There’s no way around it: Tuesday wasn’t good. I thought that we’d get through the last one just fine with the Warriors and Lakers, but a fourth-quarter surge put an end to that effort. When you’re down two college football cappers on the podcast and Connor Hellebuyck continues to not stop the puck for Winnipeg, it’s just a night of weird things happening.
But we’ve got a lot of games available tonight for Wednesday, so it’s a perfect time to get back after it. Here are my best bets for October 20.
COASTAL CAROLINA -5, -110
I hope you got this line early, but if you didn’t, there’s still time. The line started at -3.5, but it’s jumped up to -5 now as Coastal has seen money land in its direction and the public has lost faith in App State. The Mountaineers just don’t look anywhere near as good as they’ve been in past seasons, and Coastal keeps looking like a Sun Belt juggernaut. There is a concern about the schedule the Chanticleers have played, but overall, Coastal looks like a solid play.
RAPTORS -2.5, -110
The Raptors are finally coming home after spending last season in Tampa, and they’re likely to have a boisterous crowd to welcome them back to Canada. Toronto was a mess last season, but try playing your home games in an unfamiliar building and see how you do. (Yes, the Blue Jays were just fine playing all of their games away from Toronto, but they played at their minor-league affiliates homes in Dunedin and Buffalo, where most of them had previously called home). The Raptors should have a happy return to Ontario.
BLUES TTO 3, +110
St. Louis is off to a hot start at finding the net, and Vegas is giving up a fair amount of goals early in the season. With no Mark Stone or Max Pacioretty on the ice, this could be tough sledding for the Golden Knights. That said, Vegas is deep, so I’d rather take my chances on the Blues scoring than I would on them getting the win in Nevada. Three goals is a reasonable target for St. Louis.
BRUINS-FLYERS U6, -110
I’m not expecting goals in the other NHL matchup tonight, though. These are physical teams who know each other well and play gritty, blue-collar hockey against each other. Twelve of the past 13 matchups between Boston and Philadelphia have seen six goals or fewer scored in regulation, so there’s a good chance this one goes under the number.
NASHVILLE WIN TO NIL, +160
Even with the Z-Train on the pitch, Columbus remains lost in 2021. The Crew have lost six of seven away from home and have been shut out in four of their past six trips away from Columbus. Now they’re going to Nashville, which is undefeated at home and shut Columbus out the last time they played. Plus, the Crew do so without coach Caleb Porter, who’s in the COVID protocol. NSC should take this one.
