At 5:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Dallas Stars.  The Jets reached the Conference Finals last May for the first time in their history and they're looking to build on that success.  So far, so good, as Winnipeg will finish the first half of the season atop the Central Division.  Clearly, this is not the same Jets team we were used to seeing in seasons past.  Winger Blake Wheeler led the NHL in assists last season and, with more weapons at his disposal, is on track to smash through the 68 helpers he notched (he currently has 44 in 40 games).  The Stars wrapped up a successful four-game home-stand with an OT win over the Caps on Friday.  But the road has been a struggle for them so far as Dallas is just 8-13 away from American Airlines Center.  And a trip to Winnipeg presents even more problems for the Stars.  The Jets have won eight of the last nine meetings including five straight here at home.  Dallas won the only meeting this season back in early October, 5-1 at home, but the Jets are 39-17 (+20 on the money line) in their last 56 revenging a road loss.  Take Winnipeg.  NHL Payback Payday. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Kings over Edmonton.  The Kings are off back to back losses, and are in last place in the Western Conference, but have actually played better than the Oilers since December 16.  The Oilers have won just once in their last 7 games, while the Kings are 5-3 over their last eight.  Even worse for the Oilers:  they've won just once in Los Angeles in their last 14 games here at Staples Center, dating back to 2012.  I look for the Kings to continue their home dominance tonight.  Take Los Angeles.  NHL Roadkill Play.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. 

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Vancouver Canucks.  For the third time this season, the Maple Leafs have lost back-to-back home games coming into tonight.  If the other two occasions are any indication then Toronto could be sitting on a big game tonight.  On October 24, the Leafs beat Winnipeg 4-2 after losing two straight at home to the Penguins and Blues.  And on November 3, they crushed the Pens 5-0 after losing back-to-back in Toronto to the Flames and Stars.  Both the Jets and Pens are much better teams than Toronto will be facing tonight as the Canucks visit Scotiabank Arena for the first time in almost a year.  The Leafs are down to their third goalie as both Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks are out with injuries.  But 28-year-old Michael Hutchinson is a pretty solid net-minder in his own right and he grew up in the Toronto area rooting for the Leafs.  Hutchinson is sure to have plenty of friends and family in the stands tonight for the heavily favored home team.  This has been a very host-friendly series in recent years as the home team is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings.  Take the Leafs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Ducks over the Vegas Golden Knights.  Last season's surprise Stanley Cup Finalists are out to prove that it was no fluke.  But the Golden Knights have some work to do if they're to become the first team to go to back-to-back finals in their first two seasons of existence since the St. Louis Blues in the late 1960s (and the Blues did that in their first THREE seasons).  Halfway through the season the Knights find themselves in second place in their division behind the Flames.  Their biggest problem so far has been their performance on the road, as Vegas is 11-13 away from T-Mobile Arena.  This is a revenge situation for the Ducks as they were blown out by the Knights, 5-0 on November 14 in Vegas.  But they've done well in these situations recently as the Ducks are 34-13 (+23 games on the money line) in their last 47 when revenging a loss in which they scored less than two goals.  The Ducks have also lost their last two games in overtime coming into this one and they are 5-0 in their last five games following back-to-back OT losses.  Take Anaheim.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the New Jersey Devils.  Good teams with deep talent can often afford to lose a top offensive player.  But bad teams usually cannot.  The Devils are a case of the latter.  Left winger -- and top point-producer -- Taylor Hall suffered a lower body injury following the Devils game on December 23 and they were hoping the Hart Trophy winner would play through it.  But the New Year didn't begin well for New Jersey as the Devils announced they put Hall (37 points in 33 games) on Injured Reserve.  To make matters worse, their #2 winger on that side -- Marcus Johansson -- was already on IR for an upper body ailment.  Somehow despite these handicaps, the Devils have managed to win three straight by a combined score of 11-2.  But two of those were at home and now they have to go into Dallas shorthanded on offense against one of the best home defenses in the NHL (2.47 GAA at AA Center).  The Stars lost to the Devils back in October, 3-0, and they are 7-2 in their last nine revenging same-season losses and 5-1 in their last six off a home loss.  Take Dallas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over San Jose.  The winner of this game will be in first place in the Pacific division, as Calgary is currently in 1st (tied with Vegas), with 50 points, while the Sharks are one point behind, at 49.  The Flames were upset by Vancouver, in overtime, in their last game, but are 10-5 off a loss this season.  Meanwhile, the Sharks are off back to back wins over Anaheim and at Edmonton, but they're an awful 23-29 (minus 17 games on the money line) off a road win, and 31-34 (minus 15 games on the money line) off back to back wins.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the New York Rangers.  Two teams that are treading water at the half-way point of the season meet tonight in St. Louis.  With records that are on the wrong side of .500, both the Rangers and Blues will be saying "good riddance" to 2018 and hoping for better things in the New Year.  But while New York's record in what was expected to be a rebuilding season is not surprising, St. Louis' somewhat is.  And the Blues were showing signs of coming around, with five wins in seven games before going up against a red-hot Penguins club here at home on Saturday and dropping a lopsided 6-1 decision.  Tonight should bring some class relief coupled with the fact that the Rangers are just 5-11 in the last 16 meetings of these two.  And New York's outstanding defenseman, Kevin Shattenkirk has landed on IR with a separated shoulder and will be out for two to four weeks.  The Blues are 74-28 in their last 102 home games vs. teams with a road winning % of less than .400 while the Rangers are 2-8 in their last 10 road games vs. teams with a losing home record.  Take St. Louis.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Chicago Blackhawks.  The best offensive trio in the NHL doesn't include Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, or Nikita Kucherov.  Rather, the best line in hockey right now is three members of the Avalanche that -- until recently -- were far from household names.  The Avs' number one line of center Nathan MacKinnon and wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantenen is tearing up the league right now like no other that we've seen in quite some time.  Rantenen and MacKinnnon rank second and third respectively in the overall points race, while Landeskog is fourth in goal scoring.  While the Avs defense is average at best, it has been holding its own at home where the Avs have allowed less than three goals per game on average (2.81).  Tonight is a revenge situation as the Hawks just beat the Avs, 2-1, about a week ago.  And Colorado is 21-12 in its last 33 games revenging a loss in which it failed to score at least two goals.  Meanwhile, Chicago is 4-10 in its last 14 after scoring three or more goals in two straight games.  Take the Avs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over Columbus.  The Blue Jackets' #1 goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, won't play tonight.  Instead, the Jackets will start Joonas Korpisalo.  And that's good news for New York, as Bobrovsky has been red-hot, with a 6-1 record, 1.77 GAA and a .942 save percentage over his last seven games.  In contrast, the Jackets are 5-5 behind Korpisalo this season, and his save percentage is .885.  Even though the Rangers lost their last game -- a 3-2 defeat here at home to Philadelphia -- New York's been strong at home this season, with an 11-4-4 record, and they've outscored their opponents by an average of 3.0 to 2.4.  And New York is 30-18 (+14 games on the money line) off a home loss, and 11-6 in the last 17 meetings vs. Columbus.  Take the home dog Rangers on Thursday.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Los Angeles Kings.  The Kings registered a huge upset on Saturday with a 3-2 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks.  But let's not kid ourselves.  This is still a team that is the worst in the NHL with a 13-23 record and a league-low 29 points.  Injuries have played a big role in the Kings' demise this season as no less than eight regulars are currently questionable or out of action for a prolonged period.  The Knights have been very tough at home.  But on Saturday they met their match as the Canadiens came into T-Mobile Arena and left with a 4-3 overtime victory.  These two teams played two weekends ago in L.A. and the Kings cruised to an easy 5-1 victory as a big underdog.  But the Knights have been a different team at home (11-7) than they have been on the road (9-13) this season.  Moreover, th Kings are 5-17 in their last 22 games following a win and 1-6 in their last seven games playing without rest.  Finally, the Knights are 4-1 in the last five meetings with the Kings and 46-19 in their last 65 home games.  Take Vegas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Detroit Red Wings.  Inconsistent play has plagued both the Red Wings and Panthers this season with either team capable of turning in a quality effort or a clunker on just about any given night.  Injuries have been partially responsible for their struggles, especially when it comes to Detroit.  No sooner did the Red Wings get defenseman Trevor Daley back from a lower body injury than they lost Mike Green (their top blue-liner) for an estimated three-to-five weeks (also lower body).  The Wings did snap a four-game losing streak with an upset victory over the Hurricanes in Carolina on Thursday, 4-1.  But posting a home victory immediately after one on the road has proven difficult for Detroit this season.  And being the home team in this series hasn't been a holiday either as the road team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.  Finally, the Red Wings are 20-50 (-28 games on the money line) in their last 70 division match-up, and 11-24 (-14 games on the money line) in their last 35 after allowing less than two goals in their previous game.  Take Florida.  NHL Road Warrior Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:05 pm, our Eastern Conference Game of the Month is on the New Jersey Devils over the Ottawa Senators.  The Senators may not be the worst team in the league -- far from it, but their struggles on the road have reached rock bottom it seems.  The only team with fewer than the four road wins that Ottawa has?  The Devils.  But they're home tonight, where they've won eight of 15 games, and they're looking to bounce back from a three-game skid.  Two of those losses were -- you guessed it -- on the road.  The Sens have a league-worst defense with a 3.86 GAA through their first 35 games.  They're hoping to get some help in that department tonight from the return of D-man Dylan DeMelo, however it appears the veteran blue-liner will need to sit out at least one more game with his upper body injury.  That could spell more trouble for Ottawa especially given the fact that the Devils have a pretty potent offense this season here at home (3.40 goals-per-game).  In a major upset, the Sens beat the Predators 4-3 in OT on Monday, but that may not bode well for tonight, as Ottawa is 4-11 in its last 15 after scoring four or more in the last game.  Take New Jersey.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Vancouver Canucks.  The Lightning began this Canadian road swing with a 5-4 OT loss to a very good Jets team, in Winnipeg on Sunday.  This, despite firing 47 shots at goalie Connor Hellebuyck (they won that battle 47-42 but lost the war in the end).  That loss ended Tampa's eight-game win streak in which it had out-scored the opposition by a total of 41-21.  The Bolts are rewarded for their hard work by way of a visit to Vancouver to face the 16-20 Vancouver Canucks, who beat Edmonton, 4-2, on Sunday.  Things could get ugly for the hosts tonight as the league's #1 offense (138 goals scored) will meet a defense that has allowed 118 goals -- 2nd highest in the West.  It doesn't help Vancouver's chances that its fourth game in just six nights.  And Vancouver is a poor 32-67 (minus 22 games on the money line) when playing its fourth game within a span of a week.  Even worse:  the Bolts are one of the best teams in the league coming off of a loss as they are 7-1 in their last eight in those situations (and 53-28, +16 games on the money line in their last 81).  Moreover, they're 45-24, +13 games on the money line, after giving up more than three goals in their previous game.  Earlier this season, the Canucks handed the Lightning one of their four home defeats, by a score of 4-1.  However, Tampa Bay is 12-5 when revenging a blowout home loss of 3+ goals.  Finally, the Canucks are 18-35 after scoring more than 2 goals in their previous game.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Road Warrior Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Anaheim Ducks.  The Ducks are on an impressive 11-2 streak, but won 4-2 last night in Pittsburgh, so they'll have to take on the Rangers in Madison Square Garden without rest.  And just one of Anaheim's last 13 games was played without rest.  And that was its 3-2 win at Florida, on November 28.  Unfortunately for the Ducks, it's a poor 6-9 (minus 2 games on the money line) when playing on the road in back to back nights the last few years (and 71-90, minus 10 games on the money line, going back even further).  It's also just 6-16 (minus 12 games on the money line) its last 22 games following a road win by 2+ goals.  That doesn't bode well for Anaheim tonight, and especially not against a Rangers squad which will be looking to snap a 3-game losing streak.  The Rangers were faced with trying to snap a 3-game losing streak twice before this season, and they pulled big upsets each time:  as a +130 underdog vs. the Sharks, and as a +170 underdog vs. the Panthers.  Over the last three seasons, the Rangers are 12-7 (+7 games on the money line) off 3+ losses, and they're 97-70 (+24 games on the money line) going back even further.  Finally, New York has played well in its home building this season, as it's earned at least a point in 13 of its 16 home games (10-3-3).  The Rangers have won seven of the last eight meetings here, at home, vs. Anaheim, including each of the last four.  And those last four home games were by a combined score of 18-6.  Take the Rangers to blow out the Ducks. NHL Game of the Week. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Vegas Golden Knights.  The Knights are wrapping up a four-game Eastern road trip with a visit to Columbus for only the second time in their history.  Vegas has played two bad teams in its last two games and both went to overtime with the Knights losing to the lowly Devils, 5-4, and then barely beating the Rangers, 4-3.  The Knights' biggest problem on the road has been their defense.  At home, Vegas sports the top defense/goaltending in the league, allowing an average of just 1.93 goals per game.  But away from T-Mobile Arena, that number rises to 3.50, tied for worst in the West (with Edmonton).  On the other side, the Jackets have been dominating their recent opponents on the ice, but not always on the scoreboard.  Columbus has out-shot its opposition in six of its last seven games (by a combined 232-188) but are just 2-5 in those games, including a 2-1 OT loss to the Ducks on Saturday.  I look for the Jackets to get back into the win column tonight, as Vegas is 0-5 this season on the road off a 1-goal win, while Columbus is 10-4 this season, and 23-16 its last 39 off a home loss.  Take Columbus.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Arizona Coyotes.  These two teams met in Arizona in November, and the Coyotes won, in overtime, 4-3, even though they were out-shot, 48-21!  Antii Raanta, however, was spectacular for Arizona, with 45 saves, and his team pulled off the upset.  Unfortunately for the Coyotes, Raanta landed on the Injured Reserve 10 days ago with a lower body injury, and remains sidelined.  Rookie Adin Hill is now between the pipes, and has made six starts.  He was great in his first three (2 goals in 89 shots), but poor in his last three (12 goals in 83 shots).  No team in the NHL has been as streaky as the Coyotes lately.  The team that is often a doormat for the rest of the league had a four game win streak between November 27 and December 4 (they also had a five-game win streak in late October).  The problem with this latest run of success is that it was sandwiched between two four-game losing streaks, the latter of which was broken when the Coyotes went into New York and upset the Rangers, 4-3 in OT, on Friday night.   The 'Canes on the other hand, lost their third straight that same night in a home thriller.  For 65 minutes, Carolina held the Champion Capitals to a 5-5 draw and only lost when the visitors got one by goalie Scott Darling in the shoot-out.  There's no shame in picking up a point on a night when Alex Ovechkin scores a hat trick and anything close to Friday's performance should yield a win for the home team in this Sunday matinee in Raleigh.  The Coyotes are 28-58 in their last 86 road games vs. teams with a losing home record, 1-10 off an overtime win, and 52-91 (minus 21 games on the money line) in non-conference games.  Take the 'Canes.  NHL Non-Division Game of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the St. Louis Blues.  After managing just five total goals in four consecutive games to begin the month, St. Louis' offense finally got going in its last game, netting four in a 4-3 victory over the Panthers.  Scoring has been a bit of an issue for the Blues all season, as they are averaging less than three goals per game (2.83) and in the month of November that number dropped to 2.64.  The Avalanche lost to the Blues, at home, earlier this year, and also come into this game off of back-to-back losses.  But one of those two defeats was against the red-hot Lightning, while the other was to an up-and-coming Oilers club, so they should get a bit of relief tonight in St. Louis against the 11-18 Blues.  Colorado's 11 road wins are tops in the Western Conference and second-best in the NHL (Toronto -- 12).  And, say what you want about the Avs up-and-down season so far, but they feature the most prolific line in the game with Nathan MacKinnon centered between wingers (captain) Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen.  Finally, the Blues are 2-8 in their 10 games coming off of a win this season.  Take Colorado.  NHL Payback Payday!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over Boston.  The Pens were on a 6-2-2 streak before their 6-3 loss on Wednesday, at Chicago.  But I expect them to bounce back at home, tonight, vs. Boston.  The home team has won each of the past eight meetings in this series.  And the Penguins will also get back the services of #1 netminder, Matt Murray, who was activated off injured reserve earlier this week.  In his career, Murray is 3-2 with a 2.73 GAA vs. Boston.  And, finally, Mike Sullivan's squad are a solid 48-17, +23 games on the money line, off a loss by 2+ goals in their previous game.  Take Pittsburgh.  NHL High Roller Winner! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over Edmonton.  The Oilers do come into this game off 3 straight wins, but the last two were both at home.  On the road this season, the Oilers have a losing record, and are being outscored by almost a goal per game.  Even worse:  the Oilers are a horrid 1-8 after winning each of their three previous games.  Take Colorado.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Montreal Canadiens.  It's been an up-and-down season for the Wild so far.  The team that had one of the biggest disparities last season between playing at home and on the road is repeating that pattern so far this season.  In 14 home games, Minnesota has featured a very efficient offense which has averaged 3.5 goals per game (10th-best in the league).  But in their 15 games away from Xcel Energy Center, the Wild has only managed almost a full goal less than their home average (2.60).  This certainly played out in their last five road games as the Wild went 1-4 and managed just eight total goals in trips to Chicago, Columbus, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.  They're back home tonight and facing a Canadiens team which has gotten hot seemingly out of nowhere.  The Habs have won three in a row, but before we get too excited about a return to their glory days, let's consider that those three wins have come against the 9-22 Blackhawks and the 13-18 Senators (twice).  Finally, for technical support, consider that the Wild is 18-2 in their last 20 games coming off back-to-back losses.  Take Minnesota.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Vancouver Canucks.  After a season in which they averaged less than three goals per game (2.88), the task for Columbus this fall was simple -- improve the offense and bring the scoring totals up.  Mission accomplished.  Even though it's been to the detriment of their defense, the Jackets are scoring at a much better clip this season -- almost 3 1/2 goals per game through the first 1/3 of the season (tied for fifth in the league in that category).  RW Cam Atkinson has been the offensive spark plug so far, with 19 goals in 28 games, and only three behind NHL leader Alex Ovechkin.  They couldn't get it going at all on Saturday, here at home against the defending Cup Champs, falling to the Caps, 4-0.  Look for a big rebound tonight as the Canucks come to town for the first time in almost a year.  Vancouver's offense has been about average, but its defense has been far below as the Canucks are one of just four teams to have allowed more than 100 goals so far.  The Jackets are 6-1 in their last seven off of a blowout loss by four or more goals.  Take Columbus.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Dallas Stars.  After winning seven of their last eight games heading into Saturday, the Golden Knights laid a Golden Egg in Los Angeles.  After jumping out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period. the Knights said good night and went to sleep while the Kings scored five unanswered goals en route to an easy 5-1 victory.  The road has been a problem for the Knights this season, so coming back home after that disappointment should ignite the defending Western Conference Champs.  You could say the same about the Stars, who come into tonight on a four-game winning streak, but who are just 6-9 away from Dallas.  But the biggest problem for them right now is the health -- or lack thereof -- of their blue line.  Four regular Dallas defenders -- Klingberg, Johns, Methot, and Carrick -- are either on injured reserve or out of action due to injury.  Dallas is 18-37 in their last 55 (-28 games on the money line) immediately following a home win.  And they are 4-11 in their last 15 road games vs. teams with a home winning % of greater than .600.  Take Vegas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Blackhawks over Montreal.  The Canadiens erupted for 5 goals in each of their last two games (back to back 5-2 wins over the Senators).  Unfortunately, the Canadiens are an awful 8-22 after scoring 3+ goals in each of their two previous games, and 2-9 off a road win by 3+ goals.  The Blackhawks are certainly floundering right now, with six straight losses.  But those games largely came against the NHL's elite (Jets, Predators, Flames, Golden Knights (twice), Ducks).  I look for Chicago to snap its losing streak this evening, and extend its success at home vs. Montreal to 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.  Take the Blackhawks.

At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Philadelphia Flyers.  The Jets had their four-game winning streak snapped on Friday here at home by the Blues.  The offense appeared to take the night off as St. Louis shut out Winnipeg, 1-0 and the Jets only managed 26 shots on goal but held the Blues to 27.  But the Blues have a very good defense -- especially away from home -- while today's opponent leaves a bit to be desired in that category.  The Flyers have allowed and average of 3.54 goals-per-game this season (3.58 on the road) and they had a quick turnaround from their victory in Buffalo yesterday to get to Winnipeg for this Sunday matinee.  The home team has ruled this series in recent years winning the last five meetings with the road team not having posted a victory in more than three years (November 7, 2015).   The Flyers' #1 Center, Sean Couturier had to sit out on Saturday due to a lower body injury and likely won't be available today either.  The loss in their last game may bode well for the Jets as they are 9-1 in their last 10 (+8 games on the money line) immediately following a defeat.  Take Winnipeg

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Detroit Red Wings.  After getting the season off to a surprisingly strong start, the Islanders have faulted a bit lately and have fallen below the .500 mark for the first time since the end of October.  The Isles have lost four of their last five to get to this point.   But those five games came against five very good teams -- the Penguins, Jets, Blue Jackets, Bruins, and Capitals.  Four of those five have winning records, and the fifth (the Pens) have won two Stanley Cups in the last three years.  The Red Wings scored one of the biggest upsets of the season in their last game, beating the Maple Leafs in Toronto, 5-4, in overtime.  That huge win sets up Detroit for a let-down back at home tonight against a team which is 7-3 in its last 10 trips to the Motor City.  Although they won their last game vs. Toronto, it doesn't bode well for tonight as the Wings are 23-51 (-25 games on the money line) in their last 74 after allowing more than 3 goals in their previous game.  Also, the Isles are 5-0 in their last five after not scoring 3+ goals in either of their two previous games.  Take New York.  NHL HIGH ROLLER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Anaheim Ducks.  The Ducks were struggling early on, but all of a sudden, they are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won five straight and seven out of their last eight.  But if the Ducks are going to be a consistently good team this season, they're going to have to address their lack of scoring output.  For the season, Anaheim has averaged just 2.40 goals-per-game and that number barely varies whether the Ducks are at home (2.36) or on the road (2.44).  This is a revenge situation for the 'Canes, as the Ducks just beat them as part of this winning streak, 2-1, in overtime only a week ago.  Despite ending up on the wrong end of the scoreboard that night, Carolina out-played the Ducks and out-shot them by a 34-29 margin.  They will look to turn the tables tonight on the road where they've performed fairly well this season.  The Ducks won their last game here at Honda Center on Tuesday, beating the Blackhawks, 4-2.  But that may not bode well for tonight as Anaheim is 1-6 in its last seven immediately following a home win.  Take the Hurricanes.  NHL Game of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Arizona Coyotes.  After seven straight victories, the inconsistent play that has plagued the Caps in the past appears to be back.  On Sunday, the Caps suffered one of their biggest meltdowns in franchise history, squandering a 5-1 lead late in the 2nd period to lose at home to the Ducks, 6-5.  Then, in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch, Washington put in a lackluster effort in Las Vegas on Tuesday and lost to the Knights, 5-3.  Trending in the opposite direction as the Caps are the Coyotes, who have won four straight coming into tonight by a combined score of 15-5.  But three of those four came on the road, and Arizona has really struggled  at home, losing four of its last five here at Gila River Arena.  The Coyotes' biggest problem right now is injuries, including having lost their top two goaltenders, Antti Raanta (lower body) and Darcy Kuemper (same).  #1 Raanta has been out for the last three games and is doubtful to return tonight which leaves the Coyotes with 22-year-old Adin Hill.  It's true that Arizona beat Washington, 4-1, earlier this season.  However, the Caps are 59-29, +20 games on the money line, when playing with revenge.  Even better:  the Caps are 25-6 off back to back losses.  And they're 11-3 after allowing more than 3 goals in back to back games.  Finally, Arizona is an awful 6-20 after allowing 2 goals or less in back to back games  Take the Capitals.  NHL ROAD WARRIOR WINNER!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Montreal Canadiens over the Ottawa Senators.  Through the first third of the season, the Canadiens and Senators have basically identical records, and that's not necessarily a good thing for either team.  The Sens are winners of three straight, however two of those (the last two) were at home where they've had the lion's share of their success this season.  And check out this incredible stat: In 12 road games this season, Ottawa has allowed in 61 goals, for a whopping 5.08 GAA!  That probably will come down over time, but it's still amazing to think that the Sens have won a single game -- much less three -- away from home with that poor of a road defense.  Things won't get any easier for the Sens in that department either as one of their top blue-line players, Mark Borowiecki, will miss another game tonight with his upper-body injury.  Montreal has a losing record at home (barely), but the Sens are 2-14 in their last 16 road games vs. teams with a losing home record.  The Senators are also 2-6 in the last eight meetings, and 0-4 in the last four here at Bell Centre.  Take Montreal.  NHL Roadkill Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Detroit Red Wings. The Avs look like they are for real this season. Sure, they feature perhaps the best all-around player on the planet in C Nathan MacKinnon.  But they are also showing this season that they are no one-trick pony. It's hard to believe that MacKinnon is still only 23 years old as the former number one pick has been in the league since 2013 when he was 18 years old. McKinnon barely missed the century mark last season, putting up 97 points, but he missed eight games due to injury. This season -- if he can stay healthy -- 100 points seems like a done deal as McKinnon has already registered 41 points in 26 games. In addition to having one of the best play-makers in the game, Colorado also features an improved defense which has allowed an average of 2.77 goals-per-game. After reeling off six straight wins, the Avs lost at home on Friday in OT to the Blues, 3-2.  But they earned a point, and extended their streak to 10 games that they've earned at least a point.  Also, interestingly, they are actually better on the road this season, with a 9-4-2 record away from Denver.  Finally, the road team is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings and the Avs are 4-1 in the last five in Detroit.   Take Colorado. NHL Road Warrior. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over Montreal. We played on San Jose yesterday afternoon, and lost when the Ottawa Senators slaughtered the sharks, 6-2, notwithstanding the fact that San Jose outshot Ottawa 38-27.  But we'll come right back with San Jose, as it's 38-23 after allowing 4+ goals, and it's also won the last five meetings vs. Montreal.  Take San Jose.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over Toronto.  The Wild have dropped their last 2 games.  But I love them to bounce back against Toronto tonight.  The Wild have actually excelled vs. the league's best teams at home, as they're 12-3 vs. foes that have a scoring margin of +0.5 goals (or more) per game.  Even better, Toronto comes into this road game off 3 home wins, vs. Philly (6-0), Boston (4-2) and San Jose (5-3).  Unfortunately for the Leafs, they're an awful 1-9 on the road off a win by 2+ goals, and 3-16 on the road off back to back home wins by 2+ goals.  Finally, Minnesota is a spectacular 17-1 off back to back losses, while Toronto is a poor 71-105 on a 3-game (or better) unbeaten streak.  Take Minnesota.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Ottawa Senators.  The Sharks are in the midst of a very tough road trip and probably can't wait to get back to the Bay Area.  Sure, they've lost all three away from home by a combined 14-5, but those three have come against the likes of the red-hot Sabres, Golden Knights, and Maple Leafs.  So they will step down in class in this Saturday matinee in Ottawa.  The Senators have won two in a row over the Flyers (road) and Rangers (home) but they've paid a bit of a price with some injuries.  And prior to those two wins, the Sens had lost four in a row by a combined score of 23-15.  You can tell from those numbers what Ottawa's biggest problem this season has been.  With a 4.12 goals-against-average, the Sens sport the worst defensive numbers in the league (and they're the only team with a GAA of more than 4.0).  That porous defense has allowed an NHL-high 37.8 shots-on-goal per game.  Ottawa shut-out the Rangers 3-0 last time, however the Sens are 3-11 in their last 14 home games after a win by three or more goals.  Take the Sharks.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Buffalo Sabres.  The Sabres won another 3-2 OT game on Monday, this time against the San Jose Sharks.  It's the 10th win in a row for the Sabres, and the 9th out of 10 decided by one goal -- and 7th outside of regulation time.  You could say it's better to be lucky than good, or you could say that the Sabres have just been that much better than each of their competition over that span.  But tonight's test in Tampa against arguably the most talented team in the Conference will be perhaps their toughest since the streak began.  The Bolts have averaged four goals per game at Amalie Arena -- tops in the East -- while their 2.64 GAA here has resulted in a 1.36 home/road goal differential -- one of the best in the league.  Tampa had a bit of bad luck in its last game, falling to the Ducks on Monday by a 3-1 score despite out-shooting them by a lopsided 35-22 margin.  That was the Bolts' first loss in their last four games and only their second in their last seven.  The Sabres are 4-13 in the last 17 meetings and 2-7 in the last nine in Tampa.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Buffalo Sabres.  The Sabres beat Detroit on Saturday to extend their winning streak to nine games, which is the longest the franchise has enjoyed since the 2006-2007 season.  But if ever there was a tenuous streak, it's likely this one.  For one thing, eight of the nine victories have been by a single goal, and six have required OT or shootout.  Second, five of the nine wins have come against teams with a losing record.  Finally, the Sabres have been out-shot in six of the nine victories and the total shots-on-goal during the streak favor their opponents by a 306-284 margin.  Now the Sharks come to town for the second meeting of these two in a little over a month.  On October 18, San Jose handled Buffalo at home, 5-1, while out-shooting the Sabres by 39-25.  With the victory, the Sharks have now won the last four meetings going back to February 2007.  Despite their recent success, the Sabres don't do well at home against bad road teams as they are 5-16 in their last 21 here vs. teams with a road winning percentage of less than .400.   Take the Sharks.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Anaheim Ducks.  After winning their first eight road games of the season on their way to the best record in the league, the Predators' road dominance has come to a screeching halt.  Nashville has now lost its last four away from Bridgestone Arena, including Friday's blow-out loss in St. Louis, 6-2.  Should the Preds be worried?  Probably not.  If this were to happen in March, it could be a major concern heading into the post-season.  But the Predators have plenty of time to figure out their road woes and make the proper adjustments.  That's not a problem for tonight, of course, as the Preds are back home to face a 10-14 Anaheim team.  D-man Hampus Lindholm is the latest to join the long list of the Ducks' wounded as his lower body injury will keep him out of action for an undetermined amount of time.  In this series, the host is 4-1 in the last five meetings.  In addition, the Ducks are 1-6 in the last seven meetings in Nashville.  Take the Predators.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Philadelphia Flyers.  We had a big play on the Flyers yesterday, and they got the first shutout performance of the season from their goalie Calvin Pickard, in a 4-0 home win against the Rangers.  But it was from a netminder who had been one of the worst in the league, with a GAA over 4.00 and a saves percentage around .850.  Anyway, one shutout does not make a season, so we will have to see some consistent play from Pickard and the Flyers' defense before declaring that there has been a turnaround.  Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs' climb to the top of the NHL ladder took a little detour in their last game.  After four straight wins, the Leafs went into Raleigh and Columbus in their last two where they proceeded to get thumped pretty good.  But they're back home tonight where they've won three straight vs. some pretty good teams -- Columbus, New Jersey, and Vegas.  Being the home team in this series is pretty important lately as the hosts have won five of the last six meetings between the Leafs and Flyers.  And Toronto is also 35-17 in its last 52 games here at Scotiabank Arena.  Take the Leafs.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Montreal Canadiens over Boston  If the season ended today, these two teams would take the last two spots in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.  And that would be quite an accomplishment for Montreal, which comes in off a year in which it won just 29 of 82 games.  Last season, Montreal's failings were largely on offense.  The Canadiens were a horrid offensive team, and ranked next-to-last, with a 2.5 goals per game average.  This year, though, it's a different story, as the Canadiens are scoring 3.2 goals per game, and rank among the better NHL teams in that category.  And that is one of the most important factors in the Canadiens' success in the early going.  These two rivals met four weeks ago in Boston, and the Canadiens upset Boston, 3-0, behind a 33-saves performance by Carey Price.  Boston, though, has been poor in the revenge role, as it's 27-32, minus 21 games on the money line, when playing with revenge.  Even worse for Boston:  it's underperformed vs. NHL teams that average 3.0 (or more) goals per game, as it's 34-44, minus 21 games on the money line.  Take Montreal.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Red Wings over Buffalo.  Both of these teams are playing very well.  The Sabres have won eight straight games, and nine of their last 10.  But Buffalo's streak shouldn't overshadow what the Red Wings are doing.  Detroit has won nine of its last 12 games, including six of its last seven here, at home.  And the Wings have won 31 of the last 41 games (+17 games on the money line) vs. Buffalo.  Both teams played last night, with the Sabres using their #1 netminder, Carter Hutton, and Detroit employing its #2 netminder, Jonathan Bernier.  Tonight, it should be Detroit's #1 goalie, Jimmy Howard, vs. Buffalo's #2 goalie, Linus Ullmark, so that will be in the Red Wings' favor.  I look for Detroit to snap Buffalo's win streak this evening.  Take Detroit.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the New York Rangers.  In an effort to fix their goaltending issues, the Flyers used their third starting net-minder in as many games on Wednesday.  After giving starts to veterans Brian Elliott (vs. Devils on Nov. 15), and Calvin Pickard (Lightning on Nov. 17), Philly turned to 2nd year NHLer Alex Lyon for his first start of the season.  Unfortunately, Lyon couldn't turn around the Flyers' fortune.  But the good news is that when the struggling Pickard replaced Lyon after four goals in 12 shots, Pickard was perfect the rest of the way.  He should be back in goal in this matinee special against the visiting Rangers.  This is the first meeting of the season between these two, and the last time they met -- April 7 -- the Flyers shut out the Rangers 5-0 while out-shooting them 40-17.  This has been a very host-friendly series lately as the home team has won four of the last five meetings.  Admittedly, the Rangers have won three straight by a combined score of 11-3.  But they are a poor 4-14 in their last 18 road games after allowing two goals or less in each of their last two games.  Take Philly.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Florida Panthers.  If it's possible that a team can get a boost from a loss then the Lightning possibly just did that.  Heading to Nashville to face the #1 team is no cake walk for any club in the NHL, but the Bolts basically played the Predators even for 60 minutes, finally succumbing by a slim 3-2 margin while holding their own in basically every phase of the game.  The Bolts had won two straight before that loss -- in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia -- and tonight they go "down in class" by facing the Panthers at home.  Tampa is 7-3 at Amalie Arena, and should penetrate Florida's defense, which has broken down on this road trip by allowing 16 goals in the last three games -- at Columbus, New York, and Ottawa.  And the Bolts' offense has posted a league-leading 3.57 goals-per-game average.  The Panthers are 0-5 in the last five meetings in Tampa while the home team is 8-1 in the last nine meetings of these two.  Take Tampa.  NHL Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the Buffalo Sabres.  Philly's on a 3-game losing streak (all at home, no less), even though they've outshot their opponents 104-83 over those three games.  The problem hasn't been their offense, but rather their goaltending.  The Flyers gave up six goals in their last game -- a 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay -- and that was all coach Dave Hakstol needed to pull the trigger on a goalie change.  Tonight, 25-year-old Alex Lyon will make his first appearance of the season after being called up from the AHL last week.  He will replace Cal Pickard, who had a 4.60 GAA and .852 saves pct. in eight appearances.  I look for Lyon to be the catalyst for Philly to get back to its winning ways.  The Flyers are 6-2 off 3 home losses, while Buffalo is a poor 29-53 when playing its fourth game in seven nights, and 6-12 after scoring 4+ goals in a road win.  Take the Flyers.  NHL Road Warrior Winner.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Ottawa Senators.  The Panthers are in the midst of an eastern road swing that started out well enough with a win over the Flyers in Philadelphia.  But since that one they've lost two straight in Columbus and New York and now they travel north to face the Senators for the second time this season.  The Panthers jumped all over this club only eight days ago, taking a convincing 5-1 game in south Florida.  And they did that with their back-up goalie, James Reimer, in net.  Veteran Roberto Luongo should be back in goal tonight. And despite his ripe age of 39, Luongo is enjoying another solid season with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save pct., since returning to action just 17 days ago.  With 81 goals allowed in their first 20 games, the Sens have the dubious distinction of having the worst defense in the NHL with a horrific 4.05 GAA.  And they've allowed an absurd average of 38.4 shots on goal per game.  Florida has a losing record so far this season at 7-7-3, but that may not be the best thing for Ottawa, as it's just 10-26 in its last 36 vs. losing teams.  Take the Panthers.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Buffalo Sabres.  Two weeks ago, the Pens pulled a rare feat -- for them -- by losing five games in a row.  They're staring at another four-game losing streak tonight.  But two weeks ago, after losing three straight, they were facing the Caps followed by the Devils -- two teams that always give them fits.  Tonight, it's perhaps the one team they'd MOST like to see in this situation as the Sabres come to town for the first time in almost a year.  Pittsburgh has won the last five in a row and nine of the last 10 vs. Buffalo.  The numbers are almost as lopsided here in PPG Paints Arena where the Pens are 24-7 in the last 31 meetings.  Despite their recent success, the Sabres are still 14-26, -14 games on the money line, off a win.  And they're an awful 28-53, -14 games on the money line, when playing their fourth game in seven days.  Meanwhile, the Pens are 55-29 after allowing more than three goals, and 6-0 after allowing more than three goals in three straight games.  After giving up 22 goals on 129 shots over his last six appearances, I look for goalie Matt Murray (and the Penguins) to bounce back tonight.  Take Pittsburgh.  NHL Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over St. Louis.  Last night, the Blues went into Vegas, and upset the Golden Knights.  Can they make it two upsets in a row?  It's not likely, as San Jose will be the more well-rested team this evening, as it had last night off.  Moreover, the Sharks will be looking to avenge a 4-0 shutout loss to the Blues eight days ago.  And San Jose is a super 24-9 when playing with revenge from a loss by more than 3 goals, and 9-3 when playing with revenge from a shutout loss.  Take the Sharks.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Edmonton Oilers.  Two teams that are seemingly treading water at this point in the season meet tonight in Calgary as the Oilers come in for their first visit since last Spring.  Edmonton made two appearances here, 18 days apart on March 13 and 31 and the Flames won both of those. Sure, they feature the best player on the Planet in Connor McDavid, but is he enough to make the Oilers a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?  Not when the rest of the team keeps under-achieving.  And although they added some pieces in the off-season, they may not have done enough to differentiate themselves from other contenders.  The results of the season so far seem to bear that out as the Oilers have gone just 9-8-1 in their first 18 games.  The offense was there last season, but the Oilers needed to improve on Defense.  And so far, at least, they haven't done that.  The Oilers' 3.11 GAA is only slightly better than their 3.20 number from last season, which was highest in the Western Conference.  The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings of these two.  Take the Flames.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Los Angeles Kings.  After starting their season with eight straight road wins, the Predators hit the proverbial wall, and have lost their last three road games.  The good news for the Preds is that they're back home tonight.  And they'll have the added advantage of playing an unrested Kings team off an upset win over the Blackhawks last night.  L.A. is an awful 53-88 on the road when the O/U line was 6 goals or more, and it's won just 17 of 50 games (minus 19 games on the money line) when playing an opponent with a winning record!  Meanwhile, Nashville's a powerful 21-8, + 13 games on the money line, off back to back losses (and 6-1 off 3+ losses).  Take the Predators.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Ottawa Senators over Detroit.  The Sens are mired in last place in the Atlantic division, but I love them to get back into the win column on Thursday night.  Ottawa's greatest problem has been its inability to win away from home, as it's lost five of its last six road games.  At home, the Sens have been much more competitive, as they're 5-3 their last eight, including a perfect 4-0 when not installed as an underdog greater than +140.  Here, of course, Ottawa's a slight favorite, and it's actually the first time all season (in 19 games) that the Sens were the favored club!  It's true that Detroit does enter on a win streak, but the Red Wings are a poor 11-21, minus 10 games on the money line, off back to back wins.  And they're also 11-22, minus 12 games on the money line, after not allowing 2+ goals in their previous game.  Finally, Ottawa has the benefit of being well-rested, as it hasn't played in the last three days, while Detroit will be playing its fourth game in seven nights.  The only other time this season that Ottawa played with 3+ days off was on October 20, vs. Montreal, and the Senators upset the Canadiens, 5-4.  Also, Detroit's a poor 31-51, minus 17 games on the money line, when saddled with a 4th game in seven nights.  Take Ottawa. NHL Division Game of the Month! Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the New Jersey Devils.  The 2018-2019 version of the Devils is a pretty good team, and they would be a very good team if it weren't for one glaring problem.  They are terrible when playing on the road.  In eight games at Prudential Center, the Devils are 6-1-1 and they have an average goal-differential of 1.62 (3.75 GF vs. 2.13 GA) -- second-best in the NHL (Boston 1.89).  But away from New Jersey, this team is 1-7 with a -2.50 average differential (2.38 vs. 4.88).  This makes them the biggest Jeckyll and Hyde team of the season so far.  The Devils returned from a disastrous seven-game road trip where they went 1-6 and were out-scored in those losses, 33-12 to beat a very good Penguins team at home on Tuesday, 4-2.  The Flyers had won three straight coming into the week but lost a tough one to the Panthers on Tuesday, 2-1, despite out-shooting them.  Still, this a team on the right trajectory, having won five of its last seven, with the two losses being close, one-goal games.  The home team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings of these two.  Take Philly.  NHL Roadkill Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Anaheim Ducks.  With Marc-Andre Fleury struggling of late, the Golden Knights decided to give their All Star goalie a break when they played their second game in as many days on Sunday.  The switch to back-up Malcolm Subban didn't help however as Vegas dropped its second in a row (and third in its last four), by a 4-1 count to the Bruins.  But Fleury has been a home-ice specialist this season as he is 4-2-1 with a 2.28 GAA in seven starts at T-Mobile Arena vs. just 3-5-0 with a 3.02 number in eight starts elsewhere.  The Ducks are already thin on the front lines, with four wingers out due to injury tonight (Eaves, Rowney, Perry, Roy).  And now there is more bad news for Anaheim as its #1 blue-line player, D Cam Fowler, took a puck to the face on Monday, so he will not be available either.  The Ducks cannot afford to have offensive players sitting out as their goals-per-game ranks as the second-worst in the NHL, bettering only the LA Kings' 2.06 gpg.  The Golden Knights are 14-5 after not scoring 2+ goals in their previous game, and are 4-1 their last five vs. the Ducks.  Take Vegas. NHL HIGH ROLLER WINNER.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over Montreal.  The Oilers are on a 4-game losing streak, but will happy to see the Canadiens this evening.  Last season, the Oilers won both match-ups in blowout fashion, as they tallied 10 goals combined in the two games (vs. just three goals for Montreal).  Montreal does come into this game off a 5-4 upset win vs. Vegas, but is a poor 11-18, minus 10 games on the money line, after scoring 5+ goals.  Edmonton, meanwhile, is 7-3 after not scoring 2+ goals in either of its two previous games.  Take the Oilers.  NHL Game of the Week. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Calgary Flames.  After beating the Kings in Los Angeles last night, the Flames travel north to play the Sharks, who come into this game having lost two straight.  Those two were on the road in Dallas and St. Louis and no doubt the Sharks are glad to be back at the SAP Center tonight where they are 4-2 in regulation games this season (with one OT loss).  Calgary's veteran (36-year-old) primary goalie, Mike Smith has really struggled so far, posting a 3.66 GAA and .872 Saves percentage in 11 games.   Back-up David Rittich got the call last night in L.A. so Smith could be back in net tonight and that's not necessarily a good thing based on how he's played.  On the other end, Martin Jones has been the primary net-minder for the Sharks, although they used back-up Aaron Dell in that last game -- a 4-0 loss to the Blues.  With seven wins this season, Jones is tied for third in the league in that category.  The Flames are 0-5 in the last five meetings (0-4 in the last four in San Jose) and the home team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.  San Jose's also 29-13, +14 games on the money line, its last 42 division games, while Calgary is a poor 27-39, minus 18 games on the money line, its last 66 division contests.  Take the Sharks.  NHL Division Game of the Week. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Toronto Maple Leafs.  If the Caps, Lightning, and Penguins are the Beasts of the East, then the Leafs are the Darlings.  This is the team that people are looking to knock the old guard of the Conference off of the throne.  And, so far at least, the Leafs have not disappointed. But now they face a new challenge -- perhaps their biggest of the season.  Toronto's best player -- 21-year-old superstar center Auston Matthews -- injured his shoulder at the end of October and may not be back on the ice until after Thanksgiving.  Matthews has 16 points in just 11 games played this season, and his loss will likely require Toronto to completely re-align its offensive strategy.  It's true that the Leafs didn't suffer on offense last night, as they won 6-1 vs. the Devils.  But Toronto's a poor 48-64, minus 27 games on the money line after winning by 4+ goals.  The Bruins thrive against clubs from their own conference, going 6-1 in their last seven games vs. East teams.  And they're 4-1 vs. the Maple Leafs in the last five meetings here in Boston.  Take the Bruins.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the St. Louis Blues.  The Sharks were on a two game winning streak before losing a tough one to the Stars last night by a 4-3 margin in Dallas.  They hope to bounce back tonight in St. Louis against a Blues team that is currently sitting in last place in the Central Division.  The Blues are just 5-8 so far and their 3.69 Goals against this season is one of the worst in the NHL.  The Blues have won three of their last four, but they lost one of their best players, C Brayden Schenn, to an upper body injury and he won't be available tonight.  Last summer’s addition of Erik Karlsson and the acquisition of Evander Kane at last season’s trade deadline bring two exciting new pieces to the Sharks' lineup.  The Sharks are 36-16 in their last 52 vs. teams with a losing record and 31-14 in their last 45 road games vs. teams with a losing home record (the Blues are 4-5 here at the Enterprise Center this season).  And the Blues are 7-17 in their last 24 vs. teams with a winning record.  Take San Jose. NHL High Roller Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Ottawa Senators.  It's early still, but both Conference Champions -- the Caps over in the East and the Golden Knights -- have been struggling so far.  The Knights have been especially troubled in the first month, posting just 13 points in their first 15 games (6-8-1).  Two key injuries on the front line (Stastny and Haula) and a costly suspension on defense (Schmidt) have certainly played a role in Vegas' struggles.  And you have to wonder if the Knights are regretting at all the big contract extension they rewarded veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with (three years at $21M) as the 34-year-old has been average at best.  But slow starts are nothing new for Fleury and you can expect him to begin excelling as the season goes longer.  The Knights' injuries woes are nothing compared to those of the Senators, who currently have eight regulars either out indefinitely or questionable at best for tonight's game.  The Senators are 8-20 in their last 28 vs. the Western Conference and 9-23 in their last 32 vs. losing teams.  And they're 10-31 when playing their 4th game in seven days.  Take the Golden Knights.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Red Wings over the Vancouver Canucks.  The Red Wings were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the entire league.  For starters, the team that was a perennial power-house for years now enters the post-Zetterberg era and must go forward without one of the franchise's all-time greats.  But I wouldn't be surprised if the Wings out-perform their low expectations this season.  They added veteran forward Thomas Vanek, who had 24 goals and 56 points last season in stints with the Canucks and Blue Jackets, and he should give this offense a much-needed boost.  Tonight, Detroit will face the Canucks, who are a better team than the Red Wings on paper, and enter off a 7-6 home win over Colorado.  But Vancouver is very banged-up at the current time.  Jay Beagle (forearm), Brandon Sutter (shoulder), Sven Baertschi (upper body) and Brock Boeser (groin) all are questionable to play tonight (or already ruled out).  Finally, the Canucks are 3-7 in the last 10 meetings with the Red Wings, and 5-16, minus 12 games on the money line, off a home win, in which they scored more than 3 goals.  Take Detroit.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Dallas Stars.  It's good to be a Boston Sports fan these days.  The Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots look like Super Bowl Contenders once again, the Celtics are one of the best teams in the East, and a rejuvenated Bruins team will try to improve off of a 50 win, 112 point season.  At its best and when all are healthy, Boston’s top front line unit of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak is without peer at both ends of the ice.  And with a glut of defensemen, the Bruins have the deepest blueline in the Atlantic, perhaps the entire NHL.  They lost a tough one their last time out in Nashville as the Predators shut them out, 1-0 on Saturday.  They come back home to face a Stars team that has won three road games in a row, including a big OT victory on Saturday in DC against the Defending Champs.  Boston hopes to exploit Dallas' banged up Defense tonight as the Stars have three blue-liners who are out with injuries (Methot, Johns, Carrick).  The Stars are 1-4 in the last five meetings with the Bruins.  And Dallas is an awful 10-20, minus 18 games on the money line, off back to back wins.  Take Boston.  Hockey Roadkill Play.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the New York Islanders.  The Islanders have won their last four games, including back to back wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  But New York is a horrid 14-36, minus 26 games on the money line, off 4+ wins.  Yikes!  The Devils have won the last three meetings in this series, and I look for another win by the Devils this evening.  Take New Jersey.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over Montreal.  It's been feast or famine for Tampa Bay this past week.  After scoring 1 goal in a 7-1 loss last Saturday, at Arizona, the Lightning erupted for 8 goals in an 8-3 win vs. the Devils, on Tuesday.  But Tampa then scored just 1 goal on Thursday, at Nashville, and fell 4-1 to the Predators.  That was the 3rd time this season that Tampa scored just 1 goal.  But it's 3-0 in its very next game, and it's averaged 6.33 goals per game in those three.  Tampa's also 49-27 its last 76 off a loss.  Take the Lightning.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Buffalo Sabres over Ottawa.  The Senators are tasked with playing their fourth game in seven days this afternoon in Buffalo.  And Ottawa's an awful 9-29 in that scheduling situation.  These two teams actually met in Ottawa two nights ago, and the Senators came away with a 4-2 victory.  However, it was the Sabres who dominated the shots, as they tallied a season-high 48 shots on goal to Ottawa's 32.  I look for Buffalo to avenge that defeat in front of its home crowd this afternoon.  Take the Sabres.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over Vancouver.  The Canucks come into tonight's game off back to back wins over Minnesota (5-2) and Chicago (4-2).  But they're a dreadful 14-32 (minus 14 games on the money line) after scoring 4+ goals in each of their two previous games.  Even worse:  it will be Vancouver's fourth game in seven nights.  And it's 28-58 (minus 17 games on the money line) when saddled with such a schedule.  Take Colorado.  Elite Info Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over Arizona.  The Hurricanes dropped their two previous games -- both at home -- to the Islanders (2-1) and Bruins (3-2), and will look to bounce back on the road, at Arizona.  Carolina is 27-17 on the road off back to back home losses, so that bodes well for it tonight.  Meanwhile, Arizona enters off four straight wins, in which it held each of its four opponents to a single goal.  But the Coyotes are a money-burning 11-40 after allowing less than three goals in back-to-back games (and 0-3 if they allowed less than three goals in their last four games).  And they're 3-12 (minus 10 games on the money line) off 3+ wins.  Take Carolina. NHL High Roller Winner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Ducks over the New York Rangers.  For perhaps the second year in a row, the expectations in Manhattan are quite low for the NHL team.  It's basically at the point where anything the Rangers accomplish will be seen as a plus as the team is clearly in re-building mode.  Part of that re-building will be the departure -- hopefully gracefully -- of veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist.  Lundqvist was arguably the most consistent net-minder in the NHL for a decade (2006-2015) but in the last two seasons, we've seen a decline in his numbers.  It's expected that this season, 22-year-old back-up Alexandar Georgiev will see more playing time.  The second-year goalie needs the experience as he is still learning his way around the NHL and will certainly struggle as he gets more minutes.  The Ducks are coming off of a rare six-game losing streak and will look to bounce back tonight at home.  That home ice is important tonight as the host team has won four straight and six out of the last seven meetings.  New York is also a dreadful 0-7 in their last seven games following a win.  Take Anaheim.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the Detroit Red Wings.  It's hard to think of the Red Wings as a bad hockey team.  But for at least the next year or two, that's probably what fans of this one-great franchise are going to have to get used to.  Not surprisingly, the Wings got off to a 1-9 start before -- surprisingly -- they won their last two in a row heading into this home match-up with the Devils.  New Jersey was steamrolled on Wednesday by a very good Tampa team, 8-3, which was its fourth loss in its last five games.  Three of those four losses, though, came against very good teams (Colorado, Nashville, and the aforementioned Lightning) so New Jersey is going down in class tonight.  One of the few offensive weapons that Detroit has -- RW Andreas Athanasio who had five points in his last six games --  just suffered an undisclosed injury and won't be available tonight.  Also, being the road team in this match-up is not necessarily a bad thing for the Devils, as the visitors are 6-2 in the last eight meetings.  Finally, the Red Wings are 8-20 off back-to-back wins.  Take the Devils.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the New York Islanders.  In one of the biggest upsets of the young season, the Penguins lost badly (6-3) at home on Tuesday to the John Tavares-less Islanders.  But that's the Pens for you.  They will play like Champs against good teams for a bunch of games in a row and then throw a clunker as a big favorite for seemingly no reason.  The good thing about this particular clunker is that the Pens get to avenge that loss immediately as they travel to Brooklyn tonight.  The Isles are 7-14 in their last 21 home games coming off of a win.  Take the Penguins.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Blackhawks over the Vancouver Canucks.  There's a lot of young talent on the the front lines of the Canucks, including rookie Swedish sensation Elias Pettersson and 21-year-old star Brock Boeser.  But the defense is another story.  Vancouver's 3.16 goals-against per game last season was the second-worst such number in the West.  The Canucks have lacked a difference-maker on the blue line and since they didn't address that in the off-season, the depth and health of that defense is going to be critical this season.  Unfortunately, they are already behind the eight ball in that respect as two of the top defensemen -- Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev -- are out with injuries and won't be available tonight.  That doesn't bode well for a team that has already allowed 42 goals in 13 games.  The Hawks have lost back-to-back games so they're hungry to get back on track against a team that they've struggled against recently (0-4 in the last four meetings).  The Canucks won their last game -- which was at home -- but they are just 12-24 off a home win, and 4-17 in their last 21 after scoring 5+ goals.  Take Chicago.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Vegas Golden Knights.  One of the early season favorites to win it all -- some sites have their Cup odds as low as 8-1 -- the Predators are off to a fast start.  But, oddly, they've won all of their road games while going just 3-3 here at home.  That trend won't last however as the Preds were one of the best home teams last season.  Who will be the NHL's next young goalie to break out?  Some think it might be 23-year-old Juuse Saros.  Saros had 26 games in net for the Preds last season backing up veteran Pekka Rinne and he figured he'd be doing the same this fall.  But an injury to Rinne has given Saros the starting job for now and he has been up to the task so far, posting a 5-2 record in seven games (six starts).  Speaking of goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury was signed to a new contract after leading the Knights to the Finals, but he's off to a very slow start, going 5-5 with an .897 saves percentage in 10 games so far.  The Predators lost their last game, 5-3, here to Edmonton and they are 5-0 in their last five immediately after allowing five or more goals.  Take Nashville.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New Jersey Devils.  Not only did the Lightning not win the last game of their 5-game road trip in Arizona last Saturday, but they got spanked, 7-1.  It's very likely that the Bolts were simply tired after playing five games in five different cities in the span of a week.  So we're more than willing to give Tampa Bay a pass on that game.  Tonight, it will be a very good Devils team visiting Tampa for the first time this season.  But this has been a very host-friendly series lately as the home team is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings.  The Devils are 1-7 in the last eight meetings in Tampa while the Lightning are 6-1 in their last seven following a loss by 3+ goals.  Take the Lightning.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Buffalo Sabres over Calgary.  The Flames won last night in Toronto, 3-1, and will be playing without rest tonight, in Buffalo.  And Calgary is 2-5 its last seven when playing without rest. It's also won just 2 of the last 15 meetings in Buffalo.  Take the Sabres.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. 

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Blackhawks over the Edmonton Oilers.  The Blackhawks missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons under coach Joel Quenneville.  It was a disastrous year, but this team isn’t devoid of talent.  Goalie Corey Crawford was on track for his best numbers ever before concussion symptoms ended his year.  Not wanting to take additional chances, the 'Hawks signed veteran netminder Cam Ward to a one-year contract.  So far, the Blackhawks have not needed to rely on Ward as their main goalie as Crawford appears to be fully recovered from his injuries and has been nothing short of spectacular.  The veteran -- who has spent all 11+ seasons in Chicago -- is 3-1 in four games with a 1.52 GAA and .946 Saves percentage.  Tonight, though, Chicago's insurance policy of having Ward on its roster should pay a dividend, as it's the 2nd of back-to-back nights for the Blackhawks, a situation which generally means the backup netminder will start.  Edmonton also played last night, and they're just 2-6 in the last eight meetings in Chicago as well as 26-70 in their last 96 when playing on zero days of rest.  Take the Blackhawks.  NHL HIGH ROLLER.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Chicago Blackhawks.  With the offensive upgrades the Blues made in the off-season, adding forwards Maroon, O'Reilly, Bozak, and Perron, the biggest key to their success will undoubtedly be between the pipes with Jake Allen.  Unfortunately for them, Allen's struggle with inconsistent play has carried over into this season, including losses to Columbus (7-4) and Winnipeg (5-4) in St Louis' last two games.  Because they were concerned about that, the Blues picked up a new back-up in the off-season in the form of veteran Chad Johnson.  But St. Louis is hoping that Johnson can stay on the bench tonight as Allen faces the team he's had more experience against than any other.  And the majority of that experience has been positive.  In 16 career games vs. the Hawks, Allen is 8-5-3 with a 2.76 GAA.  One of the Blackhawks' biggest problems last season was their inability to win on the road.  Their 15 wins away from Chicago was tied for the second-lowest road success rate in the Western Conference.  Another problem was an inability to string together a bunch of wins, as the Blackhawks are 13-25 in their last 38 coming off a win.  We'll back the home club tonight, as St Louis is a solid 6-1 after giving up more than four goals in each of its past two games.  Take the Blues.  Western Conference Game of the Month!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 12:05 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the Florida Panthers.  The Devils' hot start to the season has been cooled off a bit as they are currently on a three-game losing streak coming into this daytime home affair against the Panthers.  New Jersey should get a boost today from the return of #2 center Travis Zajac who's been battling a lower-body injury but is expected to suit up this afternoon.  Future Hall-of-Fame goalie Roberto Luongo started the season for the Panthers and made it through 32 minutes of that opening game before succumbing to a knee injury that has kept him out since.  The Panthers have been relying on the combination of James Reimer and Michael Hutchinson but it has not gone well for the most part and the team sorely needs Luongo back in net.  The Panthers are 49-90 in their last 139 off a road win by one goal (they beat the Isles in OT on Wednesday).  Also, the home team is 17-5 in the last 22 meetings of these two.  Take the Devils.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Last season's surprise Stanley Cup Finalists are hoping to get back there again and why not?  The Golden Knights just might be far and away the best team in what looks like a weak Pacific Division -- although they have gotten off to a somewhat slow start.  An unfortunate suspension for a PED violation has left the Knights without a top blue-line player, as D Nate Schmidt is sitting out for 20 games (eligible to return in about a month).  But this is still a very talented group that returns most of the key pieces from last season and the additions of forwards Max Pacioretty and Paul Stastny should more than make up for the losses of James Neal and David Perron.  Vegas is at its best at home against top-level road teams as the Knights are 6-0 in their last six home games vs. teams with a road winning % of greater than .600 (Tampa is 27-17, .613, going back to the beginning of last season).  Take Vegas.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Penguins are half-way through their Canadian road swing and so far, so good.  After shutting out a very good Maple Leafs team in Toronto, the Pens then needed overtime, but beat the Oilers in Edmonton, 6-5.  But three-game road winning streaks have been very elusive for Sidney Crosby and Company, as they didn't have one all of last season.  In fact, you have go all the way back to early March of 2017 to find the last time this talented group was able to win three straight away from the Steel City.  And that's not the only reason to like the home team tonight.  Despite the fact that the Pens have been much more accomplished in recent seasons than their opponents, the Flames have won five of the last six meetings going back to November of 2015.  And the Pens also seem to have a tendency to have a power outage after a big offensive night, as they are 4-10 in their last 14 after scoring five or more goals in their previous game.  Pittsburgh is also 4-14 in its last 18 in game three of a road trip, and 27-30 (minus 19 games on the money line) off a win.  Take the Flames. NHL High Roller. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Ottawa Senators.  The Bruins got out of the gates fast this season, winning their opener in Buffalo before reeling off three more at home to go to 4-0.  But for the past week, they've been on a road swing through Canada that hasn't gone well, losing three straight in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.  That's nothing new as, despite the second-best record in the East last season, Boston was only 22-19 on the road.  They'll try again tonight in Ottawa, where the the Senators have won three straight here at the Canadian Tire Center.  But that's not necessarily a good thing for tonight as Ottawa is a disastrous 5-11, -8 games on the money line in its last 16 off of three straight wins.  Even worse:  the Sens have been hit by the injury bug early on, with six regulars either out indefinitely or not suiting up tonight due to various maladies.  Meanwhile, Boston is 17-11 +7 games on the money line in their last 28 when coming off three straight road losses and 45-29 off back-to-back losses by a single goal.  They are also 5-0 in the last five meetings and 4-1 in the last five in Ottawa.  This will be a blowout.  Take the Bruins.  NHL Game of the Month. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Vancouver Canucks.  Alex Ovechkin and Co.'s all-night benders after winning the Stanley Cup last Summer were well documented.  It appears now that goalie Braden Holtby was part of the revelry as well.  Indeed, Holtby's play so far this season indicates he is suffering from an extended hangover.  After getting shelled again on Friday -- a 6-5 SO loss to Florida -- Holtby was pulled from net and now sports an .881 save pct.  The Caps traded Philipp Grubauer in the off-season but have a capable backup in Pheonix Copley and they're showing Holtby that they're not afraid to use him.  Holtby will no doubt get his act together and what better time to start than tonight, as the Caps embark on a four-game road trip through the provinces of Canada.  The Canucks have only played two games here this season, but so far, it's been home-sweet-home as they topped the Flames in their season opener and the Bruins on Saturday.  This game, though, will be more difficult to win.  One factor is Vancouver's schedule.  This will be its fourth game in seven days.  And the Canucks are a poor 25-55 when playing their fourth game in seven days.  Moreover, a frustrated and under-achieving Caps team poses a bigger threat than did Vancouver's first two opponents here, at home.  To wit:  Washington is 49-28 off a loss, and 5-1 in the last six meetings.  Meanwhile, the Canucks are a poor 12-23 off a home win.  Take the Caps. NHL Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings did something on Saturday that they hadn't done since last March.  They won an NHL game.  Detroit's last win was March 31 against the Senators until they beat Florida Saturday night in OT, 4-3.  But make no mistake -- this is still a bad hockey team.  And the only way they're going to get better -- to the point where they make playoffs again -- is to be bad enough that they get some quality players through the draft, as they did in June.  This is a rebuilding that will take several years to complete, and the worst-case scenario is if Detroit is better than expected and gets stuck in the rut of mediocrity.  That's not likely to happen.  The 'Canes -- so far anyway -- are benefiting from being in the inferior Metropolitan Division where they are surprisingly at the top of the heap.  For a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 10 years, they'll take it.  After a 4-0-1 start, the 'Canes have now lost three straight, and there is likely no better remedy than playing Detroit.  The road team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.  Take Carolina.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Anaheim Ducks over the Buffalo Sabres.  The Ducks had a very successful regular season last year, finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with 101 points -- their fifth straight season over the century mark.  But they were a major disappointment in the playoffs, getting swept by the Sharks in the first round.  Not too much has changed this season, and that's not a bad thing.  But the Ducks have to figure out how to get by for a while without a slew of their forwards on the right side, as injuries have decimated them at that position.  So far, so good, as the Anaheim is off to one of its best starts in a while, going 5-2-1 in its first eight games heading into Sunday.  Credit goes to the Ducks' defense as this team has one of the deepest blue lines in the league.  The Sabres pulled off a major upset on Saturday in Los Angeles, beating the Kings handily, 5-1.  Unfortunately, they're 8-24 their last 32 off a win by 2+ goals, including 2-9 their last 11 after a road win.  Anaheim goalie John Gibson should have received consideration for the Vezina trophy last season, but didn't and now he's playing with a chip on his shoulder and has a .948 save percentage as a result.  Take the Ducks.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Colorado Avalanche.  The Avs are in the midst of a four-game, east coast road swing and in their last game they did something that no other NHL team has been able to do this season.  They beat the New Jersey Devils.  Now they head south for a Saturday matinee in Raleigh, a place that has not been kind to them.  Despite their success the other night, the Avalanche still have a lot of unanswered questions.  Sure, they had one of the biggest one-season turnarounds in modern NHL times, improving 47 points from the previous year and making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.  But they still have to find a way to get consistent scoring from their lines other than the top combination of MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen, something that was not addressed in the off-season.  #2 right wing JT Compher is out indefinitely with a concussion which doesn't help matters.  This has been a very home-friendly series, as the host team is 15-3 in the last 18 meetings going back to 2004.  The Avs are 1-7 in the last eight at PNC Arena.  Take the 'Canes.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Minnesota Wild.  The Stars were cruising towards the playoffs in the first half of the season last year, but went into a tailspin later on and could finish no better than 6th in the Central Division at the end.  Injuries were somewhat to blame as goalie Ben Bishop missed 13 of the final 15 games last Spring with a lower body injury.  He's healthy now but the team signed Anton Khudobin to a two-year contract in the off-season as insurance.  The biggest change however is behind the bench as Ken Hitchcock left after one season (he retired) and was replaced by new head coach Jim Montgomery.  Hitchcock's defense-centric structure wasn't a great fit for this group and the talented forwards on this team (Seguin, Benn, Radulov) are all hoping to benefit under Montgomery's system.  Dallas also has an elite offensive defenseman in John Klingberg and at 26, he is just entering his prime.  The Wild is short-handed right now at the Center position with Koivu, Eriksson Ek, and Hendricks all out with injuries.  Minny is 7-26 in the last 33 meetings in Dallas.  Take the Stars.  NHL Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks finished the 2017-2018 season with a record of 31-40-11 and they've lost their two leaders (the Sedin twins) so it's hard to imagine they could get any better this season.  But they're off to a good start -- 4-2 -- with three road victories in a row including an OT win over the Penguins on Tuesday.  Can the Canucks keep it going?  To be blunt -- not likely.  Despite their success, they are not a very good team and they will continue to be without star rookie Elias Petterssen who suffered a concussion after a dirty hit by the Panthers' Michael Matheson.  The Jets finished last season with the second best record in the West and they should be even better this winter.  20-year-old winger Patrik Laine is a budding superstar who has been compared to Alex Ovechkin.  The Finnish sharpshooter is part of a group of young guns that includes Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey.  Vancouver is 0-5 in the last five meetings and 0-6 in the last six in Winnipeg.  With Vancouver playing its sixth straight road game tonight, and the Jets in the midst of a 6-game home stand, we'll back the home team.  Take the Jets.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the New York Rangers. For the first time ever, the Capitals are going to find out what it's like -- at least early on this season -- to have a big Stanley Cup target on your back. The defending Champs are going to get plenty of pressure this fall and winter from young, improved teams in the East. Two such teams, the Maple Leafs and Devils, took it to the Caps last week, beating them soundly in a pair of games by a combined 10-2. But one team that clearly hasn't improved itself is the Rangers. Finishing in the division cellar last season, the Rangers have immediately gone into rebuilding mode -- a mode that will insure some high draft picks in the years ahead. Gone are longtime Rangers Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, and J.T. Miller, leaving behind a 37-year-old goalie (Henrik Lundqvist) and not much of anything else. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the Caps, who return almost everyone from their Cup-winning campaign, with some young talent that is poised to break out and make the veterans even more dangerous. Take the Caps. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Vancouver Canucks.  DC finally knocked the Penguins off of their throne in 2018, but don't be surprised if that Stanley Cup the Caps were parading around with all summer was just a rental and Pittsburgh is back on top of the heap next June.  After all, this is a team that returns all of its star players -- Crosby, Malkin, Kessel -- and has some really good youngsters ready to assume that title perhaps in short order (Jake Guentzel).  Goalie Matt Murray gave the team a scare when he left practice last Monday with concussion symptoms, but he's been cleared to play and should be back in net tonight.  Speaking of youngsters taking over, that's exactly what's happening in Vancouver these days.  Gone (retired) are the 37-year-old Sedin twins and it just might be that the best two players on the Canucks now are a pair of 21-year-olds (Brock Boeser and Elias Pattersson).  So the league better watch out...in about three years.  For now, however, it's veteran clubs like the Pens who will dominate.  Pittsburgh is 5-0 in its last five vs. Western Conference Teams, and 54-23 (+21 games on the moneyline) after allowing more than three goals in their previous game.  Take the Pens.  NHL High Roller.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Washington Capitals.  After not winning a single game in their last Stanley Cup Finals appearance 20 years ago, the Washington Capitals have now won three straight and are just one victory away from their first ever Cup.  But anyone who thinks this series is over should think again.  Vegas is a very dangerous team, and had a couple of bounces gone their way in the first five minutes on Monday night, the score could easily have been 3-0 in their favor instead of Washington's.  When Erik Haula tipped a shot off the post, Reilly Smith just missed off the side of the net, and James Neal somehow couldn't find a wide open net all within the first five minutes of Game 4, you just knew that all the wind had gone out of the Vegas balloon.  You wouldn't know it from the final score, but the Knights actually out-shot the Caps in Game 4 by a pretty wide margin (30-23).  It's also the third game of the series in which the Knights have won the shots battle, and DC hasn't tallied more than 28 shots in any of the games.  Here are some stats that should make Vegas fans feel pretty good about tonight:  In the last 10 years, only one Cup Final Series was decided in as few as five games (2014 when the Kings beat the Rangers, 4-1).   And in this year's post-season, teams that have lost by four or more goals have gone 11-3 in their next game (including a perfect 6-0 from the 2nd round forward).  And if one goes back to the 2015 Playoffs, such teams have gone 27-13 in that same situation.  Despite the fact that the Capitals will tonight try to do to the Knights what the Red Wings did to them 20 years ago -- beat them in four straight games -- four-game streaks in the NHL playoffs are extremely rare.  The Golden Knights are 6-1 in their last seven after allowing five goals or more in their previous game.  They are also 16-2 in their last 18 home games vs. teams with a winning road record.  Take Vegas.  NHL Game of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals.  While the Western Conference playoffs haven't had all that much drama (the Knights dispatched the Jets in five games), the East has been a different story.  The Caps had a huge victory over the Penguins in six games and have now taken the Eastern Finals to a seventh game against the Lightning with a dominant performance, at home, on Monday.  But there is some cause for concern as the Caps head south.  Alex Ovechkin was leveled by an illegal hit in the third period on Monday (no penalty was called) and he clearly was not himself after that.  The Caps have been mum about any problems with their superstar, but surely hope he doesn't have any lingering issues.  The other key to this game is Braden Holtby.  If he lets the sold-out crowd get to him like he did in Game 5 when he allowed three goals in just 22 shots faced, then it will be trouble and the Caps will be eliminated.  The Bolts are 17-5 this season when avenging a loss by two or more goals (the Caps won Game 6, 3-0).  Take Tampa.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Caps finally got Monkey #1 off their backs by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the playoffs.  But after taking a 2-0 lead in round three, the Caps have now gone on to lose three straight.  It was their first three-game losing streak since January.  Tampa scored early in Game 5's 3-2 victory and it looked like it would be a rout by early in the second period when the Bolts got their third goal.  But the Caps can feel good about the fact that they came back strongly and completely dominated the second half of that game, out-shooting Tampa 26-9 (13-4 in the third period).  If they can put together 60 minutes at that level of play, they should be able to take this series to a Game 7 back in central Florida.  In fact, Washington has out-shot Tampa in each of the three straight losses and the total shots over that span has been a lopsided 106-65.  The Caps haven't had a four-game losing streak in over a year (March 6-12, 2017) and they are 20-8 in their last 28 home meetings with the Bolts.  Take DC.  NHL Non-Division Game of the Year!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over Vegas.  (Analysis to follow.)

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Vegas Golden Knights.  The Golden Knights are one win away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead in this series and therefore only two wins away from an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season as an expansion team.  That's a feat that would have been thought of as being impossible just six months ago.  But before they start popping the Champagne corks, there is still a very good team that they still need to defeat twice.  The Jets after all, finished the regular season with the second-best record in the entire league.  And then, just for good measure, they beat the team with the #1 record (the Predators) in the quarter-finals, so they're not going down without a fight.  The Jets have lost two in a row coming in, but they are 8-2 in their last 10 after losing two straight.  Even better:  Winnipeg is 24-3 when playing with revenge from a road loss this season.  Take the Jets.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Here is the most important game the Caps have played so far all year -- perhaps this century.  A victory tonight at home would put them one win away from their first Stanley Cup Finals in 20 years.  A loss would put the home ice advantage back in the hands of the Lightning with the series returning to Tampa.  The Lightning did everything in game three that they weren't able to do in the first two games of this series at home.  Washington just needs to get back to playing their aggressive brand of hockey, throwing the puck and their forwards to the net as much as possible.  They can feel good about the fact that they out-shot the Bolts by a wide margin in game three -- 38-23.  Now they just need to make those shots count and protect Braden Holtby more tonight and they should be fine.  The Capitals are a very strong revenge team recently, as they are 20-7 in situations where they are revenging a loss vs an opponent this season.  Take Washington.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals.  The Caps didn't just beat the Lightning in the first two games, but completely dominated them.  Game 2, in particular, was about as thorough a road bashing as we've seen in these playoffs.  And clearly Tampa got frustrated towards the end and tried to get overly physical with its opponent when it knew a victory was out of reach.  But tonight the Bolts will try to take a page from the playbook of the Capitals, as the Caps lost their first two games at home in their opening round series against the Blue Jackets before they won four straight to advance.  And Tampa no doubt knows that the Caps have been much better on the road in these playoffs (7-1) than they have been here at Capital One Arena (3-3).  Their victories in the first two games also mean that the Caps don't have to rush Nicklas Backstrom back from his hand injury and they can let it continue to heal.  So he won't be on the ice tonight, a decision the Caps may regret by the third period.  The Caps won Game 2, 6-2, but they may have wanted to save some of those goals for tonight as they are 3-7 in their last 10 after scoring 5+ goals in their previous game.  Even worse for Washington:  Tampa is 12-3 when playing with double-revenge, and 23-11 when trailing in a playoff series.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Game of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Rays over the Washington Capitals.  Those Tampa fans logically hoping that the Caps would have a Game 1 let-down after arguably the biggest win in franchise history (the series-clinching, Game 6 triumph over the Pens) were sorely disappointed.  Not only didn't the Caps show any signs of complacency, they came out with perhaps their best two periods of hockey in these playoffs.  In those periods, they totally dominated the Bolts and raced out to a 4-0 lead.  It got so bad, the Lightning pulled goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and replaced him with Louis Domingue, a move that seemed to pay off as Tampa won the third period, 2-0, but still lost the game.  Vasilevskiy should be back in goal tonight and will look to redeem himself.  There is no need to panic in Central Florida as the Bolts also lost the first game of their second round series here at home but then reeled off four straight against Boston.  And while that is not likely to happen against the Caps, Tampa should be able to answer the call tonight.  The Bolts are 5-0 in their last five after scoring two goals or less in their previous game, and they're also 11-3 when playing with revenge from a home defeat.  Take the Lightning.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:05 m, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Washington Capitals.  Pittsburgh did everything but win the game in DC on Saturday night.  They out-shot, out-hustled, and out-hit the Capitals, but in the end they wound up on the losing end of a 6-3 game that was much closer than the score indicates (the Caps got two empty net goals, something you don't see in the regular season).  The Caps were without their #1 physical presence, F Tom Wilson (suspension) and it showed.  They will be without him again tonight and in the final game if the Pens win this Game 6.  Even worse:  it's also possible Washington will be without F Nicklas Backstrom and D John Carlson -- both of whom left the third period with injuries on Saturday, and are being evaluated as of this writing.  Regardless, a Pens' effort similar to Saturday's should result in a home-team victory tonight, and would send this series back to Capital One Arena for one of the most anticipated Game 7s in quite some time.  The Caps are 4-9 in the last 13 trips to Pittsburgh, and 10-18 in close-out Playoff games, while Pitt is 17-3 their last 20 off a loss by 2+ goals (and 50-15 their last 65).  Take the Pens.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Vegas Golden Knights.  This series could be the first second-rounder to go to seven games if the Sharks can win at home tonight.  And there's reason to believe that they can.  For one thing, the Sharks tend to do really well against opponents who are strong on the road.  They are 9-2 in their last 11 home games vs. teams with a winning road record.  And although there hasn't been a lot of history with this series, the home team has been dominant in what little history there is (6-3 in the nine meetings).  In their two previous playoff games here, the Sharks have out-shot the Knights by nine (76-67) and they actually dominated game three, which went to OT before Vegas finally prevailed.  They were able to put that loss behind them in game four here when they played their best game of the post-season, shutting out the Knights, 4-0.  The Sharks are also 10-2 in their last 12 when their opponent scores five goals or more in the previous game.  Take San Jose.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Caps may have lost game four in Pittsburgh, but in many ways, the game Thursday night was a moral victory for them.  They found out earlier that day that F Tom Wilson had been suspended for three games for an illegal hit that broke the jaw of Penguins C Zach-Aston Reese.  Even without their #1 enforcer, the Caps played the Penguins basically even for most of the game, finally succumbing late in the second period on an Evgeni Malkin goal that barely trickled over the goal line (Pittsburgh added an empty-net tally at the end).  The Caps held the Pens to just 24 shots, but only managed 21 themselves.  Look for that to change tonight back at home where DC put 66 total shots on Matt Murray in Games 1 and 2.  And the fact that the Caps only lit the lamp once on Thursday may not be a good thing for the Pens tonight as they are 1-6 in their last seven when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game.  Meanwhile, Washington is 24-13 off a loss.  Take the Caps.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The all-or-nothing Bruins are at it again.  It seems throughout these playoffs, the Bruins either win big or lose big -- there is little in between with them.  Case in point:  only one of their 10 playoff games so far has been decided by one goal and none of them have gone to OT.  They seem to have a pattern of playing two great games in a row followed by two clunkers, and their last two games -- including game three here at home -- certainly qualify as the latter.  In game two in Tampa, the Bruins managed just 20 shots and on Wednesday, they weren't much better, putting 29 on the Tampa net while the Bolts logged 37 and won the game easily, 4-1.  With that as a backdrop, don't be surprised if there is a big turnaround tonight, similar to what we saw in Game 7 at home vs. Toronto after the Bruins lost the two previous games.  The Lightning are 8-29-3 in the last 40 meetings in Boston, and a poor 8-11 (minus 14 games on the moneyline) off a win over a division rival.  Meanwhile, Boston is 14-3 at home off a loss, and 8-3 this season off back to back losses.  Take the Bruins.  NHL Game of the Year!  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 7:05 pm, on Thursday, our Metropolitan Division Game of the Month is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Washington Capitals.  On Tuesday night, the Caps took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-3 upset win at the Igloo.  So, Washington may be able to finally break the Penguins' stranglehold on their Playoffs rivalry (the Pens have won nine of 10 Playoff series vs. Washington, including all 7 series since 1995).   So the monkey isn't off their back quite yet -- it's just slipping a bit.  But winning two straight in Pittsburgh, and taking a 3-1 series lead, is a whole different story.  So, you can bet the Pens will come out firing tonight to try to establish the early advantage.  It definitely helped their cause that the Pens had Evgeni Malkin and Brian Dumoulin back on the ice in game three, although neither was likely at 100% on Tuesday.  They should be better tonight and the Pens may also get Carl Hagelin back, while the Caps could be without Tom Wilson, who is facing a suspension for a high hit in game two.  Wilson is a big (6' 4") enforcer when he's on the ice and without him, the Caps won't be nearly as physically effective.  The Pens are 97-35 in their last 132 home games, 67-26 after allowing more than three goals, and 20-6 off back to back losses.  Take Pittsburgh.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Bruins surprised the Lightning in Game 1 in Tampa, one of three road upsets in Game 1 of the second round (the others being Pittsburgh and Winnipeg).  The Bolts came back in a must-win Game 2 (as did the Caps and Predators) to even the series as it heads to Boston for two games.  If any team has to be worried now that home ice advantage has swung to the other team, it's the Bolts.  They've performed incredibly poorly in Boston over the years as they are a woeful 7-29-3 at the last 39 meetings at TD Garden.  And most of those were when the Lightning had a very good team.  Now three of the next five games will be played here and that's not the situation that Tampa wanted to be in.  Only two teams -- the Penguins and Jets -- scored more goals at home this season than the Bruins, and not by much.  And Boston's eight regulation losses at home was the fewest such total in the Conference.  The Bolts are 34-70 in their last 104 road games vs. teams with a home winning % greater than .600.  Take Boston.  NHL Elite Info Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Washington Capitals.  Game two of this series pretty much followed the pattern of game one, with the Caps jumping all over the Penguins early on and the visitors staging a furious rally in third period.  But this time the Caps held on to even the series as it heads back to Pittsburgh for games three and four.  There was a controversial no-goal in the third period which could have swung the game to the Pens' favor, but the bottom line is that Pittsburgh has to slow down the Caps in the first period tonight and prevent them from scoring in the first few minutes as has been the case so far.  With their crowd behind them, they should be able to do this and they could get another big boost tonight in the form of the return of C Evgeni Malkin.  The superstar has missed the first two games with a lower body injury and the Pens could sure use his size on the front line as they've been getting a bit man-handled by the more physical -- up to this point -- Caps.  Pittsburgh is 8-0 in its last eight when its opponent allowed two goals or less in the previous game, and it's 17-2 off a loss by more than a goal.  Take the Pens.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins.  The Lightning lost the first game of this series as a home favorite, but they can at least take some solace that they are in good company.  The Capitals and Predators also lost game one as a home favorite but came back in a must-win Game 2 situation.  Only the Golden Knights won their second-round home opener (although Vegas lost game two as a heavy favorite).  So here is the #1 seed in the East now with its back against that same wall in Game 2 after getting embarrassed here at Amalie Arena in Game 1 by a 6-2 score.  But an important observation from Game 1 is the fact that the Bolts didn't pull Andrei Vasilevskiy from goal.  The modus operandi of so many teams in the post-season is to replace the starting goalie as soon as it becomes apparent that he is having a bad game.  But Tampa didn't do that, and showed confidence in its netminder, despite the fact that Vasilevskiy gave up five tallies in just 23 shots.  That decision could pay huge dividends tonight.  Despite their win in Game 1, the Bruins are 2-6 in their last eight road games.  Take Tampa.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Winnipeg Jets.  For the second straight time in these playoffs, the Nashville Predators laid a big egg at home.  They lost a potentially clinching game five here badly in the first round to the Avalanche before clinching it in Colorado.  But that stumble was nothing compared to what they did in game one of this series on Friday.  Out-shooting the Jets by a whopping 48-19, the Predators got spanked, 4-1 in the opening game.  Goalie Pekka Rinne was replaced after he allowed three goals in the first 16 shots.  If there's anything positive to take away from that performance it's that Rinne has plenty of opportunity to redeem himself.  If those are the only three goals he gives up at home in this series, then it will probably be fine.  Rinne knows this and he is a veteran with plenty of playoff experience -- 77 post-season games to be exact.  After the mis-step at home in the Colorado series, Rinne came right back with a shutout in the next game.  Don't be surprised if he does it again.  Despite the win in game one, the Jets are 5-11 in the last 16 here in Nashville.  Take the Preds.  NHL High Roller Winner.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.