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The Carolina Hurricanes have fought back from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to currently holding the eighth and final playoff spot. But their hold is tenuous. The Hurricanes have a two-point lead over the hard-charging Buffalo Sabres and the Atlanta Thrashers. If it weren’t for a Sabres loss on Wednesday night, the Hurricanes would be tied with Buffalo. Considering the leap the Hurricanes have made, their progress is impressive. But missing the playoffs would wipe all of that progress away.

If you bet on college basketball then you know that every game counts. As the trade deadline NHL approaches, the Philadelphia Flyers are in a battle with the Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in the league standings and the President’s Trophy. Considering that no team in recent years has won the President’s Trophy and then gone on to win the Stanley Cup, one would think that the pursuit of the top spot in the league would be muted. But the 5dimes experts know that winning is all about momentum, and the Flyers would like to keep their momentum going into the playoffs.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have a good home record at 14-9-2. But, in their last 10 games, Carolina has only won four and their most recent loss to the New Jersey Devils cost them the chance to tie the New York Rangers for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The problem for the Hurricanes has been scoring. Goaltender Cam Ward is 1-2-2 in his last five games, but he is giving up an average of only 2.8 goals per game in that stretch. The Hurricanes just cannot score, and when they line up against Philly goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and that Flyers defense, the Hurricanes are not going to find the goal scoring any easier.

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Those who bet on NCAA basketball don’t have to worry about seeing a player come back to face their former team, but that’s been a prevalent theme in the NBA this year after last summer’s free-agent sweepstakes and the Miami Heat have been at the heart of that. On Wednesday, it’s Chris Bosh’s turn as he and the Heat will be in Toronto to face the Raptors.

Heat Raptors Betting – Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Heat still have to play in Indiana on Tuesday night, and they will be coming off an 85-82 loss in Boston on Sunday and again it was an issue of the Heat not being able to execute down the stretch. Bosh had 24 points and 10 rebounds, while LeBron James added 22 points, seven boards and seven assists for the Heat, who shot 41.9% from the field, including a miserable 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. At the trade deadline NHL teams will be looking for players who don’t get pressured down the stretch, and that may not be the case for Miami, but it has to be something. Maybe they’re still trying to figure out how James and Dwyane Wade will work together, but something has to give soon because the Heat are now 0-3 against the Celtics this season.

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If you’re betting on World Cup odds, it’s probably taking up a lot of your time, but in American football, there are a couple of interesting developments going on with two of the game’s most dynamic young players.  Their teams may end up scrambling to sort out their contracts before the season starts.

Chris Johnson

Last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Johnson was, far and away, the best running back in the league last year.  Johnson’s 2,006 yards on the ground was 590 yards more than St. Louis’ Steven Jackson, and his 22 runs of 20 yards or more was 10 more than Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson.  Johnson’s 358 carries also led the NFL, and he fumbled just three times (by comparison, Peterson had 314 carries and six fumbles).  Johnson also became more of a threat in the passing game as the Titans were trying any way they could to get the ball to their star.  He’s three years into a five-year deal, but this year, he would be paying for $550,000, which would make him one of the worst-paid starters in the league.  Imagine if Lionel Messi sat out a World Cup contest for Argentina; it would be destructive to the team.  It’s the same with Johnson, and normally we’re all for players honoring their contracts.  But Johnson is an amazing talent, and he plays at a position where his shelf life is limited, so he wants to make sure he and his family are taken care of, which is fair.  The Titans need to make this happen, or it’s going to be a long year for Vince Young.
Darrelle Revis

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Even though Masters betting is the hot play right now, there are a couple of exciting races to check out in the NHL as teams are jockeying for places in the playoffs. On Wednesday, there are two games that will involve possible playoff teams, and they get to face the worst teams in their respective conferences.

Leafs vs Rangers odds – Wednesday, April 7, 7:00 PM ET

The Rangers should be favored at home as they sit two points behind Philadelphia for the final spot in the East ahead of Tuesday night’s game in Buffalo. The Rangers have won two of their three meetings with the Maple Leafs this season, and Toronto is actually playing decent hockey right now, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 ahead of Tuesday’s home game with Philadelphia, so the Maple Leafs are poised to play a big role in the playoff race. The Rangers had won three in a row going into Buffalo on Tuesday, and they look like they are playing with urgency, and that should be enough to get them a win, especially since the Maple Leafs aren’t a great road team, they’ve dropped two of their last three in Madison Square Garden, and Phil Kessel may be out of the lineup. Go with New York in your hockey betting picks.

Avalanche vs Oilers odds – Wednesday, April 7, 9:30 PM ET

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Tennessee- Ohio State Preview

The March Madness odds favorites have struggled this year, in no region more than the Midwest where the one, three, four, and seven seeds all failed to reach the sweet 16, including the number one overall seed Kansas, which fell in the second round to number nine ranked Northern Iowa. The second and six seeds did make it to the regional final four however, and will tip off Friday for the opportunity to play in the Elite Eight.

What: NCAA Basketball Betting

When: Friday March 26^th – 7PM ET

Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO

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NFL week 1 matchups and picks

Finally, FINALLY NFL betting is back and it’s time to bet. While the NFL surprises us every season, you can still win money in Week 1 if you did your homework – that includes researching last season, following offseason transactions and looking for preseason trends. Let’s try a parlay.

Steelers (-6) over Titans

WHY: The Titans’ passing game is a major question mark, so the Steelers’ fantastic all-around defense will stack the box against Chris Johnson and LenDale White, forcing Tennessee to beat them through the air.

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British Open odds are backing Padraig Harrington to put up a good fight when the 138^th edition of the Open Championship tees off on Thursday, but the Irishman has had an awful season despite his recent win in the Irish PGA Championship. Here is a look at the top five British players who could replace Harrington.

British Open Odds – Thursday, July 16, 2:30 AM ET

Ian Poulter probably has the best chance to win, even though he isn’t the highest-rated player with British Open odds of +2600. But he finished second in last year’s Open, and he’s finished in the top 20 of both majors so far this season. Poulter has all the talent in the world and will eventually win a major, but he’ll have to be better off the tee and with his putting to be one of your sports picks this week.

Lee Westwood hasn’t made the top 30 in a British Open since 2004, when he came in fourth. He is coming off a 23^rd-place result in the US Open, and he’s coming off two straight top-10s on the European Tour. Westwood has British Open odds of +2800 according to handicapping software, and he’ll open up the event paired with Tiger Woods.

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