Ben Burns

I won with the Canucks last night. That was a wild 6-5 affair. With the same teams facing each other for the second time in two nights, I'm expecting an entirely different type of game this evening. Montreal's most recent visit here, before last night, resulted in a 3-1 final. The year before that was a 3-2 game here. Even factoring in last night's result, the 'under' remains 6-3-1 the last 10 meetings here. Note that the lone 'push' was a game which landed on five. So, it would have also stayed below tonight's far more generous total. Consider the Under 6.5. 

Don't have a Ben Burns' membership but still want in on ALL HIS WINNERS from Thursday? His "ALL ACCESS PASS" provides your PERFECT option, as Ben is bundling his entire 5-GAME CARD into a single report. Ben was 3-1 Tuesday and 2-1-1 Wednesday. He's 175-125 (+$23K) his L300, a streak dating back to mid-November. Today, he's going for the PERFECT 5-0 SWEEP. You in?

I'm playing on MEMPHIS on the moneyline. While the Tigers have struggled, I expect a visit from Wichita State to brings out their best. Shockers' coach Brown also believes that will be the case. He has this to say: "We'll see the best Memphis team that has played this year, They're the most talented team in the league. They have great size. They have a lot of talented one-on-one guys ..." Memphis has had its way with Wichita State here in this building and the Tigers will have some (3500) fans in attendance tonight. The Tigers won by eight here last season and by 11 the year before. They're a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS the last three times that they were listed as home favorites of three or less, going 21-11 SU (20-11-1 ATS) their last 32 in that role. Expect their best effort, en route to another victory tonight.

I'm playing COLUMBUS on the puck-line (+1.5 goals) I rode the Lightning to the Cup in the playoffs and they've picked up right where they left off. (They're 2-0 with a couple of easy victories.) While the champs are certainly going to be strong again, its not always going to be as easy as they've made it look. A closer look shows that both their games came against Chicago. They're going to get a much tougher challenge from Columbus. Remember, the Lightning eliminated the Blue Jackets from the playoffs. So, there's a revenge factor here. (The year before that, Columbus shocked TB in the first round.) The Jackets are off b2b games with identical 3-2 scores, their most recent going to OT. Speaking of "close games," the last three games between these teams had scores of 3-2, 2-1 and 5-4, all 1-goal games. In fact, while the teams have split the last 10 meetings equally, ALL five of TB's wins came by a single goal, three of them in OT. Expect another close one and AT LEAST another "puck-line cover."

I'm playing MONTANA on the moneyline. Montana has had trouble covering spreads in conference play this season. We don't have to worry about that tonight though. All they need to do is win and Sacramento State represents the perfect opponent. The Grizzlies have a talent advantage in this matchup, as per usual. They've beaten the Hornets seven straight times, winning by an average of 11 points. Montana has won its last three visits here by scores of 79-71, 86-68 and 78-66. Montana has played the much tougher schedule. Expect those tougher games to pay dividends here, as they make it eight straight in the series. 

I'm playing on NEW ORLEANS. I won with the 'over' when these same teams faced each other on Tuesday. For tonight's rematch, I feel that the value lies with the visitors. Having dropped Tuesday's game, the Pelicans are coming in angry and motivated. While the Jazz got the better of them Tuesday, the previous six meetings between the Jazz and Pelicans had all been decided by 10 points or less, two of the previous three decided by a single bucket. The Pelicans are already 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS when coming off a double-digit loss. Off a double-digit loss against Miami, they bounced back to beat the Spurs. Off a double-digit loss against the Suns, they bounced back to crush the Thunder. Off a double-digit loss to the Lakers, they bounced back for a win and cover at Sacramento. Off Tuesday's double-digit loss, look for them to bounce back with AT LEAST another cover tonight. 

I'm playing on Winnipeg/Ottawa UNDER the total. These teams met a couple of nights ago. The O/U line was six. One had to lay some extra juice to play the 'under.' Now, two nights later, we're working with a 6.5, rather than a six. That may not sound like much, but that extra 1/2 goal could easily prove to be significant. Yes, Tuesday's game finished above the total with seven goals. However, only six of those goals were scored in regulation and the sixth of those came when there was an empty net. Indeed, that game could have easily been lower-scoring. Yet, because of that game, we're working with a higher O/U line. Offensive players Laine for Winnipeg and Stutzle both missed Tuesday and are both questionable again tonight. Prior to Tuesday, the Sens were off a 3-2 game while the Jets were off a 3-1 game. Look for this one to prove lower-scoring than many will be expecting.