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Islanders-Bruins Round 2 Playoff Preview

by Sean Murphy

Friday, May 28, 2021

The Islanders and Bruins will drop the puck on their East Division Final series on Saturday night in Boston.If you're a fan of old-school playoff hockey, you should be in for a treat as these two teams have built up some considerable animosity over the course of eight meetings this season.Tale of the tapeThe Bruins finished just two points ahead of the Islanders for third place in the East Division and held a slight four-goal advantage in terms of goal differential. After dropping the first five meetings in the series during the regular season, the Bruins answered back with three consecutive victories over the Isles in April. We saw plenty of 5's in terms of the posted totals and I would anticipate more of the same as this series goes on. Key acquisitionWith surprisingly minimal fanfare, the Bruins brought in polarizing forward Taylor Hall prior to the trade deadline and he's certainly made a positive impact. In 16 regular season games with the B's, Hall contributed 14 points. He picked up right where he left off against the Capitals in round one, adding three points in five games. The B's have been desperate for secondary scoring beyond the 'Perfection Line' for years and now they seem to have it with Hall. Super stoppersThe big difference in the Islanders opening round series victory was between the pipes where rookie Ilya Sorokin stole the show against the Penguins supposedly high-powered offense. He brings a 1.95 GAA and .943 save percentage into round two after posting a 2.17 GAA and .918 SV% during the regular season. Sorokin isn't likely to upstage Bruins vet Tuukka Rask the way he did Tristan Jarry of the Pens, however. Rask was terrific during the regular season, recording a 15-5-4 record to go along with a 2.28 GAA and .913 SV%. He owned the Caps in round one, posting a 1.81 GAA and .941 SV%. Rask gave up just three goals on 47 shots in his last three appearances against New York during the regular season.Seeing starsThe Bruins top line didn't have to shoulder the entire offensive load in round one but still contributed 13 points in five games. The Islanders have had a knack for shutting down opponents' top scoring threats but that's certainly tough with the B's three-headed monster in Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak. The Isles inexplicably got just three assists from Mat Barzal in round one. He'll obviously need to pick up the pace offensively if New York is going to hang with Boston in this seires. J.G. Pageau and Brock Nelson combined for 13 points against the Penguins and can be difference-makers again in this series. Who has the edge?This has the makings of a long, heated series with Boston playing its best hockey of the season (16-6 last 22 games) and the Isles employing a gritty style and feeding off the energy of the small-but-boisterous crowed at the historic Nassau Coliseum. I'll give the B's the edge as they have the look of a true Stanley Cup contender and just enough scoring depth to outlast the Isles. Pick: Bruins in seven. 

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NHL Hockey: Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/28/2021

by Big Al Staff

Friday, May 28, 2021

NHL Friday NBC Sports Network Preview: Minnesota Wild at the Vegas Golden Knights.Minnesota forced a seventh game in this opening round of the West Division playoffs with a 3-0 shutout victory at home against the Golden Knights on Wednesday. The series concludes on the Las Vegas strip at T-Mobile Arena, with the puck dropping at 9:08 PM ET on the NBC Sports Network. Game 6 was scoreless going into the third period before Ryan Hartman broke the deadlock with a goal at the 4:21 mark of the third period. Vegas believed they scored the tying goal a few minutes later when a Chandler Stevenson wrister beat Cam Talbot. But the officials waved off the goal by calling goalie interference on the Golden Knights’ Alex Tuch, who was jostling with a Minnesota defender at the top of the crease. Peter DeBoer made his third coaches-challenge of this series to reverse the call. His first two challenges resulted in decisive reversals that both took Wild goals off the board. This call got upheld, resulting in a delay of game penalty that put Minnesota on the power play. Kevin Fiala scored soon after at 9:35 to give the Wild a two-goal lead. Nick Bjustad scored the final goal at 15:17 to cement a tied series at 3-3. Cam Talbot stopped 23 shots in earning his second shutout of this series. He stopped 42 shots in Minnesota’s opening game 1-0 victory in overtime. Talbot has a 2.01 goals-against-average and a .937 save percentage in this series. Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman have both scored twice for the Wild in the playoffs. Jonas Brodin leads the team with three assists. Jordan Greenway and Matt Dumba have added three points. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced on Wednesday. After posting a .964 save percentage after the first four games, Fleury has allowed six goals on 37 shots for a .838 save percentage. For the series, Fleury has a 1.66 goals-against-average and a .936 save percentage. Mark Stone leads the Golden Knights with four goals and five points in the series. Tuch has three goals and an assist. Nick Holden, Mattias Janmark, and Stevenson each have three assists. Vegas has not been at full strength in this series culminating with them missing four regulars on Wednesday. Max Pacioretty has not played in 12 games with an undisclosed injury he suffered at the beginning of the month. He led the team with 24 goals during the regular season. Pacioretty did take part in the morning skate on Wednesday as a game-time decision. Brayden McNabb is on the COVID quarantine list. He is a top-four defenseman that is paired with Shea Theodore usually. Ryan Reaves was a surprise scratch on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. He is the team’s primary enforcer playing on the forward grind line. Tomas Nosek has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury. He had 18 points during the regular season centering the fourth line. The road team has won four of the six games. After losing the opener, the Knights won the next three games by a 12 to 3 goal margin. The Wild have won the last two games, outscoring Vegas, 7-2. For a third consecutive year, Vegas will play in a Game 7 after blowing opportunities to close out the series in the fifth or sixth game. The Golden Knights defeated Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals last year in the seventh game of that series. In 2019, Vegas lost to San Jose in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to a Sharks team coached by DeBoer. He has a 5-0 record as a head coach in Game 7s.BookMaker lists Vegas as a -180 money line favorite. For the first time in this series, they have dropped the total from 5.5 to 5 for this game.Computer prediction:  Vegas Golden Knights 3 Minnesota Wild 0

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, WNBA and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/28/2021

by Big Al Staff

Friday, May 28, 2021

The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Atlanta hosts New York in the first game of an ESPN doubleheader at 7:05 PM ET. The Knicks evened this series at 1-1 with their 101-92 victory at home as a 1.5-point favorite on Wednesday. The Hawks had their five-game winning streak end with the loss. Atlanta is a 4-point favorite with the total set at 211 (all odds from BetOnline). Brooklyn travels to Boston on ABC at 8:35 PM ET. The Nets took a 2-0 lead in this series with a 130-108 victory as an 8.5-point favorite on Tuesday. Boston has lost seven of their last nine games. Brooklyn is a 7.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 227.5. The Los Angeles Clippers visit Dallas on the nightcap on ESPN at 9:35 PM ET. The Mavericks have taken the first two games in this series with their 127-121 upset victory at the Staples Center in Los Angeles as a 7-point underdog on Tuesday. The Clippers have been the victim of four straight upset losses going back to their last two games in the regular season. Los Angeles is a 2-point road favorite with a total of 219.There is one game in the NHL playoffs. Vegas plays at home against Minnesota in the seventh game of their first-round West Division series. The Wild forced a final game in the series with their 3-0 victory on Wednesday. The Golden Knights have failed to close out this series in the last two games after taking a 3-1 lead. Vegas is a -172 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.Fourteen games are on the MLB slate. The Chicago Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds at 2:20 PM ET as a -148 money line favorite. Colorado visits Pittsburgh as a -112 money line road favorite with a total of 7.5. Washington plays at home against Milwaukee at 7:05 PM ET as a -116 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Atlanta visits the New York Mets at 7:10 PM ET as a -142 money line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The New York Yankees play at Detroit as a -235 money line road favorite with an over/under of 7. Toronto travels to Cleveland as a -154 money line road favorite with a total of 8. Boston plays at home against Miami as a -149 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Minnesota is at home against Kansas City at 8:10 PM ET as a -146 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Chicago White Sox are at home against Baltimore as a -210 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Houston hosts San Diego as a -106 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Oakland plays at home against Los Angeles against the Angels as a -148 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Arizona is at home against St. Louis as a -114 money line favorite, with the total at 9. The Los Angeles Dodgers host San Francisco at 10:10 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Seattle plays at home against Texas as a -114 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Four games are on the WNBA schedule. Washington travels to Chicago at 7 PM ET. Los Angeles visits Chicago on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET. Minnesota plays at Seattle on the CBS Sports Network at 10 PM ET. Indiana is at Vegas at 10:30 PM ET.

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NHL Hockey: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/27/2021

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, May 27, 2021

NHL Thursday NBC Sports Network Preview: Carolina Hurricanes at the Nashville Predators.Carolina took a 3-2 lead in this Central Division series with their 3-2 victory in overtime on Tuesday. Nashville hosts the sixth game looking to force a climactic seventh game on the NBC Sports Network with the puck dropping at 9:38 PM ET. Yakov Trenin opened the scoring at the 11:44 mark of the first period to give the Predators the initial lead. Martin Necas evened the score at 1-1 less than three minutes later with a power-play goal. Necas then gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead 12:55 minutes into the second period. Trenin evened the score for Carolina with his second goal of the game with just 53 seconds left in the second period. After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime, where Jordan Staal scored 2:03 minutes into the extra session to give the Hurricanes the win and a 3-2 lead in the series. Staal has five points with four goals and one assist in this series. The Carolina captain ties for the team lead in points with Sebastian Aho, who has five points from three goals and two assists. Necas and Brett Pesce both have three points. The Hurricanes have had 15 skaters register at least one point in this series. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced on Tuesday to help Carolina move within one game of winning this series. The rookie has a 2.10 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage in his five starts in this postseason. He got help with the return of top-pair defenseman Jacob Slavin who had missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour gave Slavin the most ice time of the team on Tuesday.Ryan Ellis leads the Predators with four points from one goal and three assists in this series. Seven other Nashville skaters have registered three points. The team has received surprising contributions from Trenin and Luke Kunin who have both tallied two-score games. Fifteen skaters have scored a point for the Predators in this series. The top two defensive pairs of Ellis/Matias Ekholm and Roman Josi/Alexandre Carrier have been a part of 12 of the 36 points Nashville has produced. Head coach John Hynes had to juggle lines to begin the series, given the upper-body injury to Viktor Arvidsson. He moved Matt Duchene to the top-line to play alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. Juuse Saros stopped 34 of 37 shots on Tuesday. He has a 2.59 goals-against-average and a .928 save percentage in this series. After posting a 15-3-0 record at home during the regular season, Saros has won both games at home in this series with a .940 save percentage. The home team has won all five games so far in this series. The last three games needed overtime to resolve things, with both games played in Nashville going to double-overtime. Bridgestone Arena expects 14,000 fans in what is considered one of the best home environments in the NHL. BookMaker lists Carolina as a -140 money line road favorite with the total set at 5.5.Computer prediction:  Nashville 4 Carolina 3

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NBA Playoff Report

by Power Sports

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Every first round series is two games in, so let’s take a look at what’s happened so far in the NBA Playoffs and where things may be headed.Eastern ConferenceThe Sixers, as anticipated, are not having much difficulty with the Wizards. They are up 2-0 and well on their way to the second round. Washington is 16-8 SU since April 12th, but they are the only team left in the 16-team field to have a negative efficiency rating and point differential for the year. They allowed the highest number of points per game in the regular season (118.5) and have given up 120 and 125 in the first two games vs. Philadelphia. After shooting an abysmal 2 of 22 from three-point range in Game 2, can they bounce back Saturday?Philly could go from playing the 30th ranked team in scoring defense to the #1 scoring defense in the second round. That’s if the Knicks can get by the Hawks in the first round. That series is 1-1 and will resume Friday in Atlanta. The Hawks have won 11 straight at home (last loss was 4/15 to Milwaukee), but the Knicks are 10-1 ATS run against the Hawks the past three seasons. So something will have to give there. Both games in the series have gone Under. The Knicks are a league best 47-25-2 ATS this season including 9-2 ATS L11 as a road underdog. Brooklyn and Milwaukee could be on a collision course in the other half of the bracket. Both are up 2-0 in their respective series and off blowout wins in Game 2. Of course, now each must get it done on the road. The Nets have -115 odds to sweep the Celtics while the Bucks are +200 to sweep the Heat and +175 to win in five games. It should be noted that the Nets have the shortest odds to win the NBA Finals, but I think the Bucks are a far better value in that regard. Milwaukee had the East’s top point differential and net efficiency rating.  One positive for the Celtics and Wizards is that home teams down 0-2 are 80-38-2 ATS in Game 3 including 29-6 ATS L35 in that spot (first half only). Western Conference OddsThe biggest swing we’ve seen so far in terms of series odds is from Clippers-Mavs. The Clippers, initially -400 to win this series, are now down 0-2 and listed at +220. That’ll happen when you lose twice at home. Only 6.3% of teams that have fallen behind 0-2 in a best of seven series have gone on to advance. The Clippers are 6-2 ATS their last eight games in Dallas and still favored to win Game 3. The Lakers had to win a play-in game just to be the 7-seed. Then they lost Game 1 to the Suns. But they are still the favorites to come out of the Western Conference. They are -300 to win this first round series after taking Game 2 and +333 to do so in six games. Chris Paul’s injury is a major concern for Phoenix, who is a significant underdog in Game 3 and likely will be in Game 4 as well. I really like the Lakers’ path to the Western Conference Finals because I don’t think there’s a chance either Denver or Portland would beat them in the second round. Those teams have split the first two games of their series, which probably won’t be short. Right now, Portland is -155 to advance as they stole the home court advantage. But the Blazers have the worst defensive efficiency rating of any playoff team. Denver doesn’t have Jamal Murray (ACL) and Will Barton is out for Game 3 as well. The first two games both went Over. It speaks volumes that I haven’t mentioned the top seeded Jazz yet, but that’s probably the way they like it. Their Game 2 win was my top play for the month in the NBA. Teams seeded 1-3 that lose Game 1 are now 26-16 ATS In Game 2 since 2005. PG Donovan Mitchell was back for Utah in Game 2 and they scored 141 points. The first two games of this series have gone Over as have four of the five meetings this season. Despite finishing with the best regular season record in the league, Utah has only the 5th best odds to win the NBA Finals

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA Previews and Odds - 05/27/2021

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, May 27, 2021

The Thursday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Milwaukee travels to Miami for the first game of the doubleheader on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The Bucks won the second game of this series with their 132-98 victory as a 5-point favorite on Monday. Miami has lost three of their last four games. Milwaukee is a 1.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 226 (all odds from BetOnline).The Los Angeles Lakers host Phoenix in the nightcap on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Lakers have won seven of their last eight games with their 109-102 victory as a 2-point favorite on Tuesday. The Suns had won four games in a row, including the opener of this series. Los Angeles is a 7-point favorite with an over/under of 210.5. Portland plays at home against Denver on NBA TV at 10:35 PM ET. The Nuggets evened this series at 1-1 with their 128-109 win against the Trail Blazers as a 2-point favorite on Monday. The Blazers have won seven of their last nine games after the setback. Portland is a 4-point favorite with a total of 227.5. Two games are on the NHL schedule. Toronto is at home against Montreal on the NBC Sports Network at 7:08 PM ET. The Maple Leafs took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 4-0 shutout win in Montreal on Tuesday. The Canadiens have lost eight of their last nine games. Toronto is a -230 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Carolina visits Nashville in the second game on the NBC Sports Network at 9:38 PM ET. The Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in this series with their 3-2 win in overtime on Tuesday. The Predators have won the third and fourth games at home, with both going to double overtime. Carolina is a -135 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5. Twelve games are on the MLB slate. Miami plays at home against Philadelphia at 12:10 PM ET as a -135 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. The Chicago Cubs visit Pittsburgh at 12:35 PM ET as a -132 money line road favorite with a total of 8. San Diego plays at Milwaukee at 1:10 PM ET as a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Cleveland travels to Detroit as a -169 money line road favorite with a total of 7. Tampa Bay is at home against Kansas City as a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5.Toronto visits New York to play the Yankees at 4:10 PM ET in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader. The second game is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET. The Chicago White Sox host Baltimore at 8:10 PM ET as a -215 money line favorite with a total of 9. St. Louis travels to Arizona at 9:40 PM ET as a -126 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Oakland plays at home against the Los Angeles Angels as a -138 money line favorite with a total of 8. Texas plays at Seattle at 10:10 PM ET in a pick ‘em with both teams priced at -105 with an over/under of 9. The San Francisco Giants play in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.One game is on the WNBA schedule. Dallas visits Atlanta at 7 PM ET. 

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NHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/26/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

NHL Wednesday CNBC Preview: Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning.Florida held off elimination for at least another two days with their 4-1 upset victory at home against the Lightning in the fifth game of their Central Division series. Tampa Bay holds a 3-2 series lead going into the sixth game on Wednesday on CNBC, with the puck dropping at 8:08 PM ET.The Lightning opened the scoring just 53 seconds into the game with Ross Colton’s goal. The Panthers evened the score 6:53 minutes into the second period on MacKenzie Weegar’s goal. Mason Marchment gave Florida a 2-1 lead with his goal at the 16:55 mark of the second period. Patric Hornqvist added a power-play goal 35 seconds into the third period. Frank Vatrano added an empty netter in the final 15 seconds of the game. The story going into Monday’s game was the decision of Panthers’ head coach Joel Quenneville to turn to rookie Spencer Knight as the team’s starting goaltender. It was the first time in NHL history that a goalie made his playoff debut in an elimination game. Knight responded by stopping 36 of the 37 shots he faced in the win.Quenneville felt he needed to make the desperate move to Knight after Sergei Bobrovsky and Chris Driedger has given up ten and eight goals, respectively, in the first four games of the series. Bobrovsky has a 5.33 goals-against-average and a .841 save percentage in this series. Driedger has not been much better with a 3.70 goals-against-average and a .871 save percentage. Knight was playing college hockey for Boston College in March. The 20-year-old led the United States to the World Junior Championship earlier this year, highlighted by a shutout victory against Canada in the Gold Medal game. In four regular-season starts this season, Knight posted a 4-0-0 record, with a 2.32 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 10 points in this series, coming from two goals and eight assists. Aleksander Barkov has seven points from two goals and five assists. Hornqvist and Sam Bennett both have five points. Tampa Bay was 4-2 in their six opportunities to end a playoff series last year in the championship run. Andrei Vasilevskiy had a .938 save percentage in those games. He stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced on Monday. Vasilevskiy has a 3.16 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage in this series. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lighting with nine points in the series coming from three goals and six assists. Alex Killorn has three goals and four assists. Victor Hedman has added seven assists. Tampa Bay won the first two games of this series on the road by 5-4 and 3-1 scores. Florida upset the Lighting on the road, 6-5, in the third game before losing the fourth game by a 6-2 score on Saturday. The series moves back to Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena for the sixth game. BetAnySports lists the Lightning as a -140 money line favorite with the total set at 6.Computer Prediction:  Tampa Bay Lightning 6 Florida Panthers 1

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UEFA Europa League: Villarreal vs. Manchester United Preview and Odds - 05/26/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Europa League Final Preview: Villarreal versus Manchester United.Villarreal plays Manchester United in the championship match of the Europa League on a neutral field at the Stadion Miejski in Gdansk, Poland. The CBS Sports Network broadcasts the game at 3 PM ET.Villarreal reached the final after defeating Arsenal by a 2-1 aggregate goal score in the semifinals. The Yellow Submarine won the first leg, 2-1, at home on April 29th before a 0-0 draw on the road in the second leg. Villarreal defeated Dynamo Zagreb by a 2-1 aggregate score in the quarterfinals. They beat Dynamo Kyiv with a 4-0 aggregate score in the Round of 16, and they advanced past Salzburg in the opening Round of 32 knockout stage, with a 4-1 aggregate score. The Yellow Submarine last played on Saturday in a 2-1 loss at Real Madrid that concluded their La Liga season. Villarreal finished in 7th place, 28 points behind Atletico Madrid, who the league championship. They were three points behind Real Betis for sixth place in the table. Manager Unai Emery is no stranger to the title match in this competition. Emery won the Europa League title three times as the skipper for Sevilla. He later took Arsenal to the finals in 2016-17 before losing to Chelsea in the championship match. Attacking midfielder Samuel Chukwueze is a doubt for this match after leaving the pitch in the second leg with Arsenal with an injury. He did not play on Saturday against Real Madrid. Chukwueze has participated in the training leading up to this match.Manchester United reached this match after beating Roma by an 8-5 aggregate score in the semifinals. The Red Devils won the first leg on the road by a 6-2 score. They lost the second leg at home, 3-2, but still advanced from the comfortable lead they earned in the opening game. Man United defeated Granada by a 4-0 aggregate score in the quarterfinals. They advanced past AC Milan in the Round of 16 by a 2-1 aggregate score after outlasting Real Sociedad by a 4-0 aggregate score in the Round of 32 first knockout stage. The Red Devils come off a 2-1 win at Wolverhampton on Sunday that concluded their English Premier League season. With second place in the table clinched, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was able to rest most of his usual starting XI in preparation for this match. Man United finished 12 points behind league champion Manchester City. They closed five points ahead of the previous champion Liverpool and seven points of a Chelsea side that plays Man City on Saturday for the Champions League title. Solskjaer may not have center-back Harry Maguire for this match, who suffered a knee injury earlier this month. Maguire not only anchors the Red Devils’ backline, but he plays a vital role in advancing the ball up the pitch. Eric Bailly likely takes his spot if he is not able to play. Maguire did not take part in the Tuesday evening training. Man United has won six European titles, including the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017. Solskjaer is looking to win his first trophy as the Red Devils’ manager. English teams have lost nine in a row when facing a Spanish team in a Europa League final. BookMaker lists Manchester United as a -0.5 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: UEFA Europa League, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL Previews and Odds - 05/26/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Wednesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and the UEFA Europa League.The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Philadelphia hosts Washington on NBA TV at 7:05 PM ET. The 76ers won the first game of this series with their 125-118 victory as an 8-point favorite on Sunday. The Six have won 11 of their last 13 games. The Wizards have dropped four of seven games. Philadelphia is an 8-point favorite with the total set at 230.5 (all odds from BetOnline). New York plays at home against Atlanta on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The Hawks won their fifth game in a row by taking the opening game of this series, 107-105, as a 2.5-point road favorite on Sunday. The Knicks had their three-game winning streak end with the loss. New York is a 2-point favorite with an over/under of 212.5. Utah is at home against Memphis in the second game of the TNT doubleheader at 10:05 PM ET. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine games after their 112-109 upset win on the road as an 8-point underdog on Sunday. The Jazz had their two-game winning streak end with the loss. Utah is an 8.5-point favorite, with the total at 218.Three games are on the NHL playoff schedule. The New York Islanders host Pittsburgh on the NBC Sports Network at 6:38 PM ET. The Islanders took a 3-2 lead in this series with their 3-2 overtime victory on Monday. The Penguins have lost the last two games after being up 2-1 in the series. New York is a -113 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Tampa Bay is at home against Florida on CNBC at 8:08 PM ET. The Panthers extended this series to a sixth game with their 4-1 victory on Monday. The Lightning holds a 3-2 lead in the series. Tampa Bay is a -143 money line favorite with a total of 6. Vegas visits Minnesota on the NBC Sports Network at 9:08 PM ET. The Wild extended this series to a sixth game with their 4-2 win on Monday. The Golden Knights hold a 3-2 lead in the series. Vegas is a -125 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. Minnesota hosts Baltimore at 1:10 PM ET as a -190 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox are at home against St. Louis at 2:10 PM ET as a -185 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Seattle visits Oakland at 3:37 PM ET. Texas travels to Los Angeles to play the Angels at 4:07 PM ET. The Chicago Cubs play at Pittsburgh at 6:35 PM ET as a -138 money line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Philadelphia visits Miami at 6:40 PM ET. The New York Yankees plays at home against Toronto at 7:05 PM ET as a -158 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Washington hosts Cincinnati as a -134 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. Boston is at home against Atlanta at 7:10 PM ET as a -113 money line favorite with an over/under of 10. Tampa Bay plays at home against Kansas City as a -202 money line favorite with a total of 7. The New York Mets are at home against Colorado as a -130 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Cleveland visits Detroit.The Los Angeles Dodgers play at Houston on ESPN at 7:40 PM ET. The Dodgers won their seventh game in a row with their 9-2 victory in the opening game of this series on Tuesday. The Astros have lost four in a row. Los Angeles is a -134 money line road favorite with a total of 8. San Diego travels to Milwaukee at 7:40 PM ET as a -129 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. San Francisco plays at Arizona at 9:40 PM ET as a -118 money line road favorite with a total of 9.One game is on the WNBA schedule. Las Vegas travels to Phoenix on the CBS Sports Network at 10 PM ET.The final of the Europa League has Manchester United playing Real Villarreal at 3 PM ET. The Red Devils are a -0.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25 with the match being played on a neutral field in Gdansk, Poland. The CBS Sports Network has the broadcast.

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NHL Hockey: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators Preview, Odds and Prediction - 05/25/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

NHL Tuesday CNBC Preview: Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes.Nashville made this a best-of-three series with their 4-3 victory in double-overtime at the Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. That victory came after the Predators won the third game of this series at home in double-overtime, 5-4, on Friday. Luke Kunin opened the scoring in the first minute for Nashville on Sunday. Vincent Trocheck evened the score at 1-1 at the 18:03 mark of the first period. Ryan Johansen gave the Predators’ a 2-1 lead 3:15 minutes into the second period. Brock McGinn tied the game up with under two minutes to go in the period. He scored again 13 seconds into the third period to give Carolina the 3-2 lead. Nick Cousins tied the game with a power-play goal at the 16:10 mark of the third period to force overtime. After a scoreless 20 minutes in the first overtime session, Kunn scored his second goal of the game at the 16:10 minute mark of the second overtime to give Nashville the win.Predators’ goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 58 of the 61 shots he faced, including 20 shots in overtime. Saros stopped 52 of the 56 shots he faced in the double-overtime game on Friday. He became the second goalie since the 1955-56 season to make at least 50 saves in two straight playoff games. Curtis Joseph last accomplished this feat in 1993 when he made 61 and 51 saves for St. Louis. Saros has a .940 save percentage in these last two games. For the series, Saros has a 2.52 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage. Head coach John Hynes' decision to have Matt Duchene join the top line of Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen in the wake of the lower-body injury to right wing Viktor Arvidsson has produced dividends. The trio has combined to produce 10 points in this series. Defenseman Ryan Ellis leads the team with four points. Carolina won the first two games of this series by 5-2 and 3-0 scores. They hold a 10-9 lead in goals when playing at even strength, and they have a 40 to 36 edge in high-danger opportunities. Sebastian Aho leads the way with five points in this series. His three goals are tied with Jordan Staal for most on the team. Brett Pesce has four points coming from one goal and three assists. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 39 of the 43 shots he faced on Sunday. The rookie has a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .928 save percentage in his four starts in this series. After two straight losses, head coach Rod Brind’Amour may turn to Petr Mrazek or James Reimer to serve as the team’s goaltender. Top pair defenseman Jacob Slavin missed his third straight game for the Hurricanes. He is questionable to play tonight with his lower-body injury. Arvidsson is questionable for the Predators. This series returns to Carolina’s PNC Arena for this pivotal fifth game. The home team has held serve in all four games so far this series. BetAnySports lists the Hurricanes as a -185 money line favorite with the total set at 5.5. The puck drops at 8:08 PM ET on CNBC.Computer prediction:  Carolina Hurricanes 4 Nashville Predators 1

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA Previews and Odds - 05/25/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

The Tuesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs have three games on the docket. Brooklyn hosts Boston in the first game of a doubleheader on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The Nets took a 1-0 lead in this series with their 104-93 victory against the Celtics as an 8-point favorite on Saturday. Brooklyn has won six games in a row. Boston has lost six of their last eight games. The Nets are a 9.5-point favorite with the total set at 227.5 (all odds from BetOnline).The Los Angeles Lakers visit Phoenix in the second game on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Suns took the first game in this series with their 99-90 win as a 2.5-point favorite on Sunday. Phoenix has won four games in a row. The Lakers had their six-game winning streak end with the loss. Los Angeles is a 1.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 208.The Los Angeles Clippers are at home against Dallas on NBA TV at 10:35 PM ET. The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in this series with their 113-103 upset win as a 6-point underdog on Saturday. Dallas has won seven of their last nine games. The Clippers have lost three games in a row. Los Angeles is a 6-point favorite with the total of 216.Two games are on the NHL playoff schedule. Toronto plays at Montreal on the NBC Sports Network at 7:38 PM ET. The Maple Leafs took a 2-1 lead in this series with their 2-1 victory on Monday. Toronto is a -165 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Carolina hosts Nashville on CNBC at 8:08 PM ET. The Predators evened this series at two games apiece with their 4-3 victory in double overtime on Sunday. Carolina is a -183 money line favorite. Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. The Chicago Cubs travel to Pittsburgh for a game at 6:35 PM ET. Miami plays at home against Philadelphia at 6:40 PM ET as a -126 money line favorite with a total of 7. Washington hosts Cincinnati at 7:05 PM ET as a -165 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The New York Yankees are at home against Toronto as a -170 money line favorite with a total of 9. The New York Mets play at home against Colorado at 7:10 PM ET as a -260 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Tampa Bay hosts Kansas City as a -171 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Atlanta visits Boston as a -157 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Cleveland is at Detroit as a -140 money line road favorite with a total of 9. Milwaukee hosts San Diego at 7:40 PM ET as a -118 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. Minnesota plays at home against Baltimore as a -202 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox are at home against St. Louis at 8:10 PM ET as a -140 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers visit Houston on FS1 at 8:10 PM ET. The Dodgers have won seven games in a row after their 11-5 victory at San Francisco on Sunday. The Astros have lost three in a row after their 3-2 loss at Toronto on Sunday. Houston sends out Zack Greinke to duel against Clayton Kershaw. Los Angeles is a -118 money line road favorite with a total of 8.The Los Angeles Angels play at home against Texas at 9:38 PM ET as a -159 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Oakland is at home against Seattle at 9:40 PM ET as a -161 money line favorite with a total of 8. San Francisco travels to Arizona to close out the card for a game that starts at 9:40 PM ET.Three games take place in the WNBA. Washington visits Indiana at 7 PM ET. Atlanta travels to Chicago on the CBS Sports Network at 8 PM ET. Connecticut plays at Seattle in the second game of a CBS Sports Network doubleheader at 10 PM ET. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, NBA, WNBA and MLB Previews and Odds - 05/24/2021

by Big Al Staff

Monday, May 24, 2021

The Monday sports card has action in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the WNBA.The NBA playoffs have two games on the docket. Milwaukee hosts Miami on TNT at 7:30 PM ET. The Bucks won the opening game of this series on Saturday with their 109-107 victory as a 5.5-point favorite. The Heat have lost two of their last three games. Milwaukee is a 4.5-point favorite with the total set at 222.5 (all odds from BetOnline). Denver plays at home against Portland in the second game on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Nuggets have dropped two games in a row after losing the first game in this series, 123-109, as a 1-point favorite. The Trail Blazers have won seven of their last eight games. Denver is a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 227.Five games are on the NHL playoff slate. Pittsburgh is at home against the New York Islanders on the NBC Sports Network at 7 PM ET. The Islanders evened this series at 2-2 with their 4-1 victory on Saturday. The Penguins are a -137 money line favorite as a -137 money line favorite with the total set at 5.5. Toronto visits Montreal on the NHL Network at 7 PM ET. The Maple Leafs evened this series at 1-1 with their 5-1 victory on Saturday. The Canadiens have lost six of their last seven games. Toronto is a -157 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Tampa Bay travels to Florida on CNBC at 8 PM ET. The Lightning took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 6-2 victory at Florida on Saturday. Tampa Bay is a -109 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Edmonton plays at Winnipeg on the NBC Sports Network at 9:45 PM ET. The Jets took a 3-0 lead in this series with their 5-4 win in overtime on Sunday. The Oilers are a -116 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.Vegas hosts Minnesota on CNBC at 10:30 PM ET. The Golden Knights took a 3-1 lead in this series with their 4-0 shutout victory on Saturday. Vegas is a -181 money line favorite with a total of 5.5.Eight games are on the MLB schedule. Tampa Bay visits Toronto at 1:07 PM ET as a -120 money line road favorite with an over/under of 10.5. Miami plays at home against Philadelphia at 6:40 PM ET as a -118 money line favorite with a total of 7. Detroit is at home against Cleveland at 7:10 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. The New York Mets are at home against Colorado as a -133 money line favorite with a total of 7. Milwaukee hosts San Diego at 7:40 PM ET as a -110 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. Baltimore travels to Minnesota as a -106 money line road favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox play at home against St. Louis as a -160 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. Oakland is at home against Seattle at 9:40 PM ET as a -155 money line favorite with a total of 8.One game is on the WNBA schedule. Dallas visits New York at 7 PM ET. 

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