Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Monday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line -135 vs Ottawa Senators @ 8:08 ET - Chicago is winless in 9 games this season and yet a moderately priced -135 favorite in this one. Confused? Don't be! The odds makers know what they are doing and in typical contrarian fashion to public perception of course I am siding with the odds makers and fading the masses as I will lay the -135 price with the winless Blackhawks. Couple keys here. Murray could be back between the pipes for Ottawa here but the Senators netminder was dealing with an upper body injury and could be rusty here after not playing in more than a week. As for the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre Fleury - after a rough few starts to begin the season - was absolutely fantastic at St Louis on Saturday in a 1-0 loss. Fleury appears to be back and ready to stake his claim as the #1 netminder in Chicago. Speaking of being "back", star Patrick Kane has been cleared from covid protocols and is expected back for this game tonight. He has missed the last four games. The combination of all these factors as well as home ice should lead to a solid victory for the hosts in this one. Lay the price! 10* CHICAGO -135

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 5:08 ET - The Devils are in the 2nd game of a back to back. That means options in net would be Bernier in back to back games but off an injury and certainly that is not a good choice. So more likely it will be Daws and Wedgewood and both those guys have been unimpressive of late. So I look for Columbus to have some success scoring here as they enter this game hungry off a shutout loss on Friday. As for the Blue Jackets netminder for this one it has been confirmed to be Korpisalo and that is another reason I like the over in this one! He has allowed 7 goals so far this season including 5 in his most recent start. Korpisalo had a 3.30 GAA last season and his struggles are likely to continue early this season as Columbus doesn't have the blue line strength they used to have in past seasons. The Jackets have allowed 4 goals in each of their two road games this season. The Devils have seen 4 of their 6 games total 6 or more goals this season and this total dropping from a 6 to a 5.5 has opened up solid line value here on the over given the situation including the goalies. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in New Jersey

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -125 vs Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - Florida is 8-0 on the season so it may seem contrarian to be fading them but that is what my contrarian crusher plays are all about. First off, Panthers certainly deserve a lot of credit for their 8-0 start to the season but they are now in their toughest situation of the young season by far. They are it the 2nd of back to back road games, they just had their head coach resign, they are playing their 3rd game in 4 days, they barely survived with an OT win at Detroit last night, and they are facing a Bruins team they just beat Wednesday but that it is 2-0 at home. Yes, Boston has definitely faced a tough early season schedule and will enjoy again being on home ice and I look for them to get revenge after scoring first at Florida Wednesday but then seeing thing slowly unravel from there onward. The Bruins are still a very strong team and this is particularly true when at home and particularly true when off a loss. Boston will be fired up for revenge here and they catch the Panthers in a very tough scheduling spot and will take advantage. This is the ideal spot for the Panthers, going through a lot of recent turmoil with former head coach Joel Quenneville, to see their unbeaten season come to an end. The Bruins are favored here over 8-0 Florida with good reason! Lay it! 10* BOSTON -125

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6 goals in Washington Capitals vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals are off a loss to Detroit in OT where they took their foot off the gas and blew a 2-goal lead. That said, I look for them to go all out here and keep their foot on the gas all the way and that is bad news for an Arizona team off to a horrible start this season and giving up piles of goals. The one bit of good news for the Coyotes here is that they should be successful in scoring some goals in this one! Ilya Samsonov is likely to get the start here and he has allowed 8 goals in his first two starts. For Arizona it hardly matters who starts as they have been given up so many goals no matter who was between the pipes but it is expected to be Karel Vejmelka that is getting the call here. He has given up 13 goals in about 8 periods of hockey over his last 3 appearances so that equates to nearly 5 goals per game. Vejmelka has been struggling and the Coyotes are allowing about 5 goals per game overall. That said, and given the situation, I love the over in this match-up. 10* OVER 6 goals in Washington

NHL Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +123 @ Vancouver Canucks @ 10:08 ET - Back to back spot for Flyers but last night's game was just their 2nd game in 7 days! In other words, Philadelphia's skating legs should be just fine here and, on that note, they certainly have been skating very well since an opening night loss to the Canucks in the shootout. That ruined the Flyers home opener and now they get their shot at revenge. Martin Jones is likely to be between the pipes since Carter Hart was last night but Jones should fare just fine here. He allowed 3 goals (but on 40 shots!) in a win over the Bruins in his lone start this season. He got great scoring support there and that should be the case again for Jones here as the Flyers are scoring an average of 4.6 goals per game and look like a rejuvenated team early this season. Their only other loss this season was to Florida and the Panthers are still undefeated on the season! That said, Philly is a strong early season team as you can see and they get some revenge at Vancouver tonight. The Canucks only other two wins were against the Blackhawks and the Kraken. Those two hockey clubs have combined for just 2 wins in 14 games this season! Vancouver has been held to 2 or less goals in 4 of 7 games this season and I look for the high-scoring Flyers to prove to be too much and get their revenge here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +123

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #73 Wednesday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line +120 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - The Panthers are coached by Joel Quenneville and he led the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup title in June of 2010 when they eliminated the Flyers in 6 games. What does that have to do with this play? Well the 2010 season is the key one in the allegations and possible cover-up involving a Blackhawks employee and multiple players and Quenneville is now being called to meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Thursday. So this is a major distraction as the Panthers are at home in Florida tonight taking on a very strong Bruins team than their head coach is in New York on Thursday and then the team is in Detroit on Friday. That said, even though the Panthers are undefeated this season, I love the Bruins in this spot. Boston has only played 4 games so far this season so that is the part of the reason they are further down in the standings. Even though it is early in the season there is no doubt that the Bruins are well aware of the Panthers 6-0 start and the fact that Florida is currently 6 points in front of them in the Atlantic Division even though Boston has lost only 1 game (3-1 thus far). I like the fact that the Panthers could be distracted here and the Bruins come in as the much more rested team and also a very focused team that is motivated by this chance to give Florida the first blemish on their sparkling record early this season. The Bruins have had great success at Florida in recent seasons and I look for that to continue here. 10* BOSTON +120

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #60 Tuesday 10* Top Play New Jersey Devils Money Line -113 vs Calgary Flames @ 7:08 ET - Tough spot for the Flames as it is their first back to back situation this season. Also, Calgary used #1 goalie Markstrom last night so the back-up Vladar is likely to go tonight. Though the Devils have been dealt some goalie injury issues, they saw young rookie Nico Daws step up with a great performance in his first start. That game was on Saturday and improved New Jersey to 3-1 this season plus they come into this game with extra rest and on home ice while the Flames are playing this game with no rest. Vladar likely to start in goal for Calgary here and he has a 3.31 GAA in his 6 career NHL starts. Look for home ice and the rest edge and the goalie edge to lead to a big win for the Devils in this one. 10* NEW JERSEY -113 

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Monday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres +1.5 goals -135 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - Tampa Bay has struggled so far this season and their only two victories have come in OT. Also, the Lightning have a big revenge game on deck as they will be at Pittsburgh tomorrow and they lost their season opener at home by a 6-2 count versus the Penguins. As for the Sabres, they have been very scrappy early this season with a 3-1-1 record. That means if you had Buffalo +1.5 in all games this season you would have won 4 of 5 bets and if you went against TB with +1.5 goals in all of their games this season you would have won all 5 bets against the Lightning. Hence the value here with only having to lay a -135 price to have the Sabres at +1.5 goals. Buffalo is off a tight 1-goal loss at New Jersey Saturday and won't be home again, after this game, until Saturday November 6th. After tonight's game Buffalo heads on a west coast road trip. As a result, and hosting the 2-time defending Stanley Cup champs tonight, I look for the Sabres to come out very strong tonight and make the most of this opportunity on home ice before heading west. 10* BUFFALO Puck Line +1.5 goals -135

PA Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 +105 in Philadelphia Flyers vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Short and sweet with this one. The Panthers are 4-0 this season and the Flyers are 2-0-1 so neither team has tasted defeat in regulation time this season. Not only that, Florida has scored 4 or more goals in all 4 games and Philadelphia has scored 4 or more goals in all 3 games. With two very confident teams playing to win rather than playing not to lose, the goals should be plentiful in this one. Need each team to get to 3 goals and, again, they have each gotten to no less than 4 goals in each game. As a result, don't be surprised if we see a 5-4 final here but either way I am expecting at least 7 goals. 10* OVER 6.5 goals in Philadelphia

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125 @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:08 ET - The Bruins in a great spot here. Fired up off a loss and now former Sabre Linus Ullmark will be between the pipes for Boston in Buffalo. I expect a big game from him and I know Buffalo is undefeated on the season and off to a great start but now they are facing one of the best teams in the league and they catch them at the wrong time too. This situation has blowout written all over it. Yes Buffalo off to a 3-0 start but the 3 teams they have faced have now lost a combined 12 of 14 games. All those clubs struggling. Now the Sabres take a big step up in level of opponent. 10* Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125

Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +105 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - Landeskog back tonight from two game suspension. The only game he played the Avalanche won 4-2 in their season opener. Since then they have gone 0-2 and MacKinnon missed one of those losses and was not himself in the loss Tuesday in Washington after flying cross country Monday night after being cleared from covid protocols. I know goalie Kuemper has struggled early this season but I know what he is capable of too. That said, and with Landeskog and MacKinnon and Rantanen finally together again on the top line for this one, I look for a big road win from a hungry Avalanche team in this one. They are off back to back losses and they catch Florida off a big divisional win at Tampa Bay and, of course, the Lightning are the B2B defending Stanley Cup champs too. This set up is ideal for this play and the Avs get it done on the road to get back on track. 10* COLORADO +105

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +120 vs Boston Bruins @ 7:38 ET - The Bruins have played just one game and got a win. They have yet to face adversity early this season. The Flyers got plenty of that in their season-opening loss to the Canucks which was likely the best thing that could have happened to them. Philadelphia rallied to force a shutout as they were down 4-2 but tied it at 4 late and forced the shootout. They ultimately lost 5-4 but then bounced back with a big win over Seattle Monday and looked great at both ends of the ice in that one. The Bruins gave the Flyers trouble last season but Philly did win 2 of the last 3 meetings and I like the roster changes this Philly team made coming into this season. They are built much better now to do battle with high quality teams like Boston and also defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen should make his Flyers debut tonight. The additions Philadelphia has made will result in them being a much tougher team to face this season and Boston finds that out tonight. This Flyers team has more resiliency and veteran support guys and they will be a tough hard-fighting home dog in this match-up tonight. Great line value on home ice and Bruins went from being a -125 favorite to a -140 favorite and I am grabbing the value on the other side of the move. 10* PHILADELPHIA +120

Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line +115 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that each team has played 3 games and the Penguins have yet to lose in regulation while the Stars have yet to win in regulation. Still, I love Dallas in this spot. The Stars have faced a tough early season schedule and they are a solid team and they are catching the Penguins at the right time for an upset. Yes Pittsburgh has opened the season surprisingly hot but this is a team without Malkin until December and, more importantly, without Crosby until at least this weekend! Dallas is off a loss at Ottawa but they outshot the Senators in that game. Also, the Stars outscored the Sens 2-1 in 5 on 5 action in that game. The other loss Dallas had was at Boston and the Bruins are one of the best teams in the league! I feel we are getting exceptional line value here and I will not pass up on it. Hungry road team off a loss battling it out with a Penguins team still dealing with injuries and a little bit over-valued right now. Fade Pittsburgh as their fortunate start to the season comes to an end in convincing fashion Tuesday evening. 10* DALLAS +115

Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Monday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line -130 vs Seattle Kraken @ 7:08 ET - The Flyers fell short in the shootout in their lone game so far this NHL season. The Kraken have already played 3 games. I feel this works in Philadelphia's advantage here and I love fading the line move. Philly is the more rested team and this line has gone from the -160 range to the -130 range and the Flyers on home ice are offering excellent line value as a result. Since Alain Vigneault took over as head coach Philly has a very strong home ice record and goalie Carter Hart is known for being very successful on home ice too. Hart and the Flyers should bounce back here after dropping their season opener at home to the Canucks. The Kraken have another game at New Jersey tomorrow night and their early season busy schedule catches up with them here as this is part of a stretch of 4 games in 6 nights for Seattle. The money line on this one is a bargain price. 8* PHILADELPHIA -130

NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Rangers @ 7:08 ET - I know these teams have trended under so far this season but the Maple Leafs get Auston Matthews back tonight for his first game of the season. The center will help lead the way to a higher-scoring game here as the Rangers also have plenty of talent up front that has been a bit bottled up early this season. New York is off a 3-1 win and will build off that here but they are not going to shut down the Leafs in their own building either. Each team off a game in which they scored 3 goals and I expect the same thing here which would mean this match has to end up 4-3 at a minimum and that cashes our ticket in this one. 10* OVER 6 in Toronto

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +120 @ Florida Panthers @ 6:05 ET - Islanders will respond off an embarrassing season-opening loss to a good Carolina team. I know the Panthers did open their season with a win but it took OT to do it and they knocked off a Penguins team that is hurting early this season and missing some key personnel. I think Florida could regress some this season and I still really like the Isles. That said, from a situational standpoint and value standpoint, this is a great spot to back a road dog. High quality team that rarely ever allows so many goals in a game. The road team responds here and gets back on track by producing their typical stingy game on defense. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +120

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #82 Friday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line -145 vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:08 ET - The Flyers at home offer solid line value here. Canucks are off a shootout loss in Game One of their season. Vancouver had to rally to tie the game at 2 and then went on to lose in OT. The Canucks are a quality team but they are on the East Coast for this one and Philadelphia is going to be rocking for its season opener on home ice. Flyers are 37-18-8 on home ice the past two seasons combined. Vancouver is 24-35-3 in road games the past two seasons combined. With their loss to the Oilers, the Canucks have now lost 39 of last 63 road games and the Flyers are well worth the moderate price here. 8* PHILADELPHIA -145

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #67 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +115 @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:08 ET - The Hurricanes deserve respect and I certainly do respect this team. However, getting the Islanders at plus money against anyone is a huge value. Also, their team has a little less turnover than the Hurricanes did coming into this season. I know Frederik Andersen performed well in goal for the Maple Leafs last season but historically he has been a bit inconsistent. Yes, the Islanders are without #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov right now but Ilya Sorokin is a rock solid #2 netminder for them and, unlike Andersen, he is use to the teammates in front of him too. Keep in mind, there could be a bit of an adjustment period early on for Andersen in Carolina. The Hurricanes are a solid team but I love the stingy Islanders on the road getting plus money. The defensive-minded hockey club frustrates their opponents and wears them down and I expect that to be the case again in this season opener for these two clubs. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +115

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line +115 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Rangers finished 5th in the divisional standings last year while the Capitals were 2nd in the same division. That is why it might seem surprising to see Washington as such a slight home favorite here in this season opener. However, this Capitals team is getting a little long in the tooth and the Rangers, on the other hand, are trending the right direction. Also, lets not forget the Tom Wilson / Artemi Panarin incident that happened late last season. That is part of the reason the Rangers got Ryan Reaves as an enforcer this season. Reaves is listed as probable for tonight's game. Also, Ryan Strome is probable for the Rangers as well. New York will be ready to go and get some revenge against this Capitals team. Washington's injury news is not as good either. Nicklas Backstrom is currently out and Alex Ovechkin is questionable with a lower body injury. This one sets up well for the road team to get it done. Like I said with my intro, this game is priced very low for a reason so grab that small dog on the road and look for them notch the mild upset in this one. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS +115

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play Seattle Kraken +1.5 goals -110 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 10:15 ET - Both teams dealing with a combination of injury/covid protocol issues coming into this regular season opener. If anything that favors Seattle as Vegas just does not have all their usual top end talent for this one. That said, I like the fact the the Kraken are very strong on the blue line and in net. With having Grubauer and Driedger as their goalies and strong defense in front of them (even with Oleksiak out for this one), I expect Seattle to be very stingy in terms of goals allowed. At the other end of the ice it will be interesting to see how the outspoken netminder, Robin Lehner, performs now that Marc Andre Fleury is gone and is a Blackhawk now. Could this actually backfire as Lehner no longer is worrying about Fleury? Was Fleury helping to push him to be even better? Look for this to be a tight low-scoring game and that means the ability to get the +1.5 goals at a pick'em price is absolutely a bargain here. The Kraken are highly motivated and I certainly do not see them laying an egg in their first shot on the ice with entirety of the NHL world watching them in the 2nd game of tonight's ESPN double header. 10* SEATTLE +1.5 goals -110

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Lightning have nothing to worry about, right? They are back on home ice, had won the first 3 games of the series, and they have the championship pedigree. While certainly Tampa Bay could finish this series off tonight, I feel there is a ton of value with the big road dog in this one. The Lightning had 5 power play opportunities compared to just 1 for the Canadiens in Game 4 and the Habs still got the win. Montreal killed off all 5 power plays and their penalty kill has been the best of all playoff teams in this post-season and is a big part of the reason they are still standing. I also like the fact that the Canadiens outshot the Lightning 43 to 23 in the most recent game at TB but lost the game. The Habs are a confident bunch as a result of that huge effort here. They know they can win here and should have won that game. Prior to this series the Canadiens were on a red hot run on enemy ice. Don't be surprised if they get the shocking upset win here and force a Game 6 back in Canada. Carey Price was huge in goal in Game 4 and certainly capable of helping the Canadiens steal a game on the road here. 10* MONTREAL

Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +140 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Canadiens can rise up and win a game here. They should have won Game 2. Of course blowing that game despite a 43-23 edge in shots on goal is why they are on the brink of elimination now. The Habs have outshot TB by 25 shots on goal the past two games combined. However, that does not change the fact that it is the Lightning that are still winning the games. I see that changing tonight as professional pride kicks in at its highest level for this proud, resilient home dog. Remember they were left for dead when they were down 3 to 1 in the opening round series with the Maple Leafs. Montreal then won 3 straight and never looked back as they got on a major roll. I am not saying they win this series of course, I am just saying they win at least one game and avoid the sweep and that "must win" happens tonight as Montreal staves off elimination with another very valiant effort like they had in Game 2 that, this time, also translates to victory on the scoreboard. 10* MONTREAL +140

Playoff Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Friday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +120 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - Montreal dominated Game 2 and outshot the Lightning by a margin of 20 shots on goal. The Canadiens, however, still lost the game. Suffice to say it was a brutally bad beat for Montreal and I expect another determined effort from the Habs here. Being on home ice is certainly a big plus. Also, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy has been superb between the pipes but when he does slip up it has tended to be on the road. His home numbers were much better than his road stats this season. The Canadiens will be absolutely relentless here as they fight hard to get back into the series in what is, for all intents and purposes, a must win game. They did not look in Game 1 but they looked the better team in Game 2 even though they lost. That is saying a lot about how well the Habs are capable of playing against this solid Tampa Bay team and I expect to see their best again tonight and, this time, it translates to a win. The Bolts power play has been great in the playoffs but the Canadiens penalty kill has ranked #1 throughout the post-season! Carey Price in goal for the home team comes up huge in this one too he has allowed more than 2 goals just once in 8 starts on home ice in this post-season. 10* MONTREAL

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +180 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Canadiens got blitzed in a Game 1 loss. They struggled to get many scoring chances, especially in the first period and a half of the game. At the same time, they allowed the Lightning far too many chances, especially from the slot area and TB made them pay. There was traffic in front of Montreal's fantastic goalie, Carey Price, and that made it a very difficult game for him. The loss certainly can not be blamed on him. Overall though, Montreal will make adjustments. After losing 5-1 in Game 1 Montreal would have been expected to be an even bigger dog here in Game 2. Of course the reason they are not is that the odds makers know the same things that the sharps do about this one. That is that the Habs have a great shot at the upset win here. Montreal has been playing the "us against the world underdog mentality" very well and they have been a resilient bunch ever since down 3-1 in the opening series versus Toronto. Ever since then, the Canadiens have won 11 of 14 games and they are 3-0 the last 3 times they have entered a game off a loss. As impressive as Tampa Bay has been, this is a team that is just 1-4 ATS the last five times when off a game in which they allowed 1 goal or got a shutout win. Too much big dog value to pass up on here as the road dog will make adjustments and will also come out with a lot of fire for this one - ready both mentally and physically. 10* MONTREAL +180

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +175 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - Just too much value to pass up on in my opinion here. The Canadiens have had plenty of doubters in each series and yet they continue to defy logic and get the upset wins. I am not saying they will win this series and win it all. But I do sense an upset in Game One. The way Carey Price is playing, the Habs are a tough to beat right now. That does not mean the Lightning also are not a tough team to beat with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes. I am just saying that the value here is in going against the defending Stanley Cup Champs as the element of surprise is at its biggest in Game One of a series and there is just something special about this Canadiens team this season that has them winning many match-ups in which they appear outclassed in terms of the way the teams match up. Having Price in the crease is a big key in that regard. I fully realize just how good this Tampa Bay team is but Montreal just beat a very good Vegas team to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning are laying a -200 price here against a team that has won 11 of 13 games. Tampa Bay is off a hard-fought 7-game series against the Islanders and the Canadiens have an extra day of rest and have won 4 of 5 while the Lightning were just 3-3 last 6 prior to beating the Isles in Game Seven. 10* MONTREAL +175

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Friday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +145 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Bolts are on a 13-0 run in the post-season when coming off a playoff loss. In typical contrarian fashion, I will take the Isles here as I fade that stat! Certainly it is not without good reasoning though. First off, we have excellent underdog line value with the Islanders available at +145. They could have packed it in after an 8-0 loss in Game 5 at Tampa Bay and then getting down 2-0 in Game 6. A loss there and we would not even be talking about this game! The fact is that New York rallied to tie the game and then won it in OT and now here we find ourselves getting to enjoy a Game 7. Ironically, the last time the Lightning played a Game 7 was in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals and that was also on home ice and Tampa Bay lost the game to the Capitals. Washington's coach at the time was, you guessed it, Barry Trotz! The Isles current head coach ended up taking the Caps to a Stanley Cup win over Vegas and he has his sites set on another Stanley Cup run with these Islanders! To do it he has to do the same thing he did in 2018 and that is win a Game 7 at Tampa Bay. I expect him to do just that as the Bolts are also currently dealing with an injury to the player who is leading the post-season for most points (goals and assists combined) and Nikita Kucherov is a critical player for TB. If he even plays tonight I do not expect him to be 100%. Underdog value is off the charts in this one. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Contrarian Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #22 Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +130 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The odds makers appease the markets when they make the lines to draw equal action. That being said, it is truly the only reason the Golden Knights are a moderately priced favorite here. In my typical contrarian mindset, I am fading market perception here. The masses are still believes in Vegas but the Golden Knights internal issues started up again with the goalie change that always seems to lead to bad things for Vegas come playoff times. Now you have a team that has lost 3 of last 4 games as a -150 range favorite and it is simply not justified. The only win that the Golden Knights have in the last 4 games very easily could have been a loss as that was the game most questioned in terms of officiating and the Golden Knights scored late to tie it and then they won in OT. That said, this series could very easily be over already with Montreal advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Though that is not the case yet it will be after tonight in my opinion. Carey Price has been stellar between the pipes for the Habs and Vegas has scored an average of only 1.5 goals per game in regulation time of the last 4 games in this series. The Canadiens simply continue to be an "unliked" team by the betting markets but they have now won 10 of 12 games. That said, I will gladly take them as a home underdog in this one. 10* MONTREAL +130

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders +130 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders did not just lose Game 5, they got thoroughly embarrassed. This is a hard-nosed, resilient team with a strong head coach. The Isles will respond tonight on home ice in Game 6. They had a 3-0 lead in the eventual 3-2 win in Game 4 here and, after the Game 5 shellacking, the Islanders will refuse to be ushered out of the post-season by virtue of a loss in their own barn. I expect New York to play a fantastic game tonight and dominate. New York is 10-4 last 14 times when at home and off a loss. The Islanders are 3-1 in the post-season when off a game in which they allowed 4 or more goals. Tampa's Vasilevskiy had a 1.75 GAA at home this season but a 2.63 GAA on the road this year. The Bolts are a great team but the home dog is no slouch and responds with professional pride after Tampa Bay poured it on against them in Monday's game and this has ignited a fire in the Isles. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +130

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Tuesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - You will see a very determined effort from the Canadiens here after they felt a bit "cheated", if you will, by the officiating in Game 4 of this series. Montreal deserved much better and could very easily be up 3-1 in this series as they also held an edge in shots on goal in the eventual OT loss on Sunday. The Golden Knights have totaled only 5 goals in regulation time of the last 3 games and are severely over-valued here. After how well Fleury had been playing I still feel it will be a mistake that Lehner was in goal in Game 4. No matter who starts Game 5 the "head games" have begun with Vegas and threaten to damage the mentality of both of these netminders now going forward. There are no such questions for Montreal where Carey Price has been fantastic between the pipes. Also, you are going to see a huge effort from an angry Habs team that will be determined to get back the lead in this series as it is tied 2-2 now but should not be. The road team has split the games in this series, home ice is way over-valued, and I am taking a shot with the big dog in Game 5 just like I successfully did in Game 2 here. Look for another upset here. 10* MONTREAL +210

Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #71 Monday NHL 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +165 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - This one is all about the line value. The Islanders were up 3-0 in Game 4 and then hung on for the 3-2 win. Now the Lightning are back on home ice in a 2-2 series and so the markets will be backing them. However, just because a team is off a loss it certainly does not make it automatic that they bounce back with a win in the next game. Keep in mind, the Lightning won 2 straight in this series - Games 2 and 3 - and the Canadiens won those same 2 games in their series with the Golden Knights. That said, getting +165 with a team that has proven to be just as tough as the team they are facing is a value so strong that I will not pass up on getting involved here. Note that the road team in Tampa Bay playoff games, was on a 6-2 run prior to the Bolts losing at New York on Saturday. Also the Islanders, prior to losing game two of this series at Tampa Bay, had won 3 straight road games in the post-season and 4 of their last 5. Scrappy, defensive-minded, a hard team to play against, well-coached...all those things characterize the Islanders. Yes, the defending champion Lightning are a great team of course but this Isles team the real deal with a head coach that won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals just a few years ago. Upset alert. 10* New York Islanders Money Line +165

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Golden Knights put 45 shots on goal in Game 3 but only had 2 goals to show for it. Vegas will undoubtedly put a ton of pressure on the Habs again in this one. Carey Price has been great in goal for Montreal but did allow 4 goals in Game 1 and the Golden Knights have scored very well this season when off back to back losses. When entering a game off 2 or more consecutive losses, Vegas has averaged 4 goals this season. 6 times this season, 24 goals. At the same time, Montreal is loaded with momentum right now playing with confidence and has won 9 of 10 games! The Canadiens have averaged 3.1 goals per game in those 10 games. Though there is plenty of deserved respect for both goalies here, you can see why I would not be surprised to see a 4-3 type game given the situation for this one. Canadiens look to take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series and the angry Golden Knights fighting hard to even up at 2 games apiece and will be relentless in creating quality scoring chances in the offensive zone. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Semi-Finals Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #52 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders are in a must win spot here after dropping Game 3 on home ice. Yes, in theory, anything is possible but coming back from a 3-1 deficit with 2 of the final 3 games at Tampa Bay would be an incredible challenge. That said, I am expecting New York to play their best game of the series tonight. I also feel strongly that they would have won Game 3 were it not for a back-breaking momentum-shifting goal very late in the 2nd period immediately after a TB penalty had been killed off. It did not go in the books as a power play goal but, for all intents and purposes, it was. That proved to be too much for the Isles to bounce back from but this is a resilient group and very well-coached. I expect a big bounce back here. The Islanders have now lost back to back games and are 5-1 the last 6 times when entering a home game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +115

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Vegas needs to respond off the Game 2 loss but the Canadiens will be an even tougher team to face on their home ice. I like Montreal to be very energized here and have some success in the offensive zone and they created some strong chances against Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 2. But I am not backing them here because I know how hungry the Golden Knights will be and that they should respond well here on the road. The value of getting this total at a 5 is a big one. Of course we do not want to settle for a push here but I do feel we have a great shot at 6 or more and note that each of the Golden Knights last 9 games have totaled 5 or more goals! Those 9 games did average exactly 6 goals in regulation time (does not include the 2 OT goals) and I am expecting at least 6 in this one. Vegas has been getting their scoring chances, including in Game 2 of this series, and the Knights had won 5 straight games and averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 5 before the loss on Wednesday. Habs will get some goals on their home ice but the hungry visitors will be right there with them and I would not be surprised to see a see-saw type battle here that gets to 3-3 at some point! 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #32 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +120 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders got blasted in Game 2 after winning Game 1 and they will now respond on home ice. The Isles were fantastic on home ice this season. Tampa Bay has a fantastic goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy but he is not as strong on the road as he has at home. That has been a recurring theme throughout the year for him and I expect the Islanders to take Game 3 as a home dog. They are so strong on home ice and can frustrate the Bolts just like they did in Game 1 of this series. Similar to the Canadiens upset win over the Golden Knights last night after getting blasted in the prior game, look for a defensive-minded team to get the early lead here an then grind out a win. That is Islanders hockey to a T and they are very well-coached and should come up with a big response here after Tuesday's ugly loss. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +120

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +230 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - I have a ton of respect for the Golden Knights but this play is all about the value. People do not realize this Canadiens team is quite strong and they are not hanging their heads after that Game 1 loss. The fact it was a 4-1 final gives us some extra value here as there are plenty of non-believers when it comes to Montreal and this money line is being held high as result. The Vezina trophy is awarded each year to the top goalie in the league. In 2020 Connor Hellebuyck won it. What does that have to do with this play? He plays for Winnipeg and it is that Jets team that Montreal just swept out of the playoffs in the 2nd round. Note that in the 1st round the Habs rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to upset the heavily favored Leafs. Toronto was getting much better goaltending this season too plus loaded with star power and the Canadiens still managed to win games despite being outshot. Why? A guy by the name of Carey Price is between the pipes for Montreal and he is fully capable of stealing games. Price also has a Vezina trophy win on his resume and is one of the best netminders in the game. So too is Marc-Andre Fleury of Vegas but the Canadiens did have some quality chances but the puck luck - bounces of the puck if you will - did tend to favor the Golden Knights in Game 1. I expect a very hungry Habs team to come out with a much stronger full 60 minutes here as they tapered after a strong first period in Game 1. Perhaps the week long layoff caught up with the Canadiens but they will be better tonight. I am sure of that and feel it will lead to a big upset win. The Habs had won 7 straight games overall before the Game 1 loss and were also 6-1 on the road in this post-season prior to Monday's loss. Bounce back time here. 10* MONTREAL +230

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders @ 8:05 ET - You know Tampa Bay is going to respond on home ice in Game 2 of this series after dropping Game 1. However, the way the Lightning respond is to turn to their skill and speed in the offensive zone and I am looking for a very high-scoring game here as a result. The fact is that the Islanders impressed me greatly in Game 1, a winner right here as a big dog, with their ability to get quality scoring chances on Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. With Tampa Bay emphasizing offense here - their only goal coming in the final minute of Game 1 - I do fully expect the Islanders to get plenty of quality scoring chances at the other end. The result is going to be a much higher-scoring game than we saw Sunday. 10* OVER 5 goals in Tampa Bay

Puck Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 -125 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - The Canadiens swept the Jets in the prior round so they are well rested. They now face a very tough Golden Knights team at Vegas however and that is why they are a huge dog here. But having Carey Price between the pipes is huge as the veteran netminder has been fantastic in this post-season and certainly is capable of stealing games. Even if he does not steal this one per se, I could see it being a loss by the slimmest of margins - a one goal loss for Montreal. I am laying the -125 price to have the insurance of the goal and a half here. Keep in mind, the Canadiens have won 7 straight games. Their last 9 games have featured just one that was a Montreal loss by more than a single goal margin. Also, the Golden Knights did get a chance to rest some after knocking off Colorado but still that was an epic battle with an Avalanche team that is very tough to play against and could take something out of Vegas heading into this one. The Golden Knights did pull away for a huge win in Game 6 against the Avs but that was just the 3rd time in 9 games that Vegas has won by a multiple goal margin. That's right, just 33% of the time for a 2+ goal margin win for the Golden Knights and I like the chances of the Canadiens possibly being a surprise here in Game One. Vegas is the better team no doubt but Price and the Habs could steal one here and this should be a very tight game either way. 10* MONTREAL Puck Line +1.5 goals -125

NBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +170 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 3:05 ET - These are two very strong teams. Very well-coached too. Jon Cooper let the Bolts to the Stanley Cup Championship over the Stars last season. It was only a couple years before that the Islanders coach, Barry Trotz, was head man of the Capitals and led them to the Stanley Cup Championship over the Golden Knights. That said, I feel the -200 price on TB is offering us tremendous underdog line value on the other side that is too good to pass up on! The Islanders are a tough team to play against and this will be the first meeting since the Lightning knocked them out of the post-season last year. That series was played in the bubble and I remember it well as the Islanders were handed a very tough situation with coming off a grueling 7-game series win over the Flyers that including 3 OT wins and then having to face the Lightning on short rest. The Isles got blasted in Game 1 and could never recover. They were just worn out and beat up. This situation this year is entirely different and this should be a fantastic series with a Game 1 upset setting the tone. New York is rested and ready this year and now, about that home ice, note that the Islanders have won 4 of 6 road games in this post-season. Also, the Lightning are coming off a series against the Hurricanes in which the home team won only 1 of 5 games! Prior to a win over the Canes in TB in Game 4, the Lightning had lost 3 of last 5 games on home ice. Considering all of the above, this is incredible underdog line value here. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +170

West Div P/O Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +120 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - 2-0 going to 3rd period on your home ice and you lose the game. That is the situation the Avalanche just had in Game 5 of this series to sink into a 3-2 hole. Some turnovers were the key in the game but overall Colorado looked very strong in that one and never should have lost it. They worked so hard all season to get home ice and all is not yet lost. With a win in Game 6 at Vegas, the Avs can send this series back to Colorado for a winner takes all Game 7. In other words, the Avalanche know there is still much to play for and they know they should not be down 3-2 in this series. The Avs have now lost 3 straight games and this team has not lost 4 straight games all season long. Ironically the only time the Avalanche suffered a 3rd straight loss in the regular season it was at the hands of the Golden Knights and Colorado responded with a 3-0 shutout loss in their very next game. I am expecting a similar response here. You will see the Avalanche play their best game of the post-season tonight and, while the public will be lining up on Vegas to close this out on home ice, in typical contrarian fashion I am betting big on the road dog to get it done here. 10* COLORADO +120

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Wednesday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -130 @ New York Islanders @ 7:35 ET - The Bruins were on the wrong end of a 5-4 final Monday despite dominating play statistically for the 4th time in the last 6 games between these two clubs. In the last 4 games in this series, the road team has taken 3 of them and I see that trend continuing here. The Bruins are a sizable money line favorite on the road here for a reason! Don't let the line fool you. Yes the Islanders were great on home ice this season but the Bruins had won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these two clubs before losing the last 2 games. The road team trend continues here. 10* BOSTON

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Tuesday 8* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - The home team is a perfect 4-0 in this series and I do not see that trend ending here. In terms of shots on goal, the Golden Knights have dominated 3 straight games. The Avalanche know that can not continue. They must get back to the domination they showed on home ice in Game One of this series. I expect the best effort of the post-season from the Avalanche in this game. They know that the way they have been playing is unacceptable and this team is too good to fail to bounce back on their home ice. In fact, a change of venue is what can absolutely spark a slumping team and I expect a huge response from the Avs here. Colorado went 7-2 this season when on home ice off a loss. Also, when off 2 or more consecutive losses, the Avalanche went 3-1 this season. If they lose tonight it would be just the 2nd time this year that they have lost 3 straight games. I just do not see that happening! The Avs went 2-0 this season when on home ice and off 2 or more consecutive losses. That record improves to 3-0 here. 8* COLORADO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #34 Tuesday 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 6:35 ET - The Hurricanes blew a 4-2 lead in losing at Tampa Bay in Game 4 and I expect them to make up for that in a big way here. The Lightning have been lethal on the power play the last 2 games and the Canes can not keep giving Tampa Bay those chances. Note that not including power play goals, Carolina has outscored the Bolts 6 to 3 the last 2 games. That said, I like my chances on a huge response from the Hurricanes here as it also worth noting that Andrei Vasilevskiy did not have as strong of numbers on the road as he did on home ice this season. It was a very sizable disparity and I expect the Canes to get to the top netminder early and often in this must win game. 8* CAROLINA

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in Boston Bruins vs New York Islanders @ 6:35 ET - With the Bruins off a loss and this series shifting back to Boston for Game 5, the over is offering fantastic line value. You know the Bruins want to respond here as the Islanders have now tied the series up at 2 games apiece. However, the Islanders are proving they are not going to go away quietly. 5 of the 6 meetings this season between these teams in Boston have totaled 5 or more goals. 3 of those 5 totaled 7 goals. All we need is a 2-2 game here and we can not do worse than a push. That said, I expect an aggressive attacking response from the Bruins here on home ice and they will get their goals. However, also note that the Islanders have scored an average of nearly 3 goals per game in this series. The Isles outshot the Bruins in the most recent game and that is also a good sign for New York as Boston had been dominating that category in this series. With that said, I like the fact that the Bruins will come up big here at home but the Islanders confidence is growing as this series has gone on. It all adds up to what should be a continuing trend of higher-scoring games when these teams match-up on Bruins home ice! 10* OVER the total in Boston

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +100 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:35 ET - The Avalanche outshot the Golden Knights by a huge margin in Game 1 and got a dominating win. In Game 2 they were outshot by a big margin but got away with it. So the same thing happened in Game 3 and, this time, the Avs paid for it. They surely will be much hungrier here after letting Vegas get back into this series with a 3-2 win in Game 3 that was earned via a 43 to 20 edge in shots on goal. Colorado must be much better here and they know it and caught an earful from their coach about it. I fully expect the Avalanche to be firing on all cylinders in this one as a result. The Avs are the better overall team in my opinion but truly have not "flexed their muscles" since Game One of this series. Great line value since this game is at Vegas and I will grab the Avalanche as they are known for responding very well off losses. 10* COLORADO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Saturday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line +145 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 4:05 ET - The Hurricanes offer tremendous value here. The road team has won all 3 games so far in this series and the final game of the regular season so the traveler is 4-0 L4 between these teams. Also, the Canes could get Vincent Trochek back for this one. Additionally, Carolina got a boost with the goalie change. The Hurricanes were outshot by the Lightning in Game 3 but Peter Mrazek came up big with a strong start. Carolina did outshoot the Bolts by a combined 106 to 72 shots on goal in the 3 meetings prior to the Game 3 win in this one. That said, it is ironic that the team that has been outshot has won each of the last 4 meetings. The Hurricanes win the shots on goal battle and the game here in my opinion as they have often looked like the better team this season plus they got a boost with Mrazek back between the pipes. So difficult for teams to repeat and that is what the Lightning are trying to do this season but I feel strongly they will struggle to get past the Canes and Game 3 was a sign of things to come. 10* CAROLINA +145

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line -110 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET -  The Jets will be without Mark Scheifele due to suspension and also Paul Stastny (undisclosed) is a bit of an unknown. However, Winnipeg still has a guy by the name of Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes and I just do not see he and the Jets being denied in Game Two. After losing Game One on home ice, falling behind 2-0 early, look for Winnipeg to come out refocused and ready to bounce back here. There is the classic rest versus rust factor that appeared to plague the Jets in Game One. They had swept the Oilers in the first round while the Canadiens went the full seven games against the Maple Leafs. As it turns out, Montreal was able to maintain their rhythm in Game One while the Jets indeed showed a rust factor from being off for more than a week. The point is that this will not be repeated in Game Two and we also have excellent line value here with the much lower money line on the Jets because of the personnel situation. I will grab the value here as Montreal has won 4 straight games now after never winning more than 3 in a row in the regular season. The streak ends here as the Canadiens had been 0-3 this season when entering a game on a winning streak of 3 games. 10* WINNIPEG -110

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -135 @ New York Islanders @ 7:35 ET - I have plenty of respect for both of these hockey clubs but, in my opinion, the Bruins are a sizable road favorite here with good reason. In spite of the Islanders having a great season on home ice, Boston is in a bounce back spot here after the OT loss in Game 2 and I fully expect a big response here. The Bruins had won 4 straight before the overtime loss at home and note that the 4 victories came by a combined score of 15 to 5. That is an average winning margin of 2.5 goals per game and I look for another big win here for the road team. Boston has outshot the Islanders by a count of 193 to 127 in the last 5 games. That is an average margin edge of 13 shots on goal per game. The Isles have not won the shots on goal battle in any of those games. The Bruins wrapped up the regular season 8-2 the last 10 times they entered a game off a loss. Then, in the post-season, they also responded off their only loss. Look for them to do the same here. 10* BOSTON

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #82 Wednesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line -135 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - The Canadiens won the most recent meeting between these teams but that was preceded by the Jets winning 6 of 8 match-ups and now they have a huge rest edge in this one. From a situational standpoint, Winnipeg is set up extremely well here plus they get this game on home ice. Courtesy of their 4-0 sweep over Edmonton in the first round, the Jets enter this game with a little over a week of rest. Montreal is certainly at the opposite end of the spectrum as they just faced a grueling 7-game series with the Maple Leafs in which the Habs had to rally from a 3-1 deficit which included winning games 5 and 7 at Toronto! Including action of Monday May 24th, this will be Montreal's 6th game in 9 days while it will be just the 2nd for Winnipeg since that same day, Monday May 24th. Also, in the regular season, the Canadiens went 0-3 when they entered a game on a 3-game winning streak. This one set up perfectly to be all Jets. 10* WINNIPEG

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #72 Tuesday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line -110 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - The Hurricanes did outshoot the Lightning in the Game 1 loss. It was a game that truly could have gone either way. It is so tough to repeat as champions in any sport and the NHL is no exception. That said, I know the Bolts are only into the 2nd round of this post-season but the point is that it is a tough climb ahead of them and I certainly don't see them blowing right past Carolina. On home ice, look for the Hurricanes to respond in a big way after the Game One loss. Carolina had won the most recent regular season meeting between these teams. Also, prior to Sunday's loss, the Canes had won 3 of the last 4 meetings when on their home ice. In fact, prior to the final regular season meeting between these teams (a Carolina win) the home team had won 5 of the last 6 meetings. The Hurricanes have outshot Tampa Bay in 4 of the last 5 meetings. The Canes have averaged an edge of 11 shots on goal in those 4 meetings in which they had the edge. Look for the Hurricanes to have the edge over the Lightning in this one again and, this time, it will translate to a win. 10* CAROLINA

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 goals -135 @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The only other first round series that played out similar to this is the Wild rallied to tie the Golden Knights at 3 games apiece only to then get blasted in Game 7 at Vegas. I know many may expect a repeat here but I just do not. Part of the reasoning is Carey Price between the pipes. Montreal has him, Minnesota did not. The Canadiens did look very tired as Game 6 went on and this was particularly true in the overtime period. So, on the one hand, Montreal was fortunate to win the game after getting a 2-0 lead in the 3rd period only to then blow it and see the Leafs force overtime. However, the fact is they have now been able to rest and recharge the batteries a bit and they are happy to be in this situation! They were not supposed to take the Maple Leafs a full 7 games. That means all the pressure is on Toronto here. The Habs were not even supposed to be here and so they welcome this situation with open arms and can play much more loose and relaxed. This is in stark contrast with the heavily favored Leafs. As a result, I would not be surprised at all to see the Canadiens end up with an upset win here but I do feel that any loss will be by just a single goal as this is likely to be a tight hard-fought game. That said, I like the value of having the goal and a half with the puck line on our side. It is in a reasonable price range so I am grabbing that for the added insurance in this one. 10* MONTREAL +1.5 -135

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals +140 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - The Golden Knights just came off 7-game war with the Wild and have been playing all week long. The Avalanche are coming off an ultra-easy 4-game sweep of the Blues and have been resting all week long. The rest edge and home ice edge are both with Colorado for this Sunday match-up. Also note that Vegas continues to travel constantly as Game 5 was in Vegas but then Game 6 was in Minnesota and then Game 7 back in Las Vegas again and now it is off to Denver for this series. Conversely, as noted above, Colorado has been resting up all week long and preparing for this highly coveted match-up everyone has been wanting to see. Advantage belongs to the Avs from a situational standpoint and of course that is also part of the reason they are nearly a 2 to 1 favorite on the money line in this one. That said, where we find the value in this one is on the puck line as we get into the +140 range by laying the 1.5 goals with the Avalanche. The last meeting was a 1-goal victory for Colorado but that was preceded by 3 of the last 4 meetings between these clubs all being decided by 3 or more goals. I look for a home ice win by at least a 2-goal margin in this one as the Avs are healthier than they have been in a long, long time and they will have fresh skating legs here and their speed and talent at the forward positions will prove to be too much for a tired Golden Knights hockey club in this one. 10* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals +140

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +165 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - Tremendous underdog line value here. The shots on goal have been almost exactly equal in the last 3 games combined. Price has proven he can be just as good as Campbell between the pipes. The Canadiens also have the home ice edge here. When you add all those factors up, as well as a big move toward the Maple Leafs money line in this one, you definitely have a big value edge in favor of the home dog in this match-up. This series is 3-2. In the regular season the Leafs had 17 road wins and the Habs had 13 home wins. Toronto is also without Tavares right now. That said, given the above stats showing very little disparity between these teams, there is just tremendous underdog line value in this spot that I will not pass up. The fact the Canadiens really got to Campbell in the most recent game is another key here. 10* MONTREAL

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Friday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line +160 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - Momentum, goaltending situation concrete, and value. Those are the keys here. Minnesota has rallied back from a 3 to 1 deficit in the series to force Game 7. The Wild are set in goal with Cam Talbot. They win with them or they lose with him. As for Vegas, who knows? This is what happens when you go with a 2-goalie system during the regular season. Now Marc-Andre Fleury has allowed 6 goals on just 37 shots the last two games and some are calling for Robin Lehner to get the Game 7 start. This is not a knock on Fleury but just the point that now the Golden Knights option in goal or a guy who has lost 2 straight or a cold guy coming in who has not played in over two weeks and who had an .859 save percentage in the month of May! As for the value I mentioned above, it is simply hard to argue against it. Yes we take some risk in grabbing a big dog but to me the risk is much bigger with laying a big price here! The road team has won 7 of the last 10 meetings between these teams! So you have home ice being over-valued here and, as good as Vegas was in the regular season, the fact is that the Wild have continued to be a troublesome match-up for them all year long. Look for it to continue for one more night as all the pressure is on the Golden Knights to advance and avoid a monumental first round collapse. The road team has no pressure here and could play much better as a result. This series was not even supposed to go more than 5 or 6 games. To the Wild, the pressure is off and they will make the most of this opportunity. 10* MINNESOTA

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 goals -120 @ Toronto @ 7:05 ET - The Canadiens are down 3 games to 1 in this series and off an ugly loss in Game 4 but that is helping to give us line value here. I just do not see Montreal going down without a fight in this one and in terms of ugly losses prior to Monday's defeat, lets take a closer look. Toronto had won 9 of last 14 games between these teams prior to the big Game 4 win. However, 5 of the 9 wins were by just a single goal margin. That means in the 14 most recent games prior to that big win Monday, only 4 of the 14 had resulted in a Maple Leafs win by 2 or more goals. Here we can get the Habs at +1.5 goals and lay a very small price in doing so. That said, I like the odds here of a potential upset or, at the very least, a tight 1-goal loss as I do expect the Canadiens to put up a tremendous fight in this one. Also, in 12 of the last 15 meetings between the clubs, the road team has either won the game outright or lost by just a single goal margin. Again, tremendous value here in a must win game for the Canadiens. 10* MONTREAL Puck Line +1.5 goals 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #10 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line -110 vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 6:35 ET - The Islanders are riding a hot goalie in Ilya Sorokin. He is 3-0 in his 3 starts in this series. The Penguins are a strong team no doubt but I give the goalie edge to the Isles no matter who they have in goal here. Tristan Jarry made an egregious error in OT of the critical game five that has now swung all momentum the way of the Islanders in this one. I look for them to finish off the Penguins tonight. Yes Pittsburgh had strong edge in shots on goal but goalies are a key in the playoffs and we have seen that trend play out in numerous series including this one thus far. Even if Semyeon Varlamov got the call here it would still favor the Isles. The Pens Jarry could be in trouble after his slip-up in Game 5 as that kind of mistake impacts a goaltenders mentality in his very next game too. As for the other Pens goalie, Casey DeSmith, he has been trying to recover from an injury. Momentum and strength of goalie play are huge factors in this one and I like the home ice value. Keep in mind the Penguins only won about half their road games in the regular season while the Isles won 75% of their games on home ice. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #73 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +125 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Tristan Jarry has now allowed 4 goals in 3 of 4 games in this series. If Casey DeSmith is able to go it would be his first action in awhile and he could be rusty. That said, I do feel that the Islanders have the goalie edge here and goaltending is so critical in the playoffs. We have seen this be a key in numerous series already this post-season and it will very likely be a continuing pattern. That said, I do expect the Islanders to go with Ilya Sorokin again tonight. He is 2-0 so far in the series and allowed only 1 goal in the win over Jarry and the Penguins on Saturday. That was the only win in the series by more than a 1-goal margin and I like the underdog value with the Isles again in this one. Pittsburgh has been unable to create separation from the Islanders throughout this series. In my strong opinion, the Pens were only better than the Isles in the Game Two win and this series could easily be 3-1 Islanders already. That is why I am rolling with the road dog here in Game Five. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS Money Line +125

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +110 in Nashville Predators vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 2:35 ET - Like the fact we get a good number (5.5) and at a plus money price on the over in this one. I know the first thought is that the teams might be tired after the Friday game went into double-overtime. However, they had an off day yesterday which certainly helps and another key is that this game is in the same venue so no travel was involved. Both teams are rested and ready to go strong again here and Friday's game was 3-3 before even getting to the 3rd period. The teams combined to go only 2 of 10 on the power play so it is not as if they were not generating chances 5 on 5. The fact is that 7 of the 9 goals were scored 5 on 5 in Game 3. Now a key Game 4 match-up as the Predators are working hard to get back into the series and they now have life after the win Friday in the second overtime. I like the fact that Nashville has won the last 3 home games with Carolina and has averaged scoring 4.3 goals in those 3 games. The Hurricanes will, of course, be ready to respond here after seeing Game 3 slip away and the Canes have scored 3.3 goals per game in their last dozen against the Preds and that includes an average of 4 goals per game in the last 3 match-ups. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals +110 in Nashville

CNBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Saturday 8* Montreal Canadiens Money Line +165 @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - This play is all about the value. The Canadiens are a solid hockey club. They have a goalie, Carey Price, that is one of the best in the game. Montreal also outhit the Maple Leafs by a 2 to 1 ratio (55 to 27) in the Game One victory. The Habs knocked the Penguins out of the playoffs last season in the bubble here in Toronto. They also then gave the Flyers all they could handle before bowing out against a Flyers team that was very tough last season. That said, the Canadiens are a confident bunch here with a fantastic goalie and this team is fully capable of upsetting a Maple Leafs club with a history of playoff failures. The loss of Tavares to injury is a big blow to Toronto as well as it goes without saying that he is one of their best players. I love the fact that the markets have jumped all over the Maple Leafs here under the notion that this is a must win game and they can not afford to go down 2-0 on home ice, etc. I understand that thought process but completely disagree with it. The line on Toronto has jumped from a -160 to as high as a -190 in this one and I love the value on the other side of the move. Dogs win close games with great regularity in the post-season especially when they have a solid goalie. Look for another tight win for the road dog in this one. 8* MONTREAL +165

East Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - The Islanders are off back to back losses and, since Feb 1st, have gone 7-2 when they enter a game off 2 or more consecutive losses. The Isles are well-coached and are a very good team and they will be ready to bounce back on home ice here. Yes the Penguins stole Game 3 on the road but now in Game 4 I look for the Islanders to bear down. Lets not forget Pittsburgh had nearly as many losses as wins on the road during the regular season and the Isles won 21 of 28 home games in the regular season. One could argue based on the above that  the Islanders have 78% and 75% chances of winning this game while the Penguins are only more in the range of a "coin flip" in this game. I love the home ice value as a result here and will gladly grab the "pick 'em" pricing on a host that should be priced higher in my opinion. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS -110

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line +150 @ Edmonton Oilers @ 9:05 ET - There is a rather simplistic theory in sports with playoff series that many employ but, in truth, the theory just does not "hold water" so to speak. The theory is that if a team is off a loss they must bounce back in the very next game. Of course sometimes this does happen but it is certainly not a "catch all" that works perfectly. For evidence of that we can look at the current post-season and note that the Penguins are off B2B wins over the Islanders, the Bruins are off B2B wins over the Capitals, the Hurricanes are up 2-0 on the Predators, the Lightning had gone up 2-0 on the Panthers before upset loss last night, Colorado is up 2-0 on St Louis, and Vegas has now won 2 straight over the Wild. The other two series that just started and have had just one game apiece include the Canadiens upsetting the Maple Leafs last night as well as this one, the Jets upsetting the Oilers Wednesday night. So the point is that there are 8 series going, and of the 6 that have played multiple games all 6 have seen a team win 2 in a row. Now, just because Winnipeg won at Edmonton in Game 1 the Oilers are supposed to get revenge tonight. I don't see it that way. What I see is we have one of the best goalies in the game, Connor Hellebuyck, against - no disrespect intended - a tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen that strikes fear in no one. That is not to say they are bad goalies but they certainly are not elite. Just like Game One I expect Edmonton to ousthoot Winnipeg but just like Game One I expect Hellebuyck to be the difference maker! That said, incredible line value with here with the Jets in the +150 range! 10* WINNIPEG

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Friday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line +150 @ Boston Bruins @ 6:35 ET - This series has been so tight that the line value here is with the Capitals in a big way. All 3 games have gone to OT and the way the Caps lost Game 3 in double OT on a misplay behind their own net has Alex Ovechkin and Company extra fired up about a huge response in Game 4. Washington is a perfect 4-0 the last 4 times they have entered a game off 2 or more consecutive losses. They have not had a 3-game losing streak since mid-February and I look for a huge bounce back here after they gave up the tying goal on a questionable power play awarded the Bruins in the latter half of the 3rd period Wednesday. Keep in mind this also followed Boston having to score the tying goal with less than 3 minutes left in their other comeback win, Monday, in this series. The luck of the Bruins runs out tonight and, this time, the Capitals again have the lead in 3rd period but close it out! 8* WASHINGTON

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line -115 vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The fact the Islanders got a win at Pittsburgh in Game 1 was huge. Even though they lost Game 2, they still sit in the drivers seat right now in this series. Why is that? These are two of the best home teams in the league. Pittsburgh won 22 of 28 home games and the Isles won 21 of 28 home games. That said, the value is with the home team in this match up as the Penguins barely won half their road games. I love backing the Islanders off a loss and on their home ice and fading a team that has often struggled in road games this season. The Isles went 9-3 this season when they were on home ice and coming off a loss. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS -115

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #33 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Florida Panthers @ 6:35 ET - The Panthers are down 2-0 in this series and the only way they are going to get back into it is reliance on the offensive firepower. Florida managed just 1 goal in Game 2 after a wild Game 1 that saw the Bolts scored two late goals for a wild, high-scoring win. The Panthers are simply highly unlikely to win a "grinder" against the Lightning and they know it. That said, I look for Florida to really push the pace here and be willing to take chances in the offensive zone even if they risk giving up some odd man rushes going the other direction. That said, the value of getting this over at 5.5 goals can not be over-stated. It is truly a bargain in my opinion and that is why you are already seeing some 6s start to pop up in some of the sharper books. Lets jump on this now! 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 6:35 ET - This play is all about the value. Yes the Capitals have some injury issues and this includes at the goalie position but the last time I checked (sarcasm of course) no team in the NHL won more road games in the regular season than Washington! The point is that this is far too much value to be given to the Caps in this situation. They are a +155 DOG even though they have more road wins than Boston has home wins this season! Washington had won 2 straight over the Bruins before a tight 4-3 loss Monday. Also, the Capitals did win 2 of the 4 regular season games at Boston this season and that included a blowout 8-1 win! I am certainly not expecting that type of game here but I am expecting another close game where no one can argue with me that we do not have the better value having the road dog. I expect this game to be a close one but I expect the Capitals to find a way. Note that Boston had won just 6 of 12 prior to the win in Game 2 of this series. The Bruins have not managed back to back wins in the past two weeks. The Capitals are a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times they were on the road and coming off a loss! 10* WASHINGTON +155

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks @ 3:35 ET - This is the final regular season game of the season which was still going on even as the playoff began. Of course this was due to the late season covid issues that ravaged Vancouver. The Canucks are off a 4-2 home win over the Flames Monday but Calgary actually outshot them 40 to 24. I look for a very entertaining season finale. Of course there is no pressure on either team here as neither one made the post-season. However, I do expect a strong effort from Vancouver here as getting a win would allow them to escape the basement as they would move past Ottawa and into 6th place. At the same time, the Flames do not want to end the season with a home ice loss so a strong effort from them as well. In other words, look for both clubs to be aggressive on the attack. The winning team in the last 5 meetings between these teams has scored at least 4 goals and I like our chances of another high-scoring game here. Those 5 games averaged 7 goals per game and I expect this one to get there as well. We only need 6 for a push but I do expect at least 7 as we cash a ticket in the regular season finale. 10* OVER the total in Calgary

CNBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line -110 @ Florida Panthers @ 8:05 ET - This line has made a major move this morning and it is because Florida is starting Chris Driedger between the pipes for this one. I know the Panthers netminder shutout the Lightning the last time he faced them but, prior to that, he allowed 3 goals on 19 shots in a start against the Bolts. Also, the one before that when he faced Tampa Bay, Driedger allowed 4 goals. I know the Panthers are hoping for a spark with starting Driedger here after Sergei Bobrovsky allowed 5 goals in the Game 1 loss but, honestly, Bobrovsky was not the problem in Game 1. The problem for Florida is just at that Tampa is the better team overall and loaded with a history of playoff winning while the Panthers are always getting bounced early in the post-season when they even do make a playoff appearance. So, while I do respect Florida, this is a very tough match-up for them and I feel we have great line value here as the Bolts have gone from a -130 fave to nearly a pick'em now in this match-up. Keep in mind, prior to shutting out TB the last time he faced them (which will actually motivate the Bolts even more here), Driedger allowed 8 goals on just 54 shots over his last 3 appearances. That is a lousy save percentage of only .852 over those 3 appearances for Driedger. More of the same here. 10* TAMPA BAY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Tuesday 8* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+115) vs Calgary Flames @ 4:05 ET - This is a "meaningless" regular season match-up as these teams are eliminated from playoff contention but still playing out the remainder of their rescheduled games after the Canucks had the long late-season delay due to covid-related issues in the BC province. If there was any doubt whether Vancouver cared about these games however, they put that to rest with how they rallied from a 5-1 third period deficit to force OT in the eventual 6-5 loss to Calgary Sunday. That said, I expect another strong effort from the Canucks here as they know they can still escape the basement of the division by winning these final two games against the Flames. After Holtby got the start over the weekend I do expect Demko to be between the pipes for Vancouver in this one. He has been the better netminder this season and gives them a solid shot at the win here. No matter the goalies that end up in the crease for either side in this one, I look for some extra hunger from the Canucks to key a home dog win here. 8* VANCOUVER +115

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins @ 7:35 ET - My initial thought here was to play on Boston as the Bruins look to bounce back from the Game 1 loss and because Washington has goalie issues. Vanecek exited Saturday's game early with a lower-body injury and Samsonov has been out for a couple weeks and would be rusty and Anderson has hardly played this season and it was a surprise the 39-year old netminder fared as well as he did in Saturday's win. With all that said, I do expect the Bruins to enjoy success in the offensive zone in this one. However, how do I play against a team that found a way to win Saturday's game on home ice despite the goalie issues and despite giving up a power play goal and having only 1 power play chance while giving Boston 4 and despite losing the faceoff battle by a 3 to 2 ratio? Exactly! I just can not play against the Capitals here but I do expect them to struggle to stop the Bruins. The fact we have the over 5.5 available as high as a +125 makes this a valuable plus money bet! Remember that Game One was 2-2 going to the 3rd and only a scoreless 3rd prevented an over. Look for this one to get to at least 6 goals as Boston scores well but the Caps, so tough on their home ice in particular, answer them goal for goal! 10* OVER the total in Washington

NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line -115 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:30 ET - The Lightning got a lot of good news on the injury front entering this one. A bunch of players now listed as probable for Tampa Bay and that includes Kucherov and Stamkos. That is part of the reason you can throw Florida's dominance of the last two regular season games out the window. It is playoff time and I have plenty of respect for the Panthers but feel strongly that the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bolts are going to come out strong and make a statement in Game 1 of this series. The playoffs are an entirely different animal than regular season hockey and, at least in the opener of this one, I look for the Lightning to prevail. There is a reason that lower-seeded Tampa Bay is favored on the road at Florida in this one. Do not be fooled by the line here. The Lightning are justified in being the favorites in this one after being road dogs in the last two meetings of the regular season at Florida. 10* TAMPA BAY

National TV Blowout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Saturday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line +118 vs Boston Bruins @ 7:15 ET - I have tremendous respect for both of these teams and feel both are built very well for playoff hockey. However, that said, I do feel we are getting tremendous line value here with the Caps as a home dog. One interesting item of note is that, since we are expecting tight defensive-minded playoff hockey, I did notice something about recent match-ups between these teams. There have been no shutouts in any of the last 9 meetings between these teams but 5 times a team has been held to just a single goal. 4 of the 5 times that team was Boston and they were on the wrong end of a loss to Washington. The Capitals beat the Bruins by a combined score of 14-4 in those 4 games. Now, certainly I am not expecting a blowout win here but I am just saying that the Capitals do know how to stifle the Bruins and actually have outshot them in 5 of the last 6 meetings. Look for the Caps to find a way on home ice in this one and I am grabbing the underdog in this one! 10* WASHINGTON +118

NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #44 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line +140 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Maple Leafs and Jets are both set in terms of playoff positioning. That said, this is a rather meaningless game and it is simply hard to justify Toronto being such a pricey road favorite. The Leafs have lost 5 of last 8 road games and face a Jets team that had been struggling but now has won 2 of last 3 games that Connor Hellebuyck has started and he is expected to get the call here. Winnipeg has won those two games by a combined 9-0 score. This is a tune up game for the post-season but the Jets might prove to be the more motivated team. The Maple Leafs have won 4 of the last 5 meetings and are the top team in the division. The Jets want to prove they can turn the tables on Toronto and beat them heading into the post-season and wrapping up the regular season with a winner on home ice. Too much underdog value here to pass up. 10* WINNIPEG +140

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings @ 9:05 ET - The Avalanche are starting Jonas Johansson here. This will be just his 2nd appearance in a period of 3 weeks. That is not good in terms of a rust factor and he was playing better for Colorado when he was getting more ice time. Now he has allowed 6 goals on just 38 shots over his last two starts. Keep in mind, he went 0-5 with a 3.79 GAA in his time with the Sabres this season before coming over to the Avs. Johansson is going to be pressured by the Kings here in what is their final game of the season. Los Angeles has nothing to play for but pride and to play the role of spoiler and to prevent the Avalanche from winning the division and the Presidents Trophy for most regular season points totaled in the standings. I do not expect LA to get the upset but I do expect them to be very aggressive in wanting to score a few goals after getting shutout yesterday. At the same time, they are not going to stop an ultra talented Colorado attack that is determined to enter the playoffs as the #1 seed for this NHL season. The Avs looked fantastic yesterday and I expect more of the same today. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #34 Wednesday 8* Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals -135 vs Los Angeles Kings @ 9:05 ET - You have to be careful late in the season in terms of just blindly playing the teams that need to win. But, that said, this is indeed a great spot to back a team that needs to win. By virtue of their win over the Golden Knights Monday, the Avalanche can win the division if they just win their final two games of the season even if Vegas wins tonight. Colorado controls their own destiny and that is even though they did not play that well until the 3rd period of the victory over the Golden Knights Monday. The Avs want to make up for that here and play a complete game tonight and that is bad news for the Kings. Los Angeles has lost 24 of 36 and the Avalanche have won big in the last two meetings as a host as the Kings got crushed by a combined 6 to 1 in those two games. More of the same expected here as I expect the Avs to play a complete game here and dominate the full sixty after starting slowly against Vegas Monday. 8* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Edmonton Oilers @ 5:05 ET - Not a lot to play for here. The Oilers are locked into the #2 seed in the division and the Canadiens, by virtue of securing a point in Monday's OT loss to Edmonton, have secured the #4 spot in the division for the upcoming post-season. That also means these teams will NOT see each other in the first round. Instead Montreal will be doing battle with Toronto and the Oilers will be doing battle with Winnipeg. All that said, I expect a lot of open ice in this one and plenty of quality scoring chances. The last two meetings between these teams have each totaled 7 goals and I look for this one to get there as well. The Oilers have scored at least 3 goals in each of their last 3 games against the Habs but, at the same time, you know that the Canadiens would like to finish the regular season with a win on home ice and to get revenge for Monday's OT loss. That is why I am expecting a 4-3 type game here no matter which team ultimately prevails. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Winnipeg Jets vs Vancouver Canucks @ 8:05 ET - Though Connor Hellebuyck could be back for the Jets tonight there is cause for some concern either way. Why was Winnipeg's #1 goalie unavailable last night? The Jets started Laurent Brossoit and his back-up last night was Eric Comrie. That said, Vancouver is still playing hard even though their playoff fate is sealed. The Canucks will not be making the playoffs while the Jets are trying to hold off Montreal for the #3 spot in the division. Keep in mind the #4 spot will have to face top seed Toronto and Winnipeg would rather avoid that. With that said, the Jets did pepper the Canucks with a ton of shots yesterday but Thatcher Demko was fantastic between the pipes. I doubt he'll play again in the 2nd game of a back to back and that means a struggling Braden Holtby likely to get the call here. Holtby has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. The Canucks, prior to yesterday's 3-1 win, had lost 7 of 8 games and had allowed an average of 4.4 goals per game in last 7 games. The Jets have lost 9 of 10 games and allowed 4 goals per game in those 9 defeats. It all adds up to great value with this total posted at a great low number and we'll take advantage. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Winnipeg

THE Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - Montreal still needs one more win to clinch a playoff spot. Edmonton not only has already clinched a playoff spot, they are locked into the #2 spot in the division. That said, the Canadiens are the much more motivated team here and have already won 5 of 7 meetings between these teams this season. I know the Oilers are a high-quality team that is dangerous in the offensive zone but I just can not foresee them bringing a huge effort here. As for the Habs, they want to lock in their playoff spot now and leave nothing to chance. Though Montreal has lost 3 straight games, those were all on the road and including two at division-leader Toronto. Now the Canadiens are back home where they have won 3 straight games. Also, Edmonton has lost its last two visits here by a combined score of 7 to 2 and they have been outshot by a combined 64 to 40 in those two games. 10* MONTREAL

NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Chicago Blackhawks vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - It is difficult to have a lot of defensive intensity when you just got eliminated from the playoffs and that is what happened with Dallas last night. The Stars were off last night but their season ended because Nashville beat Carolina last night. The Predators got the final playoff spot in the Central Division. As a result, do not be surprised if we see a bit of a "wide open" game here and I like the value with the total at 5.5 goals in this one. 7 of the Stars last 10 games have totaled 6 or more goals and, in fact, those 7 games averaged nearly 8 goals per game. The Blackhawks are also staying home for the post-season and they have played like it! Chicago is off a rare tight low-scoring win but this was preceded by 7 of 8 games totaling at least 7 goals and those games did average 8 goals per game. 7 or even 6 goals make this one a winner and, yet, based on the above I would not be surprised to see this game get to 8 goals. Great value with this low total given the situation and I am stepping up big on this one. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Chicago 

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #70 Saturday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8:05 ET - The Hurricanes have now locked up the #1 spot in the division. The Predators can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. With the Preds having won 16 of 26 on home ice and the Hurricanes having won 16 of 26 on enemy ice this season, one could argue that this line should be a pick'em under normal circumstances. That said, there is huge value here because these are not normal circumstances and yet Nashville, even after some early line movement this morning, are still a small dog here. I will grab the value with the highly motivated home dog here. Of course the Hurricanes have been hot and want to keep winning heading into the post-season, but I just do not see the Canes as being able to match the intensity of the Preds in this one as they look to punch their ticket to the post-season. 10* NASHVILLE

Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #33 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +165 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Blackhawks, Canucks, and Devils all won yesterday. What in the world does that have to do with this play? A helluva lot actually! All 3 of those teams will NOT be going to the playoffs but they are playing loose and relaxed hockey as a result. I know Vancouver is still mathematically alive but, trust me, they know the handwriting is on the wall and they are not going to make it. They are on the verge of elimination. So the point is that all 3 of those aforementioned teams were on the road and they were facing playoff-bound hosts that were all favored by at least -200 and one was above the -300 mark! The point is that a lot of underdog value was there with those 3 upsets and that was on a card with 6 games yesterday. So looking for the big dogs can pay off big late in the season like this. For Friday, this is another such situation. Washington is a nearly 2 to 1 favorite and is playoff bound and they are hosting a Philly team that will not be going to the playoffs. The Flyers will play loose and relaxed. Philadelphia has a long history of rivalry with the Capitals and would love nothing more than to spoil their hopes of winning the division. The Caps are off a very emotional 2-game set with the Rangers that featured the Tom Wilson incident in the first game which spilled into all-out brawls in the 2nd game of the set. That could leave Washington a little spent here while the Flyers are well rested and have been off since Tuesday and are in bounce back mode off an ugly loss. Washington has lost 4 of last 6 on home ice. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line -1.5 goals -120 vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:05 ET - With the way the playoffs are structured for this season, it is ultra important for the Hurricanes to finish with the top spot in their division. They fully realize that and have been taking care of business and I expect more of the same here. Carolina has won 5 straight games and 4 of the wins came by at least a 2 goal margin. Going further back, 10 of the last 11 Canes wins have come by a margin of 2 or more goals. Hence the comfort level here with laying the 1.5 goals because, of course, we are not going to be laying the huge money line price that has been set on a game like this. By utilizing the puck line, we only have to lay a price of about -120 here. While the Hurricanes have been red hot, the Blackhawks fell apart down the stretch and found themselves eliminated from post-season contention. Chicago has lost 6 straight games and 4 of the 6 were by a margin of 2 or more goals. In fact, 8 of the Blackhawks last 10 defeats have been by 2 or more goals and I expect more of the same here. 10* CAROLINA -1.5 goals -120

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line +125 vs Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - The Rangers are incensed that Tom Wilson was not suspended for the fracas in the Monday game that led to a brawl on the ice and left New York without Artemi Panarin for the rest of the season. Granted the Rangers are eliminated from the playoffs and there are only 3 games left for New York but none of this is sitting well with this team. Not only is this a big time revenge game for the Rangers after what happened on Monday, it is also their final home game of the season. I am banking on the Rangers being ready to go in a huge way. Yes Panarin is a key loss for New York but the Rangers are going to be extremely motivated to win this game! Also, the Capitals are expected to be without Kuznetsov plus Ovechkin has been downgraded to doubtful for this game. Oshie, Shultz, Samsonov also are all listed as questionable for this one. Yes the Caps are going hard for 1st place in the division but, especially after what happened Monday, you know the Rangers are going hard here in hopes of playing the role of spoiler. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS +125

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +150 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Fully understand the Flyers being a +150 dog again today but it is simply not justified. Especially this is true because Casey DeSmith left yesterday's game with an injury. That forced Tristan Jarry, today's starting goalie, into action for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is simply over-priced here. Jarry has some ugly numbers against the Flyers this season and, though Philadelphia is eliminated from post-season contention, they have already shown what they can do when motivated. Philly is always motivated when facing Crosby, Malkin, and the in-state division rival Penguins. They will bring another strong effort on home ice and have their better goalie, Brian Elliott, instead of Alex Lyon, between the pipes for this one. This is simply too much home dog value to pass up on. The markets will be all over the Penguins in this one but the goalie situation, confidence factor after yesterday's game, home ice edge, hungry dog mentality and line value all add up to a great spot to back the Flyers again. 10* PHILADELPHIA +150

8* PHILADELPHIA +150 - The Flyers season is now officially over as they have been eliminated from the playoff race. However, guess which long-time rival just took over first place in the division? Of course it is the in-state rival Penguins and Philadelphia always tends to be up for their rivals no matter the circumstances. In other words, look for a very strong effort from the Flyers here. They have won 5 of last 8 meetings between these teams and that includes 3 in a row when they are the host. That trend plays well to the home dog value here because Pittsburgh has been fantastic at home this season but only mediocre on the road. The odds makers knew the entire situation before posting this line and yet the markets are pounding the Penguins like it is "free money" in this one. In this rivalry, anything can happen and this situation is ideal with Flyers off some disappointing losses and the Penguins off huge wins over the Capitals that allowed them to leapfrog them for first place. 8* PHILADELPHIA +150

WASHINGTON -105 - The Capitals could have Ovechkin back on the ice tonight but, either way, I do like the Caps a lot in this spot. For all intents and purposes, after back to back ugly losses to the Islanders, the Rangers season is over. They are not yet mathematically eliminated but the Rangers would have to win all 4 remaining games and have the Bruins not earn a single point from any of their 6 remaining games. That is not happening and the Rangers are going to struggle to pull it all together for this game. For Washington, there is no shortage of motivation as they are now in 2nd place in the division but only 2 points behind the Penguins and they have a game in hand on Pittsburgh. Also, the Caps have Ovechkin back on the ice and skating again in practices so they know his return is imminent which is also a big boost to the club. Washington is 3-1 this season when entering a game off exactly 2 consecutive losses. In other words, only once this season did the Capitals have a losing streak reach 3 or more games. Off back to back losses entering this game, look for the Caps to improve to 4-1 on the season when in this situation. 10* WASHINGTON

10* OVER 6 in Ottawa - The Jets Connor Hellebuyck is struggling badly. The Senators tend to score better when at home and have remained competitive late in the season as their fate for this year was sealed long ago and they actually are playing better now than they have been most of the season. Ottawa, however, still struggles to stop teams and the Jets are on a losing streak and anxious to end it here on the road. Winnipeg has been scoring better on the road than at home and I am looking for a high-scoring game tonight given all of the above. The Jets have averaged 3.7 goals per game last 11 road games. The Senators have been averaging 3 goals per game on their home ice. I am looking for a 4-3 type game here. Prior to the Jets 3-2 win staying under the total 3 weeks ago, 7 of 9 meetings between these teams had totaled at least 6 goals and I fully expect this one will as well. Winnipeg is angry and looking for a breakout game offensively but they also have allowed 4.3 goals per game last 6 games. 10* OVER 6 in Ottawa

Puck Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 -120 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 3:05 ET - The Red Wings won yesterday's game 1-0 in the shootout by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1 as the Lightning nearly doubled them up in shots on goal. Also, they used Thomas Greiss yesterday while TB used Curtis McElhinney. Certainly is was not the Tampa Bay goalie that led to the loss but, the point is, one of the best goalies in the NHL will be back in his crease for this one as Andrei Vasilevskiy gets the start for the Lightning. If Greiss goes again here it would be the 2nd game of a back to back situation and so, no matter who Detroit starts here, I like our chances for a big road rout. Tampa Bay wants payback and they know how important these points are in the standing as they still chase the #1 spot in the division as the post-season quickly approaches. Prior to yesterday's tight low-scoring loss, the Bolts had won 3 of their last 4 road games and all 4 of those games were decided by a multi-goal margin. In fact, the average margin of victory in those contests was 3 goals. Look for this one to be decided by at least a pair of goals and the road team responds with a determined effort here. 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals -120

Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers season is over now after a 5-3 loss at New Jersey Thursday followed losing 6-4 to the Devils on Tuesday in a wild game. It is hard to keep defensive intensity up when you realize a season you entered with such promise is ending in disappointment. You would not get much argument from NHL experts if you stated Philadelphia as the biggest disappointment in terms of underachievement in the NHL this season. That said, they can still score plenty on this Devils team. That New Jersey win on Thursday was their 2nd in 11 games and a big reason for that is that the Devils have allowed an average of 4.5 goals per game their last 15 games. However, New Jersey has scored an average of 3.8 goals per game their last 8 games and will continue pushing here against a long-time rival. That said, #1 goalie Carter Hart is done for the season for Philly due to an injury. Brian Elliott has struggled against the Devils with 19 goals allowed in his last 5 starts against them. If Alex Lyon gets the start, he has allowed 9 goals in his 2 starts. It is not all on the goalies either. That is for sure because a big issue has been Philadelphia's defensive play. I expect this to be a continuing theme in this game and for the over to improve to 5-0 in last 5 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The odds are getting slimmer for the Rangers to make the post-season but they most definitely are not going to quit fighting until they are officially eliminated from contention. Also, this is a rivalry game for them and they are fired up after losing the last two meetings with the Islanders by a combined score of 10 to 1. This includes a 4-0 shutout loss Thursday and note that the Rangers are 7-2 the last 9 times they have entered a game off a loss. The Islanders got that big W over the Rangers Thursday but this was preceded by 3 straight losses and defeats in 6 of their last 9 games overall. Back in the first half of March the Islanders were really dominating games and winning big. However, since then, the Islanders have played 22 games and only won 5 of them in regulation. That is not a mistake...is very real...the Isles have just 5 wins prior to the final horn of regulation in 22 games! I know a win is a win as they saying goes but those are some striking numbers! I am grabbing the road dog for immediate revenge off the shutout loss. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS

North Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - The Jets have lost 5 straight games but they still hold the edge in this match-up. Cary Price has been out with a concussion and so Jake Allen has been shouldering the load for the Canadiens. It has not gone so well as the Habs enter this game losers in 9 of their last 13 games. Also, Allen is 3-8 in home starts for Montreal this season! Overall the Canadiens have won just 10 of 23 home games this season. Winnipeg has won 16 of 25 road games as they have been better as travelers. The Jets have won 7 of last 9 meetings with the Habs and that includes 6 of the 8 meetings this season. Connor Hellebuyck has had a couple rough starts recently but he is still a great goalie and coming off a game in which he allowed only 2 goals. He also has allowed a total of only 2 goals in his last 2 starts against the Canadiens and both of those were this month and both were at Montreal. More of the same here and the Jets series dominance continues! 10* WINNIPEG +102

East Div Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers season is effectively over now after losing 6-4 to the Devils on Tuesday in a wild game. It is hard to keep defensive intensity up when you realize a season you entered with such promise is ending in disappointment. You would not get much argument from NHL experts if you stated Philadelphia as the biggest disappointment in terms of underachievement in the NHL this season. That said, they can still score plenty on this Devils team. That New Jersey win on Tuesday was their 1st in 11 games and a big reason for that is that the Devils have allowed an average of 4.5 goals per game their last 14 games. However, New Jersey has scored an average of 3.4 goals per game their last 7 games and will continue pushing here against a long-time rival. That said, #1 goalie Carter Hart is still likely out for Philly with injury. Brian Elliott has struggled against the Devils with 15 goals allowed in his last 4 starts against them. If Alex Lyon gets the start, he has allowed 9 goals in his 2 starts. It is not all on the goalies either. That is for sure because a big issue has been Philadelphia's defensive play. I expect this to be a continuing theme in this game and for the over to improve to 4-0 in last 4 meetings between these two. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey

West Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line +135 @ Minnesota Wild @ 7:05 ET - The Blues are off a dominating win over Colorado Monday. They won the game 4 to 1 and completely stifled and frustrated the Avalanche as even down 4 to 1 and putting all their efforts into trying to get offense going to get back in the game, the Avs struggled badly. Colorado could hardly even get the puck into the offensive zone and then when they did they could not sustain any pressure and the Blues would quickly get the puck out of the zone. It was a like a clinic on how to stop a potent offense and I fully expect St Louis to carry that momentum right into this game. I expected Binnington to get the start in goal and he has been solid. The Blues enter this game with 5 wins in their last 8 games. I know the Wild have won 7 straight games but Minnesota has played Arizona 3 times, San Jose 3 times, and Los Angeles 1 time. Those teams are all below St Louis in the standings. Conversely, the Blues have beaten Vegas once, Colorado twice, and Minnesota twice for the 5 wins during their 5-3 run. All of those teams have clinched a playoff berth. So yes the Wild are a good team and particularly when at home but there is a reason the odds makers opened this game up with Minny as a very small fave. Of course the public jumped all over the Wild on home ice and now all the line value is with the Blues. They have the goalie edge in this match-up no matter who is in goal as, against, all of Minnesota's wins came against weaker teams. This Blues team still has a lot to play for and they have proven that with their recent play on the ice. Also, St Louis has been better on the road than at home this season. The Blues have won 3 of last 4 meetings between these teams and their 3 victories came by a combined score of 16 to 4. Road rout likely here which will surprise everyone but not me. Look for the Wild to be flat after too many days off between games and also after having now clinched a playoff spot. 10* ST LOUIS

Perfect Ten Play - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - I am happy to put this 10-0 streak to the test. Playing against the Devils each of their last 10 games would have netted you a perfect 10-0 run at the betting window. Indeed New Jersey has lost 10 straight games and the Devils have lost 14 of 15 and 16 of 18. Sure they should have beaten the Flyers but that late rally for Philly that featured two late goals from their captain to tie it which led to an eventual shootout win is huge for momentum. Yes the Flyers are highly unlikely to make the playoffs but they still have 4 more games (including this one) that are against these struggling Devils. Until they are mathematically eliminated I feel you will not see any quit from Philly. Also, we get line value here since the Flyers are on the road but here is what is funny about that. Philadelphia is better on the road than at home this season and the Devils are worse at home than on the road this season. Yet home ice is always priced into the line and in this case it favors us because New Jersey has won just 4 of 24 home games this season. You read that right, the Devils have won just 16.7% of their home games on the year. I do not often lay prices but great price on this one here and is a very fair price especially considering all of the above factors. Look for the 10-0 run against New Jersey to make it 11 straight! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #69 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7:05 ET - My first thought here was playing the Avalanche with revenge. However, I simply can not trust their goaltending situation right now. Francouz has been out with injury. Grubauer is back from covid protocol but, if he plays, it would be his first action in two weeks! Dubnyk has been the guy for now and he is certainly not in top form right now after allowing 4 goals in the 5-3 loss at St Louis Monday. I do like the Blues Binnington in net but he is going to face a barrage of shots from a revenge-minded Avalanche team here. Also, Binnington has not fared well at all against Colorado this season. He has allowed 3 or more goals in each of his last 5 starts against the Avs. With Colorado coming out flying in this one but having a concern in terms of keeping the Blues from scoring, this one offers solid value with the over 6 currently available at plus money. I will take it! 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils @ 6:05 ET - The Flyers are struggling so bad defensively that, even though Carter Hart might be back in goal for this one, Philly is likely to give up plenty of goals. Philadelphia has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season and a lot of it has had to do with being unable to stop the opposition. This is the same reason the Devils continue to struggle. New Jersey enters this game having gone just 1-11 last 12 games and having allowed an average of 5 goals per game in the 11 defeats! Overall, 10 of the Devils last 12 games have totaled at least 6 goals and this is likely to be another barn-burner involving New Jersey. The Flyers have lost 5 of last 7 games and allowed 4.2 goals per game in regulation time of the 5 defeats. Philly should score well here against the struggling Devils but New Jersey has averaged 3 goals a game in last 4 match-ups with the Flyers. That is why I am expecting this one to fly over the total. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Sunday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - There is a reason this game is priced at a pick'em even though the Penguins are on home ice and have been fantastic there this season while the Bruins have not been as strong on the road. For one thing, it is a back to back for Pittsburgh. For another thing, Boston is now getting much healthier. Bergeron is the only concern but at least Coyle is back now if Bergeron misses again. However, I expect him to play. Either way, I like the value with the road team here. Their goalie situation also has stabilized with good health now. 10* BOSTON

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line +145 vs Colorado Avalanche @ 3:05 ET - I am aware that Grubauer might be back in goal for the Avalanche soon after being on the covid list. However, even if he played today, it would be his first game in nearly two weeks and he likely would be rusty. That means we are likely to see Dubnyk in goal here. I know he has won his first two starts for Colorado but this is still a guy who has twice as many losses as wins on the season and he is facing a determined an hungry Blues team here. St Louis won the first meeting of the season but has since lost 5 straight games versus the Avalanche. That said, the Blues want this game badly! Colorado could again be without Donskoi and Rantanen for this game for covid reasons. The Avalanche have been outshot by a combined 61 to 57 in the last two meetings and both games were very tight. This time the Blues get over the hump and I like the home dog value here. Binnington is 40-14-9 in home starts for St Louis the last 3 seasons combined and this game is critical for the Blues as they continue to battle for the #4 spot in the standings and the corresponding playoff spot that goes along with it. 10* ST LOUIS

Big East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - We have great line value here in my opinion. Yesterday the goalies were Elliott and Shesterkin and the total went off at 6.5 goals in a lot of spots. Even though the game was low-scoring there were plenty of shots on goal. Today the Flyers are expected to go with Alex Lyon between the pipes and it is highly doubtful that Shesterkin will go again for the Rangers in the 2nd game of a back to back. That said, look for plenty of goals in this one as neither team has their top goalie between the pipes. In fact it could be a match-up of #3 goalies. The last two meetings between these teams stayed under the total but, prior to this, 4 straight match-ups between them had totaled 7 or more goals. Those 4 games averaged 8.5 goals per game and I feel we are in line for another wild one between these clubs tonight. The goalie match-up very favorable for a high-scoring barn-burner. 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers

8* PHILADELPHIA +153 - The Flyers are 8-1 this season when they enter a game off exactly 2 consecutive losses. That is precisely why Philadelphia has only had 1 losing streak go more than 2 games this entire season. Philly has had 3 days off after a brutally tough 1-0 OT loss to the Islanders in a game in which they lost in the final seconds of overtime. The Flyers were the better team for much of that game. They have since had 3 days off while the Rangers enter this one after getting throttled 6-1 by the rival Islanders on Tuesday. The Rangers had won 4 straight games but all the victories came against the Devils. Against teams not named the Devils, New York has lost 6 of its last 10 games. This team is truly overvalued in this spot because the Flyers are viewing the remainder of the season as a character test so to speak and they truly fought hard against the Islanders on Sunday and deserved better than an OT loss. Way too much value with the big road dog. 8* PHILADELPHIA +153

10* WINNIPEG +118 - Great home dog spot here. The Maple Leafs were riding an amazing red hot beginning to a season with goalie Jack Campbell practically being automatic his first 10+ starts this season. However, he has cooled off and David Rittich has struggled some too and, just like that, the Leafs have now lost 5 straight games. One of the teams that gave Campbell a lot of trouble recently was Winnipeg and the Jets as a home dog are a must play in this spot in my opinion. Winnipeg is getting healthier with a couple players coming back and having Connor Hellebuyck in net is a big edge for the Jets in this one. Winnipeg is well-rested and off a home loss to Edmonton on Saturday. The Jets are 14-3 this season when off a loss! Look for Toronto to lose 6 straight as they are feeling the heat from this host who has their sights set on overtaking them for the top spot in the North Division. 10* WINNIPEG +118

Big East Beast - 10* OVER 6 in Pittsburgh - The Devils are still battling hard but they have been unable to keep the puck out of their own net. An upper body injury for New Jersey goalie Blackwood does not help matters in that regard. I am aware of the other injury issues for each team heading into this one but some of those are actually serving to give us good value here. This over 6 would have much higher juice or possibly even move to 6.5 if not for the injury concerns and I feel the result here is great value. That's because New Jersey has scored at least 3 goals in each of its last 3 games and has averaged 4 goals during this stretch. The Devils have allowed an average of 5 goals per game in their last 10 games! Not only is the over 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams but there has been an average of 10 goals scored in those 3 match-ups. 7 of the Penguins last 9 games have totaled 6 or more goals and those 7 contests averaged 9.6 goals per game! As you can see, these teams haven't just been involved in high-scoring games of late, they have been involved in barn-burners that fly well over the total. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 6 in Pittsburgh