Monday Night Football delivers a lackluster matchup in Week 10 of the NFL season. The early-week NHL schedule makes up for it, though, with a Stanley Cup final rematch and a pair of all-Canadian contests on Tuesday night.
On Monday night the Arizona Cardinals will try to pad their lead in the NFC West against the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona flashed their top-ranked scoring offense last week in a 34-13 win over St. Louis as a 3-point favorite. Kurt Warner completed 23-of-34 pass attempts for 342 yards with two touchdowns, and Tim Hightower got the start at running back and took hold of the role, rushing for 109 yards on 22 carries with a TD.
The 49ers had their bye week last week and the break likely couldn’t have come at a better time, as they have lost their last five games. In Week 8 the 49ers lost to Seattle 34-13 as a 5.5-point favorite in Mike Singletary’s coaching debut. J.T. O’Sullivan was pulled from the game after another disappointing performance that included three more turnovers. Shaun Hill took over and completed 15-of-23 pass attempts for 173 yards with a touchdown, and he’ll get the start behind center on Monday night.
The 49ers and Cardinals clashed in Week 1 when Arizona defeated San Francisco 23-13 as a 2.5-point road favorite. Warner threw for 197 yards with a touchdown for Arizona and O’Sullivan turned the ball over three times with an interception and two fumbles for the Niners. At Pinnacle the Cardinals are a 9.5-point favorite.
The NHL slate on Monday night is a light one with only two games on tap, as Tampa Bay takes on Washington in a Southeast matchup and Edmonton heads to New York to battle the Rangers.
Tuesday brings a game bettors have been waiting for, with Pittsburgh and Detroit meeting for the first time since the Red Wings took care of the Penguins in the Stanley Cup final. Detroit has picked up right where they left off last season with the second-best record in the West, while Pittsburgh has struggled to get back to the top of the East thanks to an injury-riddled blue line.
Also worth a look on the ice on Tuesday night is a pair of Canadian matchups between Ottawa and Montreal and Toronto and Calgary. The Senators and Canadiens meet for the first time this season after Ottawa won the season series 5-3 last year. The Maple Leafs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over Montreal on Saturday, while the Flames have lost three of their last four games after falling to Columbus 3-1 that same day.