SPORTS WAGERS
Columbus -½ +129 over DETROIT
Regulation only. Detroit returns home from a brief but successful three-game trip in which they lost to Pittsburgh in the opener but won the final two against the Islanders and Jets. Six of Detroit’s last eight games have been decided by way of overtime or shootout. Nine of their last 11 games have been decided by one goal and there is certainly a price to pay for so many close games bunched together. We’re suggesting that price will be paid tonight after a game in Winnipeg and after three full days off. The Red Wings will get their first look of the Jackets this year and they may be in for a surprise.
Columbus is not messing around. This team is on a path of destruction right now and we doubt that Detroit will get in their way. The Jackets have won four straight and outshot those four opponents by counts of 38-27, 37-20, 60-34 and 34-18. In the Jackets last three losses, they outshot all three by counts of 37-23, 34-20 and 42-27. The Jackets are not only dominating when they win, they are dominating when they lose too. You would be hard pressed to find a team that is dominating game in and game out like this edition of the Blue Jackets. The metrics all say it’s legit, as Columbus is a top-5 team in just about every under the hood and above the surface stat that there is. The Jackets are a true force to be reckoned with and one that the Red Wings aren’t likely to be sharp for. There is also another side note to this game that we cannot ignore. Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels' son died in his sleep at the age of 23 on Wednesday. That has understandably cast a sombre mood around the team and it is going to be very difficult for anyone in the Detroit locker room to get jacked up for a hockey game after something like that happens. The Jackets must be played here.
Harry Bondi
DALLAS +4.5 over Indiana
Dallas has a rare opportunity for a winner tonight against an Indiana team that has been good at home but just 1-9 ATS their last 10 road games. Pacers are also playing their 4 game in 6 nights while the rested Mavericks have not played in 6 days. Rested Mav’s get the money!
Bob Balfe
Suns +2
Phoenix has struggled this season, but will get a rare chance at a win against a Lakers team with many injuries. The Suns are a quick tempo team that will score to much against a really short handed L.A team. This is the type of game that the Lakers do not want to be involved in tonight as they will be forced to go deep into the bench minutes.
Buster Sports
Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings
Play: Columbus Blue Jackets -120
The Columbus Blue Jackets are arguably playing the best hockey in the NHL and they go to Detroit tonight with one of the best road records in the league standing at 6-2-3. The Blue Jackets have won 5 out of 6 games with their lone loss a 2-1 OT loss to Florida. Detroit is coming home off of a successful 3 game road trip where they won two games. They have been home resting for a while so our road trip angle doesn't really apply tonight. The Red Wings have been mediocre at home this year with a 6-6-2 record. The Red Wings have the tough task of scoring against one of the best defensive teams in the league as the Blue Jackets are 3rd in goals against average and have allowed only 52 goals all year. Columbus will be one of the top teams all year and at the time of this writing they were small favorites at minus 120. We will be more than happy to lay the small price with the much better team.
Stephen Nover
Hawks / Bucks Under 206.5
The Bucks are an underrated defensive team. They rank first in the league in both defensive field goal percentage and 3-point defensive field goal percentage.
Atlanta always has prided itself on defense under Mike Budenholzer. The Hawks hit a rough patch, but look back on track now after snapping a seven-game losing streak by beating the Heat, 103-95, two nights ago.
The Hawks still have a top-12 defense, but their offense ranks 24th averaging 100.3 points per game.