 This is covering the spread part of the Fandall podcast network It is the final night of NBA before the all-star break But also a pretty fun slate on the NHL side of things So we're bringing back Tom Vecchio for today to break down both of those getting his read on both the NBA and NHL But also talking about weird intricacies across both with this being the final game Final slate before the all-star break in the NBA NHL trade deadline just around the corner So we're talking about that what that means for betting and get you set what should be a fun Thursday night This is covering the spread right here on the Fandall podcast network and numberfire.com. My name is Jim Sannis I am a senior writer and analyst for numberfire.com Joined here as mentioned by Tom Vecchio checking out on Twitter at DFS Underscore Tom is a writer for us over at numberfire can find writing about both the NBA and NHL over at numberfire Tom Happy Thursday to you. How you doing today? I'm doing good yet It's an interesting time for sports and we have two seasons kind of winding down a little bit We have football that just ended March Manus is right around the corner. It's a fun time So no NFL anymore NBA hitting the all-star break this weekend. What are you doing with? I know it's not like you have nothing going on but like relative free time compared to usual Yeah, well, I'm not watching the XFL. I'll start with that Honestly, like I'm I'm starting to I'm honestly starting to prep for baseball. Yeah, you know between Generals just general stuff, you know some teams made some changes with their outfields. It obviously impacts home runs I know fancy baseball stuff like prepping for all that which I truly do enjoyed everyone doesn't but Season-long fancy baseball is a grind and I want to be ready for it Yeah, I have a rookie draft that I just remember begins on Saturday for dynasty I've not prepped for that. I should do that. So it's important. Oops. I'll figure that out later on today Maybe I'll find some time tomorrow But we're gonna try to figure that out But for today, we'll be talking NBA and NHL picking Tom's brain on both those letting you know what you consider with the all-star break Coming up and more in just one second the first day reminder to make sure you are subscribed to covering the spread wherever you get Podcasts we recorded our Daytona 500 preview with dr. Nick Giffen roto doc of the action network getting his read on his favorite bets across Sunday's race will You find that over on the covering the spread podcast see but also over on the Fandall YouTube page tomorrow talking both EPL and USC with Austin Cass and Austin Swain both here in the same Episodes that'll be a lot of fun there as well. So just get those check out the Daytona 500 or check out EPL You have see make sure you are subscribed to the covering the spread podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts The midway point of the NBA season is here And now is the perfect time to download Fandall America's number one sportsbook because new customers get a no sweat first bet up to $1,000 that's bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win just download the Fandall sportsbook app It is safe secure and super easy to use then you can bet on everything from the money line to point scores and three strain Plus Fandall even lets you combine your bets for a chance at a bigger payout with a same game parlay So don't miss the chance to get your no sweat first bet up to $1,000 and bonus bets make every moment more a Fandall an official sports betting partner of the NBA must be 21 plus in President select states first online a real money wager only $10 deposits required but refund issued as non-let's rob a bonus bets that expired 14 days Restrictions apply see full terms at Fandall comm slash sports book gambling problem call 1800 gambler or visit Fandall comm slash RG in Arizona 1800 next step or tax next step to 5334 2 in Connecticut 188 789 7777 or visit ccp g.org slash chat in Indiana 1809 with it in Kansas NY oming 1805 22 4700 or in Kansas KS gambling help calm Louisiana 1877 770 stop in Maryland empty gambling help dot org in New York 18778 open wire text open Y and in West Virginia 1800 gambler net now Tom Let's dig in here to both the NBA and NHL and as I mentioned a bit of wonkiness on both sides Let's start things off here on the NBA because it is the final slated games before the all-star break Focusing on the NBA specifically first Does that alter your approach in terms of being wary of players getting altered playing time? Does it change? Your willingness to bet a certain game. How do you alter things knowing this is the final game before the break? Well, the short answer would be yes, but it depends on the information that we get and a lot of it comes down to how willing teams are to share that and It's it's obviously very Circumstantial and it's a case-by-case basis which can make it very tough for example Los Angeles Clippers They play tonight, which is a great example to have with Kauai Leonard and Paul George two players that have very long injury histories Their head coach Tyron Lou came out a week and a half two weeks ago and said that their minutes would be monitored or restrict restricted leading up until the all-star break So that that's not a surprise given their injury histories given what they've done with their, you know Load management injuries sitting out on back-to-backs, etc. So Unless you have that information, it's tough to make a final determination where you can say, okay I think this veteran should rest But it that ends up not being the case because it's like a super tough matchup So and they like they need it in the staining so it does Impact things if you have the right information and what I would say now also impacts late in the season because if a team Is locked into that playoff spot where they can't move up or down, you know, they get the two-seater three-seater still gonna be playing the same You know opponent whatever might be It's like you could use this information and apply it to them as well But it's only dependent on the information that you have and the willingness of the coaches, which isn't a lot often So you're saying it kind of depends on the standings as well not just other stuff, right? So if if we know like there's five games left and this team is Whatever it is, you know, they're four games up They can lose and they they'll drop down to three But they're still gonna be playing the same opponent or whatever it is like same tier opponent Yeah, we're a same tier of opponent because the the bottom teams are in the play-in now So they're gonna be playing one of these four teams. They don't have a set opponent yet So it's like why would they run this guy out there if they don't have to right? So unless they're willing to share that information, I can't go ahead and say I'm fading this team because they should be sitting players when that won't be the case, right for sure What about on the NHL side because for them, it's the trade deadlines coming up They've had their all-star break already, but the trade deadline is March 3rd. So not super far away Does that impact things for you as well? It does and The first time that I've seen this we're actually seeing teams be very proactive where the official Columbus blue jackets account Actually tweeted out on Monday or Tuesday that they're gonna be sitting Vladislav Gavrikov because for trade related reasons that's the answer that explicitly They said that they tweeted on Monday or Tuesday this past week that they're sitting Vladislav Gavrikov for trade related purposes wherever was because he's a hot commodity now granted These are teams that are expected to trade and they want to make things clear to their fans to everybody The Arizona coyotes also said the same thing for their top defender Jacob Chikrin where his name has been up in trade rumors for past two or three years and they said that they're gonna sit him out due to trade purposes So we get this information which is I want to say a borderline shock, but it's great to see. Yeah So the trade deadline is one number two is we actually do see some players rest at the end of the season Some veterans rest where again, they're locked into their playoff spot There's no reason for them to be out there So they won't be playing and that obviously impacts the lines the forward lines the power plays So If we get the information great and I will use every bit of it that we can possibly get every little detail But it's it's few and far between and it's totally dependent on Each organization. Well, I feel like at least for those it's a blessing that they're being transparent because it means you can account for it But obviously not every team will operate that way. I think that's kind of where the headache comes in Yeah, that's part of the issue where and it's and that's It's a lot what the NHL does overall when we get injury information and I see this as a joke overall when we get injury information Across different sports. It's like Shepter tweets out. It's like this running back has a sprained ankle He's gonna miss three games. Then they have their buy. He'll be good to go It's like MLB pitchers gonna miss one star with a strain forearm the NHL. They're like lower body injury Don't ask. He's out indefinitely. Don't ask So it could be his abdomen or it could be his his brain, you know It could be just out. Don't ask. We're not giving you any details. Yeah, and then we'll go from there So that's the kind of situation and the fact that it's changing a little bit is actually really good to see, right? Exactly. So thank you to the bluejack and so coyotes for being Blessings to us for the transparency. We're so translate elsewhere. Okay. Let's take a look at the NBA games for tonight just three games on this slate, but Decently fun games. What are you seeing here, Tom? As far as Values you like in terms of spreads money lines or totals on the NBA side So the Bulls are on the second. I'm a back-to-back. They're also missing their best player or DeMar DeRozan didn't play last night I'm not expecting him to play tonight. Do they need to push him out there one game prior to the all-star break? And they're about to have a full week off So we do need an updated injury report from the Bulls, but I'm very hesitant about going to them The box are also unbelievable right now. They won 11 straight games. They're absolutely on fire So it's tough to pick against the box, especially when the opponent is missing their best player So really hesitant on That game I do have a player profit We'll get there in a second, but I do like the Timberwolves and the wizards under 234 and a half It's a close spread You know, both teams are in the bottom 10 league for respective totals when they're home or away So Timberwolves bottom 10 when they're at home wizards bottom 10 in the league for hitting the over when they're away Wizards also want to on the end of a road trip all these sorts of things I would say this may have to do My interest in may have to do if Rudy Gobert plays Rudy Gobert is questionable He's one of the best defense defensive centers in the league. He should be able to You know account for criss-top support zingus on the other side I will say that gobert has been listed as doubtful in a lot of these recent games He ends up playing in most of them not all of them most of them I spoke about him on the daily ace of the fantasy podcast where You know, frankly, if he's out tonight, it actually makes things easier from a fantasy perspective But from a betting perspective the under is obviously better if he does play Okay, uh, is it is noz reed still a thing? Is that okay? Noz reed is the backup center for the timberwolves and he actually makes a lot of construction for fans Dfs today easier because you can spend up for tent cumpo Devin Booker I've been slowly dabbling back into the adfs and noz reed has been kind Yeah, he's because he's really efficient. Yeah, and he's and he's not expensive. I think he's only 5200 tonight, but Right, like he's efficient and he actually makes a lot of construction a whole lot easier on a three game slate Okay, so we're looking at the wizards wolves under two thirty four and a half dependent on Rudy gobert Based on your read on gobert situation Would you take that under now try to get ahead of the news or Do you want to wait so that you're not locked into it if gobert does wind up being ruled out? Um, I would I would lock it in now again. He's been playing on it I'm gonna say like 75 80 of these recent games when he's been listed as questionable So that's what I'd be based on where like they are in a spot where they still need to win games This is a winnable matchup for them and he's been at least More consistent than I would be be expecting from his injury report So it's like I'm banking on that and I think that's a minor risk in the grand scheme of things Okay, I think that makes sense any player props for you in the nba for tonight Yeah, so I like in going back to milwaukee and chicago drew holiday over two and a half made threes is at plus 132 The bulls are allowing 12 On average 12.9 made threes from their opponents per game, which is 26 in the league not good Allowing a lot of threes and we look at drew holidays recent game log I know he's coming off this huge game the other night against plus and south x which is A little bit out there when he had eight threes, but on a consistent basis He's hitting two three four threes in some of these games more importantly He's taking seven eight threes on a nightly basis So we have a team shorthanded second night of a back-to-back Already susceptible against the threes and a player that's kind of hot right now from deep and we're getting at plus money So I'm on board drew holiday tonight from a betting perspective not a fan of him in fantasy as I mentioned Okay, so we like drew holiday over two and a half that is still plus 132 at fando sports But anything else for you in the nba the other would be devin booker over 32 points rebounds assist combined the pr a bet for booker He had 32 points the other night, which is great to see he recently returned from an injury He played 25 26 and then 29 minutes in the three games since returning, which is great Um, you know, he's trending upward in minutes, which is something we always want to see booker Is obviously a pure score and if he's getting there on points alone We see that volume of shots rising along with his minutes. That's what we should be expecting He doesn't always contribute a whole lot when it comes to Rebounding and assist but picking up Six seven eight combined rebounds and assist. I think would be fine. So booker over 32 pr a Yeah, 32 and a half is the number of fando sports book minus 125 on that over so you are Definitely putting out there a decent little implied chunk, but um sounds like based on what you're saying That's still okay with right. He he accumulates there right close spread and it's one point spread And if his minutes are going to be trending upward and I again another thing I mentioned on the podcast with bookers I'm actually Encouraged that he saw more minutes and also the fact that this the last game before the also break because they have a week off So he can have maybe a few extra minutes here or there and then he has a full week to rest Right I think that makes a lot of sense. Okay. So tom and the mb8 tonight likes wizards wolves under 234 and a half Like some more if i've really good bear does play Jew holiday over two and a half made threes at plus 132 and then debon booker over 32 and a half pr a minus 125 there Let's shift over now to the nhl and in the nhl We do have a national tv game for tonight. That is the devils and the blues. I believe that is over on ESPN for tonight. Yes, it is anything you see in that game tom whether it be Traditional bets player props anything there So starting off would be devils in regulation at plus 106 the 60 minute line Devils are just clearly the better team if you if you do 60 minutes No push That that will show the the plus 106 So this means they have to win in 60 minutes. It's it's very straightforward devils are clearly the better team there's also The note that jack hughes the devils best player who has been phenomenal this season Like took a massive leap towards stardom this year It has been out for a few games They said he has a chance to play tonight and if it's not tonight, it's going to be you know He'll come back on the weekend That line will probably move if he does play. I think he's missed four games in a row now He's remarkable like on offense. He is absolutely awesome. The blues are one of the worst defensive teams Not only the entire season over the last three weeks if you look at different sample sizes, they're allowing way too many goals You know, they're they're trading away players Not a surprise to see them kind of shutting things down this season So I have interest in player props from the devils If hughes plays but also if he doesn't play because if he's not playing that means that shot volume has to be going to someone else Yeah, so Plus 106 is great If he does play I wouldn't be surprised to see that drop like their money line would increase That means the regulation line would also decrease as well If he does play Where is the line where you step away from that one? Because it probably cross even money based on the impact of him Where is the point where he's ruled in someone's listening to set five o'clock. He's been ruled in Number has moved Where do you step away and say uh no more value anymore there? Past I would play down to minus 120. Okay, cool. Okay. So that's still a decent move In that regard for him. I mean he's top He's missed a few games. So when I changed but he's top 10 or top 15 in league in in overall points this year Like he's unbelievable Right, and I'm guessing with his status in question. Probably not a whole lot posted on the Devil side of things in the player props angle. There are some so looking at those players that you have up here Niko Huescher is the top line center for them. He's fine. He does have a slightly tough matchup and this is one thing I Could over slash should have mentioned when I talked about angel process Jack Hughes plays on the second forward line You're saying okay first forward line second forward line They both play in the first power play like what's what's the big difference The the difference that I would make or the one note that I would make is line changes Yeah, where the home team always has preferred line change, which means You know, they're coming out of a break The away team has to put their skaters on the ice first and the home team then can match them So technically if the top line is the best players for the team The way team puts the best players out there Then the home team will match them Which means that the second line on the road sometimes has a slightly favorable match Because if the top line from the home team is off the ice, they can then switch them on So Hughes plays on the second forward line, which can be more favorable on the road Which is where they are tonight. So I would have interest in not going to Niko Huescher I'd have interest in going to Hughes second forward line Okay, I think that does make a lot of sense. So that's what we're seeing for the devils and the blues, but Tom Big slate and then HL for tonight. Anything else catching your interest, whether it be Traditional bets or player props here? Yeah, the Winnipeg Jets in regulation as well minus 128 They are on the road taking on the Columbus Bluejack because as I mentioned the bluejack It's not a good team. They're one of the bottom two or three teams in the league They're also sitting players as I mentioned due to the trade deadline They're trading away some of their better players, which makes them even worse They should have Conor Hell you buck a net tonight. They're best gold tender one of the best gold tenders in the league He did not play in their most recent game. So it's you know, his turn to get back in the crease You know outside chance for the Vesna Vesna trophy for him this year He's also a former Vesna winner. They are clearly the better team. I will take the minus 128 That's for the Winnipeg Jets against the Columbus Bluejack is again in the 60 minute money line. So No push there minus 128 on the Jets and the Bluejack because anything else you like across the night, Tom Both there are two goal scores in this game that I have my eye on Kyle Conner and Nikolai Yealers for goals tonight Both tremendously gifted offensive players both primary shooters both playing on you know top six Forward lines all the shot volume for him and neither of them have scored in like six seven eight games So in these high volume shoes, obviously Conor's number is a little bit lower Ealers number is much much more favorable plus 172 I like that a whole lot more So I would prefer Ealers over Conor, but if you told me, you know wake up tomorrow morning and Conor scored a goal I'm not going to be surprised at all. I just don't love the plus 124 Yeah, would you stay away from that one entirely? And then just go to Ealers or is it a situation where you just prefer the Ealers number I just prefer the Ealers number but like a player that shoots three times a game top six You know and power play time is a spot that I'm and who's theoretically due for a goal If I look back since his last goal like at his expected goals compared to having no goals over his last eight games It's probably tremendous So I do expect Kyle Conner to score if you want like an easier route Or a safer route Conor would be the answer but Ealers number plus 172 is awesome Give me the value baby. Don't care the number. Give me the value And I sound like Ealers is a better value again. That's the Jets and bluejackets game Ealers to score a goal plus 172 Conor plus 124 if your book has a longer number on Conor Maybe check that one out, but it sounds like we're focusing mostly on Ealers there Okay, anything else before we wrap up here Tom on the NHL side. Yeah for the Florida Panthers at the Washington capitals It was announced yesterday that Alex Ovechkin is away from the team due to a personal matter his father passed away, so Very tough for them, but No, they need some offense event against a very good offensive team And that means someone's gonna have to be taking shots and that will likely come down to if getting Kuznetz off On the first forward line normally plays alongside Ovechkin on the first forward line And now we have Kuznetz off that plus money for only Three shots, which I think is a great spot against the Panthers who love to push the pace on offense So Kuznetz off should you know be be stepping up taking that extra offense Or filling that offensive void I should say that that offensive pressure, right? Kuznetz off right now over two and a half shots of fangirl sportsbook. It's plus 136 um, and that's accounting for Ovechkin not playing so that seems like a pretty good number I think that's interesting for sure. Okay. I will say the one note. I want to make about tonight's slate is uh, the carolina hurricanes are massive favorites tonight at home like They're minus four whatever 450 whatever 465 to win overall So last night the the maple leaves were minus 600 At home, which are these are unheard of numbers and as you can see the spread is two and a half for carolina Yeah, which again, we do not see we see this like five times a year because you're such a big discrepancy so The carolina hurricanes are like the ideal Definition of a team that I want to see like they are number one in league when it comes to coursey forwards or shot attempts They are always always pushing the pace and offense whether they're up or down They are like the definition of what you want to see I can't find any value on basically anything for them tonight because this line is so massive The 60 minute line doesn't have any value. You can't play the minus one and a half Their team total is four and a half. You can't even play the over on that like It this is the one this is the time of year for the NHL when these Low tier teams are sitting some of their players and they're getting some of their They're calling up players from the ahl that the lines get so so big that you can't even find value Is one note that I will make um, I was so um There was a tweet that down lucigen retweeted last night. It was from evolving wild on twitter That in october they had handicapped every game and they saw that the biggest favorite of the year was going to be or the the At that time they thought the biggest favorite would be right Um The chicago toronto game. Is that the one you were talking about last night? Yeah Of all the wild is a great account. They're so smart Yeah, uh, so that's really small october third and they correctly predicted that it was one of the bigger favorites So we've seen in a very long time. So a good prognostication there and the hurricanes in a similar position for tonight Alrighty, that is all that we have here for today as mentioned check out tom's work over on number fire dot com talk in nba NHL, uh, not xfl Thankfully if you want to bet xfo good for you like that's awesome. I'm not But maybe we'll or usfl. No, no, thanks. Maybe I'll get a guest on so I don't have to do it We can still talk about the show because I'm sure some of you have interest I don't so we'll try to get someone on the show eventually to talk about it. Who is not me But tom enjoy your all-star break. Have a great time Thank you for coming on and good luck to all your bets for tonight. Thanks for having me check out tom on twitter at dfs Underscore tom. I am on twitter at jim sonnis. We are back once again tomorrow talking epl and usc with austin and austin gonna be a blast We'll talk to you all then make sure to subscribe to covering the spread to get that as this posted Have a fantastic night. We'll talk to you later. This has been covering the spread right here on the fan dual podcast network