Taking control or survival in NHL Sunday Playoffs

In today’s Stanley Cup contests, four series commence in new locations, all tied up at 1-1, the most appealing of the group is Phoenix paying a visit to Motown, who will have two tries to regain home ice advantage. The first is nationally televised tilt on NBC.

You work all year for the playoffs and home ice, and in 60 minutes it can disappear as Chicago found out. Thus far all four higher seeds that lost initial game have come back to even series, can the Blackhawks do the same?

Phoenix at Detroit 3:00E NBC

The Coyotes knew they couldn’t match the speed and skill of the Red Wings in end to end hockey which is the very reason they lost 7-4 in Game 2. Phoenix has to button down the defense and play like they did in the series opener or they will trail for the first time in the series.

“We know when we play our game we’re capable of beating anybody, but we didn’t play our game,” captain Shane Doan said. “I’m sure it was fun to watch, but it wasn’t our type of game.” Phoenix is 15-6 off a home loss by two goals or more over the last two seasons.

The high-scoring affair didn’t bother Detroit, who has won 50 consecutive games when scoring four or more goals in the postseason. “It sure helps winning the game last night instead of coming back being down 2-0,” Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said Saturday. “We’re happy with the split.”

The Red Wings were mediocre 25-11 by their standards at Joe Louis Arena this season, however won eight of last nine in their own rink and are 45-10 in home games after scoring four goals or more in their previous game since 2007-08 campaign.

DiamondSportsbook.com has Detroit as -200 money line favorites, with total Ov5. The Wings are 24-4 after a blowout win by three goals or more and 9-0 UNDER at home after two exact road encounters. Phoenix has one victory is last six tries at “The Joe” and is 8-2 UNDER in road conflicts after both teams scored four goals or more.

Nashville at Chicago 8:30E TSN

The first contest was a battle of playoff newbies in net. Both played well for two periods, with Chicago leading 1-0. J.P. Dumont of Nashville flipped the puck towards the Blackhawks net and goalie Antti Niemi let the rubber play him and the game was tied.

That fluky goal gave the Predators the confidence to believe and Chicago was stunned and caved in. “I think that lucky bounce gave us momentum and gave us that hope, and I think we kind of got going after that,” Predators defenseman Shea Weber said. “That kind of woke us up.”

In less than 20 minutes the Hawks has lost home ice advantage and is faced with uncertainly and must win situation.

“I saw it coming to the net. I don’t know how it bounced or why,” Neimi said. “It had nothing to do with the ice. … It was just a terrible goal. We were handling things that far really good in the game.”

That was Nashville’s first postseason road win in 11 tries and they are 7-2 against good defensive teams conceding 27 or fewer shots on goal and allowing less than 15 percent on the power play.

“They get you when you are trying to make plays in the middle, they all come back really hard and when you try to go east-west, they end up taking it the other way,” Chicago’s Andrew Ladd said Saturday, describing the Predators’ defense.

Ladd and his teammates are -260 money line favorites with total Ov5 and are 16-4 after consecutive home games and 12-5 UNDER after allowing two goals or more in the third period last game this season.

Nashville goes for decisive lead in the series and has four wins in previous 11 visits to the Windy City and is 19-11 OVER having won two of three.

A New NFL Wagering Season Begins

Keeping with recent NFL tradition, the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers open the new season at home before a national television audience on Thursday night. Pittsburgh, fresh off its second crown in four years, hosts Tennessee in a battle of the AFC's top two playoff seeds from 2008.

The Titans (13-4, 14-4-1 ATS in 2008), who defeated the Steelers 31-14 in Week 16 last season and captured the AFC South title with 13 victories, are eager to be back in action after suffering a mistake-filled playoff loss at home to Baltimore in the divisional round. Tennessee outgained the Ravens by 180 yards, but three turnovers in the red zone proved too much to overcome.

Turnovers, a stifling defense, a deft running game and sound quarterback play from veteran Kerry Collins made the Titans the team to beat entering last year's postseason. And even with menacing tackle Albert Haynesworth (Redskins) gone from a defense that ranked in the top six in most categories, Tennessee is certain to be a factor in a division any of the four clubs could win and is 7-0 ATS in September the last couple of years.

Pittsburgh's competition in the AFC North may only go one deep, with nobody outside of Baltimore expected to contend. The Steelers (15-4, 11-8 ATS) have essentially the same personnel and are a safe bet to pick up right where they left off as 27-23 winners over Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII. Aside from an Achilles' scare in practice, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed a quiet offseason, unlike 2006, and is primed to top last year's numbers (3,301 yards, 17 touchdowns, 15 interceptions) with a new second tier of receivers in Limas Sweed and Shaun McDonald (Lions) to go with veteran Hines Ward and Santonio "Super Bowl MVP" Holmes. Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in first game of a new season.

Roethlisberger passed for 331 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions versus the Titans last Dec. 21 in a game that saw Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense allow just one scoring drive of more than 40 yards. That came midway through the third quarter when Tennessee went 79 yards on 11 plays and took the lead for good on Chris Johnson's 21-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-inches.

Pittsburgh can expect a heavy dose of Johnson and LenDale White, but as the Titans showed in last year's meeting they won't hesitate to pass, as Collins went 20-for-29. That means Justin Gage will see plenty of action after totaling 104 yards last season against the Steelers defense. Look for the Titans to want to clock Big Ben just like last season, when they sacked him five times. Though Haynesworth will be missed, he didn’t play in last year’s matchup.

The Titans are six-point underdogs, with total of 35 at Bookmaker.com and are 16-6 ATS when catching points and are 8-2 UNDER in September.

If the opening game is to be joyous occasion in the Steel City, then the offensive line has to give Roethlisberger time to throw and not have him running for his life. Look for Pittsburgh to test Tennessee defense with deep shots to Sweed and rookie Mike Wallace. Defensively, the Steelers have to keep Johnson inside the tackles and prevent him from bouncing out wide. Pittsburgh is 39-18 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and has played OVER in seven straight openers.

In the last six meetings between these AFC squads, the OVER is 6-1. The excitement starts at 8:30 Eastern on NBC for the NFL lid-lifter and the previous year’s Super Bowl champions are 9-0 and 7-1-1 ATS in first game of a new season.


College and Pro Football Newsweekly contributed to this article.