Ice Hockey

MLB Picks and Predictions: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

MLB Picks and Betting Tips: San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres

A while ago, I started a system for avoiding the slop of the MLB. We called it “Two Bad Teams No Bet”… it’s a personal theory of mine that when two poor rosters get together the game reaches a level of volatility and unpredictability that makes betting it not worth while.

This series is a perfect example of why we stay away. The same is true of the Twins’ sweep of the Royals last week. Errors, bullpen collapses, silent lineups… they all happen in unexpected ways when you  ... 

NHL Playoffs Picks Contest Round Two: Habs Lightning Game Four Prediction

MLB and NHL Picks Contest: Round Two – NHL Playoffs, Habs Lightning Game Four on Tuesday!

The Tampa Bay offense’s speed and skill has dominated the Montreal defense that I thought would be their strong point. The Habs have been out-skated and the Lightning are getting chances. That said, it hasn’t mattered much with the way Carey Price has been playing and Montreal’s depth. As good as Anders Lindback was in Game One, he was a tremendous liability in Game Two. Montreal has the upper hand as the series shifts back to Canada, but there’s no quit in this Tampa team. In Game Four, will they roll over for the mighty Canadiens, or will they fight with the season on the line? That’s for you to decide. This series has been a coin flip, but it’s also been the most fun for me to watch. In Round Two of our NHL Picks Contest, after a postponed baseball game, we  ... 

NHL Playoffs Picks: Philadelphia Flyers Vs New York Rangers

NHL Playoffs Picks: Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers

I suppose you could say this is one of my favorite rivalries because I hate both teams as a Devils fan. I think I hate the Flyers more. Cheapshots guised as physicality and 40 years of futility make the Flyers a bunch of scumbags. The Rangers, clinging to 1994, at least have some dignity in their storied history of mediocrity on the ice, right?

Truth be told, I don’t really trust Henrik Lundqvist. How arguably the best goaltender in hockey has won so little in the playoffs is beyond me. Even  ... 

NHL Playoffs: Penguins, Ducks, and Habs on Day One

NHL Playoffs: Penguins, Ducks, and Habs

My strategy in the NHL playoffs is an interesting one, but it’s led to successful predictions each year I’ve been a published handicapper. While NHL playoff match ups lend to progression-style chase betting, I choose my series winners and bet the series line as well as flat betting on every game across the entire series. We do this, of course, with varying levels of confidence.

The first installment of this strategy opens tonight. With low confidence we’re on the Habs to upset the Lightning in the first round. With medium confidence, limited by a lack of value in the lines, we’re on the Penguins and Ducks to win as well. The Ducks are my favorite series of the first round in the west.

Habs Lightning

I think the Canadiens have a defensive edge and more stability than the Lightning. Tampa has a solid offense, but I look for Montreal’s depth to shut them down.  ... 

MLB Picks Contest 2nd Round: Atlanta Braves Vs Philadelphia Phillies

NHL and MLB Picks Contest Round Two: Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies

So far this series is living up to the billing. Two hot teams provided for an exciting finish in Game One before Dan Uggla’s grand slam led the Braves to a comeback win – immediately after allowing five runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth. Let’s hope the excitement continues.

I like Atlanta this year and expect them to do big things in a mediocre division. It’s an interesting lineup with volatile, streaky hitters and right now they’re pounding the ball. I don’t know  ... 

Zcode Grand Team Championship Game Week 12 Results

Zcode Grand Team Championship Game week 12 Results TEAM CONTEST

What a exciting semifinals! Two totally different matchups in Grand Playoffs! British Bulldogs and Youngsters played quite conservative tactic, while Bumble Bees and Flash Gordon went into crazy aggressive battle. Let’s take a look closer to the games!

Click TO ZOOM

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NHL Playoffs First Round Picks and Predictions 2014

Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins vs  WC 2 Detroit Red Wings Few teams have the depth of the Boston Bruins, which lends to their stability every season and particularly each postseason.  They are anchored in goaltending and have sufficient defensive depth to make another great playoff run.  The Detroit Red Wings have done a remarkable job this year battling injuries, but they’re simply inferior to the Boston Bruins.  You can never right off a team like Detroit that fought so hard this season, but this series is Boston’s to lose.

Bruins in five

Tampa Bay Lightning vs 3. Montreal Canadiens I like Ryan Callahan.  For a while, he was the only New York Rangers player I could respect.  Putting him on a team with Steven Stamkos makes the Lightning very exciting for me.  Ben Bishop is a big, talented goalie.  Still, this is a very difficult series to predict.  Carey Price is capable of taking over a game, and the Habs  ... 

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils Win Possible Last Start

Martin Brodeur and the Future of the New Jersey Devils

It doesn’t sound like Martin Brodeur is all that ready to hang up the skates. He did slip in his post-game interview and call Sunday’s matinee with the Bruins his last start, but he quickly backtracked to indecision. Unfortunately, it also doesn’t seem like the Devils really want him back. Marty is unlikely to happily accept a role as a backup, and it’s hard to imagine him platooning in New Jersey for another year. This might be goodbye for a number of reasons.

It would be weird to see Brodeur in another uniform, so the child in me is hoping for retirement or a 20-game role to stay in New Jersey and keep Cory Schneider fresh next season. Brodeur is arguably the greatest goaltender to ever play the game, and doing it all for one team makes it special. That said, he’s a stubborn man.

Comments (read: very loud, whining  ... 

NHL and MLB Picks Contest Round Two ($100 Prize): Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies

NHL and MLB Picks Contest ($100 Prize): Round Two – Braves at Phillies

Tuesday, 4/15

The contest is still in the early stages and only one round has passed. I was going to do a hockey round, but we’ll wait for the playoff situation to be settled. Instead, we do another baseball pick. Can the talent of the Atlanta Braves overcome Cliff Lee’s impressive repertoire? In this divisional rivalry, who will win on Tuesday?

As always, simply comment below on the post pinned to the top of our Facebook page to participate. Also, be on the look out for our NHL playoffs predictions. This has been a pure gold money maker for us in years past and we hope it will do the same this year. Cheers.

https://www.facebook.com/ZcodeMLBpicks

MLB and NHL Picks Contest ($100): First Round Update Orioles at Yankees

NHL and MLB Picks Contest: First Round Standings Update – Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

The Baltimore Orioles erupted and destroyed the New York Yankees. We had 26 participants and only a handful of winners, congrats to you guys listed below. It’s the first round of a long contest, keep trying! This should be a fun one as we combine our MLB and NHL Picks contest.

Remember to like both pages! Our MLB Picks page is here: https://www.facebook.com/ZcodeMLBpicks?ref=hl

And this is our NHL Picks page:  https://www.facebook.com/ZcodeNHLpicks

One Win:

Jackson Fisher  ... 

MLB Picks Contest ($100 Prize): Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees

MLB Picks Contest (With NHL), Round One: Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees on April 8th

I’m posting slightly earlier than usual to try to bring some attention to the contest. It starts tomorrow. Simply comment on our MLB Picks page on the post pinned to the top.

Here is the Z-Code output for the game and my analysis. Formally, I’m not betting this game but my lean for the contest would be the Yankees. The computer agrees with me, but I have my hesitations.

With five-star support to the Yankees and a 58% chance to win, the computer likes  ... 

NHL Picks Contest: Final Results and New Contest Announced

NHL Picks Contest: Final Results and New Contest Announced

Congratulations to Alex Dionne for winning the first-ever tiebreaker round. We’ve sent payment and would like to formally announce your victory! Congrats again to Pat O’Reilley for taking the first place prize.

We are starting another contest and I invite all of you to participate. Once again, all you need to do is comment on the post pinned to the top of the page to play. This contest will be a special hybrid of baseball and hockey picks. The first game chosen is a baseball pick, and it appears at the top of the page on our MLB Picks page. Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/ZcodeMLBpicks

Give us a like, find the post pinned to the top of the page for the contest, and comment. Again, first to ten wins will take the grand prize of $100. Good luck, and don’t forget to follow both pages as the contest will  ... 

NHL Picks: New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres

NHL Picks: New Jersey Devils at Buffalo Sabres

This is a heartbreak or hope game for me, so kindly ignore my various and blatant biases in evaluating this game. I think the Devils can make the playoffs. Here’s why:

1. The Columbus Blue Jackets are about to play three top teams. I think they could lose all three. They were sellers at the deadline and this is a deadly stretch in their schedule.

2. The Devils play the Caps later this week. Win and they leap both non-playoff teams to become the top threat to Columbus’ WC 2 spot.

3.  ... 

NHL Picks: LA Kings at Washington Capitals

NHL Picks Contest: LA Kings at Washington Capitals

I think the LA Kings are a good team. They’re inconsistent at times offensively, but they’re deep and they have one of the best defensive groups from top to bottom in the NHL. Part of that is likely because Quick is so solid in net.

The Capitals are volatile and inconsistent and difficult to trust. They’re great when they want to be, or when they’re streaking, but they’re unpredictable. Ovechkin is having a wonderful season, but goaltending issues (even since Halak), lack of depth, and poor defensive play have doomed them this  ...