Sean Murphy

My selection is on New Orleans plus the points over Utah at 10:05 pm et on Thursday.

The Pelicans suffered a third quarter lapse in Tuesday's meeting between these two teams, and it ultimately cost them in an eventual 16-point loss (that result was actually flattering as the Pelicans closed the gap in garbage time in the fourth quarter). I do expect a strong bounce-back performance from New Orleans here. Note that while Utah took three of four meetings between these two teams last season, they did so by a combined six-point margin. We're catching that many points in this game alone with the number potentially moving higher closer to tipoff. Despite their 5-8 record, I do think the Pelicans have the potential to be an improved team and I'm confident head coach Stan Van Gundy will have them ready following an off day in Utah yesterday. I'll call for the Pels' to at the very least take this one down to the wire against a red hot Jazz squad. Take New Orleans (10*).

Thursday NHL Free play. My selection is on Ottawa over Winnipeg at 7:05 pm et on Thursday.

We missed the mark with the Senators in this same matchup earlier this week as they blew a pair of two-goal leads in an eventual 4-3 overtime loss. I look for them to bounce back here as they wrap up a four-game homestand to open the season. Keep in mind, these two teams will play two more games against one another in Winnipeg beginning on Saturday. The Jets turned in another disjointed effort in Tuesday's overtime victory, outshot by a wide 41-28 margin in that contest. I'm still somewhat high on the young Sens in the early going this season and confident in their ability to bounce back in a winnable home game here on Thursday night. The fact we're being offered a plus-money return is a bonus. Take Ottawa (8*).

Sean delivered a 3-0 NHL SWEEP (including free) last night to improve to 6-1 on the ice this week! He's putting his 39-14 NHL run to the test with another 10* TOP RATED winner on Thursday night; don't miss out! Your best bet is a weekly or monthly subscription package, giving you access to ALL of Murph's winners every day!

My selection is on Vancouver over Montreal at 9:35 pm et on Thursday.

A shootout ultimately amounts to little more than a coin flip but the Canucks have to feel good about snapping their three-game skid with a wild 6-5 shootout victory over the Canadiens last night. Credit Vancouver for hanging in there after falling behind with less than four minutes remaining in the third period, tying the game less than a minute later to force overtime. We won with the Canucks in that game and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play here. Montreal is off to a flying start offensively but has to be a little road weary at this point having played four games in three different cities over the last week. I'm not sure how long they can keep up their roaring start. The price is right to back the Canucks here in what should be a lower-scoring affair than we saw a night ago. Take Vancouver (10*).