We have a guide to all the important sports this weekend, from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to horse racing and UFC Fight Night. There is a high-stakes final weekend of the English Premier League with a title on the line and the first round of the French Open. What is Sunday night without some baseball? With so many games to watch, there is plenty of time to make some bets, so we have the best of our best bets all weekend long. Unless noted, the lines are from Caesars Sportsbook. The New York Rangers are playing the Carolina Hurricanes.
East Second Round, Game 2, 8 p.m., PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, ESPN Friday night's schedule
Saturday's schedule
Sunday's schedule
Friday night
The Hurricanes are listed at -150 and the Rangers are listed at -50.
Puck line: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150), Rangers +1.5 (-175)
Over/Under: 5.5 (-105/-115)
It took just over 40 minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes to play to their identity in the first game of the series. The game was decided by a 29-10 shot attempt advantage, 17-6 scoring chances advantage, and a 2-0 goals-scored advantage in the third period and overtime. They had a bad start. Carolina lost the first period in the playoffs for the first time. In the first round of the playoffs, the Hurricanes scored in the first period in 5 of 7 games against the Boston Bruins. We are playing it safe with a money line bet, but you wouldn't be out of line pushing it to a first-period puck line wager for a little more profitability.
Pick: Carolina 1st period money line.
The Dallas Mavericks are playing the Golden State Warriors.
WCF Game 2, 9 p.m., Chase Center, San Francisco, TNT
The line is Warriors.
Moneyline: Warriors (-260), Mavericks (+210)
Over/Under: 214
Dallas had one of their worst shooting nights of the playoffs, and Luka Doncic had one of his worst nights. The Splash Brothers had a strong third quarter, but Andrew was the X factor. On the defensive side of the court, he had 19 points, five rebound, three assists and was just as important. Seven Warriors scored double digits. In Game 2, I see the same things. I will lay the points, play the under and expect another big night from Wiggins on both ends of the court with home-court advantage and better depth.
Warriors (-6.0), Under 214 points, Wiggins over 22.5 points and assists.
The Flames vs. the Eskimos.
West Second Round Game 2, 10:30 p.m., Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, ESPN
The line is Flames (-175) and the Eskimos (-50).
Puck line: Flames -1.5 (+145), Oilers +1.5 (-170)
Over/Under: 6.5 (-125/+105)
After what we saw in the first game, I am not sure the books know how to handle this series. There is a chance that both Mike Smith and Jacob Markstrom will bounce back in Game 2. There is a better chance that the Battle of Alberta will be a goal fest with the team posting Canadian Football League scores. The Flames have gone over their projected total in three of the last four games.
Pick: Over 3.5 goals for the team.
Saturday is a Saturday.
The third round of the PGA Championship.
Southern Hills Country Club, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Tulsa, Oklahoma, ESPN/ESPN+
The leader after the first round wasRory McIlroy.
The tournament favorites as of Friday morning were: McIlroy, Thomas, Zalatoris, and Smith.
I am playing both Thomas andRory, but I am giving the edge to Thomas based on his overall body of work this season. Thomas has been more consistent all season and has a better approach than McIlroy.
Pick to win by Justin Thomas.
Phoenix Mercury is playing Las Vegas.
3 p.m., ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, ABC
The line has the number 10 on it.
Moneyline: Aces (-600), Lynx (+425)
Over/Under: 169.5
Home teams favored by more than 7 points are 4-3 against the spread.
The 147th race is the Preakness Stakes.
7:01 p.m., Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland, NBC
The Epicenter is the favorite at 5-5, followed by Early Voting at 7-2 and Secret Oath at 9-2.
Epicenter was the horse to beat in Louisville and is the one to beat here. He was beaten by a long shot because of a complete space meltdown and a lot of racing luck. He came out of the race well. If he didn't come out of the race well, he wouldn't be here. The best 3-year-old in the game feels vindicated. If he wants to run at a target, he can either go to the front or sit off Early Voting. Being drawn outside helps the strategy. He will be a key in every spot in my trifecta, weighted more heavily to the win and place spots. If we press it a lot and get something other than the second or third choice in the other exacta spot, it should be a nice payoff.
The Colorado Avalanche are playing the St. Louis Blues.
West Second Round Game 3, 8 p.m., Enterprise Center, St. Louis, TNT
The Blues are listed as a +45 line.
The line was -1.5 for the Blues and + 1.5 for the Avs.
Over/under is 6.5.
When the Blues are not favored this season, the Overs are 21-8-1. The Blues are 15-12-3 this season. As of the beginning of the series, the data is current. There are more Round 2 betting trends.
The Miami Heat are playing the Boston Celtics.
ECF Game 3, 8:30 p.m., TD Garden, Boston, ABC
Line: Celtics.
Moneyline: Celtics (-270), Heat (+220)
Over/Under: 208.0
Pick ups coming soon.
The UFC Fight Night was hosted by Holly Holm.
9:15 p.m., UFC Apex, Enterprise, Nevada, ESPN+
There is a line between Holm and Vieira.
In terms of pure striking metrics, she is more accurate than Holm, and she matches up well on paper. The standup includes a rich mix of kicks, so the metrics might be a little misleading. The kicks are more dangerous than punches when aimed at the head. The opening that Vieira needs could be found in the kicks of Holm. She has become more of a headhunting boxer, closing the distance for takedowns when she chooses. Getting the fight to the ground would be a good idea. She needs three rounds to tip the scores.
The pick is to win by 200.
Sunday.
The first round of the French Open is underway.
5:00 a.m., Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France, NBC
Defending singles champions: Novak and Barbora.
Men's favorite is Djokovic, Women's favorite is Iga Swiatek.
Play: Tennis Major Pick'em Paris
The top and bottom half of the draw are unbalanced. The top three favorites are all on the top half of the draw. If I am looking for value, I would head to the bottom half, where Stefanos Tsitsipas has a better draw. The final last year was won by Tsitsipas, who led two sets to none. I would go to Tsitsipas for the big clay-court tourneys because I don&t think Daniil Medvedev has played them.
The final weekend of the English premier league.
Man City leads Liverpool by 1 point for championship
Tottenham leads Arsenal by 2 points for fourth place,
All games start at 11 a.m., EPL Table, NBC
To win the title: Man City.
The top four finish were: Spurs (-4000), Gunners (200)
The game lines are Man City v. Villa.
Arsenal (-190) v. Everton (+550), Norwich (+1000) vs. Tottenham (-420)
Man City has a full week of rest and has won three straight home games by a combined score of 13-1. It is difficult to see City losing this game, or even imagining magic will be needed, like in the title-winning goal of a decade ago.
Man City has 2.5 goals.
The Carolina Hurricanes are playing the New York Rangers.
East Second Round, Game 3, 3:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York, ESPN
The Hurricanes and Rangers are the favorites in the series.
All seven Rangers games this postseason had gone over the total prior to the low- scoring affair. The Rangers had the highest under percentage in the NHL during the regular season, including 33-18-1 in Shesterkin starts. There are more Round 2 betting trends.
The Chicago White Sox are playing the New York Yankees.
7 p.m., Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, ESPN
The line is TBD.
Moneyline: TBD
Over/Under: TBD
You can check back later this weekend for odds and picks.
The Flames are playing the Oilers.
West Second Round Game 3, 8:00 p.m., Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, ESPN2
Series betting before the second game of the series.
In the regular season, the home team won all four meetings, and the visiting team lost in the first game. There are more Round 2 betting trends.
The Golden State Warriors are playing the Dallas Mavericks.
WCF Game 3, 9 p.m., American Airlines Center, Dallas, TNT
Series betting prior to Game 2 is Warriors (-450) and Mavericks (350).
You can check back later for odds and best bets.
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