Matt Russell

Victoria and the All Stars will do battle for Origin glory. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.Tuesday's matchups feature a doubleheader of sizeable home favorites, but the two scenarios couldn't be more different. The underdog Bruins face elimination at the paws of the Panthers, while the Canucks still aren't getting much credit in the market despite having a 2-1 series lead over the Oilers.Let's investigate the odds for each game and see if there's anything worth playing Tuesday night.Game 5: Bruins (+175) @ Panthers (-210) We came into this series thinking it might end earlier than the betting market suggested. The idea for taking under 5.5 games (+135) was that Boston would need to jump on the Panthers early to mitigate the effects of a long first-round series with the Bruins playing every second night for nearly a month.That happened, but for one game. The other reason we bet on a short series is because the Panthers are considerably better, which has come to the forefront with three straight Florida wins. Now we're sitting on a ticket that cashes with a Panthers win Tuesday, a bet that doubles as a moneyline wager at considerably better odds.Speaking of the pricing, the betting market closed with Florida as -160 favorites before the club's two home games - an implied win probability of 61.5%. After two wins in Boston, the Panthers are now -210 in Sunrise to close out the Bruins. That's an implied win probability of 67.7%.What's changed for Boston to make it theoretically 6% less likely to win? Losing captain Brad Marchand is the obvious difference. But even though it lost both home games, the Bruins generated 20 even-strength high-danger chances to Florida's 12.A price shift to this degree, combined with competitive analytics, would normally lead us toward a bet on the underdog. However, if you're holding a ticket that cashes with a Panthers win, there's no reason to do anything but stand pat.Game 4: Canucks (+175) @ Oilers (-210) In any fairly priced matchup, you look for spots in the series where the pricing might become askew.The Canucks were the better team in Game 1, but for more than two periods, it looked like a rough outing from Arturs Silovs (minus-2.28 GSAx) would cost them. An Oilers win would've likely overvalued them in the market, but Vancouver's thrilling comeback splashed water on that and created a desperation level from Edmonton in Game 2 that we don't like to fade.With the series tied, the Canucks jumped out to leads of 3-1 and 4-2 in Game 3 before going into a defensive posture in the third period. Silovs spiked up with 2.62 goals saved above expected (GSAx), while Stuart Skinner cratered, allowing 2.52 goals more than expected.Considering Edmonton recorded only two more high-danger chances than Vancouver at five-on-five, had one more power play, and played over three minutes of six-on-five hockey, does a game with a misleading 45-18 shot total carry a price adjustment? Only if you think the underdog Canucks are better than the +175 moneyline suggests.Two goaltenders capable of significant highs and lows aren't something we should be dying to predict nightly. The Oilers could further complicate things by turning to Calvin Pickard in Game 4, a goalie with a regular season GSAx/60 right around the NHL average of 0.15.These teams have combined for 13.06 expected goals at even strength, or 4.35 per game, and that's before accounting for soft goals or those coming from power plays, which are a combined 7-for-17. With three straight contests going over 6.5 goals in this series, Oilers playoff games are now 7-1 to the over. But the betting market hasn't adjusted, leaving the total at 6.5.If you're holding a Canucks +1.5 games ticket from our series preview, you have three chances for that bet to be a winner. For Game 4, the only case to be made for a valuable bet is on either the underdog or the over.Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.Following an interminable buildup, the 2024 NFL Draft has mercifully come and gone. Reports from early offseason workouts insist that all the incoming rookies are can't-miss. While we know where the coveted rookies will play, we'll find out more about their prospects when their teams aren't the only ones controlling the message.We do have one outside clue about rookie expectations, as a pair of award markets are up for betting: Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, even if we should use these as a hint more than something worth investing into this far ahead of the season.Offensive Rookie of the Year oddsPLAYER ODDSCaleb Williams +185Marvin Harrison Jr. +650Jayden Daniels +700J.J. McCarthy +1000Malik Nabers +1400Xavier Worthy +1500Bo Nix +1800Drake Maye +1800Keon Coleman +2200Rome Odunze +2500Brian Thomas Jr. +2500Ladd McConkey +2500Brock Bowers +3000Jonathon Brooks +4000Jaylen Wright +4000Adonai Mitchell +5000Ricky Pearsall +5000Trey Benson +5000Xavier Legette +5000Others listed at theScore Bet at 60-1 or longerThe favoritesReigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels (+700) has the same explosive, highlight-reel ability as his 2022 counterpart Caleb Williams but three times the payout as the No. 1 pick. Too large a discrepancy exists on the oddsboard between players with similar situations, pedigree, and potential. While the preseason doesn't mean everything, seeing how each quarterback fares with the offense around him in limited action can help us pinpoint a few targets.With four quarterbacks taken in the top five draft picks, a skill-position winner is unlikely. However, with Williams (35.1%), Daniels (12.5%), Drake Maye (5.3%), J.J. McCarthy (9.1%), and Bo Nix (5.3%) taking up well over half of the implied probability pie, that's built into the odds for the receivers and running backs.Mid-tier optionsIn this area, we'll be looking for players whose teams have a reason to make them a focal point and a quarterback capable of doing so. The Jaguars' Brian Thomas (+2500) can be almost instantly slotted into the role left by Calvin Ridley (76 receptions, 1016 receiving yards). If he can find some chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, he could surpass Garrett Wilson's 1,000-yard OROY season in 2022 and approach Ja'Marr Chase's, Justin Jefferson's, and Puka Nacua's 1,400-yard rookie years. The latter two were topped by standout quarterbacks (Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud), but Thomas's odds of 25-1 are long enough for a small investment in the hopes this year's QBs don't have the stats of the 2020 and 2023 winners.A tailback hasn't won Offensive Rookie of the Year since Saquon Barkley in 2018, and it's become less and less likely as teams favor a committee approach at the position. However, the Panthers could provide the path for a long-shot OROY winner. They used a high draft choice to fill a hole at the goal line and are looking to protect a young quarterback with a run-heavy approach. Jonathon Brooks (+5000) has Chuba Hubbard (3.8 yards per carry and five touchdowns) in front of him on their depth chart. Meanwhile, new Carolina head coach Dave Canales increased the Buccaneers' carries per game by 3.3 as their offensive coordinator last year despite lacking an obvious bell-cow runner.Long-shot hopefulsWith so many viable candidates atop the oddsboard, all we're looking for is someone to get enough preseason attention for their odds to shorten before the season.As a tailback from USC often does, MarShawn Lloyd (+7500) has the talent to be a key player for the Packers, but Josh Jacobs is in his way. Jacobs has some significant miles on him though, and Lloyd's one injury away from being a big factor on a top-notch offense.Jalen McMillan (+15000) was overshadowed by Rome Odunze at Washington, but that might have been partly due to injuries in his final season. Playing on the opposite side of Mike Evans, with little in the way of youthful competition for playing time, a healthy version of McMillan might make an early splash. He's currently listed fourth on the Texans' depth chart, but it's not like any of those names lit it up last year. What if Louisville's Jawhar Jordan (+20000) can translate college production into NFL success? He may be available at 200-1 before a big preseason game drastically cuts his odds.Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.Monday's Game 4 took an unexpected turn before the puck even dropped at Colorado's Ball Arena. An Avalanche team expected to bounce back from two straight losses and even the series was now without its leading goal-scorer this postseason, Valeri Nichushkin, after he was suspended for six months for failing a drug test. To make matters worse, Devon Toews was also announced out with an illness.As a result, Colorado closed as a pick 'em after being widely available at -140 (58.3% implied win probability). The Avs then fell behind after a lifeless period, continuing a trend that hasn't seen them lead in regulation this series.Now Colorado faces elimination. What should we make of Wednesday's Game 5?Game 5: Avalanche (+130) @ Stars (-150) Since Dallas and Colorado both opened -140 as the home team in Games 5 and 4, respectively, we can infer that the market is still rating these two teams identically.We didn't think they were equal before the series due to the Stars' even-strength metrics and superior goaltending, and there's little reason to believe that now. Dallas has 9.28 expected goals at even strength to Colorado's 6.12 since Game 1, when the Stars entered the series less than 48 hours after a Game 7 revenge win over Vegas.Neither goaltender has played much better or worse than expected. That's more of a problem for Colorado, since it's likely either a bad game is coming for Alexandar Georgiev or a great one is coming for Jake Oettinger.The Stars have played in five series since missing the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, all of which have gone six games or more. They should have ample motivation not to take a wounded Avalanche group lightly and earn much-needed rest halfway through a postseason run.With Nichushkin out, Toews' status up in the air, and the Stars' strong showing, it's no surprise that Dallas has garnered interest. The Stars have been pushed to -150 to close out the series, which is still below our target threshold of -170.Best bet: Stars moneyline (-150)Nathan MacKinnon: Over 4.5 shotsMacKinnon let us down in Game 4, but the volume was as good as it gets. He attempted 12 shots in a losing effort but only got four on target.MacKinnon's attempted 12 or more shots on 14 different occasions this season. Game 4 was the only time he failed to reach five shots.I expect MacKinnon to hover around that mark again in Game 5. The Avalanche are playing for their season, so he should be heading for an absurdly large workload as long as the game is remotely close.Valeri Nichushkin's absence could boost his volume as well. MacKinnon averaged 4.6 shots per game on 8.1 attempts with Nichushkin in the fold, going over his total just 36% of the time. He recorded 5.4 shots on 8.9 attempts without Nichushkin, with his hit rate soaring to 66%.A lot will fall on MacKinnon's shoulders in this do-or-die game. Expect him to come through.Odds: -102 (playable to -125)Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

Donald Trump is the first former US president to face a criminal trial. He is accused of falsifying his business records by saying a hush money payment to a porn star was for legal fees. He's facing 34 counts of fraud under campaign finance laws, and has pleaded not guilty to all of them. The trial, which is expected to last eight weeks, is being held in a New York court and Donald Trump has to appear for every day. This is the story of that trial, told using the transcripts of what is said in court. Stormy Daniels takes the stand.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.A thinly shaved sliver of ice has separated the Oilers and Canucks through four games, so you'd assume their series is destined for seven games. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes, having battled back with two wins after going down 0-3, are just hoping to get to a Game 7.Game 6: Rangers (+140) @ Hurricanes (-165) In Game 3, oddsmakers opened the Hurricanes at -170 to get back into a series they trailed 0-2. The market corrected that, closing Carolina as -150 favorites in Games 3 and 4. Now back in Raleigh for Game 6, an opening moneyline of -165 has tilted upward because the Hurricanes appear to have figured out the Rangers. Paying an ample price for Carolina isn't all that appealing, so we'll turn to the total for a bet in Game 6.After being the difference in the Rangers' three wins, Igor Shesterkin has a minus-0.03 goals saved above expected in New York's losses. However, the star goaltender is one of the few players in the league we expect to be at his best after a pair of mediocre performances. Defense should also be a priority for New York after it allowed three goals in a single period in each of the last two games.Following early-series penalty-killing catastrophes, the Hurricanes have turned off the Rangers' power-play scoring spigot. After four New York goals with the man advantage, the Rangers haven't converted since tying Game 2 in the third period. At even strength, New York has generated just 19 high-danger chances in Games 3-5. Meanwhile, after getting Game 3 off, Frederik Andersen saved 1.29 goals above expected in Game 5, potentially finding the form he brought into the playoffs.Late-series hockey is played close to the vest, so with both goalies set up for strong games, we'll bet on a low-scoring affair.Best bet: Under 5.5 goals (-120)Game 5: Oilers (-145) @ Canucks (+125) We rejected the idea of a best bet in Game 4. We expected the Oilers - down 2-1 in the series and at home - to tap into the desperation that often makes the difference in playoff hockey but were unwilling to pay a -200 price to bet on them winning.Edmonton did prevail, but not before blowing a 2-0 lead despite making a concerted effort to protect Calvin Pickard by allowing Vancouver only four even-strength high-danger chances (Pickard stopped two). The Oilers only generated an average number of scoring chances (eight) at five-on-five.They desperately tried to draw penalties to put their incredible power play on the ice, but the Canucks maintained their discipline, taking just two minors. Hoping for more than one power-play goal and a breakdown from Vancouver's seventh defenseman isn't a viable strategy for Edmonton if its Game 4 showing is the best it can offer. It's certainly not worth laying odds on the road.Pickard didn't hurt the Oilers as much as Stuart Skinner's play did, but we should expect Vancouver to generate more five-on-five offense at home (with a more dangerous power play). If that happens, the 32-year-old journeyman may be exposed, and a 50% even-strength high-danger chance save rate won't cut it.Given the plausibility of that scenario, with the Canucks' turn to be the desperate group, a bet on the underdog is worth pulling the trigger on.Best bet: Canucks moneyline (+125)Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.Following the slow-drip release of the NFL schedule Wednesday, oddsmakers put together point spreads for Week 1 and many of this year's most notable games.There's little risk in offering low-limit wagers for contests nearly four months away since bettors will anxiously register their opinion, giving oddsmakers an even better understanding of how the market feels about each team beyond how they've been bet in long-ago-released regular-season win-total markets.Team ratingsHere's a refresher on how we used the regular-season win-total market to create a power rating (out of 100) for each NFL team, accounting for their strength of schedule.TEAM WIN TOTAL RATING (%)Chiefs 11.5 (-120) 71Ravens 11.5 (+115) 71Bengals 10.5 (-125) 7149ers 11.5 (+115) 67Lions 10.5 (-115) 65Bills 10.5 (-130) 63Cowboys 10.5 (+100) 62Eagles 10.5 (+110) 62Dolphins 9.5 (-150) 62Packers 9.5 (-140) 61Jets 9.5 (+100) 61Texans 9.5 (-110) 60Falcons 9.5 (-140) 58Browns 8.5 (-120) 58Steelers 8.5 (-110) 57Bears 8.5 (-125) 56Chargers 8.5 (-135) 55Rams 8.5 (-120) 54Jaguars 8.5 (-125) 52Colts 8.5 (+110) 49Seahawks 7.5 (-125) 48Buccaneers 7.5 (-150) 47Saints 7.5 (-120) 44Cardinals 6.5 (-130) 43Vikings 6.5 (-140) 42Raiders 6.5 (-140) 42Commanders 6.5 (-130) 39Giants 6.5 (+110) 38Titans 6.5 (+115) 37Broncos 5.5 (-150) 36Patriots 4.5 (-145) 30Panthers 4.5 (-135) 27Using a point-spread scale of 27 - the highest conceivable point spread for two teams in 2024 - each club's rating percentage is multiplied into 27. The difference, plus home-field advantage, should be the projected point spread.Week 1 opening linesMATCHUP RATING OPENING LINERavens @ Chiefs BAL (19.2)KC (19.2) KC -2.5Packers vs. Eagles (Brazil) GB (16.6)PHI (16.7) PHI -1.5Steelers @ Falcons PIT (15.4)ATL (15.7) ATL -3Cardinals @ Bills AZ (11.6)BUF (16.9) BUF -7Titans @ Bears TEN (9.9)CHI (15.1) CHI -5Patriots @ Bengals NE (8.2)CIN (19.4) CIN -8Texans @ Colts HOU (16.1)IND (13.1) HOU -1.5Jaguars @ Dolphins JAX (14.0)MIA (16.8) MIA -3.5Panthers @ Saints CAR (7.4)NO (11.9) NO -4.5Vikings @ Giants MIN (11.3)NYG (10.1) MIN PKRaiders @ Chargers LV (11.3)LAC (15.0) LAC -3Broncos @ Seahawks DEN (9.7)SEA (13.1) SEA -4.5Commanders @ Buccaneers WSH (10.5)TB (12.6) TB -4Cowboys @ Browns DAL (16.7)CLE (15.5) DAL PKRams @ Lions LAR (14.7)DET (17.5) DET -3.5Jets @ 49ers NYJ (16.3)SF (18.0) SF -5.5The Chiefs opened as a 3-point favorite in their season-opening game against the Ravens. Instinctively, that line was deemed too high and was quickly adjusted to Chiefs -2.5 or Ravens +3 (-120).The Eagles are getting a little more credit than they deserve against the Packers considering the two teams have similar win totals and will play in a neutral-site game.The only reason to make a bet now is to secure a key number that seems valuable. The Steelers (+3) appear likely to draw enough money in their opener in Atlanta to take them off the most crucial number in football betting.Buffalo's win total has dropped by around 0.8 wins since the team traded Stefon Diggs. Like many of Week 1's games, extrapolating from the win-total market is fair for Buffalo's matchup with Arizona.It's a minor surprise that the Bears aren't lined higher against the Titans, the league's fourth-worst-rated team, given all the excitement about Chicago's offseason additions. However, laying a big number with an unproven commodity is rarely a good idea.Similarly, the Bengals are projected to win 11 games this season out of the tough AFC North based on their win total. Their -8 line seems short against the Patriots, unless Cincinnati's win total is too high to begin with.Betting on the Saints as a favorite was a losing proposition last season, which might be why their line seems a little short against Carolina. The Panthers have a fresh outlook with new head coach Dave Canales, which might prevent this line from moving closer to +6.Speaking of fresh looks, there's no reason not to grab the Chargers at -3 (-110) given the Jim Harbaugh-Antonio Pierce coaching matchup. Even with little-to-no home-field advantage, they're an estimated 3.7 points better than the Raiders.Aaron Rodgers brings the Jets into the Bay Area as more of an underdog than what each team's win total would suggest. However, bettors looking to back New York can wait and see if a +6 shows up this summer. Remember, 5.5 isn't a key number, and +4.5 isn't likely to be the difference between a win or loss.Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

We have often shared with you how our government has broken their promises to care for our wounded veterans and ignored their pleas for help.