This is a 10* on the OVER

We’ve got two teams on Monday Night Football that scored 34 points last week. Both teams also gave up their fair share (of points) last week, so it was 2 for 2 when it comes to Overs. With New Orleans, both the quarterback and coach seemed dissatisfied with their performance. Brees and Payton are likely to be much more satisfied with themselves after facing this terrible Raiders defense this week. Last week Las Vegas gave up almost 400 yards to a Carolina team with a 1st year head coach and new starting quarterback. That’s really nothing new for the Raiders. Over the last three seasons, they have ranked second to last in points allowed and dead last in yards per play allowed. They allowed 6.1 yards per play last week vs. Carolina. Even though they won’t have WR Thomas, look for the Saints to move the ball up and down the field in this game. Las Vegas should put up a decent number too, in their brand new stadium. The Over is 5-2 in the Saints last seven Monday night games. Play on OVER

AAA

This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY

They had a 36-20 edge in shots on goal, but the Lightning still lost 4-1 in Game 1. We believe their chances of bouncing back in Game 2 are quite high. For starters, Tampa Bay has not lost two straight games since the restart. When off a loss, they have scored at least three times in every try but one. That one instance was the close out game against the Islanders. Consider that Dallas has won 4 of its last 5 games despite averaging only 22.8 shots per game during that time. Having that high of a shooting percentage can’t continue. Similarly, goalie Anton Khudobin is probably due to start letting some goals in. He made 35 saves in Game 1. He’s now stopped 139 of the last 145 shots he’s faced, a save percentage of .959! That can’t continue either. Khudobin wasn’t even the Stars starter between the pipes when the playoffs began! The key will be for the Lightning to strike (score) first. TB is 0-3 against Dallas this season, but 46-17 their L63 games following a loss by 3+ goals. Play on TAMPA BAY

AAA

This is an 8* on ATLANTA

The last time the Marlins and Braves met, Atlanta delivered a historic 29-9 win. That was the most runs scored in a game in franchise history. They hit seven home runs and had an 11-run inning. It wasn’t quite that easy on Sunday, but the Braves are off a 7-0 win over the Mets. They’ve been scoring a lot of runs lately as we had them on Friday when they beat the Mets 15-2. All this run scoring has opened up a three-game advantage over the Marlins, who have been decidedly mediocre despite being a second place team. Putting Miami at a pretty severe disadvantage Monday is the fact they’ve played two doubleheaders in the last three days. They split both. One was Sunday and the loss came by a score of 15-0. They scored just two runs in 14 innings of baseball yesterday. Trevor Rogers starts tonight for Miami. He has a 6.00 ERA in six prior outings. Atlanta goes with Tomlin, whose five previous starts have all been against either Washington or Philadelphia. He’ll be happy to see a different lineup today, one that has been shutout three times in its last eight games. Play on ATLANTA

AAA

This is a 6* on PHILLY

The Phillies lost here last night by a score of 5-1. That’s a result they really can’t afford right now as they are one of many teams vying for the last remaining spots in the National League Playoffs. Adding insult to injury, Philadelphia was a sizable favorite for last night’s game here in D.C. They’re playing a doubleheader on Tuesday and find themselves as an even larger favorite for Game 1. That’s because they have Aaron Nola starting. Nola, despite a 5-5 TSR, has been the Phillies best starter in 2020. He’s posted 2.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 10 starts. The last one was a bit shaky (walked 5 batters), but you have to remember that Nola had a combined 20 strikeouts his previous two starts and he’s 2-0 against the Nationals this year, having allowed just two runs on seven hits in 15 innings of work. Nola has given up 1 run or less in half his starts. With Nola on the mound, Philly has a huge edge in starting pitching this afternoon. Washington will go with Voth, who is winless over his nine starts with a 7.17 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. The Phillies had been 6-0 vs. the Nationals this season prior to the loss yesterday. Play on PHILADELPHIA

AAA