The top-seeded Capitals look to complete a dominating sweep of the first-round matchup.  Washington is very good and the Flyers just want to fight.  Philly isn't focused and I expect them to get blasted again here on Wednesday night.

Washington overwhelmed Philadelphia with its power play Monday, scoring five times -- four in the third period -- en route to a 6-1 victory.

Washington leads a series 3-0 for the first time in team history and will get the sweep here on the road.

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I look for a highly motivated Philadelphia team that not only lost to Pittsburgh 2-6 just a few days ago, then lost to Detroit as they lost both those games as favorites, then lost a look ahead to this very same Pittsburgh team who routed them and who they want revenge against badly by losing to Toronto as nearly a 3:1 favorite.
The Flyers are also 22-10 at home.
They are also 5-1 in their last 6 games when facing a team with a winning road record at home - meaning they step up against the better teams in the league at home.
Take the Flyers here on Saturday afternoon!  5*

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We roll with with the Rangers here as they hook up against Columbus and though this line is relatively high we are ok with it. Note that New York comes off back to back games - well, frankly 3 straight games where they were solid to heavy favorites of -127 against Pittsburgh, -147 against Carolina and -208 against Buffalo and ended up losing all 3 contests by 1 goal a piece. Tonight we have a great deal of motivation for this team and with Columbus coming off a big win, we like them to have a let down after scoring 5 goals in their last game. New York likely wins this game in what has become a must win for morale to avoid losing 4 straight.  5*

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We roll with Tampa Bay the road team here as we like Tampa Bay coming off a bad loss in their last contest. This is a team that lost 1-4 to Toronto as heavy favorites of -177 on the road and that has to frustrate and ilk a team that is much better than what they showed north of the border. This team had just come off a 4-0 win over Columbus as -145 favorites and that was off a 1-3 loss to Philadelphia where they were favored heavily in that game by -172. So, this is a team that has shown the track record to bounce-back nicely coming off a bad loss and today should be no different especially a loss to a team in which they were heavily favored against. Plus, this team lost to Dallas 3-5 back in October so they likely will not give up 5 goals to the Stars here and will have renewed sense of focus especially coming off giving up 4 goals to Toronto. 5*

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We roll with Nashville here as they hook up with Dallas as they come off a huge win against Florida on the road and winning 5-0 in what is likely to be another victory for them here against Dallas. This is a team that lost to Dallas 1-5 and has a great deal of revenge over Dallas as they lost to them by 4 goals earlier. This is a Nashville team that when they focus they are able to beat anyone. Note, this is a Predators team that are 5-1 against the Western Conference, 4-1 in their last 5 games when playing on 1 day's rest and the Stars are just 1-4 in their last 5 meetings in Nashville as well. Look for Nashville to exact their revenge today and to build momentum from their Florida win.  5* NHL Game of the Week

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We like Anaheim again as they continue to play good. You have a Anaheim team that has won back to back games now and has won won 4-2 and 4-1 against the likes of Dallas and Ottawa and this is a squad that has won 3 out of their last 4 games as well. It is hard to ignore the Ducks are 7-1 in their last 8 games against the Western Conference and 5-1 coming off 1 day of rest and the Kings and once again get the cash here at home on Sunday night. 4*

We roll with Anaheim for a step-out selection here as they hook up against Dallas. Dallas is simply not playing well right now and they are not up to par to their normal excellence we saw earlier in the season. This is a Dallas team that is 4-6 over its last 10 games which is why they are the dog in this game. This team beat Anaheim in a tight 4-3 contest on the road last year and this is a revenge game for Anaheim as they host them once again. With this team having San Jose on deck, Anaheim with revenge, Stars having lost their last 5 road games and Ducks 6-1 in their last 7 contests against the Western Conference, we roll with Anaheim at home tonight in this spot here.  5*

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We roll with Anaheim here as they hook up with Vancouver. Anaheim has now won 3 in a row beating Philadelhpia 4-2. Calgary 1-0 on the road and Edmonton 1-0 as well. This team has now won 3 straight contests as favorites and with the public on Vancouver on limited selections on the docket, this is a quality public fade and likely the 4th straight winner here for Anaheim. The Ducks are 4-0 against the Western Conference and the Canucks are 1-7 in their last 8 games against the Western Conference.
The DUCKS roll tonight as another 5* NHL WINNER FOR US! 5*

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We roll with Nashville here as this is a team that is going to be more than irritated coming into this game as they lost 2-3 to Detroit as -150 favorites. They face a Ranger team that has lost 6 ouf its last 8 contests coming into this game and the Rangers are 0-7 in their last 7 road games as well and Nashville is very solid at home. 4*

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We roll with the Chicago Blackhawks here as they lost to Dallas 0-4 if you remember the last time these two teams met. This is a great opportunity for this team to get revenge as this is a team that does not lose often and when they lose they certainly remember who they lose to. And, on top of that, this is a team that lost by 4 goals to a team which is even more of a rarity for the Blackhawks. With Chicago coming off 3 straight wins its a decent spot for them to bounce-back against a Dallas team who scored 6 goals in their last game and is due for a let down spot here as Chicago is typically sound on revenge as well. Let's roll with Chicago on Tuesday night.  5* NHL GAME OF THE WEEK

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This is a Boston team that just beat Pittsburgh 3-0 to their credit, has won 3 out of their last 4 and 4 out of their last 6 as well. Boston is 12-2 in the Eastern Conference over their last 14 games and the Penguins are 1-4 in their last 4 home games and 0-4 in their last 4 games when they face a team with a winning record as well. The Penguins are struggling and I'll back the BRUINS here on Friday night.  5* NHL GAME OF THE WEEK

Note that Nashville hooks up here against St. Louis in a contest that we unabashadly take the underdog. Nashville comes off a 1-2 loss to a hot Calgary team as a heavy favorite of -179 and we suspect they will show some pride and revenge here.
This team also lost to Colorado 2-3 as a -185 favorite in their game prior as well which says a lot. This is a bounce-back game for a Nashville team that comes off back to back losses and who lost 0-4 to St. Louis earlier this year. Plenty of motivation here for Nashville. 4*

Buffalo team who is 13-15-1 and they have done well this year due to the new coaching changes and this team is obviously working extremely hard and believes themselves. Buffalo has kept rolling including beating Detroit as +162 dogs winning 2-1, beating LA 2-1 in overtime as a +126 dog and now looks to beat a New Jersey team who they only lost 3-4 the last time they met in October. Great opportunity here for Buffalo to roll with revenge, playing well winning as dogs in back to back games, decent public fade and they are favored for good reason here as this team inches closer and closer to the .500 mark. Look for Buffalo to step up here and pick up the win.  4*

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We are getting very good value here tonight with the better overall team. The Panthers are a red hot 5-0 in their last 5 games overall and 5-0 in their last 5 road games. The Devils are 1-6 in their last 7 games when playing their 3rd game in 4 nights and they are just 0-4 in their last 4 home games. Play Florida with confidence here on Sunday night. 4*

Colorado is 3-7 following a SU win and the Wild are 9-4 in their last 13 home games. Minnesota at home against Colorado has won 5 out of 6 games and tonight the Wild take this home game. The Wild are the superior team here and I feel this line should be upwards of -200 here tonight. The Avs are just 1-7 in their last 8 games against the Wild and the Wild are 38-15 in their last 53 games when playing a team with a losing record. Play Minnesota with extreme confidence tonight.  5*

Keep in mind that Boston comes off a loss to Edmonton in extra time 2-3 after they had won 5 in a row and it was their first loss after winning as favorites in 4 straight contests. We like Boston to bounce-bakc here and note they lost 3-4 to Calgary in extra time in March of last season so they have that revenge against a team they do not see that often. Calgary also won their first game in 4 tries and comes off a huge 4-3 win against Dallas their last time out. Play the BRUINS on Friday night. 4*

The Stars have won 7 out of their last 10 games and are averaging 3.5gpg in this hot streak while the Canucks have dropped 8 out of their last 10 games. Dallas is #1 in goals scored and #3 on the Power Play in the NHL.
Another big reason why we love the Stars tonight is their road play this season. Dallas is 10-2-1 on the road and Vancouver has struggled at home going 3-4-3. If the Stars can hit the net early and put pressure on Vancouver goalie Ryan Miller we should have no problem cashing this selections. Miller this season is 7-8-6 with a 2.57 GAA and  Dallas is 12-2 against Western Conference opponents. 5*

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This has been a long road trip for this San Jose Sharks team that is 18th in the NHL in goals scored and 28th in goals allowed. The Sharks are 1-4 in their last 5 games following a win. Boston has a nice mixture of young talent and veterans, on a 2-1 run. Last season they were very good at home and I expect them to get back on track tonight. The Bruins will likely turn to Tuukka Rask, who had 22 saves Saturday after giving up eight goals on 49 shots while losing his previous two at home. The Bruins are 12-5 in their last 17 games following a win and the home team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. Lets roll with the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.   5* nHL GAME OF THE WEEK

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 St. Louis keeps plowing along with its balance and depth, second in the Central division. St. Louis is 60-26 in their last 86 vs. the Eastern Conference. The team is 7th in the NHL in goals, 5th in goals allowed. New Jersey is 19th in goals scored and the Devils are 20-43 in their last 63 vs. the Western Conference.
The Devils, though, are 1-5-1 in their last seven meetings with the Blues and 1-3-1 over the last five played in New Jersey. They dropped both matchups last season, beating Allen on just three of 53 shots.

Allen made 26 saves in a 1-0 win at Prudential Center on Nov. 4, 2014, and he'll reportedly get the nod again. He's won five of his last six starts overall with a 1.03 goals-against average and two shutouts.

Allen made a career-high 45 saves in Saturday's 4-0 win at Nashville as St. Louis (10-3-1) got its fifth win in six games. The Blues have 10 goals in their last two, going 3 for 5 on the power play after coming up empty on 21 chances over the previous six games.

The Blues are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings and the Blues are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in New Jersey. Play the STL Blues on Tuesday night!  5* NHL GAME OF THE WEEK!

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Washington's victory Saturday helped it match a team-best 4-0-0 away start.

The Caps have outscored the opposition 18-9 as the visitor, led by four goals and six assists from Kuznetsov, two goals and five assists from Alex Ovechkin and three goals and an assist from Nicklas Backstrom.
Washington is also playing with playoff revenge from last season. 4*

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The Arizona power play is lacking some punch, as it's rated 28th in the league. Toronto has won just once this season and will try to snap its three-game losing streak. The Leafs have two OT losses which brings them to four total points and tied for last in the Atlantic division. The issue I have with Arizona here is the five game road swing they are on. They were 0-3-1 during this trip until they won last time out at Ottawa. The Leafs return home for their first game since Oct 10th and hungry to get back on track. The Leafs finally get back home where they should pick up a win tonight.
Toronto will get to play five of its next six on home ice, with the lone road game against the New York Rangers on Friday. The matchup with Arizona is the Leafs' first home game since Oct. 10, but Babcock acknowledges that stretch doesn't mean much if his team doesn't perform well and this stressed and expects a big game tonight for the Maple Leafs. 5*

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Look for Nashville to get the win on the road here tonight! The Predators' goaltender Pekka Rinne is on fire to open the year and we think he'll once again be the difference in this contest. Rinne has stopped 56 of 57 shots in his team's 2-0 start, getting a ton of help from his defense which has killed off all eight power plays that he's faced. New Jersey has opened 0-2 and hasn't won in regulation since March 20th, going 1-9-3 with one SO win in that span. Goaltender Corey Schneider is 0-7-2 with a 3.11 GAA and .898 save percentage during the stretch of futility (and note that in four career starts vs. the Predators he's posted a pedestrian 3.00 ERA).  5*

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