ASA Wins

ASA NHL TOP PLAY 10* ON OVER: Buffalo Sabres versus Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday at 7:05 PM ET

Jack Campbell has been playing well between the pipes for the Maple Leafs since they got him from Los Angeles.  However, the former Kings netminder was in between the pipes at Ottawa last night and that means Toronto will turn to Frederik Andersen in this back to back situation.  He only recently returned from a neck injury and, though he allowed "only" 3 goals versus Dallas, he faced only 19 shots.  Andersen giving up 3 goals only 19 shots is not a good sign.  In his last 4 road starts he has allowed an average of 3 goals per game but here he will face much more than 19 shots against a desperate Sabres team that is off consecutive wins and trying to make an upward trek through the standings.  Buffalo is well-rested here too and they will pepper Andersen with shots early and often in this one.  While Toronto was in action last night, the Sabres haven't played since Thursday, a 4-3 OT win versus Columbus.  That was the 4th time in 5 games that Buffalo has scored at least 3 goals.  The issue for the Sabres right now is in goal.  They are still without their #1 goalie, Linus Ullmark.  That has meant Carter Hutton has seen plenty of work but now even he is listed as questionable for playing in this one.  In fact the Sabres called up a goalie from the AHL in case they need another netminder for this one this evening.  The starter for Buffalo could be Jonas Johansson tonight and he has made just 2 NHL starts in his career.  The goalie Buffalo called up from Rochester is Andrew Hammond and he made only 5 NHL starts the past 3 seasons (and 0 last season).  The Sabres muddled goalie situation is particularly concerning when you consider that the Maple Leafs are one of the highest scoring teams in the league and enter this game having averaged 4 goals per game in their last 11 meetings with the Sabres.  Those match-ups have gone 8-3 to the over and, per our computer math model, the odds are very high in our favor that this one totals at least 7 or more once again!  Bet the OVER in Buffalo in NHL early evening action Sunday 

ASAwins 10* PLAY ON Minnesota -5 over Iowa, Sunday at 1 PM ET

The Gophs have had a full week off to get ready for this must win home game.  Minnesota sits squarely on the bubble (11th or 12th Big Ten team) and they cannot afford to lose this game.  They’ve been very good at home with their only Big 10 loss here at the Barn coming to Michigan State.  Since that home loss to Sparty the Gophers are just 1-2 SU (both losses on the road) but they are playing well.  In their last 3 they blasted Wisconsin here by 18 points and then took both Illinois and Penn State, two of the top teams in the conference, to the wire on the road.  They showed us a lot in their most recent game last week @ Penn State (currently in 1st place in the Big 10) when they got down big early in the 2nd half and battled back to almost get the win.  They cut the lead to 3 points with 4:30 remaining and lost by 6 vs a PSU team that is on an 8 game winning streak.  Iowa, like many Big 10 teams, has been great at home, but not good on the road.  They have a grand total of one conference road win and that was @ Northwestern.  They just lost by 12 @ Indiana on Thursday and now play on the road again just a few days later.  Their last 3 conference road games have resulted in losses by margins of 12, 36, and 10 points.  They also lost @ Nebraska this season, the lowest rated team in the league.  The Hawkeyes will also most likely be without one of their top players on Sunday as starting guard CJ Fredrick injured his ankle on Thursday @ Indiana and is doubtful here.  Iowa blasted Minnesota by 20 points in their meeting in Iowa City this season giving the Gophs some extra incentive here.  The home team has won 6 straight in this series with the favorite covering 5 in a row.  The road woes continue for Iowa as Minnesota gets a much needed win.