Total of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders @ 8 ET – The Capitals Alex Ovechkin got going in their Game 4 win Tuesday and that is a good sign for Washington. It is always toughest to get that 4th win in a series and the Islanders know it. That said, expect a much better game from the Isles here but the Capitals now have confidence again and this is particularly true in the offensive zone. That should lead to plenty of goals in this one. We have seen a lot of high-scoring games in potential elimination games in recent days. When teams are putting it all on the line to save their season the scoring has gone up in most of those contests. 3 of the 4 games in this series have totaled 5 or more goals and, especially given the dynamics of this situation, I expect that this one will too. Starting with Blackhawks/Golden Knights Tuesday night, 4 of the 5 games in which a team was facing elimination totaled 7 or more goals. I expect a 4-3 type game here and will grab the value with this total at 5 goals. 10* OVER the total in Washington

PA Insider - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #76 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - The type of hockey being played may not be a thing of beauty but, the fact is, it is getting the job done for the Flyers and I expect that to continue here as they close out this series with the Canadiens. Philadelphia had its one wake up call in Game 2 of this series when they got blasted 5-0. The Flyers have outscored Montreal 5-1 in the other 3 games in this series. Also, Philadelphia earned the #1 seed by winning all 3 games of the round robin that preceded this and those 3 victories came by a combined score of 11 to 3. Keep in mind the Flyers were also one of the hottest teams in the league (winners in 9 of 10) when the league was shutdown in mid-March due to the covid-19 pandemic. So far in the bubble in Toronto the Flyers had that one ugly game against the Habs where they did not show up but they are 6-0 in the other 6 games and have won those by a combined score of 16 to 4. When you consider that as well as they fact that the Canadiens are using an interim coach who might have lost his players trust in Game 4, I see this series being close out Wednesday. Gallagher and Drouin sat on the bench for a lot of the 3rd period yesterday and you could see in the body language of the Habs after the game and from listening to the post-game interview, this team has internal strife right now. The Flyers are at the other end of the spectrum in that regard and head coach Alain Vigeneault will have his troops ready to close it out. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Total Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #73 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs Arizona Coyotes @ 5:30 ET - I absolutely expect a better "compete level" from the Coyotes here in Game 5 after they got thoroughly embarrassed in the 7-1 loss in Game 4 on Monday. However, the only way Arizona is going to compete is to take some chances to open things up offensively because you know the Avalanche are going to get theirs! Colorado is a high-octane very dangerous team and they were already clicking even in the Game 3 loss. That was a 4-2 loss for the Avs but they fired 51 shots on goal. Now that they have finally broken through big-time against Coyotes goalie Darcy Keumper, the floodgates are truly wide open. Look for the Avalanche to keep coming in waves in this one just like they did in the blowout win in Game 4. The Avs are averaging nearly 4 goals per game in this series and the Coyotes are averaging 2.3 goals per game the last 3 games. We can expect at least a 4-2 type game here in my opinion and the odds maker have moved the total from a 5 (prior games) to a 5.5 (this game) with good reason. Like I said, the floodgates are now open for this ultra dangerous Avalanche team and, at the other end, the Coyotes will have to take chances and try to create some good scoring chances. It is their only chance to possibly keep up in this game and have a chance to spring the upset. The over 5.5 is available at a solid plus money price so this is another added benefit here and I am going with a top play here. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #67 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Dallas Stars vs Calgary Flames @ 5:30 ET - Contrasting styles in this match-up and it is leading to more offense as the series has gone on. Two of the last three games have totaled 9 goals. The Stars got a wake-up call with the 2-0 shutout loss in Game 3 and they won't look back now. I am not saying they win this game but I am just saying that the 5-4 OT win in Game 4 showed them how they need to play. They can't match the physical play and size of the Flames but they can try and play faster and out-skate them. We saw flashes of that in Game 4 and it helped lead to a game with plenty of goals. The problem for the Stars is that they have had to use big players like Oleksiak for extended minutes to try and match the size of the Flames but he committed multiple penalties that hurt the Stars in Game 4 and led to power play goals for Calgary. Also, he made questionable decisions with the puck in my opinion. This is leading to turnovers and we're seeing a lot of great scoring chances for each club in this one because of the way they are playing. It is certainly not tight, defensive-minded hockey. It is more like first one to score 5 goals wins. In all seriousness, the Flames have averaged 4 goals per game their past 6 games and the Stars have their offense back (and confidence back) thanks to winning 2 of the last 3 games by a score of 5-4. With this total at 5 goals for this one I feel we have solid value on the over. I feel there is plenty of justification for this total to have moved to a 5.5 and it hasn't. Great line value as a result and I am expecting a 4-3 type game. 10* OVER the total in Dallas

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 3 ET - Playoff hockey includes plenty of physicality and a willingness to sacrifice the body. In Game 3, which was certainly a tight game that could have gone either way, the Flyers did lead in two very important categories come playoff time. Hits were 36-23 in favor of Philly. Blocked shots were 24-10 in favor of Philadelphia. The Flyers played a strong game and responded after the embarrassing Game 2 loss. That 5-0 defeat has made sure that Philly will not look past a Canadiens team that was the #12 seed in the qualifying round of the playoffs. Yes, Montreal may not have a good record on the season but they do have Carey Price between the pipes. However, Carter Hart was back to himself in Game 3 after Game 2's hiccup (and by the way his teammates really played poorly in that game). The Flyers have the coaching edge here with Montreal being coached by an assistant right now (Claude Julien underwent heart procedure). The Flyers are the better overall team and know they can not afford to let up. With another game tomorrow the team that wins today's game has huge momentum. That said momentum goes a long way and the Flyers know they can't give the Canadiens more life than they already did in Game 2. Philly seeks the 3-1 lead and can't let this series get knotted up and give new life to the Habs. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #58 Monday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - Look for a rally the troops game for Carolina as everyone will step up their game here after the Andrei Svechnikov injury in Game 3. He had a goal and assist in the Hurricanes Game 2 win. Now, after losing Game 3, it will be payback time for the Hurricanes. Keep in mind, Carolina should have won Game 1. The Bruins had a goal count in regulation that never should have counted. Had it not counted, the game would have never ended up in OT. Instead it would have been a 3-2 Canes win in regulation. The fact is these are 2 very evenly matched teams and I like getting the underdog value with a Hurricanes club looking to respond big off a loss and show a response after the Svechnikov injury. Additionally, I know that Jaroslav Halak is a solid netminder for the Bruins but he didn't have time to think too much when #1 goalie Tuukka Rask made his announcement that he was leaving the bubble just prior to Game 3. Now, with plenty of time for Halak to ponder everything and realize he is the #1 and Rask is gone, he might be more easily "rattled" by Hurricanes shots in this one and I am sure the Canes will be coming in waves in this must win game. They can't afford to go down 3-1 in this series. 10* CAROLINA

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - The Canadiens gave a huge effort in Game 2 to even this series up as they played inspired hockey right from the first drop of the puck. Their head coach Claude Julien was in the hospital and is now recovering from heart surgery and you have to give Montreal credit for a great effort in Game 2. However, not only did the Habs win that game they "showed up" the Flyers a little bit as assistant coach Kirk Muller (filling in for Julien) put his top power play unit on the ice late in the game and with the Canadiens already up 5-0. This did not go unnoticed by the Flyers and I already would have expected a huge response from Philly in Game 3 but that fact only strengthens their resolve. Keep in mind Philly was one of the hottest teams down the stretch in the regular season and the Canadiens were quite cold late in the season. Yes the Habs have a great goalie in Carey Price but the Flyers goalie Carter Hart plays like he is much older than his young age and is certainly showing signs, Game 2 notwithstanding, that he is going to be a great goalie in this league. Look for Hart and the Flyers to bounce back strong in Game 2. We're getting great line value here as a line that was closer to the -160 range in prior games is now down in the -130 range. The Flyers didn't show up in Game 2. They will be there in Game 3 and anybody that looks up and down the roster of skaters on these teams knows that the Flyers are the better team in this series. Yes, Montreal having Price in goal is big but the Flyers Hart has been fantastic in key games this season and this is another key game. Philly beat Price in Game 1 and I don't see them going down 2-1 in this series against a 12 seed! Yes the Habs got past the Penguins but Malkin looked out of sorts in that series and the Pens just aren't what they use to be. Philly earned the #1 seed with a strong regular season and then fantastic play in the round robin. One game doesn't change all that. It is payback time here. Head coach Alain Vigneault and the Flyers can't wait for their chance at redemption and they'll make it count here. Look for some of Philly's top guys to get going in this series. It shows how deep that Philly is that they have played well (up until Friday) in this post-season and yet many of their big guns have been held off the scoresheet. I look for that to change here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Sunday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (-) vs Calgary Flames @ 2 ET - The Stars outplayed the Flames in Game 3 but lost as Cam Talbot had a huge game between the pipes for Calgary. The Flames were without Matthew Tkachuk as he got roughed up in Game 2. Even if he comes back in Game 4 (he is a game time decision) the Flames leading scorer in the regular season is a -2 so far in this series. Tkachuk is finding out that if you start to get a certain reputation it will eventually catch up with you. The Stars are doing what the Jets should have done to properly handle Tkachuk in the qualifying round series. That aside, I like the overall game of the Stars and the way they have turned the tide in this series by winning Game 2 to even the series up and then being the better team in Game 3 even though they lost the game 2-0. Given that, I just don't see the Stars being denied in Game 4 and I look for them to knot this series up at 2 games apiece with another strong effort just like that had in Game 3. They are determined and still have confidence and that is a key and they'll find the back of the net a few times in this one and hold the Flames in check. 8* DALLAS

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Coyotes vs Colorado Avalanche @ 3 ET - No excuse for yesterday's game not to go over the total. The game was tied 2-2 after two periods. The Coyotes played much better in the offensive zone after being shutout in Game One. The Avalanche continued to show how dangerous they are with high skill and speed at the forward position. Yet missing a couple shots at the empty net ultimately resulted in a game that ended 3-2. I especially like this situation because it is a back to back and is a day game too. This puts extra stress because the Coyotes back-up goalie Raanta just now returned from injury and Kuemper is likely to get the start in this back to back spot. As strong as he has been this is still a tough situation for a netminder. The Avalanche have mostly used Grubauer throughout this post-season so now he goes in the 2nd game of a back to back or its Francouz that gets the start (likely) and he could show some rust. When you consider these factors and yesterday's tough result for over players plus the fact that the over 5.5 is available at +120 here, you have great value on the over in this spot. Arizona is down 2-0 in the series and will continue to push for more offensive zone time here even if it means more risk of trouble in their own defensive zone. Coyotes desperate for a win and the Avalanche want to play a more aggressive game after they were held in check for stretches in Game 2. Remember that in Game 1 the Avs had plenty of shots before finally breaking through. I expect this game to be their true breakout game as they score 4 or 5 goals and the Coyotes net at least a couple again. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Saturday 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ Noon ET - The "big bad Bruins" are a very small money line favorite in this Game 3 match-up for early Saturday even though they are off a very tight loss in Game 2. Keep in mind this is also after they swept the Hurricanes out of the playoffs last year plus almost won the Cup but fell just short against the Blues. The point is that this line may look "funny" but don't let it fool you. The Hurricanes have looked every bit as good as the Bruins so far in this series and are still very hungry for revenge from last season's ugly effort against Boston. The Bruins are a strong team but aren't quite what they use to be and the Canes should have won Game 1 too were it not for the Bruins being credited with a goal that never should have counted. Give me the underdog in this one! 8* CAROLINA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Friday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 8 ET - Washington let game one slip away as they blew a 2-0 lead. It was good that the Capitals had John Carson back on the ice but now they've lost Nicklas Backstrom for game two courtesy of a big hit from the Islanders Anders Lee that certainly did not go unnoticed by Tom Wilson and the Caps. The point is that this is a highly emotional series right off the bat as former Washington head coach Barry Trotz is now the head coach of the Islanders. These teams don't like each other at all and what I like about the Capitals in this spot is that they have been there done that! This is a team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago and knows how to handle adversity. That said, though the Islanders are a very strong team in their own right and may end up winning this series, I see the Capitals responding in a big way here in Game 2 and getting the win. Yes the series is early but to go into an 0-2 hole would be tough to climb out of and the Caps respond in a big way here in Game 2 after what happened in Game 1. I am speaking about the 2-0 lead being blown in the 4-2 loss and I am talking about Backstrom getting knocked out of the game. You are going to see a very focused effort from Alex Ovechkin and company in this one and they will not be denied. Take advantage of the low price being offered on this one. 10* WASHINGTON

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Friday 8* OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Vancouver Canucks @ 6:30 ET - The Canucks have won 4 straight games and scored an average of 4 goals per game in regulation time of those 4 victories. This is a young and fast team with a lot of skill and they continue to show that as they have played tough, defensive-minded teams in the form of the Wild and now the Blues. Wednesday's 5-2 Vancouver win was the 3rd time in 4 games that a Canucks game totaled 7 or more goals and I look for that trend to continue here. The Blues will again struggle to slow down the Canucks here but I do look for a strong effort from the Stanley Cup champs as they look to even this series up at a game apiece. Keep in mind St Louis has yet to win a game under the bubble in Edmonton and they need to change things up and be a little more aggressive in the offensive zone to finally push through. That said, this one should end up going over the total and we get some extra value with the over 5.5 available at solid plus money. 8* OVER the total in St Louis

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Friday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 3 PM ET - The Flyers didn't look that great in Game One. Carter Hart was great between the pipes and that is very important. But the point is that Philly didn't really play the high level game they had been playing throughout the round robin and yet they still won Wednesday's game. That says a lot about the disparity in terms of the levels of these two hockey clubs. The Flyers definitely earned their #1 seed for this post-season and Montreal is just fortunate to be there. Yes, the Canadiens beat the Penguins to get here but my point is that this is still a #12 seed that had quite a rough regular season. They have Carey Price between the pipes but in terms of skaters, they don't match up all that well with the Flyers. Also, Montreal will be without head coach Claude Julien as he went to the hospital with chest pains after Game 1. With the Flyers ready to play a much more focused and inspired effort after knowing they "got away with one" in Game 1, look for them to dominate in Game 2 on Friday afternoon and, based on this price, that makes them well worth a bet in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - After Carolina (and yours truly) got ripped off by the Bruins in Game 1 yesterday, we'll look for payback here in Game 2. Yesterday's game should have ended 3-2 in regulation time as a Hurricanes win. The Bruins were given a goal they never deserved on a play where the officials said there was no hand pass because the goalie then froze the puck after the hand pass. But if he froze the puck after the hand pass how is that the Bruins were allowed to play a frozen puck and score a key goal? This is not just a disgruntled Hurricanes bettor telling you this. I am telling you that all analysts who watched that play and spoke about it agreed. It was an egregious error by the officiating crew. Basically an impossible goal to allow to be counted in a situation like that. You can only imagine how fired up Carolina is here and they can't wait for this shot at quick redemption here in Game 2 and are happy this is a back to back spot so they can get right back on the ice. The Hurricanes welcomed back Dougie Hamilton in Game 1 and could get Justin Williams and Sami Vatanen both back for Game 2 on Thursday night. After the tough loss in the 2nd overtime yesterday, the Hurricanes will respond in a big way in Game 2. Yes, Boston is a strong team but they only won 4 of their last 8 regular season games in regulation time and still have not won a game in regulation in the bubble in Toronto. Look for that streak to continue here (4 straight games without a regulation win) and this time the Bruins are on the losing end. The Hurricanes are ultra hungry after getting swept out of the post-season by the Bruins last year and then after a frustrating result in game one. 10* CAROLINA

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #14 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - There are some very sharp "in the know" hockey folks who feel the Flyers have a great shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup this season. There are also many of those same people who feel the Canadiens are the worst hockey club in these NHL playoffs. Yes Carey Price is a fantastic goalie but the Flyers are a team that is heavy on producing shots. They produce a lot of shots and create great opportunities through head coach Alain Vigneault's systems. There has been a complete buy-in from the players and it is showing on the ice as they are a very tough team to play and again, as strong as Price is between the pipes, the Flyers are the much more talented team in terms of skaters. Also, you can't knock Flyers goalie Carter Hart as he shows amazing maturity for his young age and has appeared "in the zone" so far in these playoffs mentally and physically. He is certainly a big part of the reason that Philadelphia enters this game having won 12 of their past 13 games with 3 straight wins in the round robin and a 9-1 regular season ending run. The Habs certainly deserve some credit for getting past the Penguins in the qualifying round of this unusual post-season format. However, Evgeni Malkin did not look like himself in that series and the Pens just aren't what they use to be. Keep in mind, we're still talking about a Canadiens roster that lost 10 of 14 games to close out the regular season. They are lucky they even made it into this post-season format and, again, I give them (and in particular Price) credit for getting past Pittsburgh, but they face a much bigger challenge here and Vigneault and his Flyers know how important a Game 1 win is. 8* PHILADELPHIA

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Sunday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8 ET - The winner of this game takes on the Lightning. Wouldn't it be perfect if that team ended up being the Blue Jackets? The same Columbus team that swept Tampa Bay out of the first round of the playoffs last year after the Bolts had a regular season performance for the ages. I believe this is precisely what we'll see here. Yes I am aware of the injury situation with Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray of the Jackets but I am pulling the trigger on a huge bounce back performance from Columbus here. After the unreal loss to Maple Leafs Friday (Blue Jackets were up 3-0 with 6 minutes to go), Columbus will be right back to work here. Coach Tortorella would have it no other way and you're going to see one of the most physical and gritty performances from a wounded dog then you'll ever see in an NHL post-season. I just don't see the Blue Jackets being denied in this bounce back spot after the Maple Leafs miracle win on Friday night. To me the Jackets are the better playoff-built hockey team in this series. I know Toronto is very talented but I like the grit of this Blue Jackets team and feel we've got tremendous line value here with them as a sizable dog in a series where no team has managed to win back to back games. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* COLUMBUS

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Sunday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 3 ET - Will either team want to win this game? All kidding aside the winner gets Calgary and the loser gets Vancouver. While neither match-up is particularly appealing I would argue that facing the red hot Flames who dominated Winnipeg appears a little more daunting than facing a young Canucks team that squeaked by the Wild in tighter games. In any event the fact is that this adds even more value to simply playing the hungry dog in this one. Both teams are disappointed about the way they've played as each are 0-2 in the round robin and haven't played well. But the key to the value on Dallas here is twofold. For one thing the Stars are desperate for a win because they were on an 0-4-2 run before the March shutdown. Then they lost their exhibition game before going 0-2 in this round robin. Stars need a win! Secondly the Blues went 4-0-1 against Dallas in the regular season. The Stars want to atone for that should they meet up again in this post-season. It is time for a little payback and while Dallas may get Klingberg back for this game the Blues will be without Barbashev and plus Tarasenko has logged only 14 minutes of ice time so far (all in 1st game of round robin) as he continues to try and come back from injury which he certainly doesn't want to re-aggravate here in a bit of a meaningless game to be honest. All above factors considered, there is solid underdog value here. 8* DALLAS

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8 ET - Both these teams have looked sharp in the round robin action but the Lightning are having trouble hanging onto leads and that is in the back of their minds here. The Bolts were outshot by the Capitals in their first game of the round robin and blew a 2-0 lead and had to win it in the shootout. Then against Boston the Lightning again blew a 2-0 lead and won the game on a late goal with under 2 minutes to go. Now they face a Flyers team that is firing well on all cylinders right now and that is even with using back-up goalie Brian Elliott in their most recent game just to get him a little work. Now they'll use Carter Hart in goal for this battle for the #1 seed in the East and he looked absolutely fantastic in his round robin action against Boston. Hart has looked extremely sharp especially in big games for the Flyers and dating back to March, Philadelphia has won 11 of their past 12 games. You have to like the value of having them dog when you consider that. Also, unlike TB and their tight wins, Philly has been dominant and won their two games by a combined score of 7 to 2. While Tampa Bay is certainly a strong team the Flyers have been playing better in their own zone in terms of protecting leads and overall protection in front of their goalie and that will prove to be the difference again here. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Saturday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3 ET - The Avalanche are the best team in the NHL right now. They are healthier than they have been in a long, long time and it is amazing that MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen haven't scored yet in the first two round robin games and yet the Avs still have looked so good in winning the two games by a combined score of 6 to 1. In the regular season Colorado beat the Golden Knights by a combined score of 13 to 4 in their two meetings and those two games were at Vegas no less! Now these teams meet on neutral ice and the #1 seed for the upcoming NHL playoffs is on the line. I don't see the Avalanche being denied. They are the much better team. Yes, Vegas has also gone 2-0 in this round robin but they had a miracle rally against Dallas and then played a St Louis team that seemed surprisingly uninspired hockey. The Golden Knights, even with Blues seeming a bit sluggish, still had to rally from an early 2-0 hole and later still trailed 4-3 going to the 3rd period. Keep in mind they trailed the Stars by a count of 3-1 with about 10 minutes to go in that game before their miracle rally. The Vegas goaltending is suspect with Fleury struggling and Lehner now playing with his 4th club in 3 seasons! Lehner will get the start here and seems to have supplanted Fleury. The Avs have allowed just 1 goal so far in 2 games while the Golden Knights have allowed 7. Also, as shown in the regular season, the Avalanche have shown they pose some match-up problems for Vegas! 10* COLORADO

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 6:45 ET - The Oilers lost on a very late goal in Game 3. It was no fault of the goalie on that play but one thing for certain is that neither team has been particularly sharp between the pipes as goals continue piling up through this series. I know that the Blackhawks have played very well in this series and have Edmonton on the edge of elimination. However, I just don't see it happening. After the Oilers got off the initial shock of an ugly 1st period stretch in Game 1 of this series, they have played well for long stretches and I like the coaching edge here in a crucial game as well. Edmonton is coached by Dave Tippett and Chicago is coached by Jeremy Colliton. Note that Tippett was playing in the NHL before Colliton was even born. Yes he is 24 years his senior and I look for Tippett to rally the troops here for the Oilers. Teams off a loss in this post-season have responded well for the most part with the lone exception being a flat Rangers team that was ousted by a Hurricanes team that was firing on all cylinders. So not including the Canes series or the round robin games, we're talking about only the 5-game series here, teams off a loss are 12-3 so far. That is an 80% cash in rate and I am more than willing to lay the fair price (-130 range) here with a desperate, more talented, and better coached Oilers team. 10* EDMONTON

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Friday 7* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 4 ET - The Canadiens are up 2-1 in this series but the most dominating win belongs to the Penguins. Give Montreal credit for sure but it took OT to win Game 1 and then it took rallying from a 2-goal deficit in Game 3. Just like we saw after Game 1, look for the Penguins to rally the troops here. Pittsburgh is loaded with experienced veterans and they can play with pressure on their backs and in their heads. They raise the level of their games in this one and noticed my slightly reduced rating for this play since the money line is in the -155 range but I just can't pass up this opportunity. I see a lot of value here with the Penguins off a loss and having already shown in this series what they're capable of when fired up off a loss. Look for the Pens to come up with another huge effort like they did in Game 2 as they stave off elimination and force a game 5 winner takes all match-up for this weekend. 7* PITTSBURGH

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Friday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Arizona Coyotes @ 2:35 ET - The Predators are the better team in this match-up but sometimes crazy things happen. Nashville had about a dozen shots on goal before Arizona even got their first shot in Game 3 but none of the Preds shots found the back of the net while the Coyotes very first did. Then Nashville had apparently taken the lead in the third period of Game 3 only to have the goal over-turned. A deflating turn of events and, as a result, you're going to see a determined Predators team ready to take over in this game and force a winner takes all game 5. I respect the Coyotes but there is no doubt in my mind that the Preds are the better team and, of course, they're bringing their A game for this one. 8* NASHVILLE

NHL 10* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line +135 - The Maple Leafs loss of defenseman Jake Muzzin for the remainder of this series is a big loss. He is arguably their best blue liner and is a playoff-tested veteran. His absence will be felt and, though I have been impressed with Leafs goalie Anderson and how well he has played I am wondering when the cracks will start to show and losing Muzzin could be the beginning of it. The Blue Jackets aren't happy with the Game 2 result but have to be happy being tied 1-1 heading into this Game 3 and the fact that the games have been tight and low-scoring. That plays right into the hands of Columbus. Also, they have a big experience factor edge in coaching with Tortorella over Keefe. Keep in mind the Leafs were red hot when Keefe first took over for the fired Babcock early this season but they then faded the rest of the season. I am still not sold on this Toronto team. They are very talented and played a great game two but they are known for playoff failures and I expect a strong bounce back from a gritty Blue Jackets team that swept the league-best Lightning out of the post-season last year. Coach Torts and this Jackets team know a thing or two about playoff hockey and that experience edge as well as the Muzzin factor for this one means that this is way too much underdog value to pass up on. Great situation here with the Blue Jackets also picking up a little edge with being the designated home team for this one. Keep in mind that means they can match personnel the way they want because they get the "last change edge" on line changes. 10* COLUMBUS

NHL 8* St Louis Blues Money Line -105 - The Golden Knights are off a miracle win over Dallas. Give them credit for that for sure but it was a "perfect storm" of events that led to them rallying in the final half of the 3rd period. Yes, with about 10 minutes left, Vegas trailed Dallas 3 to 1 and it was a miracle comeback. In fact, even though only in their third season in the league, the fact that this was a franchise first - rallying from a 2-goal 3rd period deficit for the win - says a lot! The Blues are off a loss but were very impressive. They played the Avalanche, when healthy they are the best team in the league in my opinion, and they held them to just 1 goal until the Avs got the game winner with a tenth of a second left in the game. It was the tightest of losses and the defending champs will respond here and absolutely don't want to drop the first two games of their three in this round robin. Expect a highly motivated effort from the champs here. 8* ST LOUIS

NHL 8* OVER 6 goals in Philadelphia - The Flyers are expected to start Brian Elliott in goal for this one because they wanted to get him a game in this round robin action before the "real" post-season starts. Of course these seeding games are still important but I feel Elliott starting here makes a big difference. In the two games he started for the Flyers against the Capitals this season he actually played quite well but the games still totaled 7 and 9 goals respectively and I expect a similar result here. The Flyers looked very sharp in their win over the Bruins in the first round robin game and when you look back at what this Philly team was accomplishing before the sports shutdown in mid-March, they were one of the hottest teams in the league plus scoring a ton of goals. The win over Boston continued that trend but now I look for Washington to match them goal for goal in this one. The Capitals are loaded with firepower and Elliott could be trying to shake off rust in his first action in awhile. Also, Washington might have John Carson back for this one and the defenseman provides great production in the offensive zone. 8* OVER 6 goals in Philadelphia

NHL 10* Colorado -125 - The Stars are off the type of loss that is very tough to bounce back from. Dallas just allowed a very late lead against Vegas to slip away and a 3-1 edge turned into a 5-3 defeat in an inexcusable turn of events. The Stars have had the Avs number and that showed in the regular season meetings between these teams. But Colorado is healthy and hungry and has their eye on earning the #1 seed through this round-robin event after knocking off the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues in the opener. Colorado didn't even get much production on offense from their top guys and yet still beat St Louis and that says a lot about just how good this Avalanche team is. I look for much more from them in this game Wednesday as they are so hungry for the #1 seed and they want to prove to Dallas that they can top them in case these teams do meet up again in the post-season. I respect the Stars but the situational edges go to the Avs here and that is why this game is priced the way it is. Lay it! 10* COLORADO

NHL 8* Boston -110 - The Bruins looked terrible against the Flyers and need to make up for that with a strong effort here. They also want to make a statement against the Lightning. Tampa Bay held the upper hand in their regular season series this season. Also, these teams could meet in the Eastern Conference post-season once we get past these round-robin seeing games. The Bolts got a tight hard-fought win over the Capitals and could be a little spent here. The Bruins need to make a statement, they have an extra day of rest compared to TB, and they don't want to go stumbling into the true post-season action. They also get Tuukka Rask back between the pipes for this game. All signs point to a much better effort here and they will prove to be the hungrier team. 8* BOSTON

NHL 8* Nashville -125 - The Coyotes have a lot to be concerned about here. This series is 1-1 but the Coyotes went through a stretch of getting outscored 7 to 1 from the 1st game through the 2nd game until they scored two meaningless late goals in Game 2. A bad sign for Arizona is they were down 2-0 after one period in Game 1 and yet still got tremendously outshot the rest of the way. It is apparent that Nashville is starting to flex their muscles in this match-up and that should continue here. While the Predators have two very capable goalies (and this is a back to back spot by the way) the Coyotes only have one healthy netminder right now plus Ariziona has been without their leading scorer after he got hurt in their exhibition game. 8* NASHVILLE 

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Tuesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Calgary Flames @ 6:45 ET - I successfully used the Jets in Game 2 under the theory of "wounded dog bites the hardest" and that paid off then and I feel it will again in Game 3. Yes the Jets are hurting with the injury issues for Laine and Scheifele but they are a determined bunch and using the Tkachuck / Scheifele incident as a motivating factor for the rest of this series is going to carry them. Though it took a late goal to put away the Flames in Game 2 it never should have come to that. Both the Calgary goals were a bit fluky. First off a horrific turnover where the Jets suddenly (and mistakenly) let up and you could just see it that something stupid/bad was about to happen. Then the other Flames goal went in off a redirect off a Jets players skate! As for the Jets goals the 1st and 3rd were beauties and the 2nd one was a gritty goal in front where hard work right in front of the goalie and being willing to take a shot off yourself and then score off it was key. I have really liked the way the Jets Hellebuyck has been playing and neither goal was his fault in game two. That said, the Jets are offering superb underdog value and this highly motivated bunch gets it done in game 3 as a sizable dog again. 10* WINNIPEG

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Tuesday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 4 ET - The Maple Leafs are coached by 39-year old Sheldon Keefe. I am not trying to knock the young coach too much and he did lead the AHL's Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup, but he is having trouble here matching wits with the far more experienced coach in the Blue Jackets John Tortorella whom is 23 years older. Toronto has some great talent up front with their forwards but Columbus is stifling that and frustrating them. Keep in mind this is the same Columbus team which swept the Lightning out of the first round of the playoffs last season. Tampa Bay, Tortorella's former team, had a fantastic regular season but it didn't matter. Similar thing here. The Maple Leafs are essentially playing on home ice since Toronto is a hub city and the Leafs had a better regular season record too. However, lets not forget that after Keefe first took over the Maple Leafs this season they won 15 of 20 games. However, they then wrapped up the season by losing 27 of 47. It is a lot of pressure on the Leafs here to win at home, even though no fans here in this unique situation, and the Blue Jackets are playing much more relaxed and poised and staying within themselves. The Leafs I suspect will continue to crack under the pressure. We have excellent underdog line value here as a result. 8* COLUMBUS

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #46 Tuesday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Arizona Coyotes @ 2:30 ET - The Predators spotted the Coyotes a 3-0 lead and still almost came back to win the game as they fell just short in the 4-3 final. I feel we've got great line value here with a moderate money line price on Nashville to even the series up. Saros settled in nicely in goal as the game went on and Rinne is a playoff veteran who is also a great option in goal. The Predators generated plenty of shots on goal in game one so I am not worried about their production in the offensive zone here. The Coyotes had some fortunate bounces at the other end and give them credit but the puck luck is unlikely to be on their side again in game two. I don't see the higher seeded Preds being denied in terms of evening the series up. 8* NASHVILLE

No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Monday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:30 ET - Who is the Golden Knights goalie here? I don't know...your guess good as mine! All kidding aside folks, though Fleury played in the exhibition game it is expected to be Lehner that gets the nod here. However, I really believe that the goalie situation in Vegas is going to end up being an issue. I have seen this before with Fleury in the post-season when he is looking over his shoulder. Vegas, after the coaching change, certainly has improved and this has been particularly true on defense. However, Dallas is certainly no slouch either when it comes to defensive-minded hockey. That being said, I love the underdog value with the under-rated Stars in this one. Keep in mind, yesterday I had the Flyers in a #4 vs #1 match-up in the round-robin in the East and Philly got a solid 4-1 upset win over the Bruins. I strongly feel that the new playoff format for this strange season really favors the lower seeds. Philly gets a chance to move all the way up to the #1 seed in a span of just 3 games and the same holds true for the Stars as well. I see them being very hungry as a result and taking step one toward that goal with a win here. I am expecting a better effort from Vegas than we saw with Boston yesterday but I also expect the unsettled goalie situation for the Golden Knights to lead to an early goal for Dallas as that is a key to their success. The Stars get that early goal and then suffocate and frustrate teams. That is their game plan here and I like them to get the job done. It is with good reason that the Golden Knights were priced as such as a short favorite here and yet they are still attracting the bets in this one and the line has moved their way. i love spots like this and feel the markets are fooled on this one. Give me the very hungry dog! 10* DALLAS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Monday 8* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Calgary Flames @ 2:30 ET - It doesn't even matter if the play had ill intent or not. All that matter is the Jets feel it did and that has them fired up beyond belief for game two of this series. Very early in game 1 the Flames Tkachuk rode the Jets Scheifele into the boards and seemed to lift one of his skates up and into Scheifele as they came into the boards. It was not a hard hit by any means and was a normal hockey play other than the raising of the skate. Scheifele got hurt, Winnipeg is fired up and then they lost start Patrik Laine to injury late in the 3rd period. Even if neither guy plays today (Scheifele in particular is doubtful), the old saying about the "wounded dog bites the hardest" is what holds true here. I don't see the Jets being denied no matter whom is on the ice for them after what happened in game 1's 4-1 loss. This is a "rally the troops" kind of game for Winnipeg and the Jets will bring their A game and have a tremendous passion burning for this game that will carry them for the full 60 minutes. This is going to be a very entertaining game and I look for the Jets to be aggressive, physical, and to refuse to be denied here. Because of the injury situation they are a sizable dog here and I'll take advantage of the added underdog line value as a result. 8* WINNIPEG

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #20 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs St Louis Blues @ 6:30 ET - The Blues did not look good in their 4-0 loss to the Blackhawks. Granted it was only an exhibition game but was not a good sign for a St Louis team that is certainly a very strong team (they are the defending champs after all) but that struggles against teams with good speed. That said, this is a really tough match-up for the Blues as the Avalanche are so dangerous with their top line of MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog. Colorado would have had an even better record to this point were it not for injuries but now, fully healthy, and with two very capable goalies too, the Avs are a real threat to win it all this season. They are fully focused on the top prize and know that earning a top seed for the post-season could go a long way toward securing that goal. The Avalanche are hungry and, for the Blues, lets just remind everyone how hard it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champs and to have a target on your back. Yes this is just one game as part of the round robin (the teams involved in the West are Vegas and Dallas) but this is a chance for the hungrier team to prove they are going to be a force to be reckoned with and, again, their team speed is going to be a problem for the Blues. This is the type of match-up that gives St Louis fits when they're firing on all cylinders and, of course, the Blues are not yet in that "mode" just yet after the long layoff. Speed kills. 10* COLORADO

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 3 ET - The Bruins Tuukka Rask says he is fully recovered from a broken finger. However, the Boston goalie certainly did not look good in their exhibition game against the Blue Jackets leading into this one. That was the only bad news from the game for Bruins fans as Brad Marchand also went out with a lower body injury and is expected to miss this game. This one is part of the round robin series for seeding 1 through 4 for the upcoming playoffs. The Flyers are extra hungry as the #4 seed and are very welcoming of the fantastic opportunity to move up to the #1 seed with a good performance in this round robin event. The other two games will be against the Capitals and Lightning. Philly took 2 out of 3 regular season match-ups from the Bruins and enter this match-up as the healthier team. Also, the Flyers adjusted so well to their new head coach and new systems this season and were "feeling it" prior to the shutdown of the sports world due to the pandemic. That said, I look for Philadelphia to pick up right where they left off prior to the shutdown as the players have shown a complete "buy in" to the new systems this season and that makes them a dangerous dog in this spot. The value is clearly with the healthier team here as an underdog and with Carter Hart between the pipes. The young netminder showed a knack for stepping up in big games this season and I expect the same thing here. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 4 ET - Why did this line open in the pick'em range? Well the Islanders were the coldest team in the NHL prior to the unexpected shutdown of sports back in mid-March. That said, the ugly 7-game losing streak is keeping this line lower than it should be. The Islanders, as much as any team in the NHL, really benefited from the break. Now they, of course, have had plenty of time to regroup and also they are much healthier and got some key players back they otherwise would not have had. I know the games weren't the ones that count but in action leading up to this game in the short summer camp that each team was afforded, the Panthers got blasted 5-0 by Tampa Bay while the Islanders are off a tight, morale-boosting win. Sergei Bobrovsky is the Panthers goalie and is a combined 1-5 the past 2 seasons in starts against the Islanders. His first season in Florida has been rough as he has posted the highest GAA of his 10-year career. I feel strongly that the Islanders have the edge in goal in this match-up and in a 5-game series, winning game one is so critical. I don't see the Isles being denied in this one and, just like the series 4 years ago when these teams met in the post-season, the Panthers will fall short in Game One. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Wednesday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 9:05 ET - The Jets have been hot on home ice but cold on enemy ice and I look for that trend to continue here. If you had just played the home team in each of Winnipeg's last 8 games you would be a perfect 8-0. I like backing Edmonton here as they should get Connor McDavid back. He missed Monday's game against Vegas with an illness. I am expecting him back tonight but, either way, I look for the Oilers to respond big off that tough OT loss Monday. Edmonton had won 8 of 12 on home ice prior to that tough loss to the Golden Knights in which they gave up the tying goal late in the 3rd period. The Oilers had won 4 of 5 prior to the loss to Vegas. Also, the Jets have had their number in recent meetings. Edmonton got a much needed win this series on the final day of February but there is still much payback to be delivered as Winnipeg has been a nemesis in recent seasons. Coming off a loss, the Oilers come in hungry and take advantage of a Jets team that has lost 4 straight road games. 10* EDMONTON

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks Corey Crawford has been playing well between the pipes but he certainly doesn't have good recent history against the Sharks. In fact, Crawford's struggles against San Jose are part of the reason 7 straight meetings between these teams have all totaled 6 or more goals. I look for Chicago to bounce back here off a shutout home loss to the Blues Sunday. That was preceded by a 2-1 shocking loss at Detroit but the Blackhawks entered that game having scored an average of 4.4 goals in 5 prior games. They'll get back on track here against a Sharks team that is off a 4-3 loss to Colorado and that has allowed 3.7 goals per game in its last 3 road games. San Jose has been scrappy and playing competitive hockey but they won't be able to slow down the Blackhawks in this one and that is why I like the over. Should be another back and forth high-scoring game between these two teams. The end result will be an 8th straight game totaling 6 or more goals between these clubs. The Sharks have scored an average of 3.2 goals per game their last 5 games. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - The Red Wings off huge upset win over Tampa Bay and scored 4 goals in regulation. On Tuesday they are expected to be facing former Detroit netminder Peter Mrazek as he returns from injury. The Hurricanes goalie is likely going to have to shake off some rust in his first start in awhile and he also has struggled on the road this season. Away from home on the season Mrazek is 5-8-2 with a 3.05 GAA. The Red Wings have been a scrappy team of late and have hung tough with teams in 4 straight games! Hanging tough again here means another high-scoring game is likely. That's because the Red Wings options in goal are Jimmy Howard (having an awful season) or Jonathan Bernier. Note that Bernier has allowed 3 or more goals in 9 of his last 11 full-game efforts. You can see why, given the goalie situation, I am expecting each team to get to 3 goals in those game and yet we're dealing with a total of only 5.5 goals on this one. The Canes are off back to back wins and starting to "feel it again" in the offensive zone. On the other end of the ice Carolina had allowed 3 or more goals in 6 straight games before coming up with back to back wins. I like the way both the Hurricanes and Red Wings are trending heading into this one and expect plenty of goals. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #50 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers have defeated the Bruins 4 straight times. Philadelphia enters this game on a 9-game winning streak and has won 7 straight home games. The Flyers, on home ice this season, are a fantastic 25-5-4 this season. Boston has the best record in the NHL so of course Philly is available in a pick'em price range here even with consideration to their home ice dominance this season. The Flyers haven't missed a step even since James van Riemsdyk went down with injury. Also, the Bruins do have a few injury issues heading into this game. I expect Carter Hart to get the start for the Flyers here. The young phenom netminder is 20-2-2 with a 1.61 GAA on home ice this season! Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start for the Bruins here and he has been "hit or miss" in recent starts. Rask has allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of his last 5 starts. Boston has lost 3 of its past 7 games 3 of the 4 wins came by a single goal. 8 of the Flyers 9 wins during their current winning streak have come by a multiple goal margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Pacific Division Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Monday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - Golden Knights blew a 3-0 lead at Calgary yesterday but managed to score late for a key divisional win over the Flames. Keep in mind this was with their hot goalie Robin Lehner between the pipes. Now Vegas is at Edmonton and the choices in the goal or Lehner in a back to back or, more likely, Marc-Andre Fleury getting the start. As I have written about in recent games involving the Knights, Fleury is struggling because of the Lehner addition. It is in his head and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his past two starts and this was even with facing a limited number of shots (an average of about 20 per game). Now Fleury faces an angry Oilers team as the Golden Knights are two points ahead of them for 1st in the division, plus shut them out at Vegas late last month, and it is payback time for Edmonton on home ice here. The only very impressive start Fleury has had in his last five starts was against the Oilers. Now Edmonton, in the rematch, has the home ice edge and the situational edge. The Oilers are at home and playing just their 2nd game in 4 days while the Golden Knights are playing their 2nd game in back to back nights and are on the road again. Vegas has done well in back to backs this season but Fleury has a capable back-up now in Lehner and this is effecting his psyche. I do expect Fleury to start (and struggle again) tonight but if Lehner does go I still like this play as he allowed 4 goals the last time he faced the Oilers and back to backs are not easy (nor typical) for goalies. 10* EDMONTON

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Sabres will have Linus Ullmark back between the pipes tonight. Though that is a good thing long-term for Buffalo, don't be surprised if he has plenty of rest in his first game back. That said, facing a highly potent Capitals team is not a good match-up for him and Ullmark allowed 6 goals when he most recently faced Washington in November. The Capitals choices between the pipes are Ilya Samsonov and Braden Holtby. Note that Samsonov has a poor .866 save percentage in his last 4 starts. As for Holtby, he allowed 4 goals in his most recent start at Buffalo. Also, Holtby and the Capitals are coming off a key 5-2 win in a big divisional showdown with the Penguins on Saturday. Don't be surprised if we see a bit of a letdown in the defensive zone tonight after tremendous effort in the win at Pittsburgh. The Sabres are desperate and should score well here but the expected rust for Ullmark increases the likelihood the Capitals score plenty as well. The over is 4-0 in Washington's games this month and 6-1 their last 7 overall. The Sabres have had just 1 under in their last 4 games and their most recent home game (a push against the Pens) absolutely should have gone over the total. This one won't stall out late like that one did! 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Money Line Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #26 Sunday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Great spot for the Flames here. They are at home and on a 3-game winning streak and they don't play again until Thursday! Conversely, the Golden Knights are off an ugly road loss and have another road game on deck tomorrow night at Edmonton. While Calgary can lay it all on the line here knowing rest is forthcoming, Vegas has a goalie decision to make tonight. Will it be Marc-Andre Fleury or Robin Lehner. Have the Golden Knights impacted Fleury's mindset by bringing in Lehner. Note that Lehner would be making his first road start as a Knight and he has allowed 4 goals per game in his 4 road starts since the calendar hit 2020. That included allowing 4 goals here in Calgary last month. As for Fleury, he has not looked the same since Vegas acquired Lehner. The Golden Knights have lost 2 of 3 and scored a total of just 4 goals in those 3 games. I really like the firepower we have seen with the Flames in recent weeks as Calgary has averaged 4 goals per game the past 4 weeks! They stay hot here and win a key divisional battle. 10* CALGARY

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 5:05 ET - I understand the line move here. The total went from a 6 to a 5.5 and it is likely that Jonathan Bernier will get the start in goal for Detroit. The Red Wings netminder has indeed being playing well. However, the way I see this game playing out is that Tampa Bay comes out a little flat after their huge win at Boston yesterday. That was a very important game for the Lightning and also was an extremely physical penalty-filled contest. Tampa is not going to be on top of its game in its defensive zone in this game as a result. They used up a lot of mental and physical energy in hanging on for the win against the Bruins yesterday. Also, the Bolts used their #1 netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy yesterday. That is why I would not be surprised to see the Red Wings have some scoring success on home ice in this one. Detroit has been playing better of late and is playing with more effort and energy and winning more puck battles. So look for the Red Wings to pot a few goals here and take advantage of the situation. However, at the end of the day, the Lightning are just so much better in terms of the talent level of their top lines and they're going to eventually respond and put a ton of pressure on Bernier and the Red Wings. That is why I am expecting this game to see a lot more scoring than you would normally expect in this match-up. Look for a 5-3 type game here when all is said and done. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Sunday 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 1:35 ET - The Hurricanes still have a tough goalie situation as both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer recently got hurt in the same game. With Anton Forsberg having started yesterday, the inexperienced Alex Nedeljkovic is likely to get the start here. He has allowed 4 goals in each of his two starts this season. As for the Penguins, Tristan Jarry is likely to get the call and he has allowed 5 goals in 2 of his last 3 starts. Matt Murray was between the pipes yesterday and he allowed 5 goals. Pittsburgh has allowed an average of 3.8 goals per game in its last 9 games. Carolina has allowed 3.4 goals per game in regulation time of its past 7 games. I know the Hurricanes haven't been scoring a ton but they are a very talented group up front and will build off yesterday's 3-2 OT win. That is the type of win that gives a team momentum and confidence. As for the Penguins they are much healthier than they have been in a long time and they had won back to back games and scored 11 goals in those two victories prior to the dud against the Capitals yesterday. Look for the Pens to respond here in the offensive zone but their suspect goaltending continues and the result is a high-scoring barn-burner here! 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Total Smash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - With the Panthers off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Bruins and the Canadiens off a 4-0 shutout loss at Tampa Bay, I look for a rebound here and plenty of goals from each team. Yes, Chris Driedger is back in goal for Florida but he is still a bit unproven at this young stage in his career. This will be just his 10th NHL start and, prior to the solid effort against Boston, he had allowed 4 goals in each of his two preceding starts. Montreal has allowed an average of 3.4 goals per game in its last 5 games and will struggle with the potent Panthers attack. The Habs had scored an average of 3.3 goals per game in their 8 games preceding the shutout loss to the Lightning. Both these clubs very capable of a strong bounce back in the offensive zone in this one and I am not as sold on the goaltending situation here as the markets are (total dropped from a 6.5 to a 6 in overnight trading). 10* OVER the total in Florida

Atlantic Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning are one of the best teams in the league and, after hitting a recent rough patch (which followed a torrid winning streak) they are rounding back into form even without Steven Stamkos. That said, this is a rare (and fantastic) opportunity to back them as an underdog! Because this game is at Boston (#1 record in the NHL) we're able to get the Bolts at a dog price. The Lightning are playing with revenge after losing to the Bruins at home on Tuesday in a tight 2-1 loss. Prior to that defeat, Tampa Bay had won 4 straight meetings and remember they also knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs two years ago by winning 4 straight games after dropping the season opener. The point is that the Bolts have had Boston's number but now are off a rare loss in this series. That said, remember who was the #1 regular season team by a landslide last season? Yes, it was Tampa. Now Boston has that honor with about month of regular season hockey to go. Look for the Lightning to come out playing like a team that wants to show who is still the league's best team. They are gearing up for a much better post-season performance in this post-season and the Bolts will play with a tremendous amount of effort and energy in this game. The Bruins were fortunate to beat the Panthers Thursday and Boston's two recent losses came by a combined score of 14 to 5. One of those ugly losses was on home ice too and this is great spot for Lightning to hand them another one. 10* TAMPA BAY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Saturday 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 1:05 ET - The Hurricanes are still without their top two goalies. The Islanders have their top two goalies but each of them is struggling right now. Carolina is also hurting (literally) in terms of a cluster of injuries impacting their defensive corps. That being said, this total being posted at 5.5 is based more on long-term numbers than the current situation. The current situation suggests there will be plenty of goals in this one. The Islanders have allowed 19 goals in regulation time of their past 5 games. The Isles have score an average of 3.6 goals per game in their last dozen home games. Carolina has allowed 3.7 goals per game in regulation time of their last 6 games. The Canes played better in the offensive zone than the 4-1 loss at Philly Thursday would lead you to believe. The problem was they faced a goalie, Carter Hart, whom dominates on home ice. That is certainly not the case here and the Hurricanes offense explodes but they'll struggle to stop the revenge-minded Islanders too. 8* OVER the total in the New York Islanders

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #70 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Marc-Andre Fleury was having a great season for the Golden Knights and had been on a strong run and the Vegas management had to go and screw it all up. At least that is my opinion with the Knights acquisition of Robin Lehner. We've seen this story before with Fleury in Pittsburgh. He did great there until they brought in a quality back and then it as if he cracked under the pressure. So now, instead of a back-up like Malcolm Subban behind him, Fleury has Lehner in the rear-view mirror. Lehner already off back to back great starts with Vegas. As for Fleury he is off an ugly effort against the division rival Kings that saw him allow 4 goals on just 17 shots! Now Fleury and the Golden Knights have to go on the road and face a hungry Jets team that has a high-quality netminder in Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. Winnipeg is battling for their playoff lives and to get them as a home dog in a spot like this is truly a high value spot. The Jets have held the upper hand in recent meetings with Vegas and I fully expect that to continue here. The last two times Fleury was in the net against them, they won those games by a combined score of 10 to 4. Look for more dominance here as the situation is deal for a home rout. 10* WINNIPEG

GOALIE UPDATE: I should have noted in original write-up that Cory Schneider might get the nod tonight in between the pipes. Indeed that now appears to be the case but, keep in mind, it hasn't just been Mackenzie Blackwood playing well in goal for the Devils of late. New Jersey's Schneider has been fantastic since he returned from injury. Schneider has allowed a total of only 4 goals in his last 3 starts! The markets are disrespecting him because of his full season numbers but he is a veteran netminder that has returned with a vengeance and will continue his string of great starts here! ORIGINAL write-up: Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #66 Friday 8* New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Blues are red hot but if there ever was the ideal "bump in the road" spot this it it! St Louis has a divisional game on deck with Chicago and is off a 3-1 win at New York against the Rangers Tuesday. In that victory the Blues rallied with two late goals for the win so it was not nearly as easy of a win as it might look at first glance. Now the Blues take on a Devils team that is happy to be back on home ice and looking forward to redeeming themselves. New Jersey is off a 3-0 loss at Vegas that wrapped up a west coast road trip. Prior to that defeat the Devils had won 8 of 13 games. They've actually been playing some of their best hockey of the season and that has been thanks in large part to red goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. He did allow 3 goals to the Golden Knights but that was still as solid effort and he is coming off a February in which he compiled a phenomenal .967 save percentage. He allowed just 9 goals in 7 starts last month. Running into a hot goalie is the one thing that can absolutely shut down a hot team and I love having Blackwood and the Devils at a PLUS 165 home dog price in this one. Grab the big underdog. 8* NEW JERSEY

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ottawa Senators vs New York Islanders @ 7:35 ET - Marcus Hogberg has been better in goal of late in comparison with Craig Anderson. However, Hogberg has been dealing with a family matter and the Senators even recently called up goalie Filip Gustavsson from the minors. No matter how you look at it, Ottawa's goalie situation is tenuous right now and the fired up Islanders will take advantage. However, the issue for New York is they can't stop anyone! The Isles have allowed 15 goals in their last 4 games as they are suddenly struggling with some goaltending issues of their own. The Islanders offensive production should come back to life against the lowly Senators but I do look for Ottawa to pot a few goals as well and that is why I am grabbing the over in this match-up. The Sens have allowed 3.64 goals per game their last 14 games. The Senators have scored 3.2 goals per game their last 5 games. Neither of those stats includes OT or SO goals of course. That said, the Sens have been scrappy of late on home ice and we'll get their fair share here but look for the desperate Islanders to answer them goal for goal. The Isles still trying to secure a playoff spot and this game will feature plenty of scoring given all of the above. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #52 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - I fully understand the Flyers are off a big win last night as they won at Washington to close the gap with the first-place Capitals to just a single point. However, I don't expect Philadelphia to come out flat tonight and they are offering tremendous line value in this spot. The Flyers used Brian Elliott in goal last night and that means Carter Hart will be between the pipes tonight. Hart has absolutely dominated on home ice this season. For that matter, so too have the Flyers overall. Philadelphia offers great value here as they opened up in the -135 price range for this one. Philly has won 7 straight games. Also, the Flyers are 23-5-4 on home ice this season! While Philadelphia will have their #1 goalie in the crease tonight, the Hurricanes are still without BOTH of their top two goalies. Carolina's Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are currently out with injuries. Look for the home team Flyers to roll huge in this one and make it 8 in a row! Home ice edge and goalie edge are both huge in this match-up. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Thursday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Great home dog value here. The Bruins are off a huge win over rival Tampa Bay Tuesday. The Lightning have been a thorn in the side of Boston for a long time and, after that hard-fought 2-1 win and now playing on the road yet again, the Bruins fall flat here. Another divisional foe, Florida, has been lying in wait and goalie Chris Driedger is expected back for this one. Driedger has been great and the Panthers have revenge here after losing at home to the Bruins in their most recent meeting. That was preceded by Florida winning 6 of the last 9 meetings and I like this home underdog situation for the hungry Panthers. They enter this game off a home shutout versus Calgary Sunday. In other words, Florida has a rest edge and a motivational edge and a situational edge in comparison with Bruins here. Upset alert with the Panthers! 10* FLORIDA

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #39 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 8:35 ET - The Blue Jackets will build off their 5-3 win versus Vancouver Sunday as they rallied from a 3-1 deficit late in the 3rd period and scored 4 unanswered goals. That gives Columbus some momentum heading into this game but they still have a tough goaltending situation. Joonas Korpisalo is back but is still showing signs of rust from the time away when he was injured. Also, Elvis Merzlikins is now out with an injury and this is a Jackets team that has allowed 3.7 goals per game in regulation time of their last 10 games. Columbus allowed 3 goals in ALL TEN of those games. The total on this game is only a 5.5 and I feel we have great value with the over in this one. Calgary shutout the Blue Jackets at Columbus earlier this season so payback is on order here. The two meetings last season between these teams saw the clubs combine to average 10.5 goals per game! The Flames enter this game off a rare shutout as they won 3-0 at Florida Sunday. Prior to that low-scoring win, Calgary had allowed 3.7 goals per game in their 7 most recent games. While Columbus got back on track and will have extra confidence in the offensive zone in this one as a result, look for the home team to do plenty of damage in the offensive zone too! The Flames have scored an average of 4.3 goals per game their last 12 games! 10* OVER the total in Calgary

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals have revenge from an ugly home loss the last time they faced the Flyers. However, one has to be careful just blindly playing revenge situations. Take a closer look at this game and realize that Philadelphia is on fire right now and has a chance to further close the gap on Washington for the top spot in the division by coming up with a win here. If the Flyers get a regulation win in this match-up they will be just a single point out of first place in the Metropolitan! The Capitals are off a road win at Minnesota but that was preceded by a 10-game stretch that saw Washington lose 7 games! As for the Flyers, they enter this game on a 6-game winning streak and have just 5 losses in their last 20 games! Great value with the solid road dog price and I'll back the team that has been the much better team of late as the Flyers continue to play with a ton of confidence. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Non-Conference Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #18 Tuesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set-up here. The Rangers had been surging but then ran into a red hot Flyers team and lost both games in a home and home set to wrap up last week. New York played better than the final score would indicate in Sunday's home loss to Philadelphia. Also, the Rangers will have Alexanadar Georgiev between the pipes for this one. He struggled against the Flyers Friday but had been red hot prior to that. Look for Georgiev to get right back on track and the Rangers are catching the Blues at the perfect time for a home dog upset. St Louis is off a key divisional win over Dallas on Saturday which saw the Blues win 4-3 in the shootout. The Rangers have revenge her as they lost at St Louis 5-2 in January. The Rangers had swept the Blues last season and won those games by a combined score of 6-3. Look for the home team to get payback here at an underdog price as St Louis is over-valued now because of their recent winning streak. The Blues had been ice cold prior to this 7-game run. The Rangers had won 9 of 10 prior the back to back losses to a red-hot Philly team. The value is clearly with the home dog here in a big way. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Islanders vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - The under is attracting some attention here but in typical contrarian fashion I am on the over. The Islanders are though of as an "under" team but take a closer look at what they've done on home ice and you'll see why I like the over so much in this spot especially as we get value with the over 5.5 and not even having to lay any juice! The Isles are off a 4-0 home loss but that came against a tough Bruins team that was angry. Note that prior to that defeat, the Islanders had scored an average of 4.1 goals per game over their 10 prior home games! You can see that the Isles generally score well at home. The issue for New York of late has been between the pipes. The Islanders have started giving up more goals in recent games and now they face a Canadiens team that has been scoring quite well. That is why 6 of Montreal's last 7 games have totaled 7 or more goals. In 5 of those 7 games BOTH the Habs and their opponent EACH scored 3 goals. You can see why I am liking the over in this match-up as the Isles bounce back at home off a rare home ice shutout but will also struggle to stop the Canadiens here. 10* OVER the total in New York Islanders

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Monday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals -115 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - I am well aware of the fact that many of the Avs recent wins have come by a margin of just a single goal. However, Pavel Francouz is expected to get the start between the pipes here and the Avalanche netminder has allowed 2 or less goals in 6 straight starts. In fact, Francouz has allowed an average of 1.3 goals during this 6-game stretch. The Red Wings have seen Jimmy Howard have a horrific season so, once again, Jonathan Bernier is likely to be between the pipes here for Detroit. However, he has also cooled off after some very strong work in late January and early February. Note that Bernier has consistently allowed 3 or 4 goals in his recent starts the past few weeks. That said, I look for the Red Wings to allow 4 goals here as they continue to allow far too many shots on goal while the Avalanche continue their very strong defensive-minded play and are likely to allow just 1 goal here. That said, I see great value with Colorado (a 3 to 1 money line favorite) available at very nearly a "pick'em" price on the puck line at -1.5 goals in this one. The Red Wings are off a shootout loss at Ottawa but that was just the 6th loss by a 1-goal margin out of their last 35 losses. In other words, Detroit usually gets beat by 2 or more goals and I expect that to be the case again here as the Avalanche continue to be road warriors. 10* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals -115

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Sunday 10* Top Play Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - Count me in! I can get +130 and fade a team that has a muddled goal-tending situation and has lost 10 of its past 11 games. Not only is Columbus a mess right now with all their goalies suddenly struggling including normal #1 Joonas Korpisalo whom just got back, the Blue Jackets can't score. Perhaps the playoff pressure got to them and certainly they also got hurt by the recent losses of both Seth Jones and Cam Atkinsson to injury. Whatever the reason(s), the Jackets have scored an average of only 1.5 goals per game in their last 8 games. Also, the Canucks have revenge from a 5-0 home loss to Columbus late last season. The road team has dominated recent meetings between these teams and I look for to continue here. Not only have the Blue Jackets lost 10 of 11 games, the Canucks had won 18 of 27 games prior to suffering back to back road losses. That included a road loss yesterday at Toronto and Vancouver will be in full-on bounce back mode here. The Canucks are a solid 4-2-1 when playing on the road in the 2nd game of a back to back. With Demko getting the start yesterday we are likely to see Domingue between the pipes for Vancouver. A change of scenery can do a struggling goalie a lot of good and the Canucks picked him up specifically for the playoff push. That push resumes here while the Blue Jackets playoff fade continues. Upset time! 10* VANCOUVER

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Calgary Flames @ 4:05 ET - The Panthers are off a 3-2 loss in the shootout versus the Blackhawks yesterday. Florida used #1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky which means he either has to go in a back to back here or they hand the starting nod to Sam Montembeault. Neiither option is particularly appealing. Montembeault has allowed 12 goals in his last 4 games. The Flames also are in a tough spot here after David Rittich got the start yesterday. That means Cam Talbot is likely to get the nod today. He has allowed 4 goals in each of his last 3 starts. Calgary has seen 9 of their last 11 games total 7 or more goals! The Flames have allowed an average of 4 goals per game their last 7 games and the Panthers are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. Calgary has scored an average of 4.5 goals per game their last 11 games! You can see why I am expecting plenty of goals in this situation which is further strengthened by the fact that is a back to back situation which further taxes the goaltending. 10* OVER the total in Florida 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #79 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The road trip between St Louis and Dallas is not too tough. That said, maybe it should not come as a surprise that the road team is 10-5 in the last 15 games between these division rivals. The Blues just hammered the Stars 5-1 in Dallas last week and this is also a revenge game for the Stars because St Louis eliminated them from the post-season last year. The road team is 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams and I look for Dallas to make it 4 in a row here. The Stars are off a loss at Boston but had won 7 of 9 prior to a tight loss to a tough Bruins team. St Louis is suddenly hot and has won 6 straight games but this was preceded by a stretch in which the Blue lost 10 of 12 and I feel they are over-priced in this key divisional rivalry. I am grabbing the revenge-minded road dog that is sure to bring their A game in this one and won't be denied. 10* DALLAS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #67 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Calgary Flames @ 4:05 ET - I am well aware of Steven Stamkos being out for this game but the Lightning are still loaded with firepower. Also, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has suddenly fallen on hard times. As a result, the last 6 Tampa Bay games have all totaled at least 7 goals and I see every reason to believe this one will make it 7 straight! The Lightning have lost 4 straight games and that is why, no matter the score today, the Bolts won't take their foot off the gas here. In other words, look for them to score plenty but the problem is that Tampa Bay is struggling in their own zone and Calgary can certainly take advantage. The Flames have seen 12 of their last 16 games total at least 7 goals. Calgary has scored an average of 4.6 goals per game their last 10 games. The Lightning have scored an average of 4 goals per game their last 10 games. Look for a wild one Saturday afternoon. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Saturday 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders vs Boston Bruins @ 1:05 ET - The Bruins are expected to start Rask in goal here and he has struggled in comparison with Halak lately. No matter who has been between the pipes lately, the Bruins have been allowing too many goals. They are off a 4-3 win versus Dallas but that was the 4th straight over for Boston. The Bruins have a potent offense but also have allowed an average of 5 goals per game their last 4 games. The Islanders have a reputation for lower-scoring games and that is why we have a total of only 5.5 goals posted here with a big plus money price attached to it as well. The Isles, however, always seem to struggle to stop the Bruins though and that is why I like the over here. Boston has been struggling in goal of late but, on the other end of the ice, should score plenty here as they continue to be a nemesis for New York. The Islanders should also score well though too as they have averaged 3.3 goals per game their last 4 games. I love the value here with the low total at plus money. Lets grab it and cash it. 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets could have Joonas Korpisalo back between the pipes tonight but how effective will he be after all the time away due to injury? Generally netminders are not at their sharpest in their first start back after a long layoff. The other two Columbus goalies, Elvis Merzlikins and Matiss Kivlenieks have both been struggling. Plus Merzlikins left the most recent game with an injury. No matter whom the Jackets have in goal I like my chances here in terms of the Wild scoring plenty of goals. The issue for Minnesota however is their own netminding. Yes, Alex Stalock had a strong effort against a bad Red Wings team last night, but now Devan Dubnyk is likely to start the second game of this back to back and he has allowed 3 or more goals in 3 straight starts. The total on this game is posted at just 5.5 goals and that is noteworthy given the goaltending situation and the fact that this is a revenge game for the Blue Jackets and they are on home ice. I do expect Columbus to respond and score well here but the Jackets have allowed at least 3 goals in 8 straight games. The Wild had allowed 3 or more goals in 4 straight games prior to their 7-1 win at Detroit last night. Minnesota has scored an average of 4.2 goals per game in their last 5 games. Take advantage of the low total posted here. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Huge goalie edge expected for the Avalanche here. Yes, Philipp Grubauer is still out with injury but Pavel Francouz has been fantastic between the pipes for Colorado. Francouz is 4-0 his last 4 starts and 8-3 in non-conference starts and 9-2 in road starts this season. He has a superb .927 save percentage on the season and has been particularly sharp in recent weeks. As for the Hurricanes, they recently lost both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer to injury. This has left their goaltending situation in shambles and, unsurprisingly, Carolina is off an ugly 4-1 home loss to the Stars. It won't get any easier here as the Canes now face an Avalanche team that, like Dallas, is one of the best teams in the league. Colorado has won 4 straight games and 12 of its last 16. The Avs have also won 6 straight road games! The Avalanche have allowed a TOTAL of 6 goals in those 6 road contests. Yes, an average of just ONE goal per game and now the Avs face a Canes team dealing with a disastrous goalie situation. The result is a road rout. 10* COLORADO 

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Thursday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Capitals opened up as a -135 favorite here and the line is all the way up to as high as a -160. While Washington certainly is a high-quality team, the Jets aren't exactly doormats and they are offering great value here as a sizable underdog on home ice. Winnipeg rallied from a 3-0 deficit to force OT in DC on Tuesday. They did end up on the wrong end of a 4-3 overtime result but the comeback gives the Jets a ton of confidence heading into this rematch. Keep in mind, Winnipeg is still very much alive in the post-season race and is fighting hard for a playoff spot. The Jets are now back on home ice where they have won two straight and 4 of their last 6. Overall, Winnipeg has had just 2 losses in regulation in its last 8 home games. While the Jets are starting #1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck here, the Capitals are expected to go with back-up Ilya Samsonov. The Caps back-up netminder is 0-3 in his last 3 starts and having a very rough February with an ugly .855 save percentage. Washington is a great team but very over-priced here and the situation is ideal for a home dog upset in this one. 10* WINNIPEG

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - I know this total is unusual considering it is a 7 which is very rare. However, it is justified for many reasons. The Panthers are off an unusual low-scoring win at Arizona Tuesday. Yes, Sergei Bobrovsky had a great game between the pipes but he is very inconsistent and is likely to now get pummeled by the high-scoring Maple Leafs tonight. Bobrovsky has allowed an average of nearly 5 goals per game the last 4 times he entered a start off a game in which he allowed 1 goal or less. Indeed he often gets hammered in the very next start and he did allow at least 4 goals in all 4 of those starts! As for the Maple Leafs, Frederik Andersen had a fantastic shutout win recently against the Penguins. However, other than that, Toronto has given up 19 goals in the other 4 games which Andersen has started the past two weeks. Given the above situational factors for the goaltending as well as the fact that these are two of the highest scoring teams in the league, I am rolling with the over in this one. The total is big but you can see that, per the above, it would not be a surprise to see each team give 4 goals here and that means we're talking about at least a 5-4 final. Look for a wild one in this divisional match-up. 10* OVER the total in Florida

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Wednesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres Puck Line +1.5 goals (-) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 8:05 ET - There is a build up toward the playoffs at this time of year and games are tightening up as a result. 10 of 14 games so far this week have been decided by a single goal. When looking specifically at the Sabres and Avalanche you'll also see why I like having the +1.5 goals here and we're also getting value since this is priced in the -130 range as of very early game day morning. Buffalo has won 6 of its last 8 games and, in the Sabres last 9 games they have just 1 loss that came by a multiple-goal margin. Colorado has been playing well again and certainly is getting fantastic goaltending from Pavel Francouz. However, the Avalanche have not been scoring like they were earlier this season. The Avs have scored an average of only 2 goals per game their last 9 games. Colorado enters this game on a 3-game winning streak but that was preceded by 3 straight losses. Also, 4 of the last 6 Avalanche wins have come by just a single goal. Both teams made some moves at the trade deadline and I like what the Sabres did there and also they come into this game as the healthier hockey club. 10* BUFFALO Puck Line +1.5 goals

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:05 ET - Vancouver just lost #1 goalie Markstrom to injury. The Canucks picked up Domingue in a trade but he has struggled this season. The regular back-up for Vancouver is Demko and the over is 12-5 in his starts this season. The Canucks enter this game off a huge 9-3 win over the Bruins. Vancouver has scored an average of 4.4 goals per game their last 5 games. The Canucks have allowed 3 or more goals in 8 of their past 10 games. The Canadiens Price is off a shutout win but that was preceded by a stretch in which he allowed 3 or more goals in 6 straight starts. In other words, with this total posted at 6 goals and the odds favoring each netminder allowing 3 goals, we've got a great shot at a 4-3 final at the very least in this one. The Habs have scored at least 3 goals in 4 straight games. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - In a very unlikely event, the Hurricanes lost both their goalies to injury and then used an emergency goalie in a 6-3 win at Toronto Saturday. Now a team without either of their two goalies is facing a team with two fantastic goalies. Dallas has Bishop as their #1 and also has a back-up delivering a great season as Khudobin has been fantastic. Additionally we're also getting great line value here since Dallas is on the road. Note that Carolina had lost 8 of 15 games prior to the win over the Maple Leafs which became the David Ayres story. Great story by the way with the emergency goaltender but now reality sets in and the Canes are truly hurting at the goalie position after losing both Mrazek and Reimer to injury. Dallas absolutely will take advantage. The Stars have won 9 of their last 13 road games and also are on overall 6-1-1 run their last 8 games! Grab the road dog in this one. 10* DALLAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #69 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - I am aware that Joonas Korpisalo is back from his injury but the Blue Jackets netminder is highly unlikely to come in and be 100% on top of his game in his first game back if he even plays tonight. That said, note that the Blue Jackets goaltending has cooled off tremendously as they have endured an 8-game losing streak. Columbus has allowed 3 or more goals in 6 straight games. The Jackets are hosting a Senators team which has allowed 3.7 goals per game in its last 9 games. Ottawa has allowed 3 or more goals in 8 of its last 9 games. The Sens are off a shutout loss which followed an ugly 5-1 loss to Winnipeg. The Senators will look to play the role of spoiler here and I expect a bounce back after those poor efforts. Couple that with the fact that the Blue Jackets are desperate to get in the win column and I feel we have great value with this total at 5.5 goals. Note that it opened up at 6 goals and has moved down from that. We'll take advantage as both of these teams continue to endure a stretch of questionable work from their respective goalies. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Islanders vs San Jose Sharks @ 5:05 ET - Most will be thinking under here because of the recent trending of these teams. However, there is more than meets the eye here at first glance. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the over. The Islanders didn't score well at all on their recently completed road trip. However, they are a different team when on home ice. The Islanders are 5-2-1 in their last 8 home games and have averaged 4.3 goals per game in those 8 games on home ice. The over is 5-1 in the Islanders last 6 games. Sharks goalie Martin Jones has played well in his two February starts but remember he allowed at least 4 goals in each of his January starts. He will likely be between the pipes here because Aaron Dell got the start yesterday in the 3-2 loss to the Rangers. Sharks had a 2-1 lead there and let it get away. They have been consistently outshooting opponents by a wide margin on this road trip and that continued yesterday. Look for that to result in more goals here too as the Islanders over trend on home ice continues. 10* OVER the total in New York Islanders

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 3:05 ET - Perfect set up here. The Jets ran into a red hot Flyers team yesterday and lost 4-2 at Philly. The Sabres were also in Pennsylvania yesterday as they faced Pittsburgh. Buffalo caught the Penguins looking ahead to their big divisional match-up with the Capitals taking place today. The Sabres took full advantage and beat the Pens 5-2. Now, off an upset win and hosting an angry Winnipeg team, the Sabres are likely to get beat by the Jets. The road team should have the edge in goal. Since Buffalo used Carter Hutton yesterday and Winnipeg used Connor Hellebuyck yesterday, the likely goalie match-up here would be Jonas Johansson against Laurent Brossoit. The Sabres Johansson has very little NHL experience. The Jets Brossoit enters this start off 3 straight strong starts in which he has allowed 2 or less goals in each start. Winnipeg has the situational edge (off a loss while Buffalo off upset win) here and also has the edge between the pipes in my opinion. The Jets have gone 3-0-1 in their last 4 games against the Sabres including winning each of their last two visits to Buffalo. Look for another road team victory in this one! 10* WINNIPEG

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Since the Hurricanes started Petr Mrazek last night they are likely to go with James Reimer between the pipes tonight. He is a former Maple Leaf and has struggled in his meetings with the Leafs since leaving Toronto. Overall he enters this start struggling as he has a 3.55 GAA in the month of February and is coming off back to back particularly poor outings. The Hurricanes lost 5-2 last night and that was the 8th time in their last 10 games that their game has totaled 7 or more goals. Now they face one of the highest scoring teams in the league coming off an unusual shutout win. The Maple Leafs just beat Pittsburgh 4-0 and could struggle in the D-zone here after that atypical result. Toronto entered that game against the Penguins having allowed 5 goals in each of their 2 prior games. Only 8 of 23 games that have followed a win by a margin of 2 or more goals this season have stayed under the total. The over is also 8-1 the last 9 times that the Maple Leafs have allowed 1 or less goal. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Saturday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - This is simply too much line value to pass up. The Canadiens still have playoff hopes but the division rival Senators would love to play the role of spoiler. The set-up here is ideal as the Sens are off a loss but this followed a stretch in which they won 3 of 4 games. Ottawa has NOT thrown in the towel on the season as evidenced by that stretch. As for the Habs they still have plenty to play for but a recent 5-game losing streak really hurt them. All the pressure is on Montreal in this game and they are off an OT win at Washington. That big road win was preceded by the 5-game winless streak and now the Canadiens face a division rival that would love to hurt their playoff hopes. The Senators have added motivation too because they have lost each of their last two games against the Habs and each defeat came in OT. Great home dog value here and I sense an upset as the Canadiens continue to squeeze the sticks too tight and the Sens are going to respond off a 5-1 home loss that was preceded by a solid stretch of play. 10* OTTAWA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Friday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (+) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Blues are in a back to back here but this is still a great value spot to grab the defending Stanley Cup champs. St Louis has revenge from a 3-2 loss in OT versus Dallas less than 2 weeks ago. Keep in mind, the Blues never trailed in that game. Also, St Louis has won 4 of its last 6 visits to Dallas including eliminating the Stars from the playoffs last year. The fact is that St Louis has had the Stars number and Dallas is expected to start Ben Bishop here. He was originally drafted by the Blues and not only got eliminated by the post-season by St Louis last season, he is also 0-2 against them this season. Overall, the Blues have gotten back on track after some recent struggles. They have won back to back games via shutout fashion and have allowed a total of only 2 goals in their last 3 games. Even though Dallas is off a win, they allowed a ton of shots on goal against Arizona. This line opened up with the Stars as low as a -125 and that was with good reason. The markets are giving Dallas far too much respect here as this line has been driven up to the 145 range. The Blues are 4-1 this season when playing on the road in the 2nd game of a back to back. Payback time for what happened two weeks ago. 10* ST LOUIS

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #20 Friday 10* Top Play UNDER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Hurricanes are expected to start Petr Mrazek here between the pipes. He has a .911 save percentage at home this season and, should James Reimer get the start he has a .914 save percentage on home ice this season. This is a key battle in divisional action as these Metropolitan foes are both battling for their playoff lives. The Canes current positioning is certainly much better than that of the Rangers but New York is playing some of their best hockey of the season. This game should play out with playoff-like intensity and the Rangers have been getting solid goaltending. The most recent meeting between these teams went over the total but that was preceded by a streak of 4 straight unders. The Rangers have allowed 3 or less goals in 8 straight games including an average of just 2 goals per game their last 6 games. Only 5 of the Rangers 16 divisional games this season have resulted in an over. Only 26 of the Hurricanes last 67 home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals have gone over the total. Look for a playoff-level defensive-minded battle in this one. 10* UNDER the total in Carolina

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ottawa Senators vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:35 ET - The Jets beat the Senators 5-2 in Winnipeg about two weeks ago. Look for another big game from the Jets here but also look for the Sens to score a little better on home ice. Winnipeg has won 6 of 9 games and the Jets have scored an average of 4.7 goals per game in those 6 victories. The Jets will take advantage of a Senators team that has allowed 3.6 goals per game its last 7 games. While Ottawa has struggled at times in their own zone and is also not the same team without goalie Anders Nilsson, the Sens do have some momentum here as they have won 3 of their last 4 games thanks in part to strong production in the offensive zone. Ottawa has scored an average of 4 goals per game its last 4 games. The over is 7-2 this season when the Senators enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on home ice. The home cooking has, indeed, been serving the Sens well. The over is 16-9-1 in Winnipeg's non-conference games this season and they continue their offensive surge here. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa

Early Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #8 Thursday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are looking for immediate payback after getting thoroughly embarrassed at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. In that 5-2 loss Toronto actually was down 5-0 before making the final score slightly more respectable. The Leafs are now 0-2 against the Penguins this season but this is the first time they'll be meeting north of the border. Look for Toronto to take advantage of home ice here. The home team has won 9 of the Penguins last 13 games and Pittsburgh has only split their last 6 home games. They certainly are a different team when away from home. The Maple Leafs have won 5 of 6 games this season when they enter a game off 3 or more consecutive road games. The Penguins enter this game on a 3-game winning streak but, when entering a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games, that has been a situation that has seen them lose 5 of their last 7. The Maple Leafs are off back to back ugly 5-2 losses and they have won 5 of 6 games the last 6 times they have entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. Bounce back time at a great price on home ice. 10* TORONTO

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers @ 8:05 ET - This is an important game for each team as they're trying to remain relevant in the playoff races in their respective conferences. However, I still like the over in this match-up. With a total of 6.5 on this game, we just need each goalie to allow 3 goals and then we know the game has to end at 4-3 at worst. I am confident about the "3 goal factor" in this one because the Rangers Alexander Georgiev allowed just 1 goal in his most recent road start but that was against a slumping Blue Jackets club. In his 6 preceding road starts he allowed 3.3 goals per game. In terms of production in the offensive zone, the Rangers are off a tough loss against a streak Bruins club. However, prior to that, New York had won 4 straight games and averaged 3.5 goals in regulation time of those games. The Rangers should have no trouble resuming the surge on offense here against a Blackhawks club that has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in its last 5 games. As for Chicago's work in the offensive zone, they have had some ups and downs of late but that has had a lot to do with an extended stretch of schedule that has been very road-heavy. The Blackhawks now are back home and rested as they've had two days to prepare for this game. Chicago's most recent home game was a low-scoring game but that was against a stingy Bruins defense. In their 3 preceding home games the Blackhawks averaged 4 goals per game. More of the same expected here and each team gets to 3 goals in this one and that puts us in the winners circle. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Atlantic Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - This is a contrarian play all the way but I feel we have great line value here. Not only is this total only a 5.5 but the over is available at plus money. Yes, the Red Wings are the worst team in the NHL and they have been struggling to score goals but lets look closer at some key variables here. For one thing, if Detroit was going to have a breakout game on offense it would likely come on home ice and when facing a team that is allowing too many goals of late. You can check the box on both of those factors here. So now lets get into some numbers here. The Red Wings have lost 14 of their past 16 games and have allowed an average of 4 goals per game in those 14 losses. The Canadiens are on a 4-game losing streak that has seen them allow nearly 4 goals per game as well (including 1 OT marker). So the value in this game is that both teams should be able to take advantage of some shoddy defense and leaky goaltending and both clubs also are willing to take risks to score more goals. The Habs know they let one get away in their 4-3 OT loss versus Dallas Saturday as they should have kept their foot on the gas. Both the Canadiens and the Red Wings, when it comes to pressure in the offensive zone, will keep their foot on the gas in this one. 10* OVER the total in Detroit 

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Tuesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play. Line looks funny doesn't it? Pittsburgh is 21-5-4 at home this season and the Maple Leafs have lost about half their road games and yet the Penguins are favored in the -135 range here. Don't be fooled folks. The set up here is perfect. The Pens are feeling a little too good about themselves because they are off back to back wins by a combined score of 9-2. However, they faced the slumping Canadiens and the league-worst Red Wings. Now Pittsburgh is in for a rude awakening here as the Maple Leafs come to town. Toronto is angry for multiple reasons. One is that they are off a 5-2 loss at Buffalo. Another reason is that they lost 6-1 at Pittsburgh earlier this season. Suffice to say the Leafs will be ready to go here and now Jack Campbell will be back between the pipes. He has played well as a change of scenery (recently acquired from Los Angeles) has done him well. Toronto is 3-0-1 in his 4 starts and he has allowed only 5 goals in regulation time of his last 3 starts. Look for another strong game from here and look for the high-powered Leafs to have the over-confident Penguins on their heels early and often in this game. The situational set-up here is perfect for an upset. Grab the plus money. 10* TORONTO

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Monday 8* OVER the total in San Jose Sharks vs Florida Panthers @ 4:05 ET - I am aware of all the injury issues for both clubs here and I am fully expecting a big response from the slumping Panthers here. However, I do not trust the Florida goalies. As a result, and as you can see, my play is on the over in this match-up. When a team is slumping like the Panthers are, sometimes the best-case scenario is a change of scenery. So they go from getting pummeled at home in Florida to going all the way out west for a 5-game road trip. I expect this to be precisely what the Panthers need to get their offense back on track. However, in terms of their netminding, Sergei Bobrovsky is slumping badly and little-used Samuel Montembeault is not the answer! Each of these guys have GAA of 3.30 or above on the season. The Panthers, recent games notwithstanding, do score well and I expect them to be on the attack early and often against San Jose. The Sharks have allowed 4.7 goals per game in their last 3 home games. Florida has allowed 4.5 goals per game in its last 6 games overall. 8* OVER the total in San Jose

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #43 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Arizona Coyotes @ 4:05 ET - You can't get a much better set up than this one. The Islanders are off back to back shutout losses. The Coyotes are off a big home win over the Capitals (2018 Stanley Cup Winners) on Saturday. Arizona feels good about themselves after returning from a road trip back east on Friday and then beating Washington on Saturday. The Isles certainly don't feel good, they feel angry. They lost 1-0 at Vegas Saturday after a 5-0 thrashing at Nashville Thursday. This followed a stretch where New York had picked up at least a point in the standings in 7 of 8 games. I expect them to get right back on track here. Look for the acquisition of veteran defenseman Andy Greene to pay immediate dividends and give the Isles a jolt of energy here. The Coyotes have scored a total of just 3 goals in the last 3 meetings between these teams. The Islanders swept Arizona last season and can do it again this season with another win Monday completing the sweep. I look for them to do just that as the Coyotes win Saturday was just their 4th in the past 16 games. The road team comes into this one very hungry and won't be denied. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Matinee Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs Anaheim Ducks @ 4:05 ET - The Ducks are off a 5-1 win at Vancouver yesterday and continue play better on the road than at home in recent weeks. That held true last week at Anaheim when the Flames annihilated the Ducks by a count of 6-0. That game went over the total and the last time these teams met at Calgary, it was a 6-1 Flames win that also went over the total. Speaking of high-scoring games, Calgary games have totaled 6 or more goals in 9 of their last 11 contests! The Flames have a tendency to give up a lot of goals on home ice and that continued in their 8-4 home loss to the Blackhawks Saturday. The good news for Calgary fans is that the Flames have scored an average of 5 goals per game their last 5 games. The Ducks have averaged 4 goals per game their last 3 games. We get a low total (5.5) here because of the long-term reputation of Anaheim and I am going to take advantage here. The Ducks are currently playing with a lot more confidence in the offensive zone but in the D-zone they have struggled to stop the Flames in many of their recent meeting. Also, John Gibson was between the pipes for Anaheim yesterday and that means veteran Ryan Miller is likely to get the start here. Miller had good road starts against the Kings, Hurricanes, and Sabres recently but all those teams were in scoring funks. The Flames certainly are not and in Miller's 4 other road starts since late November he has allowed 19 goals! Yes, that's an average of nearly 5 goals per road start! 10* OVER the total in Calgary

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Sunday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 6:05 ET - Blues seek payback for a 4-3 home loss to the Predators yesterday. In fact, St Louis has now lost all 3 meetings with Nashville this season. The Blue also enter this game on an overall losing streak and they are hungry to get a win and get back on track. The goalie match-up is the key to this game. With this being a back to back situation, we know the goalies are 99% likely to be Jordan Binnington for the Blues and Pekka Rinne for the Predators. The key to the value in that regard is that St Louis hung Binnington out to dry in his most recent start as he faced 52 shots on goal in a frustrating OT loss at Vegas. The Blues will play much better in front of this one for him. Note that Binnington entered the start against the Golden Knights having allowed just 3 goals in each of his 4 prior starts. It was an aberration for sure. As for Rinne, he allowed 4 goals in only about 20 minutes in his most recent appearance. That was the 5th time in his last 10 games that he has allowed 4 or more goals. In the first month of the season, the Predators had a 4-game winning streak. However, the Preds have NEVER won 3 straight games since then. Nov, Dec, Jan, half of Feb, NEVER won 3 straight games. They enter this game on a 2-game winning streak. This is a situation that has seen Nashville go 0-7 the last 7 times. As for the Blues, they enter this game on a 4-game losing streak and have NEVER lost 5 straight games this entire season. In fact, when on a losing streak of 3 or more games, the Blues were 5-0 the last 5 times before yesterday's loss dropped them to 5-1 the last 6 times in that situation. Payback time here. 10* ST LOUIS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins @ 3:35 ET - The Bruins are in a back to back. Since Tuukka Rask was between the pipes Saturday, it is expected that Jaroslav Halak will get the start here. The Bruins netminder has great recent numbers but he hasn't played in a week and a half as he re-aggravated an upper body injury. He may not be 100% here and certainly Halak could have some rust too. The surging Rangers will take advantage but, at the same time, I don't foresee New York shutting down the potent attack of Boston. That said, plenty of goals expected here. The Bruins have won 8 of their last 9 games. Boston has scored an average of 4 goals per game in their past 6 games. New York has won 4 straight games and averaged 3.5 goals per game in regulation time of those 4 victories. Overall, the Rangers have averaged 3.4 goals per game their last 7 games. I simply see no reason that each team won't get to at least 3 goals here based on the way these clubs have been playing. Of course a 3-3 game has to end at least 4-3. Hence, the value here and this is particularly true with the posted total at 6 goals. 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - We're getting line value here (total of 5.5 posted on this one) because both teams have reputations for playing lower-scoring games. However, the situation here dictates more scoring than you would typically see. First off, Montreal is in a back to back spot and that means the back-up goalie for the Canadiens unless Carey Price plays the 2nd game of a back to back. I really do not expect Price to play because he has been playing a lot already with the Habs recent schedule. However, if Price does play, note that he is winless in his 3 starts with zero rest this season and he has a 3.74 GAA in those appearances. Whether Price or a back-up (Canadiens back-ups have struggled all season) the surging Stars will take advantage. Dallas has won 3 straight games and scored 7 goals their last 2 games. The thing is, Montreal is fighting to stay alive in the playoff race as they have lost 3 straight games. So, even though the Canadiens have a goaltending situation, I still expect them to play a very inspired game in the offensive zone tonight on home ice. As a result, more goals here at both ends than many are expecting. By the way, the over is 3-1 the last 4 times the Canadiens have played the 2nd game of a back to back and those games averaged 7.5 goals. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 4:05 ET - The Panthers are slumping badly. They have lost 6 of 8 games since the All Star break and got destroyed by the Flyers Thursday. Florida then held a players only meeting and they hope to turn things around. However, here's the problem. The issue for the Panthers is not as much the skaters as it is the goalies! Sergei Bobrovsky is slumping badly and he is known for being a very streaky goalie. In other words, until he snaps out of this he must be faded. Bobrovsky is 0-4 with a horrific .839 save percentage in his last 4 starts. With goalie Chris Driedger still on the shelf, the Panthers only other option is Samuel Montembeault. He has only made 6 starts this season and, overall, has been unimpressive. While the Panthers have been struggling between the pipes, the Oilers have been getting solid work from both Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Edmonton has allowed 3 or less goals in 9 of its last 10 games. Comparatively, the Panthers have allowed an average of 4.6 goals per game in their last 5 games. Florida's penalty kill is one of the worst in the league while the Oilers have the top power play in the league this season. Yes I am of course aware of Connor McDavid being out but the other Oilers will step up after they fell short at Tampa Bay Thursday. It was 2-1 before an empty netter and there is no shame in losing to the Lightning in Tampa. Now watch Edmonton respond big here. Only once since the calendar turned to 2020 have the Oilers lost back to back games. Also, the Panthers have some injury issues with Brian Boyle out and Noel Acciari questionable for Saturday's afternoon match-up. 10* EDMONTON

Metropolitan Division Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Nice set up here. The Hurricanes are at home catching the Devils in the 2nd game of a back to back. New Jersey used their hot goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood, last night and he has been a difference maker for the Devils. When is he is not in the crease - which is likely to be the case tonight - New Jersey has been giving up plenty of goals. Plus the Devils will be facing a Hurricanes team hell-bent on getting back on track after a 4-1 loss at Dallas Wednesday. As a result, I do expect Carolina to score very well here. But the problem for the Canes is that they have been consistently allowing too many goals. The Hurricanes have allowed an average of 4.2 goals per game their last 6 games. On the other end of the ice, prior to being shutdown by the Stars, the Canes had scored an average of 3.8 goals per game in their 6 prior games. In fact the over was on a perfect 5-0 run in Carolina games prior to their loss at Dallas staying just under the total. The first meeting between these teams this season totaled 8 goals and I am expecting a similar result here. The Devils have been playing with more confidence of late as they have earned at least a point in the standings in 7 of their past 8 games. During this stretch New Jersey has scored an average of 3.6 goals per game. However, when Blackwood is not the starter, they have also been surrendering goals in bunches. The last 6 games that he did not start have seen the Devils allow an average of 4.7 goals per game! The over is 7-3 this season when New Jersey is playing the 2nd game of a back to back. 10* OVER the total in Carolina

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #80 Friday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Puck Line -1.5 goals +140 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - The Canadiens are off back to back losses and have lost 13 of their past 22 games. 4 of the Habs past 6 losses have come by 2 or more goals. The Penguins are angry off an OT loss at home versus the Lightning on Tuesday. The Pens have the rest edge here as this will be just their 2nd game in a span of 7 days! Pittsburgh is 8-0 the last 8 times they have entered a game off a loss. Now of course I am not laying the big money line price on the Penguins here. However, where I feel we have line value is with the +140 available on playing Pittsburgh to win this game by 2 or more goals. On deck for the Pens is a match-up with the Red Wings on Sunday. As for the Habs they have another game tomorrow in Montreal versus Dallas. Once the Canadiens get down early in this one I could see them packing it in. The Penguins will prove to be the much hungrier team after they feel they let one slip away versus Tampa Bay Tuesday - a game in which the Pens never trailed. 10* PITTSBURGH Puck Line -1.5 goals +140

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - The Stars seek revenge for a 5-3 home loss to the Maple Leafs two weeks ago. That was the 3rd over in the last 4 meetings between these teams. Those 3 overs have averaged 10 goals per game with 8 goals in the last meeting and 11 goals in each of those two prior overs. Dallas has trended toward the under this season but their last 5 road games have averaged 6.4 goals per game. Also, long-term there have been just 10 unders the last 28 times that the Stars have played a road game with a posted total of 6 goals. The Maple Leafs are off B2B unders but that was preceded by a 13-5 run to the over! In the past two months Toronto had never had B2B unders. I don't see the streak reaching 3 straight unders. The Stars are out for blood here but the Maple Leafs are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. That means another very entertaining, high-scoring game between these two clubs is likely here. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Ideal set up here. The Flyers are off a 5-3 road loss to the Islanders. Philadelphia is a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times they have entered a game off a loss. Philly has not had consecutive losses since an early January slump. That said, I expect them to bounce back strong here and we get underdog line value since this game is being played at Florida. The Panthers are off a win at New Jersey but the Devils did NOT start their red hot goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood in that game. That said, I still was not overly impressed with Florida and this is a team that entered that game having lost 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. The Panthers have allowed an average of 4.3 goals per game their last 4 games. In each of their last two home games Florida has been held to scoring just 2 goals in each game. In fact, in the 5 losses comprising the rough 6-game stretch that preceded the win over the Devils, the Panthers averaged scoring just ONE goal per game. The Flyers have been peppering goalies with shots and Sergei Bobrovsky, other than a good start against his former team in Columbus, has been struggling overall since he returned from injury. Happy to grab the road dog in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Wednesday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (+) @ Vancouver Canucks @ 10:35 ET - The Blackhawks had been rolling but then fell apart late in a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg Sunday and fell short at Edmonton last night. Now Chicago is in the 2nd night of a back to back but fired up off a pair of consecutive regulation losses and they will respond big here at Vancouver. They remember their last visit to BC all too well as the Hawks allowed 7 goals in a loss here last month. It is payback time and the set-up is perfect. The Blackhawks are off a 5-2 road loss to the Jets and 5-3 road loss to the Oilers while the Canucks are off a huge 6-2 home win versus Nashville on Monday. Vancouver is expected to again be without one of their best players, Brock Boeser, for this one. Yes they beat the Predators without him Monday but the Canucks are in for a real war here with Chicago tonight. The Blackhawks had earned a point in 8 of 9 games prior to these consecutive losses. That was a solid 6-1-2 stretch for Chicago and they'll have Corey Crawford back between the pipes tonight. He had given up just 7 goals in regulation time of his 4 road starts preceding the tough night at Winnipeg Sunday where the wheels came off late for the Blackhawks. The Canucks have lost 24 of their last 34 games played in the month of February. They had already been slumping earlier this month and the win over Nashville was preceded by 4 straight losses. The Blackhawks have won 9 of 11 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back and get the job done in that role again here. Grab the big value with the road dog. 10* CHICAGO

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - I know that Carey Price has been playing well for the Habs but the Bruins have been a nemesis for him in recent meetings. That said, Boston also comes into this game very angry after a 3-1 loss at league-worst Detroit on Sunday. That said, the Bruins are going to be relentless and will not be denied in this game in terms of getting pucks on net and finding openings. We get a low total here because of the long-term reputation of Montreal in terms of playing lower-scoring games. However, 2 of the 3 match-ups between these teams totaled 9 goals this season and I am expecting a high-scoring match-up in the regular season finale as well. The Bruins will respond after being held to just 1 goal in their most recent game but Montreal is certainly going to "bring it" in a huge rivalry game today. Since a road loss at Boston in early December when the Canadiens were struggling, Montreal has won 9 of its past 14 road games. The Habs have scored 3 or more goals in 11 of their past 13 road games. You can see that Boston is a 2 to 1 money line favorite here. They are expected to win this game. At the same time the Canadiens can be expected to get their 3 goals. That means this one gets 7 or more and we've got a total of only 5.5 goals posted on this game. I'll take it! 10* OVER the total in Boston

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - The Coyotes game stayed just under the total last night despite being 2-1 after one period of action. Antti Raanta was back between the pipes and settled down after a tough beginning to the game. However, Darcy Kuemper got hurt in practice yesterday and may not be available tonight. If he does come back he would not be 100% but this also means, considering this is a back to back, Raanta is unlikely to play again especially after just coming back from injury. So we could see the #3 guy, Adin Hill, in the crease for Arizona tonight. Toronto has goaltending issues of their own as Frederik Andersen has been trying to come back from injury. If he plays tonight he is unlikely to be 100%. There is a strong chance that it will be the recently acquired Jack Campbell between the pipes and he allowed 4 goals in his first home ice appearance for the Leafs. I don't expect tonight to go any better as the Coyotes look to build off last night's dramatic 3-2 road win. The Maple Leafs are also off a low-scoring game as they lost 2-1 in overtime at Montreal. That type of game is the exception rather than the norm. Prior to that game, Toronto had seen 16 of 21 preceding games total 7 or more goals. That shows you the value we have here with this total being at just 6 goals. I know the Coyotes have a tendency to play lower scoring games but the Maple Leafs will dictate the pace of this game on home ice. Even if John Tavares (flu) does not play, the Leafs still have plenty of firepower ready to respond off a rare loss in which they managed only 1 goal. 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning are a great team and I have plenty of respect for the Bolts as well as Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, this is a very tough spot for them. Tampa is off a revenge win over the Blue Jackets last night. Make no mistake about it, that was not just a normal revenge game either! Columbus had swept the Lightning out of the playoffs last spring after Tampa Bay had just delivered one of the best regular season performances ever in NHL history. Suffice to say, last night's Bolts win was huge. That said, no matter how strong a team is in terms of mental strength and maintaining an even keel, the Lightning are going to struggle to match Pittsburgh's intensity here. The Penguins are hungry for revenge and looking to add to a 19-5-3 home record this season! The Pens have been off since a Saturday win at Florida while the Bolts will be playing their 3rd game since Saturday and in a different city for the 3rd time in 3 games (Saturday's game was in Tampa). Now on the road again in a back to back the Lightning also could still be without Steven Stamkos. Look for the Penguins to get their revenge in what is an ideal situation for it. The home team has won 4 straight in match-ups between these teams and the Penguins are happy to get their shot at hosting the Lightning as each of the last 3 meetings have been at Tampa Bay. The Pens are 4-0 this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. 10* PITTSBURGH

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:35 ET - The Blue Jackets Elvis Merzlikins has been red hot between the pipes. However, the Bolts Andrei Vasilevkiy also has been dominating and this match-up is about much more than just the goaltenders. Last season the Lightning finished the regular season as the #1 team in the league by a huge margin. They then proceeded to get swept out of the first round by the Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay, of course, has had this match-up circled in red (BLOOD red) ever since the schedule came out. If you want to see a full 60 minutes of intense hockey from a club, watch the Lightning tonight as there will be no let up in this game. While I certainly respect what Merzlikins has been doing in the crease for Columbus he is going to face a barrage of shots tonight and Tampa has been one of the hottest teams in the league. This one is all Lightning in a road rout. In regulation time of their last 3 games, the Blue Jackets have scored a total of only 3 goals. The Bolts, on the other hand, have scored at least 3 goals in EACH of their past 6 games and all were victories. Tonight the Lightning make it 7 in a row. 10* TAMPA BAY

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The set-up here is perfect. The Panthers are a very potent team in terms of offensive production but yet coming off a low-scoring stretch. Now Florida catches a Flyers team that is off a huge 7-2 win at Washington and could be in for a flat performance in their D-zone as a result Monday. Philadelphia has allowed 8 goals in its past two home games. The Flyers have scored an average of 3.7 goals per game in their past 7 games and that is even including a home shutout to the Devils. Philly peppered New Jersey with shots in that game but couldn't get any to find the back of the net. That won't be a problem against Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers. Bobrovsky has had one good start recently (against his former team) in Columbus. In each of his other 6 starts since January 20th he has allowed at least 3 goals and, in fact, has allowed an average of 4 goals per start during this stretch. The Panthers, prior to a shutout OT loss to the Blue Jackets in their most recent road game, had averaged scoring 3.8 goals per game in their 8 prior games. This one turns into a real barn-burner in Philly Monday. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #8 Sunday 10* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:05 ET - I know this is a back to back spot for the Jets but they saved their #1 goalie for this game and are off an easy 5-2 win versus Ottawa early yesterday. Winnipeg will have red hot Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes for this game. He and the Jets are hell bent on getting revenge here as they have lost the last two meetings against the Blackhawks by a combined score of 9-3. Keep in mind, Winnipeg comes into this game having won 3 of 4 games including twice knocking off the Stanley Cup Champion Blues. As for Chicago, they have lost 3 of 4 games as they have cooled off. Also, they expect to have Corey Crawford between the pipes for this one. I know he has produced some strong starts lately but he has struggled in divisional games this season. Crawford is 1-6 and has allowed 24 goals in 8 games (7 starts) in divisional action. By the way, that doesn't even include facing the Jets this season. He hasn't faced them since last season and all the recent results are ugly. Crawford has allowed 14 goals in his last 3 starts against Winnipeg and that includes allowing 4 or more goal in EACH of the 3 starts. The Blackhawks do have the rest edge here but I feel we're getting a tremendous bargain here with the Jets on home ice and holding the goalie edge in this match-up in my opinion. This is a key battle in the playoff race and Winnipeg is ready to avenge those two losses. Double revenge spot for the Jets and they get the job done in a key divisional match-up here. 10* WINNIPEG