Building a four-leg parlay to celebrate tonight’s sports equinox

Happy sports equinox to all who celebrate.

If you’re not familiar, a sports equinox is the rare occasion when the big four North American leagues are all in action on the same night.

And on this Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, we have just that:  

MLB: World Series Game 3: Yankees vs. Dodgers

NFL: Monday Night Football: Steelers vs. Giants

NHL: Eight regular-season games, including four Canadian teams

NBA: 11 regular-season games, including the Raptors on TSN

With that in mind, I have tagged some of our staff members on the TSN Betting team, and we have concocted a four-leg parlay featuring all four leagues for Monday night.

You’ll recognize a few names.

Domenic Padula is back after previewing Monday Night Football in his daily Morning Coffee column to give an NFL pick.

Meanwhile, before he takes to your television screen this evening on our Raptors broadcast, Wesley Cheng has provided a pick in the NBA that he likes.

TSN Betting’s lead hockey producer, Shaun Sinclair, is here with a prop for the action on the ice, and I will round out the column with a play for Game 3 of the World Series.

Let’s get to the picks.

Domenic Padula: George Pickens 40+ receiving yards (-290) 

George Pickens is an exceptional talent. In order to showcase his skills, he needs a quarterback who will get him the football consistently. Russell Wilson was far from perfect in his Steelers debut, but he did throw for 264 yards with nearly half of that production going to Pickens, who finished with a season-high 111 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Pickens might not go for 100-plus against the Giants, but he's cleared 50-plus in five of seven games this season. I expect that trend to continue against a defence that has given up some big games to opposing No. 1 wide receivers. Give me Pickens 40-plus receiving yards tonight.

Shaun Sinclair: Steven Stamkos 3+ shots (-210)        

Steven Stamkos makes his return to Tampa tonight, and maybe this is just what he needs to get going. So far, it looks like the Lightning made a smart move prioritizing the free agent signing of Jake Guentzel over re-signing their all-time leader in goals and points. Stamkos has just one point (a goal) in eight games with his new team. If there was ever a night for his teammates to feed him the puck more than usual, tonight’s the night. An Anytime Goal at +190 is tempting, but the safer play is 3+ shots for Stamkos, who is averaging exactly three shots per game this season.

Wesley Cheng: Nikola Jokic 25+ points (-180)

With Denver coming off their first 0-2 start in four seasons, count on Nikola Jokic to take matters into his own hands. The Nuggets might be worse off this season, but The Joker continues to be the world’s best player. In their previous game against the Clippers, head coach Tyronn Lue tried to neutralize him by making Jokic a perimeter scorer. He responded with a career high in both makes and attempts (7-of-12), finishing at 41 points. Looking ahead to tonight, Jokic carries over a strong track record versus Toronto, averaging 28.8 ppg, 13.3 rpg, and 8.5 apg these past two seasons.

Luke Bellus: Juan Soto to record a hit (-195)

Juan Soto has been doing everything as advertised as a member of the New York Yankees. The 26-year-old outfielder is one of, if not the, best hitters of his generation and this postseason has been another reminder. With the series shifting to New York with the Yankees trailing 0-2 in the series and Aaron Judge firmly on the struggle bus, I expect Soto to be a touch more aggressive tonight, looking to make something happen at the plate. Soto's ability to draw a walk and his discipline at the plate makes him so different from most hitters in this league. However, in 17 career plate appearances against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, he has just two of them, and that short porch in right field might be calling his name. In a series where New York has struggled to generate offence, it’ll be Soto on Monday night leading the charge from the front as they look to make this a competitive series.

This four-leg parlay is currently +371 on FanDuel Canada