boston. Morrow has an ERA of 12.38 and an astronomical WHIP of 2.50 against the Red Sox for his career. The over is 4-0 in each of the four games he's pitched against the Red Sox.

The over is 15-9 in day games for Boston and 5-0 when they are a home favorite of -125 to -150. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Cleveland Indians have been struggling in interleague play - particularly the games played in National League stadiums - and they'll have another one on the schedule tonight.

Shin-Soo Choo is out with injury and with the game being played in an NL park, Travis Hafner will be on the bench as well. Following the Indians this season, their lineup has not been nearly as strong when Hafner is out. Overall, they have scored 11 runs in their last five games.

It might be even tougher against Ian Kennedy, who has been on fire of late. In his last nine starts, he's 7-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting just .215 against him when he pitches at home.

Meanwhile, the Indians will send Mitch Talbot to the mound, who has pitched better away than at home. Opposing batters are hitting .379 against him when he's at home and just .264 when he's on the road. He doesn't receive much run support when he pitches, getting a total of five runs in his last four starts. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Minnesota Twins bats have struggled on their current road trip (just six runs in their last four games) but they could get a spark on Sunday.

The Twins will face Chris Narveson, who allows a batting average of .266 when he's pitching at home. Narveson has struggled this month, giving up four earned runs in three of his four starts and outside of that one good start against St. Louis, Narveson has allowed 23 earned runs in his last 24.2 innings pitched (8.55 ERA, 1.78 WHIP).

He'll face Carl Pavano, who has much preferred to pitch at home than on the road this season. At home, he's 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA, a WHIP of 1.20 and opposing batters hit just .250. On the road, opposing batters hit .301 against him, he has a WHIP of 1.40 and an ERA of 5.12. He's had a hard time with home runs, allowing just one at home in 44.1 innings pitched but giving up seven in 58.1 innings pitched on the road. Bet the over. 10* play.

Two lefties will take the mound as the Boston Red Sox visit PNC Park to face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Combined, the under is 25-17 when these two teams face lefthanded pitching.

Jon Lester has been among the best pitchers in baseball this season and he's been even stronger on the road. Lester is 6-0 on the road with a 3.12 ERA. Batters are hitting just .200 against him while his WHIP is a sparkling 1.10. He's never faced the Pirates, which should increase the challenge for them.

The Pirates will counter with Paul Maholm, who has pitched like an All-Star this year. Although he gave up four runs in his most recent start, those are the only four runs he's allowed in his last 34 innings pitched (1.06 ERA). At home this season, he's allowed more than two earned runs in a start just once (three) while a cumulative ERA of 2.14, a WHIP of 1.10 and opponents hit just .200 against him.

The under is 7-1 when the Red Sox are off a day off and it's 30-16 for the Pirates in night games. Bet the under. 10* play.

Two lefties will take to the mound in the Seattle Mariners-Washington Nationals matchup on Wednesday, which should help the cause for the under.

Combined, the under is 25-12 when both teams face lefties this season.

The Nats will put John Lannan on the mound, who has been very steady at home. He has an ERA of 1.84 with a 1.23 WHIP at home while opposing batters are hitting just .232 against him. He's been steady as a rock recently, allowing just four earned runs in his last 33.1 innings pitched while posting a WHIP of 1.12 in that span.

The Mariners will put Erik Bedard on the hill, who has also pitched great recently. He's allowed more than two earned runs just once over his last nine starts while posting an ERA of 1.70 and a WHIP of 0.91 in that span. Bet the under in this contest. 10* play.

We've got an interesting split between the two pitchers on the mound for this contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.

John Lannan has pitched significantly better at home this season than away. His ERA at home is 1.73 compared to 5.23 on the road. At home, his WHIP is 1.24 and he's allowed just one home run in 37 IP. On the road, his WHIP is 1.56 and he's allowed six home runs in 43 IP. Lannan has a career ERA of 2.52 and a WHIP of 1.22 against the Cardinals, while the under is 5-1 in those starts.

Kyle Lohse will take to the bump for the Cardinals, and he has a career WHIP of 1.20 against the Nationals. This season, he's 5-1 on the road with of 0.99. Opposing batters are hitting just .224 against him and he's allowed just one home run in 47.1 innings pitched on the road. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Houston Astros on Wednesday in an NL Central matchup.

The Pirates will send Charlie Morton to the mound, who has pitched well on the road this year. Morton is 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA on the road this season. He's arguably the Pirates best pitcher this season.

Meanwhile, the light-hitting Astros will send J.A. Happ to the mound, who has an excellent track record against Pittsburgh. He's compiled a career ERA of 2.18 with a WHIP of 1.15 against them in five starts. At home this season, Happ has a 3.64 ERA with a WHIP of 1.21. Opposing batters are hitting just .213 against him at home compared to .289 on the road.

The under is 11-6 when the Pirates face a lefty this season The under has connected in 10 of the last 16 meetings in Houston. Bet the under. 10* play.

With an extra day off in between games, the Vancouver Canucks will have extra time to prepare for what was previously a disastrous trip to Boston. As we've seen all season long, the Canucks are one of the best teams in the business when they have extra time to prepare.

The key for the Canucks, this time around, will be that they understand what pace the game has to be played at. Just as Kevin Bieksa said post-game after Game 5, the Canucks now know they need to keep the games low-scoring and defensive-minded if they want to have their best shot to win. With an extra day to prepare, they are going to be focused on keeping things clean in their defensive end, getting the pucks out quickly and not letting their defensemen take a beating against the boards.

There's a bit of a war of words amongst the goaltenders following Game 5, which should only further bring out the best in both of them.

When you cancel Games 4 out of the equation, which was an aberration, the other five meetings in this series have all gone under. Even Game 4 wasn't looking like it would go over until the Canucks let in a slew of meaningless goals in the third period when they quit on the game. In the other four games, there has been a total of 11 goals. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Boston Red Sox will send John Lackey to the mound on Saturday, and while he's coming off a decent start (5.2 IP, 3 ER), he's still been a very weak link for the Red Sox rotation all season long. He also hit three batters in that outing.

In his last four starts against Toronto, he's 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA. The Blue Jays bats have been a tad sluggish recently but facing Lackey could wake them up.

The Red Sox, who's bats are cooking right now, will take on Brandon Morrow, who is 0-1 with a 4.13 ERA in his last four starts. The Red Sox enjoy seeing him as he's got a career ERA of 10.03 and a WHIP of 2.31 against Boston. The over is 3-0 in his starts against Boston. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Miami Heat have been in control of the NBA Finals virtually the entire way, so it's tough to bet against them even on the road in a critical Game 5.

They have led almost the entire way throughout the series and without a couple of gigantic Dallas Mavericks comebacks, this series could already be finished.

The scary part for the Mavs is that the Heat have done a lot of damage without the help of LeBron James, who has been silent in fourth quarters throughout the series. The Heat haven't had a game where their entire Big Three have shown up, and if they do, the Mavs will get run off the court.

Dallas couldn't really play much better than they did in Game 4, where Dirk again carried the team but this time had plenty of help from his supporting cast.

The Mavs have hit their ceiling while the Heat haven't played their best game yet. With everybody calling out LeBron James, look for him to show up in a big way and team with Dwyane Wade to put the Mavs in a corner. Bet the Heat. 10* play.

John Danks continues to get pitiful run support from the Chicago White Sox, so we'll look for a low-scoring affair on Monday.

Danks has received 21 runs of support in his last nine starts (2.3 runs per game), which isn't much help. He's pitched well at home this season, though, holding opposing hitters to a .250 average while posting a WHIP of 1.41 (compared to 1.61 on the road).

In his career against Seattle, he's posted a 3.47 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. The under is 6-3 in his starts.

Meanwhile, the White Sox will get a look at Michael Pineda, who has been an All-Star caliber pitcher for Seattle. The rookie has a WHIP of 1.00 this season and an ERA of 2.30. On the road, batters are hitting just .193 against him and he's allowed just one home run in 31 innings of work compared to four home runs in 39.1 innings pitched at home.

The under is 15-9 when the Mariners play a team with a winning record this season. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Cincinnati Reds have been pounding left-handed pitching all season long and on Monday, they'll face another lefty. The over is 8-1 when they face a lefty this season.

They'll take on Chris Narveson, who is coming off one of his worst starts this year. Narveson only lasted 3.1 innings while giving up eight hits and six earned runs.

Travis Wood will take the mound for the Reds and while the Brewers don't do so well when away, they might get a hand from Wood who prefers not to pitch at home. When away, Wood has a 4.25 ERA with a WHIP of 1.51. Opposing batters hit .265 against him on the road. But at home, Wood has an ERA of 6.35, a WHIP of 1.58 and opponents are batting .314 against him. That should help the Brewers cause.

The over is 17-7 in Reds home games and 7-1 when they are favored from -100 to -125. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Texas Rangers have their bats going once again now that Josh Hamilton is back in the lineup and they'll try to keep it going on Saturday.

They'll face Sean O'Sullivan, who has a WHIP of 1.51 and an ERA of 5.60 this season. The converted reliever has allowed 17 earned runs in his last three starts (16 innings pitched). He hasn't fared well against Texas either, posting an ERA of 5.63 in three career starts.

Meanwhile, the Royals will face lefty Matt Harrison. The over is 8-4 when they face left-handed pitching this season. Harrison is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA against the Royals in four starts. Bet the over. 10* play.

It's a bit surprising to see the total in the Tampa Bay-Boston game at 5.5 with over receiving plus-money when you consider how the first four games have gone in the series.

So far, we have seen a total of 28 goals through four games with only one of them going under (Game 3, 2-0). Every other game has seen at least seven goals and at least one team has scored five in the other three games as well.

This has been a wide open series with both teams skating up and down the ice. The Bruins have chased Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson twice and with Patrice Bergeron back in the lineup, their power play is functional once again. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has not been intimidated by Vezina Trophy candidate Tim Thomas as they have lit him up in three of the four games (15 goals).

Five of the last seven meetings in Boston have gone over. Even if this game stays under, we'll expect the next one to go over and at plus-money, we'll be profitable in at least one of the two cases - if not both.

This was a good play to begin with but considering the value, this now becomes a top play. Bet the over. 10* play.

We'll expect some runs at Progressive Field on Sunday afternoon as the Cincinnati Reds try to avoid getting swept by the Cleveland Indians.

Progressive Field has a park factor of 1.191, which actually makes it third-highest average in the American League. The Indians bat .274 at home while averaging 5.5 runs per game compared to .253 and 4.5 on the road. The over is 10-3 when the Indians are at home with a total of 8 to 8.5.

They'll face Edinson Volquez on Sunday, who is coming off a good start but has been a train wreck this season. He's allowed eight home runs in 48.1 innings pitched. Against the Indians, he has a career ERA of 9.39 with a WHIP of 2.09.

He'll take on Carlos Carrasco, who is at the back end of the Indians rotation. He has an ERA of 5.03 this season and has actually pitched much better away than at home. He has an ERA of 3.58 when away but it's 8.49 at home. Bet the over. 10* play.

Two bad pitchers will take the mound on Friday night as the Houston Astros visit the Toronto Blue Jays.

Aneury Rodriguez had been a mediocre reliever and was moved into the rotation. After one good outing, he has given up 10 earned runs in the last two starts in just 10 innings pitched. The Astros bullpen is brutal and they could really use a long start, but they won't get it from Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Jo Jo Reyes has just five wins in 41 outings with a 6.40 ERA. In four outings against the Astros, he has an ERA of 6.52 and a WHIP of 1.81. Bet the over. 10* play.

The St. Louis Cardinals will face the worst team in the National League Central on Wednesday. They'll send Kyle Lohse to the mound, who has pitched well this year to face Bud Norris.

Lohse has allowed more than two earned runs in a start just twice in his eight outings. Over his last five home starts, he has an ERA of 0.68. Since coming to St. Louis, he has an ERA of 2.55 against the Astros.

Meanwhile, Norris has more success against the Cardinals than any other team in the majors. He has just 17 career wins to his name (in 45 starts) but he's 5-1 against St. Louis with a 1.97 ERA against the Cards. For his career, he's 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA at Busch Stadium. Bet the under. 10* play.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been feasting on teams below .500 and they'll get another matchup on Saturday.

The Rays are 19-6 against losing teams and the Baltimore Orioles will send Brad Bergesen to the mound, who is 0-5 with a 9.13 ERA in five starts against Tampa Bay. He hasn't pitched well recently either as the Orioles have lost all six of his starts and he hasn't even made it past the sixth inning in any of those starts.

The Rays are hot right now, winning seven of eight while averaging 5.5 runs per game. The Orioles are at the other end of the spectrum, having being held to two runs or fewer in five of their last eight games. They are batting just .165 in their last four games against Tampa Bay while scoring just seven runs. Bet the Rays. 10* play.

The Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays will play Game 2 of their series on Tuesday night.

The Red Sox will send John Lackey to the mound, who has been absolutely hammered this season He has an ERA of 7.16 and while it looked like he sort of got things on track a few starts ago, he was shelled for eight runs and 10 hits in his latest start against the Los Angeles Angels. He was booed off the field and his confidence is pretty much at a low point.

The concern for Lackey is he isn't making batters miss anymore. They are batting .317 against him and his 5.0 strikeouts per nine innings is the lowest of his career.

Against the Jays, Lackey is just 4-5 with a 4.58 ERA for his career. What's worse is that he's 1-2 with a 8.61 ERA against the Jays since joining Boston.

The Red Sox bullpen is drained right now and they could really use a long outing from a starter. The bullpen has pitched at least four innings in six of the last seven games. It doesn't look like they'll get help on Tuesday.

The Jays will counter with Jesse Litsch, who is an up-and-down starter. He has an ERA of 4.11 against the Red Sox for his career. Bet the over. 10* play.

The Cincinnati Reds have got their mojo going now that their rotation is healthy and they'll face Houston Astros starter Brett Myers, who has been throttled in his last three outings.

Myers is 0-3 with a 7.50 ERA in his last three outings, which includes a six-run, nine-hit performances against the Reds last Thursday. If he has a short outing, the Astros will have to rely on a bullpen with an 8.79 ERA over its last six games.

Homer Bailey will take to the bump for the Reds and he had a good debut versus the Astros last Thursday. He went six innings and gave up one earned run. For his career against the Astros, he's got an ERA of 2.31 with a WHIP of 0.86.

The Astros are just 7-16 against right handed starters this year. Bet the Reds. 10* play.

The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers will send their aces to the mound on Monday night.

Trevor Cahill has been one of the most underrated pitchers this season. He has allowed one earned or less in six of his seven starts this season, including a seven-inning, zero-earned run performance against the very same Rangers on April 29th. He is 7-2 for his career against Texas with an ERA of 2.27 and a WHIP of 1.18.

C.J. Wilson has a career ERA of 2.29 against the Athletics with a WHIP of 1.37.

11 of the last 17 meetings in Texas have stayed under. The under is 6-1 when the A's are on the road with a total of 8 to 8.5 while it's 3-1 when the Rangers are at home with a total of 8 to 8.5. Bet the under. 10* play.

While the Miami Heat have a two-game lead in this Eastern Conference semifinals, there is good reason to think that the Boston Celtics get on the board in Game 3.

For starters, home-court advantage is now on their side along with desperation. They know that one more loss means the series is over, so Game 3 will be their best effort yet.

More importantly, the Celtics are the older, more beaten up team. They had several bumps and bruises after Game 2 on Tuesday, and have three days off to rest will benefit them far more than it will the Heat. Head coach Doc Rivers even gave the team a day completely off.

The Celtics are 6-1 on the year when playing with three days rest; the Heat were just 2-4 this year as a road underdog of three points or less. Bet the Celtics. 10* play.

Two aces are on the mound for Saturday's matchup between the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays, but neither has a good track record against their opponents so we'll take a look at the over.

Justin Verlander has a whopping 6.68 ERA against the Blue Jays for his career with a WHIP of 1.48. That's his highest ERA against any American League opponent.

The Jays will counter with Ricky Romero, who is 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA against the Tigers for his career.

The over is 10-3 this year when the Tigers face a team with a losing record and 12-5 in their road games. Bet the over. 10* play.

History has a tendency of repeating itself.

In the second round of the playoffs last year, the San Jose Sharks won Games 1 & 2 against the Detroit Red Wings by exactly one goal. In Game 3 of the series, the Sharks went to Detroit, came from behind to tie the game in the third period and win it in overtime.

The exact same pattern has played out in this year's series and we'll look for the patterns to continue.

The Red Wings are too good of a team to get swept at home on their own ice. They have played better incrementally game-by-game and Friday's effort should be their best yet.

The urgency won't be as strong with the Sharks as they know they are in the driver's seat. Detroit will bring their best performance yet and live one more day. Bet the Red Wings. 10* play.

Trevor Cahill and Josh Tomlin have both pitched very well for their respective clubs and on Wednesday, they'll square off against each other.

Cahill, who is 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA, has allowed more than one run just once in his six starts.

Tomlin has been excellent as well, posting a record of 4-0 with an ERA of 2.45 this season. He's allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts.

The under has cashed in 11 of the last 16 meetings between the teams. The under is 5-1 in the Indians last seven on the road with a total of seven or less.

It's also worth noting the splits here. The Indians have 93 runs at home, which is the second-most in the majors (6.2 per game) and just 57 on the road (4.38 per game). Bet the under. 10* play.

The Chicago Cubs will send Ryan Dempster to the mound for Sunday's matchup with the Colorado Rockies and while he might look like the better brand name in this series (in comparison to Alan Johnson), the truth is that he has an awful track record at Coors Field.

Dempster is just 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA this season, so it's not like he's pitching particularly well to begin with. Now he'll have to start against the Rockies, whom he has compiled an ERA of 7.71 over his career. What's worse is that he has an ERA of 13.74 in five starts at Coors Field.

The Cubs had a season-high 17 hits on Saturday and will take on career minor-leaguer Alan Johnson on Sunday. Johnson has a career ERA of 4.45 through six minor league seasons.

In Saturday's game, there were 11 runs and that included the Rockies going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Both bullpens worked at least three innings (6.1 in total). Bet the over. 10* play.

The Dallas Stars got life on Sunday when the Chicago Blackhawks lost in the early afternoon and gave allowed them a window of opportunity to make the playoffs.

If the Stars win this contest, they will qualify for the playoffs and push the Blackhawks out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

The Stars are playing well right now as they have won four straight. They have also won six straight in their series against Minnesota.

Meanwhile, the Wild have just three wins in their last 14 games with two of those coming against Edmonton and one against St. Louis.

The Stars have more on the line and are the significantly better team right now. Bet them on Sunday. 10* play.

The Atlanta Thrashers earned a surprising win on Thursday (in the eyes of some) as they managed to upset the New York Rangers 3-0 at Madison Square Garden. The result really helped the Carolina Hurricanes as they now control their own destiny as far as the 2011 NHL playoffs go.

The Thrashers have been a horrible team of late but what was overlooked in their win on Thursday is that they have a great track record against the Rangers. For whatever reason, they have their number going 13-3-3 in the last 18 meetings.

Carolina has had much more success as they have won six of their last eight home meetings with the Thrashers. The Thrashers are just 3-11 this season when playing on back-to-back nights. Bet the Hurricanes. 10* play.

The North Carolina Tar Heels averaged 77.4 points per game this season and scored 102 points in their opening round contest against Long Island. But one of the reasons we're eyeing the over in this contest is not just because of how much they scored but the fact that they allowed 87 points to Long Island as well.

It's an early game for a West Coast team like Washington, so don't expect their defense to show up - especially since no team has traveled further than them in the NCAA Tournament. They are also a high-scoring team themselves so they probably won't have a problem with that.

The Huskies average 83.5 points per game, which is third in the nation. The Tar Heels looked a little suspect with their rebounding and transition defense in their first contest and they'll get burned once again if that's the case on Sunday.

Over is 4-1 in Tar Heels last 5 non-conference games.
Over is 7-2 in Tar Heels last 9 games as a favorite of 0.5-6.5. Over is 5-1 in Huskies last 6 Sunday games. Over is 6-2 in Huskies last 8 neutral site games as an underdog.

The bottom line is that both teams play at a frenetic pace and defense is optional. Bet the over. 10* play.

Bruce Weber's Illinois squad has never returned to prominance after their 2005 National Championship and a lot of fans are getting a tad antsy. They have won only one NCAA Tournament game since.

It's a matchup of two disappointing teams here but Illinois is far more likely to disappoint once more.

Guard Demetri McCamey is simply a microcosm of the team and program: talented player with NBA-level body but lacks heart and basketball IQ. That leads to plenty of underachieving for him and the team.

Really, this could easily have been a 6-11 matchup instead of 8-9. Illinois was 0-5 ATS in neutral site contests this season has covered just five of their last 17 in that situation. They are also just 2-6 ATS against good defensive teams that allow less than 64 points per game. Bet the Rebels in this one. 10* play.

The Penn State Nittany Lions had to empty the tank last week in the Big Ten Tournament just to pump up their resume and qualify for the Big Dance, and now they'll likely be wiped off the floor by a quality Temple team.

Temple could have easily been seeded higher and Penn State could have easily been seeded lower, so this is more of a mismatch than some experts might think.

The Owls are an experienced March Madness team but they are stinging from a pair of first-round losses in the last two seasons. They are going to be focused on getting over the hump.

And it should be a big hump when you consider what these teams have accomplished in their non-conference schedule. Temple is simply far more impressive. Bet the Owls. 10* play.

When handicapping the games last night, the over in the Detroit Red Wings-St. Louis Blues contest is something we had circled to begin with before the lines were out.

Now that they have come out, a surprising total of five is something that cannot be passed up.

Six of the last seven meetings in St. Louis have gone over the number and 13 of the last 16 meetings overall have gone over as well.

The Blues have been filling it up at a high rate as they have scored at least four goals in each of their last three games. The Red Wings have had some offensive struggles of their own but Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak has a career GAA of 4.46 against the Red Wings, so this could be the cure to their scoring woes.

On top of that, Henrik Zetterberg, who has a five-game point drought, has had more offensive success against the Blues than any other team - including eight points in the first four meetings this year.

We liked this total at 5.5 a lot but at five, this is a no-brainer. Bet the over. 10* play.

Free play today on the Canucks vs. Flames NHL Matchup. Get it on my page at CappersPicks.