Winning Picks from Sports Handicapper Sean Murphy

Thursday NHL Free play. My selection is on Winnipeg over Vancouver at 8:05 pm et on Thursday.

Both of these teams already know who they'll be facing in the first round of the playoffs and I suspect Thursday's matchup will have a bit of a preseason feel to it. With that said, I like the Jets to keep their long winning streak intact as they look to head into their showdown with the mighty Avalanche with a full head of steam. The Canucks are coming off back-to-back wins over the Oilers and Flames including a decisive 4-1 victory on home ice two nights ago. This is of course a game where they'll simply be looking to stay healthy heading into the postseason. Note that Vancouver is 9-14 (-9.1 net games) when coming off consecutive wins by two goals or more over the last three seasons, as is the case here. Winnipeg is 9-5 (+2.7 net games) when seeking revenge for a shutout loss against an opponent over the same stretch. Take Winnipeg.

Pacific Division Game of the Year. My selection is on Calgary -1.5 goals over San Jose at 9:05 pm et on Thursday.

The Flames fell short in Vancouver two nights ago, snapping a two-game winning streak in the process. I look for them to bounce back on Thursday as they return home to wrap up what has been a disappointing season but in a smash spot against the lowly Sharks. San Jose looks like a team that has already packed it in for the season, coming off consecutive blowout losses by scores of 6-2 and 9-2 against the Wild and Oilers, respectively. Still a number of years away from even contending for a playoff spot, the Sharks are looking to the future. It's a different story for the Flames as they expect to compete for a playoff spot (and a division title) each and every year. There's plenty of roster moves to be made moving forward but I do think this team has continued to play hard down the stretch and finds itself in a prime bounce-back situation on Thursday. The Flames have plenty of young talent in the pipeline, led by goaltender Dustin Wolf, who figures to get the start between the pipes on Thursday. He backstopped the Flames to a 3-2 win in San Jose on April 9th, stopping 20 of 22 shots he faced. Take Calgary -1.5 goals (10*).

N.L. West Game of the Week. My selection is on Arizona over San Francisco at 9:45 pm et on Thursday.

Going back to the start of last season, the Giants are 17-20 in Logan Webb's 37 starts. Yes, he's a quality pitcher but San Francisco doesn't always provide the support needed to secure victories in spite of his terrific pitching. That wasn't the story in his most recent outing as the Giants produced 11 runs in a rout of the Rays last Saturday. I expect a much different story to unfold on Thursday in San Francisco. Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson is coming off a masterful six-inning outing against the Cardinals in which he allowed just one earned run. Note that the D'Backs have come away victorious in each of his three career starts against the Giants including a pair of wins in San Francisco. While the bullpen matchup is virtually a wash over the last week, D'Backs relievers have posted better overall numbers this season. Take Arizona (10*).

My selection is on Miami over Chicago at 7:40 pm et on Thursday.

A change of scenery should help Miami's cause on Thursday while perhaps hurting Chicago's chances after it raked in a series win in Arizona. The Marlins continue to struggle in the early going this season and are coming off a 2-4 homestand. I simply don't see any reason for the Cubs to be such lofty favorites in this particular matchup, however, as they hand the ball to Jameson Taillon for the first time this season. Taillon is coming off a disastrous 2023 campaign and I've yet to see anything to indicated he's poised for a turnaround after he labored through a pair of minor league rehab starts this year. A.J. Puk missed his last start for the Marlins due to an illness but is slated to return to the mound on Thursday. While early returns haven't been good, he did hold the Yankees to one earned run over 4 2/3 innings in his most recent outing. The Marlins bullpen has been awful to this point but it's not as if Cubs relievers have been setting the world on fire. Chicago entered yesterday's action with four converted saves to go along with four blown. We'll take a flyer on the Marlins here. Take Miami (8*).

My selection is on Detroit over Texas at 1:10 pm et on Thursday.

This series has been about as back-and-forth and tightly-contested as it gets and we'll count on the Tigers to bounce back and earn a 2-2 split on Thursday afternoon in Detroit. Kenta Maeda will get the start for Detroit. His overall numbers through three starts this season are not good but he is trending in the right direction. Last time out Maeda held the Twins to just one earned run over six innings. In four career starts against Texas he has posted a 3.05 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Jack Leiter will get his first career big league start for the Rangers. While he could be effective in this game, it's unlikely we'll see him work deep into the contest. That leaves plenty of work for a Rangers bullpen that has struggled for the most part this season, logging a collective 4.96 ERA and 1.38 WHIP entering yesterday's game. In stark contrast, the Tigers 'pen entered yesterday's action with a 1.70 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Take Detroit (8*).