Rotation #9: NHL Thursday OVER 6 in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers @ 7 ET - Notice the first two games only totaled 5 goals apiece. The 2nd game only had 4 goals in regulation. The 1st game was only 1-1 going to the 3rd period. What is my point? Well the point is...why do you think this total is a 6 even though the first two games played out like that? Exactly! Don't let this line fool you. The over is the play here. With the series shifting to Tampa Bay, you are going to see a desperate Lightning team here! The Bolts should come out strong and be very potent on the attack on their home ice where they have had so many great playoff moments in recent years! However, even with Tampa Bay coming up with a huge game here, this Panthers team is so strong and so potent on the attack. I know they have changed their style a bit since the coaching change to Paul Maurice prior to last season, but this is still a Panthers team that is lethal in finding the back of net with frequency. Before this playoff series started - again a pair of tight 3-2 Florida wins so far - the Panthers team that scored 22 goals over its final 6 regular season road games. As for the Bolts, they have scored 4 goal per game in their last 9 home games. Again, I know and 100% respect that this is playoff hockey but this situation as well as this line is telling you all you need to know about the total in this one! Look for a 4-3 type battle in this one! OVER 6 in Tampa Bay

Rotation #4 NHL Wednesday Dallas Stars -175 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:30 ET - The Stars outshot the Knights in every single period of the Game 1 loss. What went wrong? Vegas was 2 for 2 on the power play and the goals were key. The first gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. The 2nd came right after the Stars had cut a 2-0 deficit to 2-1. That made it 3-1 and Dallas just never could get the equalizer even though they battled hard throughout. Give Vegas credit as they got the early jump on Dallas and stole Game 1 on the road. However, there is a reason the Stars are priced as a higher favorite here as the odds makers and sharps are lining up on this one. It will be payback for Dallas. We can reduce the star rating on this play to avoid too big of a risk amount but I absolutely prefer the money line over the puck line and am confident Oettinger will bounce back after a tough game in goal, one of his worst starts of the season. Keep in mind, Oettinger and the Stars did drop the first game of every series last season and yet still almost made it to the Stanley Cup finals. The team that ended their run? These Golden Knights. Now, after dropping Game 1, the revenge payback starts here in what will be relentless effort from a desperate Dallas club on home ice! DALLAS -175

Rotation #73: NHL Tuesday Tampa Bay Lightning +1.5 -165 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:30 ET - Worth the price here to have the 1.5 goals. I know the Lightning scored very late in the 3-2 loss in Game 1 but the Panthers had just scored into an empty net just minutes earlier for a 3-1 lead. It was a tie game entering the 3rd period and Vasilevskiy did play very well for Tampa Bay. That was a key after he struggled some late in the season. If Vasilevskiy is back in top from, this is going to be a very interesting series! The Panthers Bobrovsky was 17-29 in his career in the NHL post-season prior to his big playoffs performance last season. That was certainly no fluke last season but, the point is that Florida certainly does not have a big edge here in goal by any stretch of the imagination. Bobrovsky has had his share of post-season ups and downs through the years. TB will come out even hungrier in this one now after losing Game 1 in a very competitive match-up. That leads to line value in a spot like this with a game that is likely to be tight again throughout. The Panthers, it goes without saying, truly are a highly talented team but the Lightning are so disciplined and well coached and they did a great job of limiting the Panthers of scoring chances of quality for long stretches in Game 1. In Game 2 I look for the Bolts to come out strong and put Florida on its heels a bit early. That will shift the momentum a bit here and I expect an early lead and the Bolts to continue to grind. I do expect the upset but could see a tight battle decided on a late goal or even in OT so I am taking advantage of a reasonable price on the puck line in this one. TAMPA BAY +1.5 -165

Rotation #66: NHL Monday Dallas Stars Money Line -135 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:30 ET - Revenge from last year's post-season. Goaltending is so important in the post-season and Oettinger has been fantastic for the Stars down the stretch run and also has a league-best 24 wins since the 1st of January. Keep in mind, Vegas counted on Adin Hill in last year's post-season but he has been inconsistent this season so the Golden Knights might turn to Logan Thompson in this series and possibly even right out of the gate. However, Thompson is lacking something that is quite important this time of year and that is playoff experience. This Knights team battled injury issues this season and though some of those guys are now back, including Mark Stone, this team is just not on the level of last year's team. Vegas did win all 3 match-ups with the Stars this season. This included 2 in Dallas but the Golden Knights won just 16 of their other 39 road games this season. Also, the Stars won 26 of their other 39 home games! Vegas finished up the season with losses in 14 of last 27 games while Dallas wrapped the season with wins in 17 of their last 21 games and earned the top seed in the West. Now home ice, revenge, goalie edge, momentum edge, etc. are factors combining to put the Stars in a value spot for backing them to open this series with a big win and 1-0 series lead here. There is a reason the price is rising on this Stars team even with Vegas now returning to health plus being the defending champs. Don't hesitate to lay the price here! DALLAS -135

Rotation #54 NHL Sunday New York Rangers Money Line -220 vs Washington Capitals @ 3 ET - Long time followers know that I rarely ever play a favorite in this range but this is a unique situation. First off I like the Rangers a lot here and might normally play the puck line in a spot like this or perhaps take a look at the regulation line. However, here is a key stat that will help you feel more comfortable with laying the price here also. The Rangers were 30-11 on home ice this season and had ZERO losses after regulation time when on home ice. They also are the much better team on special teams. Also, the Capitals lost a couple 20-minute defensemen late this season and that has hurt the D-men depth for them and those guys are now question marks as to their health. Washington barely got the win at Philly and punched their ticket to the post-season at the very end of the season. Prior to that win on the road the Caps had lost 4 of last 5 road games. Yes, Washington won their final 3 regular season games (2 on home ice) but this followed losing 7 of 8 overall. They are not the same team they use to be when they made the post-season two years ago and had guys like Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Eller, Sheary, Orlov and Mantha. Yes, they still have Ovechkin and Oshie and Carlson and Wilson plus they now have Strome. However, this team has definitely regressed and barely snuck into the post-season through the backdoor. Give them credit for that but their goal differential compared to the Rangers is a 90-goal variance in favor of New York and the hosts are the healthier team here. The health of defensemen Jensen and Sandin is a big concern for the Caps here. Rare bigger money line price for me but worth an investment as one could argue it should be closer to -300! This Rangers team won 75% of home games this season! NEW YORK RANGERS -220

Rotation #43: NHL Saturday OVER 5.5 -120 in Boston Bruins vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8 ET - Some books have had - and some (as of 7 AM ET gameday) still have - this total at 6 goals! I agree with this and feel we have solid line value with the over with this total at 5.5 goals. Yes, it is playoff hockey and yes this is not only a divisional rivalry but also an Original Six match-up! However, the Maple Leafs have recently resumed their concerning tendency of allowing too many goals and they are going to have to lean heavily on their skill up front. That said, I like the value with the low total here. Toronto has had 5 straight games total at least 7 goals! Also, 14 of last 18 have totaled at least 6 goals! Again, it is playoff hockey now but the Leafs have conceded 5 goals per game in their last 4 games and you can not just "flip a switch" on that. Also, Boston has scored 4 goals in each of the last two meetings with Toronto and the one before was also a 4-3 Bruins win in OT. With having won all 4 games in the regular season series, the Bruins have plenty of confidence here but the Leafs will be aggressive and try to put Boston on their heels early in this one. Don't be surprised if each club gets to 3 goals in this one! OVER 5.5 -120 in Boston

NHL Monday OVER 6 -105 in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7 ET - This game is somewhat similar to yesterday's over I had which totaled 11 goals and was between two non-playoff teams. In this case, the Bolts are going to the post-season but this game can neither hurt them nor help them in terms of playoff positioning! As for the Sabres, they also can throw caution to the wind because they are not going to the playoffs so this game is just playing out the string on the season. If you look at all the other games on the schedule for Monday, there is a highly motivated team involved which ups the level of defensive intensity. I like looking for overs in games where teams may not be fully focused on defense and this is one of those! These teams will be skating and looking for chances and not too concerned about getting back on defense. We get additional value here because each of the 3 prior meetings this season were unders. You know what is coming here given the circumstances. Both teams were recently playing hard because of playoff reasons and the Sabres had been trending under as a result. However, no playoff pressure is involved here and the Lightning have had 5 of last 7 games total at least 6 goals and I look for a very free-flowing game here with plenty of goals given the situation. OVER 6 -105 in Tampa Bay

NHL Sunday OVER 6 -115 in Calgary Flames vs Arizona Coyotes @ 8 ET - The Flames and Coyotes playing out the string on the season and this is the type of match-up you can see turn into a high-scoring barn-burner. There is no playoff pressure. You just go out and play hockey without hesitation or large concern about protecting your own cage. Teams looking for breakaways and high-skill plays where they can attack. Calgary enters this one off a win in which they scored 6 goals. Also, they are 2-0 against the Coyotes this season and scored 6 goals in one of those wins as well! The Flames have allowed 4 goals per game on average last 19 games. The Coyotes have allowed 3.5 goals per game last dozen games. Also, Arizona has scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 9 games which has helped lead the way to a 6-3 run L9 games. This one looks like a back and forth barn-burner in which each team gets to the 3-goal mark. That said, great value with this total available at a 6. OVER 6 -115 in Calgary

NHL Saturday: Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New Jersey Devils @ 5 ET - The Flyers are not dead yet. They just got a huge win over the Rangers 4 to 1 to stay alive. Note that the Red Wings, Islanders, Penguins and Capitals are all battling with the Flyers for the final two spots available. Of these other 4 teams, they are ALL underdogs today! The point is that Philly knows they have a tough game with New Jersey here but they also know they have a great shot to stay alive because the odds favor the other teams faltering. The Flyers have to take care of business on their own and they have a lot of momentum and positive vibes after saving their season with a huge upset win of the Rangers. They got solid goalie work and won 4-1 at New York. Now they are on home ice facing a Devils team that has had big time goalie issues. Kahkonen could start here but he has been dealing with a lower body injury. He is back now but this would be his first long-term action in over a week. Also, he has allowed 5 goals in his last 66 minutes on the ice! Jake Allen has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two appearances. The desperate Flyers will be the more determined team here and also I look for another strong start from goalie Samuel Ersson. He has been strong on home ice in most of his outings dating back to the All-Star break and now he comes into this one off the great start against the Rangers in New York. He'll be rock solid here! The Devils allowed 5 goals but got the win over the Maple Leafs in most recent game. But they have been allowing a lot of goals of late and I am happy to fade them off a win. We are now in mid-April and in the two month period dating back to mid-February, the Devils have won B2B games only twice! Also, New Jersey is 0-6 when off a win in which they allowed 3 or more goals. That run becomes 7 in a row here. These teams are division rivals and the games are always important and adding to the value with the Flyers is the revenge aspect after the Devils beat them in the outdoor game at MetLife Stadium when these teams met two months ago. Flyers played hard there but were on the wrong end. They get payback here and keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the process. Price is a bargain currently in the -120 range. Lay it! PHILADELPHIA (-) 

NHL Friday OVER 5.5 -115 in St Louis Blues vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8 ET - Both teams have motivation as the Hurricanes are looking at playoff positioning while the Blues are still hoping to sneak into the post-season. With both teams bringing a strong effort I do expect the goals to fly here. The Canes have won 14 of 18 games and have scored an average of 4 goals in those 14 victories. Of course they are favored here on the road with good reason. St Louis has won 10 of 15 games and has scored an average of 4 goals in those 10 wins! 7 of the last 11 Blues games have totaled at least 7 goals. I know Carolina is strong defensively and in goal and is off a 4-1 win at Boston. However, prior to that, the Canes had allowed 11 goals in last 3 road games. The way both teams are playing in the offensive zone of late, getting 5.5 goals here is truly a bargain. OVER 5.5 -115 in St Louis

NHL Thursday Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 -140 @ NY Rangers @ 7 ET - The Flyers are getting some attention today as the money line on this game keeps moving lower even though Philly has been in an awful slump. So who would be betting Philadelphia when they are slumping so badly? Sharps! That said, I still don't trust the Flyers on the money line here as a big dog but I do expect an ultra-competitive effort against the division rival Rangers. Therefore, the value here is with the puck-line. If the Flyers fall short, look for it to be by just a single goal. Coming off some ugly losses including that 9-3 beatdown at Montreal, the Flyers will be ready to respond big here. Their playoff chances are now slim but they are not done yet. The funny line movement on this one clues us in. The underdog is the play. PHILADELPHIA +1.5 -140

NHL Thursday OVER 6.5 -105 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils @ 7 ET - With no playoff pressure now, look for the Devils to play a wide-open style here with plenty of scoring opportunities going both ways. As for the Maple Leafs, they are starting Samsnov between the pipes and he has been playing well but I look for New Jersey to bring an aggressive effort and pepper him with shots. Of course the strength of the Leafs is in the offensive zone and they will take advantage of facing a struggling Allen between the pipes for New Jersey in this one. Allen just allowed 4 goals to the Leafs and I expect more of the same in this one. Toronto has won 6 of 7 games and averaged scoring 4 goals per game during this hot streak. The Devils have had 4 straight road games total at least 7 goals. Overall, 7 of last 9 New Jersey games have totaled at least 7 goals. More of the same here. 3 straight meetings between these clubs have totaled at least 7 goals and this one will too. OVER 6.5 -105 in Toronto

NHL Wednesday OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8 ET - I lost a play involving the Blackhawks recently because they surprisingly got shutout on home ice. Yes, it has been a tough season for Chicago but they were playing better prior to that and should get back on track here. The Blackhawks have scored 10 goals in their 3 meetings with the rival Blues this season. However, they also just allowed 7 goals to St Louis in the most recent match-up. Overall, Chicago has been allowing too many goals this season and has allowed 3.6 goals per game last 10 games. St Louis has allowed 3.3 goals per game last 10 games. They are still fighting for a playoff spot - though hopes are slim - so that does two things here. It creates urgency for the Blues to be on the attack here and it also forces the division rival Blackhawks to push hard for scoring goals if they want to keep up in this one and try to play the role of spoiler. With this total at 5.5 goals we have added value on the over in a game that should get to at least 6 goals. 5 of the last 7 meetings between these clubs have totaled 6 or more goals. More of the same here. OVER the total in St Louis

NHL Tuesday: Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7 ET - This is it for the Flyers. Essentially a must-win to keep playoff hopes alive. They face a Montreal team that has lost 4 of 5 and the Canadiens were outscored 19 to 8 in the 4 losses. One of the recent wins the Habs have was against the Flyers so this is a revenge spot for Philly. As bad as things have been for the Flyers, they are still mathematically alive and they have a tough road game on deck so they must get this one here knowing their final two games of the season are winnable ones on home ice. On a losing streak, Philly responds here with one of their best games of the season and that proves to be enough in this revenge spot versus the Canadiens. The line is in the -135 range and offers solid value. PHILADELPHIA (-)

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 -110 in New Jersey Devils vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET - The Maple Leafs are in a B2B so Woll will likely get the start in goal here. The Devils, because Kahkonen got hurt, are likely to use Allen here. Though he is off a game in which he allowed just 1 goal, this followed him allowing nearly 4 goals per game over a 5-game stretch and he did allow at least 3 goals in all 5 starts. That said, strong odds on each team getting to 3 goals here the way I see it and that would translate to nothing less than a 4-3 final. Note that Woll has allowed 4 or more goals in 2 of his last 3 starts. Also the Leafs recently welcomed back Mitch Marner after he missed about a month and he boosts Toronto's production in the offensive zone. The Maple Leafs have won 5 of 6 and scored an average of 4 goals per game in the 5 victories. New Jersey is off a 3-2 loss but this was preceded by 5 straight games totaling at least 7 goals and those games averaged 8 goals apiece. OVER 6.5 -110 in New Jersey

NHL Tuesday Washington Capitals +140 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7 ET - Like the Flyers tonight, this is another playoff hopeful that is mired in a losing streak. One of the things I like about the Capitals here is that TJ Oshie did travel with the team for this 2- game road trip and that is a huge boost even if he is not on the ice tonight but I do expect him out there. Even if he does not go you are talking about a Washington team with their backs to the wall and the underdog price is what makes this one a huge value. The Red Wings are off a win but this followed losing 13 of 17 games and during this stretch Detroit only won B2B games one time. I am going to challenge the Red Wings to win B2B games here and grab the underdog price with a Capitals team ready to circle the wagons for this one and come up with a huge performance on the road boosted by the impending return of Oshie - possibly even tonight! WASHINGTON +140

NHL Monday OVER 6.5 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7 ET - The Penguins are pushing hard for a playoff spot and they have been doing it with offense. Pittsburgh has scored an average of 4.3 goals in their last 7 games and has won 6 of them. The Penguins certainly have bene conceding a fair share of goals for an extended stretch as well. That has played a role in the fact 9 of their last 13 games have totaled at least 7 goals and I expect this one will as well. Toronto has scored an average of 4 goals per game last 13 games and playoff positioning still matters to them so they will not take their foot off the gas in this one either. 5-4 type game would not surprise me in the least and certainly we should see at least a 4-3 final. OVER 6.5 in Toronto

NHL Sunday OVER 5.5 -120 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild @ 3:37 ET - With the Wild now effectively eliminated from post-season contention, they are expected to turn to Jesper Wallstedt here between the pipes. He gave up 7 goals in his only NHL start this season. He has been in the AHL ever since. Though Wallstedt had decent numbers in the AHL this season, he could struggle again here in a rare NHL start. Also, though the Blackhawks are not scoring giants for sure, they do tend to be stronger at home and they also have nothing to lose here late in the season and can fully throw caution to the wind. Note that Chicago has actually scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 6 home games! Also, Minnesota has allowed at least 4 goals in B2B games and those were at home. The Wild allowed 6 goals in their most recent road game! If you look at scoring metrics you will not expect an over here but there are other key late-season factors at work here and also the value is tremendous with the low total here. OVER 5.5 -120 in Chicago

NHL Saturday Philadelphia Flyers -150 @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7 ET -  Must win for the Flyers and I know they have been on a losing streak but now they face one of the worst teams in the league. Finally Philly gets on track here. Flyers won the first two games by a combined score of 9 to 4 but the Jackets won the most recent one 3-2 in the shootout. This will be payback. Blue Jackets down to their #3 goalie Jet Greaves and he has only 4 NHL starts under his belt in his career and he is 1-4 all time with a GAA north of 3 in his young career. PHILADELPHIA (-) 

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs New Jersey Devils @ 7 ET - The Devils and Senators each allowing plenty of goals of late. New Jersey has allowed 18 in last 4 games and has lost 3 straight games. Ottawa has allowed 9 goals last 2 games. Each of their two meetings this season have totaled at least 7 goals. Devils have scored 29 goals in last 8 games and have had 4 straight games go over the total. The Sens are off a 6-0 loss but had scored average of 4 goals in last 6 games prior to that. 4 straight unders after 7 straight Senators games had gone over the total. The way each of these teams has been allowing goals of late, look for the over trend to resume. Their 3 games last season averaged 7 goals. The goals fly when these teams meet. OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Friday Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +105 @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7 ET - Huge playoff implications here. The Flyers are 0-3-2 last 5 games but have only one other 5-game losing streak this season. That one ended at 5 games and this one will too. The road team has won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these clubs and the lone exception was the Flyers winning on home ice. Look for the road team trend to continue between these clubs and Philly avoids what would be their longest winning streak of the season. The Sabres sent Levi back to the minors so they are carrying Luukkonen and Comrie as their two goalies right now. Luukkonen has been quite inconsistent of late. He had a recent start that he was pulled before the 9 minute mark so, essentially, his last 5 starts have amount to normal total minutes of 4 starts and over this span of an equivalent 4 starts he has allowed 18 goals - an average of 4.5 goals per 60 minutes! Comrie has played sparingly this season and would be rusty if called upon here and he has a 3.91 GAA on the season. The Flyers have had issues of their own of late but 3 of the 5 teams they lost to (and 2 of those 3 were the OT games) were solid playoff-level teams. The Sabres are a solid team but, for the reasons above, this is the ideal situation to back a Flyers team in a perfect spot to get back on track and at an underdog price. PHILADELPHIA +105

NHL Thursday OVER 6 in Winnipeg Jets vs Calgary Flames @ 8 ET - Hellebuyck has not been himself for a while now. He has allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of his last 5 starts. Dustin Wolf is expected to start for the Flames here and he has lost 3 straight starts and allowed at least 4 goals in 2 of those. Winnipeg and Calgary have both been struggling and each team should be viewing this game as a great opportunity to get their scoring going. That's because the Jets have allowed about 4 goals per game last 7 games. Also, Calgary has allowed 4 goals per game in their last 7 games. You can see why goals can be expected to fly here. The Flames have scored 10 goals last 3 games. The Jets have scored 3.5 goals per game last 11 home games. OVER 6 in Winnipeg

NHL Thursday Pittsburgh Penguins -110 @ Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - Not only has Pittsburgh not given up yet on the season, they have the goalie edge in this huge showdown with Washington Thursday. Nedeljkovic is 4-0-1 in his last 5 starts and did not allow more than 3 goals in any of those games. Not only that, Washington's Lindgren is struggling between the pipes of late. The Capitals goalie has allowed at least 5 goals in 2 of this last 3 starts and lost all 3 games! Both teams have been playing well as they make a late-season push for the playoffs but the goalie edge is the key here with the road team in this one. Also, TJ Oshie is out again for the Caps in this one. PITTSBURGH -110

NHL Wednesday OVER 6 in Arizona Coyotes vs Vancouver Canucks @ 10 ET - The Canucks will be ready to respond off the 6-3 loss at Vegas. However, Vancouver is in a B2B spot and the Canucks are still without #1 goalie Demko. The #2 guy DeSmith went last night and struggled as he gave up all 6 goals. Tonight it will be the #3 guy Silovs. Though he allowed just 2 goals in his only NHL start this season, it was last week against a Ducks team that has been struggling mightily. He has only played in 6 NHL games in his career and the Coyotes are known for being tougher on home ice. Also, Arizona has been scoring goals like crazy of late. The Coyotes have scored at least 5 goals in 3 straight games and also have averaged 4 goals scored in their last 8 games! Arizona continues to be hot and had won 5 of 7 games before a loss to a very strong Rangers team. The Coyotes continue to struggle defensively and in goal when facing playoff level teams. They have allowed 5 goals per game in their last 4 games against playoff teams. More of the same here and the goals fly in this one. OVER 6 in Arizona

NHL Tuesday OVER 6 in Minnesota Wild vs Ottawa Senators @ 8 ET - Fleury getting the start for the Wild and he has struggled badly in each of his last two starts. Korpisalo starting for the Senators and he has been better of late but having a tough overall season and I look for plenty of goals here. This one has upset potential for Ottawa but Minnesota should score well at home also in this one. The Senators have won 5 straight games and scored an average of 4.2 goal during this hot streak. The Wild off a 2-1 OT loss at home but scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 8 home games before that one. With that said, the goals should fly in this one. Minnesota had scored at least 3 goals in 6 of 8 home games before the loss to the Golden Knights. Ottawa off B2B low-scoring wins but this followed 7 straight games totaling at least 7 goals. More of the same here and great value with this total at 6 goals. OVER 6 in Minnesota

NHL Monday Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 7 ET - Huge game in the post-season landscape and a divisional battle. I like the home ice edge here. Yes the Flyers are off an embarrassing 5-1 home loss to the Blackhawks but this followed having won 8 of last 12 games played on home ice. Conversely, the Islanders are not winning on the road. They truly are not winning anywhere right now. New York enters this one having lost 8 of 10 games overall and 5 of last 6 on the road. The Flyers stop the bleeding here and they are getting a little healthier on defense. They will also respond on the offensive side of the ice after a rare tough performance on home ice versus Chicago. This is a bargain price for home ice when you consider the Isles recent road struggles. Huge game, small price due to recent events and that means extraordinary line value with this one in the -115 range. Lay it! PHILADELPHIA (-)

NHL Monday OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7 ET - This total is at 6.5 and the over is priced in the -135 range but it should prove well worth it. The Blue Jackets have allowed 4.5 goals per game last 7 games. Columbus has averaged 3 goals scored in last 7 home games. Of course Colorado is a heavy favorite with good reason here. Look for a 4-3 or 5-3 type game. The Jackets will enjoy some success on home ice but will also struggle to stop this Avalanche freight train. Colorado has won 12 of 15 games and has scored 4 goals per game during this hot streak. The Avs have allowed an average of 3 goals in their last 5 away games. Non-conference match-up as well which generally means less defensive intensity. These teams see each other just twice a season. OVER the total in Columbus 

NHL Sunday OVER 6 in Vancouver Canucks vs Anaheim Ducks @ 3:37 ET - We get a low total here because Vancouver has not been scoring much lately and we will take advantage because the Canucks are going to be taking advantage too in this one! The fact is Vancouver is facing a struggling Anaheim team in the 2nd day of a B2B and that also has allowed 14 goals last 3 games! As for the Canucks, they are still without their #1 goalie. I know DeSmith has been playing well but Demko is the #1 for good reason. Also, Anaheim used their #1 guy - Gibson - last night so now they are likely going with Dostal here. Dostal is 16-32-5 with a 3.54 GAA in his NHL career! Anaheim has lost 11 of 12 games and given up 4.6 goals per game in the 11 losses! Vancouver is off B2B losses but, prior to this, had won 7 of 9 games. I know some metrics point to the under here but the Canucks are going to come out flying here and I am expect them to pile on the goals while an Anaheim team - certainly with nothing to lose - will do their best to play spoiler here. The result should be a high-scoring 5-3 type game. OVER 6 in Vancouver

NHL Saturday Philadelphia Puck Line -1.5 vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7 ET - Flyers are a heavy favorite on the money line here with good reason of course. However, the value is on the puck line where you get a -110 price by taking the Flyers to win this one by at least 2 goals. Of course, the Blackhawks season has been over for a long time while, conversely, Philly is fighting hard to secure a playoff spot. Philly has had a tough schedule of late but they let a good opportunity get away from them when they lost to the Canadiens at Montreal. That was a 3rd straight loss for Philly but now they are back at home where they have won 8 of 12 in this building. Also, Chicago has seen each of their last 8 losses come by at least a 2-goal margin and, amazingly, the Blackhawks have lost 26 of last 28 games! In other words, no hesitation in grabbing the Flyers here. PHILADELPHIA -1.5

NHL Saturday OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET - This total is a 6.5 across the board at the time of this posting and is offering solid value in a game I am expecting each team will get to 3 goals. Of course getting each team to 3 goals would translate to at least a 4-3 final. The Sabres off a 5-2 win last night but used Levi in goal which means it will likely be Luukkonen tonight and he has been struggling. That is a big part of the reason that 4 of last 6 Sabres games have totaled at least 7 goals. I expect this one will too. Also, the Leafs are starting Samsonov here an he injured his calf last weekend and has not played since. So he may not be 100% here and he has not exactly been consistent this season! Look for plenty of goals here as Toronto is off a 5-1 win but, prior to this, 6 of last 7 Leafs games totaled at least 7 goals. The Maple Leafs have scored an average of 4 goals in their 9 games. Also, their last road game was an under but that was at a very tough Carolina team. Prior to that, 6 of last 8 Toronto road games totaled at least 7 goals. More of the same likely here given the situation and the above. OVER the total in Buffalo

NHL Friday OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils @ 7 ET - The Sabres starting Levi most likely since Luukkonen struggled in the most recent game and Levi came on in relief and played well. However, overall Levi actually has a 3.48 GAA this season. Also, NJ likely starting Allen here and he has allowed 8 goals in his L2 starts. Also, he allowed 5 goals the last time he faced Buffalo (earlier this season when he was with Montreal). From a goalie standpoint, we can expect goals here. Also, take at look at these teams recent results. Devils have  scored 4 goals per game in going 4-1 last 5 games. The Sabres off a low scoring loss but had scored an average of 4 goals per game in their 7 games prior to that. Buffalo has allowed 4 goals per game last 6 games. Look for at least a 4-3 type game here given all the above and this total is a 6.5 across the board right now. OVER the total in Buffalo 

NHL Thursday Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - This line is a little on the pricey side - in the -175 range - but there are two ways to look at that. One is that it may seem risky to lay a higher price but the other way to view is that normally the Maple Leafs would be at least a -200 favorite, if not -225 or -250, when on home ice against the Capitals. The reason we are getting line value here is because the Caps have been hotter of late and that is keeping this line a lower than we would otherwise see. Keep in mind, Toronto has hammered Washington by a combined score of 11 to 4 in their two meetings this season and that includes one last week. Also, the Leafs should get a boost here with Samsonov likely to be back between the pipes as he recovered from a leg contusion. He is 11-3-2 at home this season. For the Capitals, they enter this one on a 3-game winning  streak but have only 1 winning streak of more than 3 games this season! When they enter a game off exactly 3 straight wins, the streak has ended in all but one case this season. Washington going 1-4 in this situation. Some of the recent wins for the Capitals have come against slumping teams or teams that will miss the post-season. Don't get me wrong, the Caps have been playing better but keep this in mind plus the Leafs are on home ice and angry off B2B losses. TORONTO (-)

NHL Thursday: OVER the total in Ottawa Senators vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7 ET - Great spot for an over here. The Senators scored 5 first period goals at Buffalo last night and then were able to coast in for the victory in an eventual 6-2 win over the Sabres. Ottawa has now had 7 straight games total at least 7 goals! Amazingly, the Sens have either scored or allowed at least 5 goals in 6 straight games! The Blackhawks are off a rare, low-scoring win as they beat Calgary 3-1 but the Flames have quit on the season. That is not the case here as now you have two teams meeting that both are out of the post-season race but both are playing well of late and scoring plenty of goals. The Hawks and Sens are each just building for next season but sometimes that loose and relaxed late-season hockey can bring out the best in two teams scoring as they build for the future. Note that Chicago still has defensive struggles at times but is scoring an average of 3.5 goals per game during their current 6-4 run last 10 games. As for the Senators, they have won 6 of 9 games and averaged a respectable 3 goals not including OT/SO of course. Look for Sens games to MAKE IT 8 IN A ROW in terms of games getting to at least 7 goals! OVER the total in Ottawa

NHL Thursday Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7 ET - Monday is April 1st and this NO April Fools joke ladies and gentleman ... the Flyers have NOT lost 3 straight games since January and YES they are entering this game off B2B losses! I don't see this streak coming to an end. The Flyers have been playing a brutal schedule of late and they know they must take advantage of a rare reprieve as they look to remain in the #3 spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers have played 7 straight games and 9 of 10 games against teams that are going to be in the playoffs. Now they have a break in the schedule finally and face a team that is in the bottom of the Atlantic Division. Even though off of B2B wins, the Canadiens are still tied with the Blue Jackets for least home wins in the Eastern Conference. Home ice has been nothing special for the Habs and they are now playing their first home game after a long road trip and that first game after such a trip tends to be very tough more often that not. Montreal has lost 18 of last 26 on home ice. PHILADELPHIA (-)

NHL Wednesday OVER 6 in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins @ 7:35 ET - One could certainly argue for an under here as it is a key divisional battle and both teams have solid goalies. However, this clubs are also very potent offensively and I would not be surprised to see both Hedman and Point back on the ice for the Lightning tonight. Also, the Bruins are in the 2nd game of a B2B while the Lightning are off a long West Coast road trip. Given this situation neither club is likely to be ultra sharp in the defensive zone. However, each club is also loaded with playmakers and the Bruins have seen 6 of last 8 games total at least 6 goals. The Lightning have had 7 of last 9 games total at least 6 goals. Tampa Bay has scored an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch. Boston has scored 3.6 goals per game last 9 games. Look for each team to get to 3 goals in this one and that leads to at least a 4-3 final in this one. OVER 6 in Tampa Bay 

NHL Tuesday OVER 6 in Nashville Predators vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8 ET - The Golden Knights Hill is currently injured and the goalie did not travel with the team for this road trip. With Thompson starting last night at St Louis that means he either has to again in a B2B - unlikely and not easy - or little-used Jiri Patera gets the call. Patera has been with Henderson in the AHL and he has allowed an average of 4 goals in his only 4 NHL starts this season. As for Nashville, they are on a hot run an getting solid goalie work. However, the Predators have allowed an average of 4 goals per game in their last 5 meetings with the Golden Knights. In other words, don't be surprised if Vegas again scores well here as there are some match-up edges for them too. But the Preds should also stay hot and Nashville has scored an average of 4 goals in their current 15-2 hot streak. Don't be surprised if each team reaches the 3-goal mark in this one. OVER 6 in Nashville

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 -115 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - Great spot for an over here. Toronto is off a 2-1 loss but that was at Carolina and followed 5 straight overs which averaged 8.6 goals per game. Now, back on home ice and ready to go hard after a low-scoring loss I fully expect the Maple Leafs to push the pace in this one! As for the Devils, they are off a 4-0 win but that was a rare shutout. In fact, New Jersey had allowed 3.5 goals per game over a 17-game stretch prior to that shutout win. Another interesting thing about the Devils is they have either scored or allowed 4 goals in 17 of their last 19 games. In other words, don't be surprised if we see at least a 4-3 type battle here. The Leafs had been trending over and the Devils have scored an average of 4 goals per game last 4 games but I also see them struggling to stop a Maple Leafs team that is angry off a loss. OVER 6.5 -115 in Toronto

NHL Monday OVER 6 in St Louis Blues vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8 ET - This should be a great battle with the Blues having won 6 of 7 games and scoring an average of 4 goals per game during this hot streak. This is a key game in the playoff race and though that might lead you to expect a defensive-minded playoff battle, that is just not likely the way these teams are trending of late. Note that 4 straight St Louis games have totaled at least 6 goals. Also, the Golden Knights have won 5 of 7 games and averaged 4 goals scored per victory in those 5 wins and overall they are averaging 3.5 goals last 7 games. I see strong odds on each team getting to at least 3 goals here which would, of course, lead to at least a 4-3 final if each team does reach the 3-goal mark. The Golden Knights have seen 11 of 15 games total at least 6 goals and 10 of the 11 totaled at least 7 goals! More of the same expected here. OVER 6 in St Louis

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 -115 in Anaheim Ducks vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:35 ET - Jonas Johannson has not played in goal for Tampa Bay in a month! But that is because they had no B2B games. Now they do and that means either Andrei Vasilevskiy back in goal tonight (he faced the Kings yesterday) or Johansson. So the options are a tired #1 goalie or a rusty #2 goalie. That sets this up well for an over. Tampa Bay has been scoring very well and a struggling Anaheim can not stop anyone. However, the Ducks should score some here considering the goalie situation of TB as well as the B2B spot for them. Note that Anaheim is off a 4-0 win over Chicago but had allowed 5 goals per game in their 7-game losing streak that preceded that and now they face an angry Bolts club here. Tampa Bay has seen 7 of last 8 games total at least 7 goals as they continue to score well. The Lightning have allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of last 5 road games. Tampa has scored 4.5 goals per game last 8 games. The goals will fly in this one. OVER 6.5 in Tampa Bay

NHL Sunday Philadelphia Flyers +135 vs Florida Panthers @ 6 ET - The Panthers are banged up and have lost 4 straight games! Florida has been outscored 16 to 6 during this stretch. Florida is overvalued here against a scrappy Flyers team that continues to battle to remain in a playoff position and got the win again over a tough Bruins team yesterday! Philly has enjoyed recent success against the Panthers too including winning both games this season. With Florida dealing with injuries and negative emotions while the Flyers are winning and have positive vibes stemming from winning 5 of last 7 on home ice. PHILADELPHIA +135

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 -120 in Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers @ 6 ET - The Sens off a big 5-2 win at New Jersey and are tougher team when on home ice and should score well again here. The Oilers are also in a B2B situation but they lost 6-3 at Toronto last night. Edmonton had that great winning streak earlier this season but really have reverted back to their old ways more recently. That is, they still score quite well but continue to allow too many goals. The Oilers have allowed 3.1 goals per game last 23 games since their 16-game winning streak came to an end. The Senators had allowed 4 goals per game last 13 games before the 5-2 win last night. 5 straight Sens have totaled at least 7 goals and you can see why I am expecting today's game to follow suit as well. OVER 6.5 -120 in Ottawa

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 in New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - Ottawa has allowed an average of 5 goals per game last 4 games. All 4 games totaled at least 7 goals and this one will too. The Senators should take advantage of facing a Devils team having issues of their own. New Jersey expected to start Jake Allen in goal and he has been a pleasant surprise since coming to the Devils but his home GAA this season is still 3.60 and he is facing a Sens team with nothing to lose so they will be firing away here. The Devils are off B2B wins but this followed losses in 7 of 9 games! New Jersey has either scored or allowed 4 goals in 9 straight home games so look for the goals to fly here. The Devils have scored 4 and 5 goals, respectively, in their last 2 home games. Both teams score well here and Ottawa's streak of games totaling 7+ goals is set to make it 5 in a row here. OVER 6.5 in New Jersey

NHL Friday OVER 6.5 in Dallas Stars vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - The Stars will start Oettinger here and he has been very inconsistent. In fact, prior to allowing 2 goals in his most recent start, Oettinger had allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of 4 starts. Dallas has seen 5 of its last 7 games total at least 7 goals. The Penguins have also been trending toward higher-scoring games as they have seen 4 straight games total at least 7 goals. The Penguins are still alive in the race for a playoff spot but every game so important now. They will push hard on the attack here as a result but Pittsburgh has allowed 4.3 goals per game last 11 games. This one looks like one of those wild non-conference match-ups ending up with at least a 4-3 final. OVER 6.5 in Dallas

NHL Thursday OVER 6 in Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 10 ET - Both these teams have been allowing a lot of goals. So even though the Ducks have not been scoring great, I do look for Anaheim to get going here. As for the Blackhawks, they have been better in the offensive zone of late. These teams last met a week ago and that one totaled 9 goals! Chicago is actually 4-3 last 7 games and has scored an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch! The problem for the Blackhawks is similar to the Ducks - they can not stop anyone. Chicago has allowed 4 goals per game last 10 games. Anaheim has allowed 5 goals per game during their current 7-game losing streak. Given the poor defense and goalie work that these two have been displaying, this total set at 6 goals is a great value. OVER 6 in Anaheim

 NHL Thursday Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 -120 @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7 ET - The Hurricanes are playing really well and have won 4 straight games. However, prior to a comfortable 4-0 win in most recent home game, the Canes actually had only 10 wins by a multi-goal margin in their last 27 home games. The Flyers are a scrappy team that is tough to beat by a multi-goal margin so this is actually a great spot for a dog puck line play. Philly, ever since the All-Star break, has had just 4 losses by more than 1 goal in 19 games! So, as you can see, in looking at Hurricanes home games and Flyers games overall, the odds favor a tight game here in which the Flyers hang around all game long as they so often do. They have a legit shot at the post-season and continue to play with a lot of energy and passion even as they battle through injuries. PHILADELPHIA +1.5 -120

NHL Wednesday OVER 6 in Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - I understand this total starting to move from a 6.5 to a 6 but, at the same time, I am happy to fade the move. Yes, the Capitals have been getting some solid play in goal and defensively but this Maple Leafs club is very dangerous in the offensive zone. Also, Toronto is off a loss at Philly last night (had the Flyers +115 here yesterday!) and the Leafs will be fired up to respond. However, one issue for Toronto is no goalie other than Samsonov has started in 2 weeks now. So the options for Toronto here are a rusty goalie or a guy playing the 2nd night of a back to back who also just allowed 4 goals last night. This Toronto team is prolific offensively however and 7 of last 9 Leafs road games have totaled at least 6 goals. Also, the Capitals have averaged 4.6 goals scored in their last 5 home games. 5 of their last 6 games at home have all totaled at least 7 goals and this one will too! I know this game will have playoff intensity as the Caps are fighting for their playoff lives but the reasons above are why this game will still see plenty of scoring. Look for each to get to the 3-goal mark here and, as a result, at least a 7-goal final in this one. OVER 6 in Washington

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 +105 in St Louis Blues vs  Colorado Avalanche @ 8 ET - Colorado is one of the highest scoring teams in the league and they have won 6 straight games and, not including OT goals, have scored an average of 4 goals per game in those victories. The Avs have allowed 3 goals per game in last 4 road games and I am sure the Blues will put up a fight in this one. St Louis has won 4 straight games and scored 3.5 goals per game in this 4-game winning streak. Also, at home, the Blues have won 5 straight games and averaged 3.2 goals scored per game. I know the Blues are getting solid goaltending of late but the Avs offense is just too much. At the same time though, I do expect St Louis to continue playing confident hockey and putting the puck in the back of the net on their home ice. They catch Avs off a big win at Edmonton over Connor McDavid and company. Their defensive play may not be at its best in this one. OVER 6.5 +105 in St Louis

NHL Tuesday Philadelphia Flyers +115 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET - The Flyers are out for revenge here. Tortorella is back on the bench and they just fell short in a wild 6-5 loss to Boston after an ugly home loss to the Leafs last week by a 6-2 count. Philly will be much better here on home ice and in revenge mode coming off such an ugly loss in front of their own fans. The Flyers are dealing with injuries to defense but are still battling hard and have been even in shots on goal in their recent games with the Bruins and Maple Leafs. Philly has scored 10 goals in their last 3 games and the Leafs big win over the Flyers is their only win by more than 1 goal in their last 7 games. In that stretch Toronto also had an OT win, a SO win, 3 losses and one other win by just 1 goal. The point is that the Leafs have been far from dominating and the Flyers are 3-0 the L3 times they entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. PHILADELPHIA +115

NHL Monday OVER 5.5 in Seattle Kraken vs Buffalo Sabres @ 10 ET - I know that neither team is scoring overly great of late but this non-conference match-up opened up at a 6 for a reason and I am now going to grab the value as it has dropped to a 5.5 across the board in early market activity. The first meeting was a 5-2 win for the Kraken at Buffalo so the Sabres are out for revenge here! Seattle has been struggling of late so Buffalo is catching them at the right time to exact revenge. The trouble for the Sabres though is they have been quite inconsistent in terms of goals allowed! Buffalo has one 4-0 win recently but in their other 6 recent games they have allowed 3.3 goals per game. The Sabres are off a 4-1 loss but had averaged scoring an average of nearly 4 goals per game in their 7 games before that! Buffalo will respond here in this revenge spot. The Kraken are off B2B low-scoring losses but this followed a stretch in which 7 of their last 10 games totaled at least 6 goals. This one will too! Take advantage of the low total here. OVER 5.5 in Seattle

NHL Monday Calgary Flames -130 vs Washington Capitals @ 8:35 ET - The Flames have finally got going again with some solid goalie work and they are off back to back wins by a combined score of 9 to 3. Not only that, Calgary has now won 6 of last 8 home games! This is the Flames only game between this past Saturday and next Saturday so they are fully focused here! Important win for Calgary before nice break in the action to rest mentally and physically! I expect a very focused Flames team here. At the same time, I expect the Capitals could struggle here. Washington is wrapping up a 5-game road trip and has huge 4-game homestand on deck. This is the kind of spot where a team can come out flat as, in their minds, they are already halfway back going home! I know the Caps are off B2B road wins but this followed losing 4 of 5 on the road and the combined score of those 4 defeats was 21 to 7! Washington has scored only 6 goals last 4 games. Look for the Flames to be too much here on home ice and I love this scheduling situation. CALGARY -130

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 +105 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings @ 6 ET - Penguins in a back to back so Nedeljkovic expected to start in goal. He is struggling and overall Pittsburgh is off B2B crazy games as well. Additionally, the Red Wings are off a 4-1 win so it was good to see their scoring come back. However, Detroit had allowed an average of 5 goals per game in losing 7 straight prior to that one! Also, before B2B 4-1 games, the Red Wings had seen 5 of 7 games games total at least EIGHT goals! We only need 7 to be a winner here and the set up here is perfect as Pittsburgh off B2B high-scoring games and on home ice and off a loss and starting a back-up goalie. The goals should fly in this one. OVER 6.5 +105 in Pittsburgh

NHL Sunday OVER 6 in Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks @ 6 ET - The Sharks starting a rookie goalie making his NHL debut. Devin Cooley has a 3.77 GAA at the AHL level this season. He will continue to get peppered with shots here as San Jose is so bad defensively. The Sharks have allowed 5 goals per game in the 12 losses in their current run of just 1 win last 13 games! The Blackhawks have allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 8 games. However, prior to a 5-0 loss in most recent game, Chicago had won 3 of 4 games and had scored an average of 5 goals in these 4 games. Given numbers like this plus the fact each team coming off a shutout loss, look for the goals to fly in this one. OVER 6 in Chicago

NHL Saturday Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 -150 @ Boston Bruins @ 7 ET - Bruins off tight win over division rival Canadiens. Since starting the season 29-8-9, Boston has only 5 wins by more than 1 goal in last 22 games! Flyers are off an ugly 6-2 loss but this followed by a 16 games stretch in which only 3 of the 16 games were a loss by more than 1 goal. This is a great set up with Bruins off a tight divisional win and Philly off an ugly loss. Take advantage and grab the puck line here at a reasonable price. PHILADELPHIA +1.5 -150

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs San Jose Sharks @ 7 ET - Chrona will be between the pipes here and he has allowed 26 goals in his 6 starts and 1 relief appearance at the NHL level this season. In other words, giving up about 4 goals on average. His counterpart will likely be Tarasov tonight and the Blue Jackets netminder has been better of late and yet he still has been weaker at home than on the road. He has a 3.51 GAA at home this season. The Jackets scoring has tailed off of late but facing a struggling Sharks team (particularly the defense and goaltending) will help Columbus open things up at home here. Also, San Jose has seen 6 of last 9 games total at least 7 goals and amazingly 5 of those 6 totaled 9 or more goals! The Sharks have scored 3 goals per game last 8 games, despite all the losing but their problem is they can stop no one! That will be the case again tonight and I expect both teams to get to the 3-goal mark in this one as it finishes with at least 7 goals. OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Friday OVER 5.5 -120 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Los Angeles Kings @ 8:35 ET - Some sharp books already have this total at a 6 which is a sign to me that they are expecting the sharper action to be on the over in this one. I also am expecting a higher-scoring game as well. The Blackhawks are suddenly playing much better and have won 3 of 4 games and scored at least 5 goals in all 3 victories! However, this is still a Chicago team that has allowed about 4 goals per game last 15 games as well. The Kings enter this one off a 3-1 loss but should bounce back here as this followed wins in 4 of 6 games and they scored an average of 4 goals in the 4 victories. LA also has scored an average of 4 goals the last 3 times they were off a loss. So look for Los Angeles to respond here and score well but the hot Hawks match them goal for goal in a game that has a great shot at seeing each team score at least 3 goals. I anticipate this one getting to 7 or more goals so we have great line value here. OVER 5.5 -120 in Chicago

NHL Thursday OVER 6.5 in Calgary vs Vegas @ 9 ET - Wolf getting the start in goal for the Flames and he is the #3 option but Markstrom out with an injury and Vladar just played but struggled. Calgary will not be able to stop Vegas here. However, Hill getting the start for the Golden Knights here and he has struggled. Hill has allowed at least 3 goals in 5 straight starts. Given this situation and the goalie match-up, I just can not see either team failing to get at least the 3-goal mark in this one. Of course that would guarantee us of at least a 4-3 final. Note that 9 of last 10 Vegas games have totaled at least 7 goals. Also, the Flames last dozen games have averaged 7.3 goals apiece. More of the same here! OVER 6.5 in Calgary

NHL Thursday OVER 6.5 in Detroit vs Arizona @ 7 ET - Red Wings Lyon is 0-5 L5 and has allowed at least 4 goals in all 5 of those! Connor Ingram starts for Coyotes and he has been struggling overall recently except for a strong shutout effort versus...you guessed it...these Red Wings. Detroit is out for revenge and will score well at home but they continue to have issues in the crease in their own zone. OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Wednesday OVER 6.5 in Vancouver Canucks vs Colorado Avalanche @ 10:35 ET - Tough spot for the goaltending for each team. The Canucks just lost Demko to injury so they are having to use the back-up DeSmith. As for Colorado, they used Annunen between the pipes last night and he has actually been the hotter goalie of last. Georgiev now likely to be in the crease because of this B2B situation and he has been a bit inconsistent of late. That said, look for the goals to fly as the goalie situation is surely helping. Also, the Canucks have won 4 straight and have scored 4 goals per game last two victories. Colorado has won 6 of 8 and, incredibly, the Avs have scored at least 5 goals in 5 of those 6 victories. Considering the above as well as the goaltending situation plus the B2B situation for the Avalanche, look for the goals to fly in this one. OVER 6.5 in Vancouver

NHL Tuesday: Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 -125 vs San Jose Sharks @ 7 ET - Flyers are off a horrible 7-0 loss and now hosting one of the worst teams in the league. This is a great bounce back spot and Philly is angry and coach Tortorella was so angry about all the power plays conceded in the 7-0 loss that the was ejected when the game was 4-0 and now serving a suspension. This angry Flyers team, as well as goalie Ersson (who had been hot) will be ready to respond here. The Sharks are off a win but this was preceded by 9 straight losses by an average margin of 2.5 goals. Flyers most recent win was by 1 goal but this followed 8 of last 10 wins by 2 or more goals. Philadelphia -1.5 -125

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 +100 in Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7 ET - The Sabres have been getting solid goalie work from Luukkonen but this total is at 6.5 for a reason! The fact is Detroit's Lyon has allowed at least 4 goals in 4 straight games. Overall, the Red Wings have allowed 4.7 goals per game last 6 games! But Detroit also is dangerous offensively and has scored at least 3 goals in 12 of last 18 games. They are hungry on a losing streak in which, other than a shocking loss to Arizona, they faced some really tough competition. That said, I am looking for each team to get to the 3-goal mark here which would get us to at least a total of 7 goals in this one. Buffalo is off a 3-2 win in the shootout over the Oilers at home but this followed 4 of last 6 Sabres home games totaling 7 or more goals. OVER 6.5 +100 in Buffalo

NHL Monday OVER 6.5 +100 in New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils @ 7 ET - The Rangers are said to saving Shesterkin for the big battle at Carolina tomorrow. That means Quick getting the start here at the front end of this B2B. He has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. Also, New York's D, even though they certainly have a history with nearby rivals like the Devils and Islanders and Flyers, could get caught thinking ahead to their big showdown with Carolina tomorrow. That's because the Hurricanes are right behind them at 2nd place in Metro as the Rangers keep working hard to stay in the #1 spot. New York has averaged 4 goals per game in going 12-3 last 15 games. So they should score well here for sure again but Quick could prove susceptible to a dangerous Devils attack. New Jersey has had 6 straight games away from home (including outdoor game with Philly) total at least 6 goals! 4 of the last 5 totaled at least 7 goals. These 6 games averaged 7.5 goals and I expect this one to get to 7 or 8 goals as well. Devils have allowed 4 or more goals in 7 of last 10 games. More of the same here. OVER 6.5 +100 in New York Rangers

NHL Sunday OVER 5.5 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Arizona Coyotes @ 6 ET - This total has dropped from a 6 to a 5.5 and this has opened up solid line value here. Neither team is known as an offensive juggernaut but Arizona is off a rare shutout win. Prior to that 4-0 win, 11 straight Coyotes games had totaled at least 6 goals as Arizona - just like Chicago - is known for giving up goals. Those 11 games averaged 7 goals per game! The Blackhawks last 13 games have featured just 2 wins and in the 11 losses they allowed an average of 4 goals per game. Chicago did beat Arizona 5-2 the last time these teams met and that was earlier this week. The goals should fly again in the rematch as Connor Ingram struggled against the Hawks in that 5-2 loss and had allowed 3.5 goals per match last 4 matches before that shutout win. The Blackhawks had Mrazek in goal last night so this will probably be Soderblom tonight and he had allowed 4 goals per game in last 4 games prior to holding these Coyotes to 2 goals in Arizona. Based on all of the above, I look for both teams to enjoy a lot of success on offense in this one. OVER 5.5 in Chicago

NHL Sunday OVER 6 -115 in Carolina Hurricanes vs Calgary Flames @ 5 ET - This total dropping from 6.5 to a 6 in some spots as of 5 hours before drop of the puck has opened up some great line value. The Hurricanes have seen their games total at least 6 goals in 3 of last 4. The Flames have had 6 straight games total at least 6 goals. Grab the value here as Calgary had scored an average of 4 goals in their last 7 games prior to an ugly 5-1 loss in most recent game. The Flames will be aggressive on the attack here after a game like that but they will struggle to slow down a strong Hurricanes team on their home ice. I expect both teams to get to the 3-goal mark in this one and so we'd be looking at 7 goals at least as final result. OVER 6 -115 in Carolina

NHL Philadelphia Flyers +130 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7 ET - The Bolts remain over-rated. They are still a solid team but Vasilevskiy having a tough season and the Lightning overall have lost 8 of 14 games. The Flyers have won 8 of 14 games and continue to have a surprisingly strong season. So the value in this line clearly lies with Philly. Both the first two meetings were high-scoring and the teams did split these games but the Flyers have been the team getting the better goalie work of late and that will be the difference here. They have allowed 2 or less goals in 6 of last 8 games. The Lightning have allowed an average of 4 goals in last 9 games. PHILADELPHIA +130

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 in Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET - The Maple Leafs are in a bounce back spot and I expect them to respond big but I do not trust their goaltending. Toronto has allowed 4 goals in 2 of last 3 games and at least 3 goals in 7 of last 9 games. The Leafs have scored an average of 4 goals last 15 games. The Canadiens are off a 4-1 loss but this followed Montreal scoring at least 3 goals in 5 straight games. Montreal has allowed 3.7 goals per game last 10 games. This one has 4-3 (at least) written all over it! OVER 6.5 in Montreal

NHL Friday OVER 6.5 in Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild @ 9 ET - The Wild are in the 2nd game of a B2B and Fleury was between the pipes last night so this will likely be Gustavsson between the pipes tonight. Gustavvson has struggled over his last 6 starts with an ugly .863 save percentage and allowing 22 goals! Now he faces a red-hot Avalanche team. Colorado is 7-4 last 11 games and has scored an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch. Minnesota has won 9 of 14 games and scored an average of 3.5 goals per game during this stretch. The Wild are off B2B games against weaker foes but still they should stay hot here as confidence builds when you are scoring 4+ goals per night! The Avalanche certainly know all about that type of confidence as well. Colorado has scored at least 5 goals in 4 of last 5 games! They have had some strong goalie performances in this stretch but I just don't see them shutting down a relatively hot Wild team here as Minny is going for 10th win last 15 games! Look for each team to get to 3 goals here which would, of course, guarantee us of no less than a 4-3 final. OVER 6.5 in Colorado

NHL Thursday OVER 6 in San Jose Sharks vs New York Islanders @ 10:35 ET - Getting this total at a 6 is a great value. The Islanders have won 4 straight and averaged scoring 4 goals per match during this hot streak. However, the Sharks have been scoring better of late too and that is why I am expecting this to be a high-scoring non-conference shootout as San Jose can not stop anyone. San Jose has scored an average of 4 goals last 4 games but they have allowed 4.5 goals last 9 games! The Islanders have had 8 of last 11 games total at least 6 goals. This one will too as I expect both teams to get to 3 goals which would guarantee us of nothing less than 4-3 final. The Islanders on the first game of a long road trip and the defense may not be at its best against a non-conference foe after the Isles just notched a big win to wrap up a successful run at home. The Sharks will score well here on home ice but they continue to struggle to stop anyone! OVER 6 in San Jose

NHL Thursday Philadelphia Flyers +205 @ Florida Panthers @ 7 ET - The Flyers match up well with the Panthers. Since losing in their first meeting last season, Philadelphia has now beaten Florida 3 straight times including earlier this season as well. The point is that Florida certainly deserves being a large favorite here on an overall basis as they are one of the top teams in the NHL but this Flyers team is offering huge underdog line value here as a result. They deserve a look as a big +200 dog in this one. Philly has won 5 of last 9 road games and Florida has lost 5 of last 12 home games. Don't be surprised if the 2 to 1 DOG gets the big upset here. The Flyers are off a loss and will be in bounce back mode here while the Panthers have won 6 straight games but only have 1 streak longer than that this season. In other words, this streak is reaching its breaking point and Florida is playing the first game back home after a 3-game road trip. That also makes this a tricky spot for the hosts. PHILADELPHIA +205 

NHL Wednesday OVER 6.5 -125 in Anaheim Ducks vs Ottawa Senators @ 10:05 ET - The Ducks could have John Gibson (illness) back in goal for this one but he has allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 5 games. If it is Luke Dostal between the pipes, he allowed only 2 goals in most recent start but this followed him allowing at least 3 goals in 4 straight starts and he allowed an average of 4 goals per start in that stretch. He had a 3.78 GAA last season and has a 3.61 GAA this season. Both clubs likely to get to 3 goals here which would then guarantee us of at least a 4-3 final. The Senators have allowed an average of 4.4 goals last 5 games. They also had scored at least 3 goals in 5 of last 7 matches before a 4-2 loss in most recent game. In terms of GAA this season, both these clubs rank in the bottom 5 teams in the NHL! Considering all this plus the fact it is a non-conference match-up and the goals should fly in this one! OVER 6 -125 in Anaheim

NHL Tuesday OVER 6 in New York Islanders vs St Louis Blues @ 7:35 ET - The Blues off tight 2-1 shootout win at Philly yesterday which means now back-up goalie Joel Hofer likely gets the call here. St Louis gave up 42 shots on goal yesterday so it was Jordan Binnington who saved the day and he is unlikely to get the call again here after that workload yesterday. The Blues have had 3 straight lower-scoring games but had allowed 17 goals in last 4 road games prior to yesterday's 2-1 win. The Islanders have seen 7 of last 10 games total at least 6 goals. Off 3 straight wins and having scored 13 goals, the confidence for New York is surging higher now. This is also revenge for the Isles after a recent 4-0 loss at St Louis. They will score much better on home ice for sure but again will struggle to slow down the Blues in this one. OVER 6 in New York Islanders

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh vs Columbus @ 7 ET - The Penguins have allowed 4 goals per game in last 3 games and about 4 goals per game last 7 games. The Blue Jackets have allowed about 4 goals per game last 9 games! Also, Columbus is starting Jet Greaves here in goal because of an injury to their #1 goalie plus their #2 guy started last night. So they are down to option #3 here and Greaves has very little NHL experience and faces and angry Pittsburgh team here. The Pens should score well here given the above but they also will continue to struggle defensively and in goal as that problem does not fix itself overnight and the Penguins have been in a bad pattern. OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh

NHL Monday Philadelphia Flyers -140 vs St Louis Blues @ 7 ET - The Blues have lost 4 straight road games. St Louis had lost 5 of 6 games overall prior to a win over Minnesota in their most recent game. The Flyers have won 5 of last 6 homes games so you can see the home ice means quite a bit in this particular case and this is a very reasonable price to lay with Philadelphia at home. The Flyers won the first meeting this season 4-2 at St Louis and they will have Ersson between the pipes for this one. Ersson is off a tough start but those have been few and far between for him this season so don't be surprised when he bounces right back here. Binnington expected to start for St Louis and his GAA is higher on the road compared to at home. The hosts roll in this one. Lay it. PHILADELPHIA -140

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 9:05 ET - The Oilers are going with backup goalie Calvin Pickard here. He has allowed 3 goals in each of his last 3 starts. The Penguins will likely get 3 here but Oilers are favored on home ice for a reason of course. Edmonton will take advantage of a Pittsburgh team that has allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 4 games. The Oilers have actually allowed 4 goals per game last 6 home games as their strong defense and goalie work has cooled a bit since that epic 16-game winning streak. However, they have also scored 4 goals per game last 10 games overall. The point is you can see why I am expecting plenty of scoring both ways in this one and I look for at least a 4-3 final in this one. Non-conference match-ups tend to be a little higher-scoring and less defensively intense and you also have the nice goalie situation setup here plus strong recent trending. OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 in Anaheim Ducks vs Vancouver Canucks @ 8 ET - Ducks have won last two games by a combined score of 10 to 7. Prior to that, 3 straight losses by combined score of 14 to 8.  Overall, Anaheim's last 10 games have averaged 7.5 goals apiece and I am expecting at least 7 tonight. Vancouver comes into town angry after a rare tough stretch at home. The Canucks have allowed about 5 goals per game last 7 games! Hard to trust them to slow down a Ducks team that has been scoring well. But absolutely Vancouver needed to get on the road and they will be rejuvenated and they will score goals against an Anaheim team that has been allowing too many goals of late and, truly, all season long. OVER 6.5 in Anaheim

NHL Saturday OVER 6 -115 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 8 ET - This total being held at a 6 because Chicago is involved. But don't be surprised if the Blackhawks finally break out and have a rare stronger scoring game. Keep in mind, they have faced a tough schedule of late and that has impacted their scoring too. But they can score on Merzlikins and an overall weak Blue Jackets defense. At the same time, Chicago will have trouble slowing down the Blue Jackets here as Columbus also ready to have a breakout game offensively against a weaker foe. The key here is that little-used Arvid Soderblom was in the starters crease this morning and will likely get the start tonight. He has a 3.97 GAA this season and has allowed 39 goals in his last 9 starts! Both clubs score better, as you would expect, when facing weaker opposition and this is a match-up of two of the worst teams in the league. Couple that with the goalie situation and I expect plenty of back and forth in this non-conference battle. Look for each team to get to 3 here and that would translate, of course, to nothing less than a 4-3 final in this one. OVER 6 -115 in Chicago

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 -120 in Philadelphia Flyers vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - The Senators are starting Mads Sogaard in goal for this one and he has struggled in his limited action thus far. The Flyers are likely starting Felix Sandstrom and his numbers are not impressive either. The Flyers Carter Hart has been out for quite awhile and now Cal Peterson got waived so that means the only other option for Philly is starting Sam Ersson in the 2nd night of a B2B but that is not a good option generally speaking. So little used backup goalies rule the story in this one. Plus you have two teams that have been scoring quite well. The Flyers have scored an average of 3.6 goals per game last 10 games. The Senators have scored 3 goals per game last 11 games. Look for each team to get to 3 here and that would translate, of course, to nothing less than a 4-3 final in this one. OVER 6.5 -120 in Philadelphia

NHL Friday Top Play Philadelphia Flyers -135 @ Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - Probably it will be Ersson between the pipes here for Philly but even if it is Sandstrom I still like this play. Philly has won 6 of 10 games since the All-Star break and is coming off a huge 6-2 win versus Tampa Bay. Conversely, Washington is coming off a loss to Detroit by a count of 8-3. Even though the Capitals were playing a little better they now are without TJ Oshie and it continues to be a challenging season. They will have Wilson back tonight but the Flyers have an enforcer to match him and Wilson's presence will just spur on the Flyers even more as this is a solid divisional rivalry match-up and he is an agitator. Philly has been plenty motivated on their own anyway as they have really responded well this season and grown well as a team this season. They are a legitimate threat for making the post-season and currently are in a playoff position. The same can not be said for Washington and the Capitals are also still without Nic Dowd for this one too as they have had injury issues for much of this season. The Flyers have a +5.6 shot differential this season while the Capitals have a -3.3 shot differential on the season. These per game averages further reflect how the Flyers have been the stronger team this season and that continues in this match-up tonight. Lay it! Philadelphia -135

NHL Thursday OVER 6 -115 in San Jose Sharks vs Anaheim Ducks @ 10 ET - The Sharks and Ducks are the weakest teams in the division and two of the weakest teams in the league. However, a big reason for this is conceding too many goals and I feel we have excellent value here with this total at just 6 goals. Note that the Sharks will have to use Kahkonen in goal because Blackwood is out with an injury which is why the Sharks also called up Chrona from the minors. Note that Kahkonen had a 3.65 GAA last month and has a 4.09 GAA this month. The Ducks have allowed 3.55 goals this season and the Sharks have allowed 3.83 goals this season. Also, San Jose has allowed 4.4 goals last 5 games. The Ducks have allowed 4.5 goals last 8 games. Anaheim has scored 3 goals per game last 6 games but Sharks can answer them goal for goal here at home as neither team is strong defensively. OVER 6 -115 in San Jose

NHL Thursday OVER 6 -115 in Vancouver Canucks vs Los Angeles Kings @ 10 ET - The Kings are off B2B 4-2 losses but this was on the heels of a 7-2 run in which they averaged scoring 3 goals in those 9 games. Also, they should be able to take advantage of a Canucks team here that has allowed 4.5 goals per game last 6 games. Vancouver has scored an average of 3.6 goals per game this season and in their last 10 home games as well. The issue right now for the Canucks is they continue to allow too many goals but they are scoring well on home ice and this one has the looks of a true back and forth barn-burner so we take advantage of the manageable total in this one posted at an even 6 goals. OVER 6 -115 in Vancouver

NHL Wednesday OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs St Louis Blues @ 8:35 ET - These teams just met two weeks ago and it was a 6-3 Blues win. Edmonton will be looking for revenge on home ice and I expect a strong effort from the hosts. However, I do not trust their goaltending and defensive play based on the last few weeks of slipping up again. I know Skinner just had a strong start for the Oilers but had allowed 4.6 goals per games in his 5 starts leading into that one! As for the Blues, Binnington is expected to get the call here in this B2B spot for St Louis. Binnington got pulled after 20 minutes in his most recent start and it was the 4th time in 5 starts that he has allowed at least 3 goals. I am expecting each team to get to 3 goals here which would get this game to at least a 4-3 final. St Louis has allowed 4 goals per game last 7 games. The Blues have scored about 4 goals per game last 6 games before this 2-game losing streak they are on. They will get the scoring again here in what should be another wide-open affair between these teams. 8 straight Oilers games have totaled at least 6 goals and 6 of those totaled at least 7 goals. The average of these 8 games is 8.6 goals per game. Look for another wild one here! OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Tuesday Philadelphia Flyers +120 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7 ET - The Flyers Ersson has been better in goal than Vasilevskiy this season and that includes recent action as well. The Flyers are off an ugly 7-6 loss but Cal Petersen was in goal for that one. With Ersson back between the pipes and with Philly a solid home dog here, the value is strong in this one. The Flyers also have revenge from a 6-3 home loss when these teams met last month. Yes the Bolts are off B2B wins but this was preceded by losses in 5 of last 8 games. The Flyers, on the other hand, off B2B losses but had won 5 of 7 prior that. Also, Philly had won 3 straight on home ice prior to loss in most recent home game against a tough Rangers team. This Lightning team is over-rated right now especially because Vasilevskiy just has not been himself. Grab the home dog in this one! PHILADELPHIA +120

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7 ET - Adin Hill slated to get the start between the pipes for Vegas. He would like to get revenge for an ugly loss versus Toronto last time he faced them. However, it is not just about the Maple Leafs when it comes to Hill. He is just plain struggling with 4 straight losses and allowing 3 goals in each one. At the same time, as much as I like the Leafs for offensive productivity, I still do not trust their defensive play or netminding. This one should fly over the total. Toronto has scored 5 goals per game last 9 games. However, they also have allowed at least 3 goals in 7 of last 10 matches. 7 of last 9 Toronto matches have totaled at least 7 goals. Vegas has lost 5 of 6 games and allowed 4.6 goals per game in those 5 losses. Vegas has scored at least 3 goals in 13 of last 15 matches. It is just hard to imagine either team failing to get to the 3-goal mark here and that, of course, would mean at least a 4-3 final here. Look for 7 or more here after they just met and totaled 10 goals. OVER 6.5 in Toronto

NHL Monday OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs Los Angeles Kings @ 9:35 ET - It is not often the Oilers get shutout but that happened two weeks ago in LA. Now, Edmonton gets a shot at revenge on home ice after that 4-0 defeat. I fully expect the Oilers to make the most of this opportunity and score well. However, the issue for Edmonton is, unlike that ultra-impressive 16-game winning streak they had end not too long ago, the Oilers have resumed their old habit of allowing too many goals! Also, the last two games here in Edmonton were part of the 3 final games in last year's playoff series and 2 of the 3 games totaled at least 7 goals. Also, each of the final 3 games in that series totaled 9 goals. With the first two games in LA this season the scores totaled just 5 and 4 goals, respectively. But now this meeting north of the border and with the Oilers on a losing streak is going to bring out the best in the Edmonton offensive attack! The Kings have averaged 3 goals scored per game this season. The Oilers enter this one averaging 3.5 goals scored per game this season. They have a great power play but struggle on the penalty kill. Edmonton's last 10 games since their 16-game winning streak ended have seen them allow 4 goals per game! They have score an average of 4.5 goals per game last 7 game so the scoring is still there but the defense and netminding are a concern. This one should fly over the total and we get value on the total because of the Kings long-term reputation and solid defense. The Oilers will dictate the flow of this game on home ice. OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Sunday OVER 6 in Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - The value of this total holding at a 6 is huge. Anaheim used their top goalie Gibson yesterday and so did the Predators with Saros. That means this match-up is likely to be Dostal versus Lankinen. A match-up of two back-up goalies and note that Dostal has allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of last 5 starts! As for Lankinen, he has allowed 3.5 goals per match last 7 starts. Also he has allowed 5 goals in hist last 60 minutes of ice time off the bench. There is a big dropoff for each of these clubs when their #2 goalie is used and I expect each club to get to at least 3 goals here and this one ends with at least a 4-3 final as a result. OVER 6 in Anaheim

NHL Sunday OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers @ 6 ET - This will probably be Quick in goal for the Rangers because Shesterkin was in goal versus the Flyers yesterday. Quick has not played in over a week and he allowed 4 goals in that start, a 7-4 Rangers win. Look for another high-scoring one here as Quick struggles again with long rest plus the Blue Jackets tougher on home ice. As for the Columbus goalie, Merzlikins likely to get the start here and he has allowed 13 goals in his last 180 minutes on the ice. Rangers off a low-scoring win but had been scoring goals like crazy of late leading into that one. Jackets off a 2-1 loss but had been involved in a stretch of high-scoring games leading into that one with 8 of last 9 totaling at least 6 goals. Yes we need 7 for a win here but those 8 games average 8 goals apiece. More of the same here. OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 -140 in Colorado Avalanche vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET -  The Leafs have won 7 of 8 games and these have totaled at least 7 goals in all but 2 of them plus the 8 games have averaged 8 goals apiece! Toronto is scoring an average of 5 goals per game during this red-hot 8 game stretch of high-scoring games. The Avalanche certainly know a thing or two about barn-burners as well! Colorado is off a rare low-scoring loss but had scored an average of 4 goals per game in their 4 games prior to that. Also, the Avalanche are a different team on home ice! They have won 12 of last 13 as a host! In those 13 matches, the Avs have scored an average of 5 goals in those 13 games! Remember we talked about the Leafs and their current 5-goal scoring average last 8 games too. This one has all the makings of a back and forth thriller and 5-4 would not be a shock at all and certainly each team more than capable of getting 3 goals apiece to force a 4-3 final here. OVER 6.5 -140 in Colorado

NHL Saturday Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +120 vs New York Rangers @ 3 ET - Looks too easy, right? The Rangers have won 9 straight games but are laying a very short price on the road here. Don't be fooled in this one. Note that the Central Division leading Stars have lost 4 straight and the Pacific Division leading Canucks have lost 4 straight. The point is that even the top teams hit some speed bumps. Now certainly the Rangers have been red hot but there is a reason this game is priced this way. The Flyers have been playing very solid hockey and have won 5 of 7 games and that included wins over the Jets and Panthers. Philly has won 3 straight on home ice and this is their first game on home ice in nearly two weeks. They will make the most of it. The Rangers are off a win at New Jersey but, prior to this, the only other road wins in their streak were against bad teams that are at the bottom of their divisions - Ottawa and Chicago. Prior to this, since the calendar hit 2024, the Rangers were 1-6 in road games this year. Grab the home dog value here. PHILADELPHIA +120

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 -125 in Edmonton Oilers vs Minnesota Wild @ 9 ET - The goals should fly in this one. The first two meetings averaged 9 goals apiece. Also, Minnesota enters this one off a 6-3 loss preceded by a 10-7 win. 7 of last 9 Minnesota road games have totaled at least 7 goals! Those 9 games have averaged 8 goals apiece! More of the same on tap here as Edmonton has seen each of last 5 games total at least 7 goals and these have averaged 9.6 goals apiece! The Oilers had that amazing winning streak because of solid goaltending. But, since their long winning streak, Edmonton is just 4-4 and has allowed 8 goals per game. The Oilers still have that amazing offensive production but the defense and goalie work has lapsed again. More of the same here and this one gets to 7 or more goals as each team highly likely to get to at least 3 goals! 10* OVER 6.5 -125 in Edmonton

NHL Thursday Vancouver Canucks -120 @ Seattle Kraken @ 10:05 ET - Road team has won both meetings between these nearby rivals this season. The Canucks have lost 3 straight games for the first time this season but have faced some tough games. Prior to this, Vancouver had won 13 of 17 games and now face a Seattle team that is not so tough! The Kraken have lost 9 of 13 games and the Canucks come into this one angry. Look for Vancouver to be the more aggressive team from the get-go and they average a goal more per game than Seattle on the season. Their production leads the way to a road win here. VANCOUVER -120

NHL Thursday OVER 6 in Vegas Golden Knights vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 10:05 ET - The Maple Leafs off yet another high-scoring win and tonight Vegas is expected to start Hill in goal. He actually has allowed at least 3 goals in 4 straight games! The Leafs are red hot and off a 6-3 win at Arizona last night. Toronto now has scored an average of 5 goals per game in their last 7 games and won 6 of those games. Vegas is tough at home however and that is why the play here is the over. The Golden Knights will put up a fight here but they have to fight fire with fire. In other words, look for plenty of offense here. The Leafs have allowed 3 goals per game their last 7 games. With Hill also allowing at least 3 per game of late, I do expect each team to get to 3 here and that would mean this one can not end with less than 7 goals. Vegas has allowed 4.3 goals per game last 3 home games. However, the Golden Knights also have averaged scoring 3 goals per game last 10 home games. This one gets to 7 or more. OVER 6 in Vegas

NHL Wednesday Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 +110 @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:35 ET - The Blackhawks have been struggling mightily. Even with Connor Bedard back this team just does not have enough to compete on most nights. Tonight it will be even tougher as little used - and struggling - Arvid Soderblom is expected to get the start tonight. He has struggled mightily and the Blackhawks just do not win with him in the crease - 0 wins in last dozen appearances. Chicago is facing a Flyers team hungry for a win after losing that outdoor game against New Jersey in MetLife Stadium in tough fashion. It was an off-night for Philly defensively and in goal but they did generate 48 shots on goal in that game and then when you look at home the Hurricanes just thoroughly outplayed the Blackhawks in Monday's game, you can see why Philly should win this one in dominating fashion. Chicago's last 11 losses have featured 8 by a multi-goal margin and the most alarming thing is that the Blackhawks have scored an average of only 1.1 goals per game in their last 19 losses! When you score just 1 goal per game on average you are going to lose bad most nights. That will be the case again tonight against a Flyers team that will be completely amped up for this game. PHILADELPHIA -1.5 +110

NHL Tuesday OVER 6.5 -125 in Florida Panthers vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - The Senators are off a 4-2 win yesterday but they had goalie Forsberg back. That means option today would be him in a B2B which is always tough on a goalie or, the more likely option, Korpisalo. Note that Korpisalo has been struggling for quite some time here and he is facing a red hot Panthers team. Before getting into Florida's lethal run in the offensive zone, note that the Senators have solid firepower as well. The Sens have scored about 3.5 goals last 7 games. They should enjoy success here again tonight but also won't be able to stop the red hot Panthers. Florida has won 9 of 10 games and also has scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 13 games! Coming off a big win at rival Tampa Bay and having a tough game at Carolina on deck, the Panthers may be lacking in defensive intensity here as goals have been coming easy and they have been winning with offense! That means this one could very well turn into a true barn-burner! Look for a 4-3 type game in this one if not 5-3 or 5-4. The goals will be flying here! OVER 6.5 -125 in Florida

NHL Tuesday OVER 5.5 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders @ 7 ET - The Islanders off that crazy 6-5 loss in their match-up at MetLife Stadium against the rival Rangers. The Isles have been playing a little better and have picked up at least a point in the standings in 5 of last 6 games as only one was a loss in regulation. Also, the Islanders have averaged scoring 3 goals during this 6-game stretch. Also the Islanders have scored at least 3 goals in each of their last 4 road/neutral site games! The Penguins will force the Isles to score to keep up in this one as Pittsburgh comes in fired up to get back on track. That is why I fully expect each team to get to 3 goals here and we have excellent line value with this total dropping from a 6 to a 5.5 as of 9 hours before puck drop. Note that the Penguins have lost 4 of 5 but are happy to be back on home ice here after a rare low-scoring home loss to a Kings team that is bouncing back again. The Penguins do tend to score better when hosting. Most Pittsburgh home games this season the Pens reach at least the 3-goal mark. They will play with an extra urgency here given the situation but the Penguins also are facing an Islanders team that comes in with urgency as well after letting a 3-goal 2nd period lead slip away versus the Rangers in that eventual OT loss Sunday. Entertaining affair expected here that will surprise many as the goal-scoring will be up in this one. OVER 5.5 in Pittsburgh

NHL Monday OVER 7 +105 in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - Was hoping we might see this dip to a 6.5 but even at 7 goals I love the over here. The first two meetings between these divisional foes this season have averaged 8.5 goals apiece. Also, the Lightning have seen 6 of last 9 games total at least 8 goals! Those 6 games averaged 9 goals apiece and I honestly would not be surprised to see a 5-4 type game here. The Senators are off B2B games that did not reach the 7-goal mark but this followed 10 of last 14 games all totaling 7 or more goals! Those 10 games averaged 8.6 goals apiece and this looks like a wild one! The Lightning have been explosive offensively but their usually ultra-sharp goalie Vasilevskiy has struggled. The Senators also are dangerous on the attack but can't keep the puck out of their own net. This is particularly a problem on the road too which is why the Sens have lost 14 of 21 away from home this season. This one should play out with a great pace and, just like the first two meetings this season, goal-scoring is the story in this one! OVER 7 +105 in Tampa Bay

NHL Monday Winnipeg Jets -125 @ Calgary Flames @ 4 ET - The Jets have revenge for a 5-3 loss here at the beginning of the season. Winnipeg comes in hot with 3 straight wins plus the Jets have allowed only 2.27 goals per game this season as they are so strong defensively and in goal. Conversely, the Flames have lost 3 straight games and Markstrom got pulled in the most recent game and Vladar had been on the IR. He is back now but he and Wolf have both failed to impress and Markstrom is generally very streaky. Calgary has lost 3 straight games by a combined score of 13 to 3 and I look at this is the perfect spot to get the Jets at a great price because they are on the road for this one. WINNIPEG -125

NHL Monday OVER 6.5 -105 in St Louis Blues vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 1 ET - The Maple Leafs are off a 9-2 win and playing with much more confidence courtesy of winning 4 of last 5 games. Their games have been trending over as well with 4 of last 5 totaling at least 7 goals and I expect more of the same here! The Blues have seen 10 of last 15, including 3 of last 4, games total at least 7 goals! They also have some added confidence from winning 3 of last 5 and scoring an average of 5 goals in the 3 wins. The goals should fly in this non-conference battle. OVER 6.5 in St Louis

NHL Sunday Colorado Avalanche -1.5 -105 vs Arizona Coyotes @ 6:07 ET - The Coyotes are struggling badly and have lost 8 straight games and many losses by multiple goal margins this season. They are now in the wrong place at the wrong time. Arizona just got slaughtered at home by Carolina and now they face an Avalanche team they beat in the most recent meeting. Surprisingly the Coyotes have taken 2 of 3 from the Avs this season but both wins were in Arizona and came in OT. The lone game at Colorado was an Avalanche win and the Avs won it 4 to 1. Considering that plus the fact that the Avalanche are off a road loss and overall a very tough road stretch, this one sets up perfect. Colorado is so happy to be back home and they have won their last 4 games here by a combined score of 18 to 6. The Avalanche are angry and seeking revenge and they should dominate here as the Coyotes freefall continues! COLORADO -1.5 -105

NHL Sunday OVER 5.5 -115 in NY Islanders vs NY Rangers @ 3 ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ - This is another outdoor game in the Stadium Series and yesterday we saw the Flyers and Devils combine for 9 goals. Quite a few great opportunities created off turnovers and no matter who good the work on the ice is at these outdoor games, it is not as perfect as indoor games. That said, there seemed to be a few turnovers and odd man rushes caused yesterday by this extra element and that created great scoring chances. I expect more of the same in this one. Also, note that the Islanders will be looking to bounce back off a low-scoring loss to the Kraken which was preceded by scoring 11 goals in 3 games! The Rangers have won 6 straight games and averaged scoring 4 goals in this hot streak. The total at just 5.5 is a great value here even though I do respect the goalies in this match-up. Note that the Rangers have seen 9 of last 12 road games total at least 6 goals. This one will too! OVER 5.5 -115 in NY Islanders

NHL Saturday Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +125 @ New Jersey Devils @ 8 ET - Outdoor Game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ - The Flyers offer a lot of value in this game. They are a sizable underdog coming off a loss after winning 4 straight games. They have not lost a game in regulation since late January before the All-Star break. The road team has won both games between these teams this season and this is a key divisional game and there is little home ice edge. The Devils are off a loss and have been stumbling a bit. The last 5 losing streaks have included a 1-gamer and FOUR 2-gamers. In other words, the Devils have been consistently unable to bounce back off a standalone loss. Also, New Jersey has lost 5 of last 8 on home ice so I feel we have value backed into the line here as the home ice edge is non-existent in a game like this. Flyers get the win as the Devils lose for the 11th time last 17 games. The Flyers are the better team in terms of limiting goals against and limiting shots on goal and defense and solid goaltending from Ersson lead the way in this one. PHILADELPHIA +125

NHL Saturday OVER 6.5 in Toronto vs Anaheim @ 7 ET - Samsonov has allowed at least 3 goals in 3 of last 4 starts and I am looking for a 4-3 type final here. Toronto is off a 4-3 win over the Flyers in OT and they have now scored an average of 4 goals last 4 games. The Ducks have scored a little better of late and have some momentum from a 5-1 win at Ottawa Thursday. Anaheim has now scored at least 3 goals in 7 of last 9 games. However, prior to holding the Senators to one goal, the Ducks had allowed nearly 4 goals per game last 8 games. Maple Leafs loaded with firepower but they always seem to have trouble in their own zone and in goal so don't be surprised if each team gets to the 3-goal mark here and that would, of course, lead to at least a 4-3 final OVER 6.5 in Toronto