THE Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Wednesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Yes I am going "big" here considering I do play many underdogs in money line sports. However, this situation is so strong in my opinion (with this line dropping from as high as a -155 now down to as low as a -140) as of Tuesday afternoon, that this one demands being played large. The Lightning didn't play all that poorly in Game 6 it was just that the Capitals played out of their minds and certainly a couple breaks went their way as well. Credit is absolutely due to Washington for playing very physical as the game went on and for fighting hard for the home fans and forcing this Game 7. But don't be surprised if that game leaves them spent here. Yes I know it is just "one more game" for each team but the Caps really laid it all on the ice in Game 6 whereas Tampa Bay certainly didn't seem to have that same energy or jump in their skates. Rest assured you will see that  from the Lightning Wednesday in Game 7. Lets not forget that Game 6 was Braden Holtby's first shutout of the ENTIRE season not just post-season. As for Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the loss was certainly not on him as he continued to play great and lets not forget that the Bolts had won 3 straight in this series before that loss. Also, Tampa Bay has won 24 of 34 when playing with revenge this season. Additionally, the Lightning have won 15 of 21 this season when they are off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. Washington is 2-4 their last 6 when they are on the road following a game they won by a margin of 3 or more goals. The Capitals notched 34 shots on goal in Game 6 and the Bolts are a fantastic 6-1 the last 7 times they've allowed their opponent 33 or more shots on goal. The Lightning respond, as usual in this type of situation, and this time it means a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. 10* TAMPA BAY

East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is playing extremely well now after struggling in the series. Certainly he has helped lead the way to 3 straight Tampa Bay wins and I expect his success to continue tonight. Prior to Tampa's Game 5 home win (much more dominant than the final score indicates by the way), the road team in Capitals games was on a 12-4 run! That said, even with Saturday's result included, there has been a strong trend toward no home ice edge in Washington's post-season games. Of course odds makers still give shading to the home team as long-term history supports that. However, that is where value comes into play and we have it again here as the Bolts are the better team, getting better goaltending, and playing with a ton of confidence right now. The Capitals are enduring another one of their famed post-season collapses in a series and that sets this one up well for a road rout. The Lightning are 10-4 (including 5-1 this season) when leading in a playoff series. Dating back to March 30th, the Capitals have lost 7 of their last 11 home games. Also, in their last 8 games the Capitals have scored only 5 power play goals but have allowed 10. The Bolts surge continues and the Caps season ends tonight. 10* TAMPA BAY

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #8 Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3:05 ET - The very first money line that came out on this game was in the wee hours of the morning Saturday soon after Vegas had won Game 4 on Friday night. The opener was a 170 and this line is now down to as low as a 133 as of the wee hours of the morning on game day. This is offering insane value to the home team. Yes the Golden Knights have won 3 straight in this series but the Jets are known for responding on home ice. That said, while credit is certainly due to Vegas and particularly goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for his fantastic goaltending performance of late, the fact remains that Winnipeg has made mistakes that have led to easy goals for the Knights. I don't see those same mistakes continuing and that is particularly true on home ice where Winnipeg has been so dominant all season. In fact, when the Jets are playing on home ice following a loss, they have won 14 of 15 games this season. I just don't see them being eliminated north of the border. The Golden Knights are going to get the Jets "best" in this game and that means a result similar to the Game 1 blowout here in Winnipeg. The big drop on the price from the opener has allowed me to raise this play to my highest level. Tremendous value here. 10* WINNIPEG

East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #6 Saturday 7* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:15 ET - As long-time followers I play mostly dogs and totals in money line sports (NHL and MLB). However, when it is playoff time and there aren't as many games on board I'll gladly lay a moderate price when I see the value. I still will never lay a big price. Not even in the post-season. In this case we have great value on the home fave Lightning as they opened up as high as a -185 on the money line but are now as a low as a -162 as of early game day morning. Note that my top play rating is a 10* and most of my other premium picks get assigned an 8* rating. In this case we'll drop to a 7* rating due to the moderate price and that means we're laying about 11* here which is the same lay amount we'd have on any 10* in the spread sports of basketball and football. I know that road teams have dominated in this series but this is the game that changes. After the Bolts got upset on home ice in EACH of the first two games they could have packed it in but they fought back and now have all the momentum on their side. The Capitals have a history of playoff collapses and you know this is weighing heavily on their minds right now. Long-term the Caps have lost 121 of 219 road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more while Tampa Bay has won 26 of 37 home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more this season! The Lightning are a perfect 4-0 this season (and won the games by a combined score of 17 to 7) when they are on home ice and have lost each of their prior 2 home games! In other words, the Bolts have never lost 3 straight home games this season! 7* TAMPA BAY

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Friday 8* OVER the total in Vegas Golden Knights vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - The over is 8-3 in the Jets last 11 road games. The last 4 times Winnipeg has entered a game off of 2 or more consecutive games where they've been held to 3 goals or less in each game, they've responded by scoring an average of 5.5 goals. The over is 4-0 in the Golden Knights last 4 home games. Vegas has averaged scoring 4.8 goals per game in these 4 games. In home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals the Golden Knights are 14-7 to the over this season. Also, in Friday games the over is 14-2 in Vegas games this season. Keep in mind it is Friday night in Vegas so you know the crowd will be rocking and very loud and there should be plenty of "fireworks" on offense in this one as the Jets will look to replicate the success they had in the 3rd period versus the Golden Knights in the Game 3 loss. That should lead to plenty of scoring chances for Winnipeg but could also open up more scoring in the transition game for the Knights going back the other way! 8* OVER the total in Vegas

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Jets are 8-2 this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. Winnipeg is going to carry momentum to Game 4 from their huge effort in the 3rd period of Game 3 on Wednesday. In that game the Golden Knights scored early on a bit of a "fluke" play that led to a turnover. Then Vegas was buoyed by some incredible saves by Marc-Andre Fleury as well as some help from the pipe making saves and there have been quite a few that have rung off the post or cross-bar in this series. The Jets have won 12 of 16 Friday games. They have won 32 of 46 when playing with revenge and also Winnipeg has won 13 of 19 when coming off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. Even with the win on Wednesday, Vegas is just 2-4 the last 6 times they've been off of a victory by a margin of 2 or more goals. The Jets are known as a high-scoring team and, prior to these past two games, Golden Knights goalie Fleury had allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of his last 6 games. The Jets are an incredible 10-1 this season when they enter a game having been held to 2 goals or less in 2 or more consecutive games. 10* WINNIPEG

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Thursday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The road ice edge belongs to Tampa Bay in this one. All kidding aside, road teams continue to dominate in Washington's post-season games. The road team has won 11 of the Capitals 15 playoff games. As for the Lightning, they lost their first road game of the post-season but they certainly haven't looked back nor dwelled on it. The Bolts have since won 4 straight playoff games away from home! Long-term, Tampa Bay is 24-11 when trailing in a playoff series and the way they played in Game 3 has the Capitals feeling like "oh no...here we go again" as they've been known for playoff collapses in recent seasons. It is because of this key factor that all the pressure is on the Caps here. Washington knows they can ill afford to go back down to Tampa Bay with this series now tied. This is a lot of pressure to deal with and the Capitals are likely to be squeezing the sticks a little tight in this one! Conversely, the Lightning are feeling rejuvenated and alive with energy and confidence after getting back into the series with a resounding Game 3 win. The Bolts are 34-15 this season when off of a game where they scored at least 4 goals. Look for TB to stay hot here. Dating all the way back to December 1st there have been only two occurrences where the Lightning won only 1 game. In other words, they've been consistently building streaks over the past 5 and 1/2 months. When they win a game it is usually the beginning of at least a 2-game streak and I expect that to prove to be the case again here. 10* TAMPA BAY

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - The Jets are a perfect 3-0 in this post-season when tied up in a series. Also, Winnipeg is 32-13 this season when playing with revenge. When off of a loss by a multiple goal margin this season the Jets have responded by going 13-5 in their next game. The Golden Knights are off the big 3-1 road win Monday but previously were just 18-14 in their 32 prior games. The Jets have not lost back to back games since mid-March. Since then, Winnipeg is a perfect 6-0 when off of a loss. Also, the Jets were a long-term 20-5 their last 25 games before that poor result in Game 2 on home ice. Winnipeg responds big here. Yes Vegas is a tough venue to play in but the Jets are 7-2 in their last 9 road games and the Golden Knights have lost 6 of their last 15 home games. In other words, it is not like Vegas is unbeatable on home ice and I love getting the plus money value here with the team I absolutely expect to represent the Western Conference in the Finals. The Jets had more regular season points than any other team that still remains in the playoffs and, keep in mind, they won that huge Game 7 at Nashville (the #1 seeded team) to get to this point. The Jets will be ready here. 10* WINNIPEG

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Though the Capitals pleaded with the league front office to allow them to play Game 3 in Tampa Bay, NHL officials demanded that the game game take place in Washington. I jest of course but the fact is that the Capitals have been great on the road in these playoffs and certainly have not played well on home ice. The road team has won 10 of the Caps 14 post-season games thus far. The Lighting, embarrassed by the way they played on home ice thus far in this series, are certainly going to come to play tonight on the road at Washington! The Bolts are 22-9 this season when off of a loss. That includes 6-2 when Tampa Bay is entering a game off of 2 or more consecutive defeats. The Lightning went 23-10 this season when playing with revenge and that includes 11-4 when it is home loss revenge. After a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more the Lightning went 14-6 this season. When off of B2B losses by 2 or more goals (RARE!) the Bolts went 3-1 this season. When the Capitals enter a game on a winning streak of 4 or more games they went 2-6 this season! The Lightning are simply too strong of a hockey team to not "circle the wagons" and get back into this series with a win. I look for that win to come tonight in Game 3 and we're getting great line value since they are on the road. 10* TAMPA BAY 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Vegas gave up a bunch of goals as I expected in Game 1 but the over ended up being a tough push as there were 4 first period goals but nothing in third period and the game ended on 6 goals. Keep in mind, the Golden Knights closed out their prior series with a shutout win over San Jose but Vegas certainly had some "puck luck" on their side in that one as the Sharks had a number of great scoring opportunities just miss finding the back of the net. Also, previous to that game the over was 4-1 in the Knights 5 prior games. The Jets entered Game 1 (total pushed) having gone 4-2 to the over in their 6 prior games. Also, the 3 regular season games between these teams this season averaged nearly 8 goals per game. The over is 14-9 this season in Vegas road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The over is a long-term 15-9 in Jets home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. A lot of firepower for the Jets who led the league in scoring on home ice this season and don't discount the speed of the Golden Knights giving them plenty of open ice scoring opportunities. Vegas came out sluggish to start Game 1 after the long layoff but they'll be ready to go right away in this one after the disappointing Game 1 result. Also, Vegas will make some adjustments to make sure they're getting some more quality scoring chances Monday after getting manhandled much of the game on Saturday. The over is 10-6 this season when Vegas is off of a loss by a margin of 2 or more goals. After Game 1 died late, look for this one to see much more balanced scoring throughout from both hockey clubs. Very dangerous, very fast, very skilled teams matched up here in the Wild Wild West! 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #56 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Puck Line -1.5 goals +155 vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Lighting are going to respond in a huge way after the Game 1 loss. Of course I am not going to lay 2 to 1 odds with the Bolts on the money line. I don't play big priced money line faves in NHL or MLB. However, I am expecting a blowout out here and that is why I am grabbing the huge value with Tampa Bay as high as a +155 return on investment on the puck line. Of course one can't just blindly lay the -1.5 goals but there is certainly ample support here for doing just that. The last 14 times that Tampa Bay has notched a win off of a loss, 13 of the 14 victories have come by 2 goals or more! Also, 14 of the Capitals 21 road losses this season have come by 2 goals or more. This includes EACH of Washington's last 5 losses away from home. All 5 of those road defeats have come by a multiple goal margin. The fact is that I look for a huge response from Tampa Bay here as they even up the series on home ice and you can see why recent trending like the 13-1 and 5-0 above fully support that this victory should come by at least a 2-goal margin! The Bolts are a long-term 23-10 when trailing in a playoff series. TB is also 23-9 when playing with revenge this season and that includes a razor sharp 11-3 when it is home loss revenge! After losing a game by a margin of 2 goals or more, the Lightning have bounced back - 14-5 this season! More of the same here in an expected home blowout! 10* TAMPA BAY Puck Line -1.5 goals +155

Best in West - Rickenbach NHL Game #22 Saturday 8* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Though the Jets just wrapped up a grueling 7-game series with the Predators, one could argue they might be in a better situation here than the Golden Knights. That is because Winnipeg stays in the "flow" and stays "sharp" because they just played on Thursday and now host Vegas on Saturday. Also, the Jets did have 2 days off before that Game 7 finale at Nashville. As for the Golden Knights, I am a believe in the saying that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. That is the case here with Vegas as too much rest can lead to some rust. Having not played since Sunday, the Golden Knights are unlikely to be as "game-ready" as the Jets here. Keep in mind too that Winnipeg has been fantastic at home this season while Vegas was only mediocre on the road the final couple months of the regular season. Also, the Golden Knights, since the calendar hit 2018 are 1-4 when they are on the road and off of a game they won by a margin of 3 goals or more. Winnipeg lost their most recent game against Vegas and that is noteworthy here as the Jets are 31-13 when playing with revenge this season. Winnipeg is off of a 5-1 blowout win over the Preds Thursday. The Jets, since the calendar turned to 2018, had allowed 1 goal or less in 16 games. Their result in the next game is a 13-3 winning record. Look for another big home win here! 8* WINNIPEG

East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #23 Friday 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - When there is a layoff for teams between series, things can get a little crazy in the first game back. The issue is that the players tend to not be quite as crisp with their passes and there are generally more turnovers which also leads to odd man rushes and great scoring opportunities. That is what I am expecting here in Friday's Game 1. In terms of technical support for this, the over is 9-1 this season when the Capitals are playing with rest of 3 or more days between games and the Lightning are 5-1 to the over in Friday games this season. Also, the last time Tampa Bay was in the conference finals only 2 of the 7 games resulted in an under. Washington is averaging scoring 3.6 goals per game so far in the post-season. The Bolts are averaging scoring 3.5 goals per game so far in the post-season. You can see why I am looking for at least 7 goals here and adding to the likelihood of that is the fact that TB has scored 3 or more goals in 8 of their 10 post-season games. The Caps have scored 3 or more goals in 21 of their last 26 games - playoffs and regular season. A game can't end 3-3 of course so you can see why a 4-3 type game here is quite likely. Combining those two trends above we have a 14-2 (88%) spot favoring the over in this one. I'll take it! 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Thursday 8* OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - There have been two off days since these teams met in Winnipeg and it was a surprising 4-0 win for the Predators. The Jets are 11-5 to the over this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. These series is now knotted up at 3 games apiece and Nashville has had just 7 unders the last 21 games they've played when tied up in a playoff series. Winnipeg has scored an average of 4.7 goals per game in the 3 games played at Nashville so far in this series. The Predators have scored 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 7 games overall. The problem for the Preds has been the struggles of Pekka Rinne. Yes he got the shutout win in Game 6 but, prior to that, the Predators had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of the first 5 games in this series. The over is 4-1 the last 5 times that Winnipeg has been held to 1 goal or less in a game. The Jets respond but the Preds also find the back of the net plenty on home ice. That should lead to a true barn-burner here! 8* OVER the total in Nashville

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Thursday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The Jets are 30-13 this season when playing with revenge. After getting blasted 4-0 on home ice Monday, they've had two days in between games so there is plenty of aggression ready to be unleashed on the ice Thursday. That said, in this Game 7 I look for Winnipeg to come out flying. Keep in mind the Jets have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 7 visits to Nashville. There is certainly not a big home ice for the Predators here. The Jets have averaged 4 goals per game in their last 7 games here. The Preds have actually been held to 2 goals or less in 3 of their last 4 home games. In this series the road team has actually outshot the home team in 5 of the 6 games. I feel we're getting excellent line value here with the sizable road dog. The net edge in shots on goal in this series is 10 extra shots per game for the road team. On average every 10 shots usually equates to 1 goal. Give the road team the 1 goal edge here and look for Winnipeg to fire back strong after what happened in Game 6 north of the border. The Predators have lost 14 of 21 when tied in a playoff series. Also, Nashville has lost 14 of 24 (-$7,800) when off of a shutout win. The Jets are 12-5 this season when off of a loss by a margin of 2 or more goals this season and they bounce back strong here to advance to the Western Conference finals. 10* WINNIPEG

Best Bet Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Monday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Nashville Predators @ 9:35 ET - Many books opened this one up in the -160 range and yet the markets had pushed this as low as a -140. As of game day morning there are still some books as low as a -145 on this one. The fact is that the markets are still grasping on to the fact that the Predators made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring. However, Nashville is not the hockey club they were last year and the Jets are on home ice where they've dominated. Winnipeg lost their most recent game on home ice (in Game 4) but the Jets had previously won 13 straight at home! What is amazing about this 13-1 run is that Winnipeg has allowed an average of just 2 goals per game! It is no wonder they've dominated on home ice with numbers like that because this is a Jets team that has averaged 4 goals per game on home ice this season! While Winnipeg is so tough on home ice, note that the Predators have now allowed 4 or more goals in 4 of the 5 games in this series! Pekka Rinne is struggling between the pipes and the Preds production on offense is also down as they've been held to 2 goals or less in 4 of their last 7 games. The home team has had more shots on goal in 4 of the 5 games in this series and the average margin has been 14 shots in those 4 games! With the Jets being the best team on home ice all season long (and yet losing their most recent game here), they are well worth laying the price here as they bring their top effort of the series in an effort close it out tonight at home. 10* WINNIPEG

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Monday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The markets continue to be enamored with the Penguins. Of course Pittsburgh is the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. However, the very first money lines that popped up on this "win or go home" game for the Pens were in the -165 range and now, as of early game day morning, the Penguins are as high as -200 faves here! The fact is that Pittsburgh certainly is not the dominant team they were in the past two post-seasons and the Capitals see "the blood in the water" here and are ready to finish them off. Home ice continues to be overvalued. Note that the Penguins have a losing record on home ice in this post-season and, before winning Game 2 of this series at home, the Pens had actually lost 3 straight games in Pittsburgh. As for the Capitals, they are a sparkling 4-1 in the post-season on enemy ice. You read that right...before the Game 2 loss at Pittsburgh, the Caps had won all 4 of their road playoff games in this post-season. The big key here is that the Penguins have allowed 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 post-season games. As for Washington, they have not allowed more than 3 goals in a playoff game in ANY of their last NINE games! The Capitals have allowed an average of only 2.4 goals per game during this 9-game stretch. Big upset expected here as all the pressure is on the Penguins and struggling goalie Matt Murray. 8* WASHINGTON

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #66 Sunday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:35 ET - No team has won 2 straight games in this series and I look for that pattern to continue here. The Sharks are 21-9 this season when off of a game where they allowed 4 or more goals. Also, when on home ice in that situation, it has been a perfect 4-0 run the last 4 occurrences. The Golden Knights are 4-5 their last 9 road games. Vegas has been held to 1 goal or less in 5 of last 9 road games. The Golden Knights have allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of last 7 games away from home. In Game 5 on home ice Vegas won the shots on goal battle but that was the first time since Game 1 and that first game had an edge of only 1 shot for the Golden Knights. The Sharks actually had outshot Vegas by 27 shots on goal in Games 2 through 4 and they'll wrestle back the momentum here on home ice where San Jose has won 13 of their last 18 games. With a very fair price here (moderate favorite), the Sharks are well worth the investment in this elimination game situation. 10* SAN JOSE

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Saturday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 9:45 ET - The Jets won Game 1 in Nashville as Pekka Rinne had a bad game. Since then these teams have alternated wins and losses but Winnipeg has actually outshot the Predators in all 3 games. The Jets hold an edge of 128 to 100 in shots on goal over the Preds in the last 3 games. The road team has won 4 of the last 8 meetings between these teams and clearly there has been no home ice edge in recent match-ups between these teams. Keep in mind, in 2nd round games for all these series, the road team actually has won more than the home team. There continues to be value with road teams in the right spot and that is particularly true when they are the better team. I am convinced that Winnipeg is the better team in comparison with Nashville and we're getting a sizable plus money return here. Keep in mind, the Jets have held the Predators to 2 goals or less in 2 of the 4 games in this series. As for the Preds, prior to their Game 4 win, they had not held the Jets to less than 4 goals in any of the 4 prior games. In fact, Winnipeg averaged scoring 5 goals per game in those 4 games. Look for another offensive explosion from the Jets here as they come out firing on all cylinders after the 2-1 loss in Game 4 snapped a 13-game winning streak on home ice. The Jets are 29-13 this season when playing with revenge. Nashville is a long-term 7-13 when tied in a playoff series. 10* WINNIPEG

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #60 Saturday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:15 ET - The Capitals are 42-20 in home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals and that includes 20-10 this season. The Penguins are 31-38 (-$14,000) in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals and that includes 7-9 this season. The Pens have also lost 12 of 21 Saturday games this season while the Caps have won 15 of 19 Saturday games this season! Washington is also an incredible 37-11 when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less and that includes a stellar 14-3 this season. Look for the Capitals to bounce back strong on home ice in Game 5 after losing 3-1 Thursday. Keep in mind, the Caps had scored 4 goals in each of the prior two games in this series. In fact, the Capitals had averaged 3.5 goals per game in their 6 prior games versus Pittsburgh. The Penguins had scored an average of just 2 goals per game in their 4 prior games versus the Caps. 8* WASHINGTON

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #23 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The public is going to be all over the Bruins here. After all, they are on home ice and down 2-1 in this series. It is basically a must win for Boston. Here is the problem with that theory. The Lightning have proved throughout this series that they are the better and much deeper team. The only reason Tampa Bay lost Game 1 was because goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had a rare poor game between the pipes. He certainly has bounced back, as expected, since then and the Bolts have dominated play throughout this series. Not only have the Bolts outshot the Bruins in every game in this series, it has been a decided edge. Tampa Bay has a 104-73 edge in shots on goal and yes that averages an edge of 10 extra shots on goal per game compared to Boston. I look for more of the same here. The Lightning are 21-6 in second round playoff games and also 8-4 (including 3-1 this season) when leading in a playoff series. Look for the Bruins to drop to 1-3 when trailing in a playoff series. Also, Boston is only 29-34 (-$15,100) when playing with home loss revenge. 10* TAMPA BAY 

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The public is going to be on Pittsburgh here. The Penguins are the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions and are in a 2-1 hole on home ice. Of course with the public backing Pittsburgh you know where my money is but it is not without good logic. The fact is that the Tom Wilson suspension for the Capitals could have an interesting impact here. Are the Penguins ready to battle back in this series or will they get caught playing too physical trying to retaliate for the Wilson hit that broke the jaw of Zach Aston-Reese? The fact is that this could actually prove to be a bit of a distraction for the Pens. As for the Caps, they've had so much playoff disappointment there is no way Alex Ovechkin and Company aren't coming out strong in this one. Washington knows they can not afford to take their foot off the gas and what I particularly love about the value in this play is that there is always significant shading toward the home team in hockey and yet it doesn't add up here! The road team has won 7 of the last 10 playoff games in this match-up. With their win in Game 3, Washington now has wins in 3 of their last 4 playoff games played at Pittsburgh. Remember last year's series went 7 games and the road team won 5 of those. The road team is 2-1 so far in his year's series and the Capitals Braden Holtby has been sharper than the Penguins Matt Murray so far in this series. 10* WASHINGTON

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bolts outshot the Bruins by a combined 67-44 in the two games in Tampa. However, they only have a 1-1 split to show for it and that means TB must get at least 1 win in Boston to wrestle back the home ice edge in this series. Look for that win to come tonight. The Lightning are 7 for 25 (28%) on the power play in road games dating back to late March. In their last 19 penalty kills on the road, the Bolts have conceded just 2 goals! The Bruins are on an overall 3 for 16 run on the power play their last 7 games. Very few chances and a conversion rated below 20%! Also, Boston has allowed 5 power play goals on their opponents last 15 chances with the man advantage. Allowing opponents to convert 33% of power play opportunities is bad news! The Bruins are 15-17 (-$10,600) when tied in a playoff series and I feel they are again over-priced in that role here at home. In second round playoff games, the Lightning are an incredible 20-6 (+$13,200) and I'll gladly grab the underdog value here with the team playing better overall hockey, getting better goaltending, and playing better on special teams as well. 10* TAMPA BAY

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Tuesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - The Capitals got the Game 2 win on home ice. However, road teams have dominated the post-season games involving BOTH the Caps and the Pens in these playoffs. Prior to the Game 2 result, the Penguins prior 6 post-season games had seen the road team go a perfect 6-0! As for Washington, the road team had won 6 of their 7 prior post-season games! Pittsburgh is the more banged up team entering this contest. While Washington's Tom Wilson is probable (no suspension), the Penguins have 3 players listed as questionable for tonight's game. Brian Dumoulin, Carl Hagelin, and Evgeni Malkin are all dealing with injuries. The Pens are just 1 for 15 on the power play their last 5 games. The Capitals have converted 10 of their last 31 power plays. Look for the road dominance involving both of these hockey clubs to continue here. 10* WASHINGTON

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #16 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning lost game one badly on home ice but actually outshot the Bruins 36 to 24. Off of a rare sub-par game, Andrei Vasilevskiy will bounce back between the pipes tonight for Tampa Bay. The Bolts are 10-3 this season when playing with home loss revenge. Also, the Lightning are 43-25 (including 13-5 this season) when off of a loss by a margin of two goals or more. The Bruins are a long-term 64-87 in road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Also, Boston is 2-4 when leading in a playoff series. The Lightning are 4-0 the last 4 times they've been held to two goals or less in a game. I just don't see TB going down 2 games to 0 on home ice to open up this series. That said, even though -145 is a moderate price range, I am fully comfortable elevating the rating on this one to my Top Play level. 10* TAMPA BAY

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #14 Sunday 7* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - It is rare for me to lay big juice and certainly I won't lay 2 to 1 prices. Come playoff time however there are cases where I will get into a higher price range like this one (-165) when the situation is very strong. I mitigate the risk of a little pricier fave by reducing the star rating. Note that most of my plays are 10* and most of my plays are 8* but on a play like this I will reduce my rating to 7*. The Predators outshot the Jets 48-19 in Game 1 but lost 4-1 on the scoreboard. Simply put it was "one of those games" as the saying goes. You can fully expect that Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck will come back down to earth after his amazing performance in Game 1 while certainly the Predators will get better netminding here! The Preds are 8-4 this season after being held to 1 goal or less in a game and Nashville also is 23-12 when playing with revenge. The Jets have a losing record the past 3 seasons combined in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Also, Winnipeg has a losing record this season when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. Just don't see the Predators losing both games on home ice to open up this series; especially after the played well in Game 1 but the results just didn't translate to the scoreboard. In Game 2, they will. 7* NASHVILLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Sunday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - The Capitals limited the Penguins to just 17 shots through 2 periods in Game 1 but then blew a 2-goal lead in the 3rd period and lost 3-2. Washington has now killed off 18 straight penalties and I look for their efforts to yield much better results in Game 2 after the puck was certainly bouncing the way of the Pens in Game 1. The Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 34-25 Thursday but ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Caps will respond with resolve here and Pittsburgh's Carl Hagelin and Evgeni Malkin are still dealing with injuries. One or both may not play here and certainly neither is 100%. In road games with a posted total of 6 goals the Penguins have a losing record this season and the past 3 seasons combined. The Capitals have won 24 of 35 when playing with revenge this season and they get the job done in that role again here after having had 2 full days off to get fired up after losing a game they should have won on Thursday. 8* WASHINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #89 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Vegas Golden Knights vs San Jose Sharks @ 8:05 ET - Before an embarrassing, ugly shutout loss in Game 1 of this series, the Sharks had won 5 of their last 6 games and averaged 4 goals per game. As for the Golden Knights, they've now won 9 of their past 12 games and Vegas has averaged scoring 3 goals per game during this stretch. The over 5.5 here is available with a plus money payback as high as a +130 as of early game day morning. The Sharks have had only 5 of their last 19 games result in an under. In San Jose's last 8 second round playoff games there has not been a single under. There have been just 3 unders in the Golden Knights last 8 games. The Sharks last 4 games have featured 10 special teams goals (power play or while on the penalty kill). Vegas has scored 8 power play goals in their last 7 home games. Look for more of the same here as San Jose comes out aggressive after the embarrassing Game 1 loss but the Golden Knights respond well and that leads to quite a few goals in this one! 10* OVER the total in Vegas

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #85 Saturday 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins @ 3:05 ET - The Bruins could be tired from being stretched to 7 games by the Maple Leafs in round one. The Lightning could be rusty after having a full week off since they wrapped up their first round series with the Devils. The way I expect this game to play out is that Boston, on the road and still riding the momentum of a huge 7-4 Game 7 win over Toronto, really pushes hard early and gets a jump on the "rusty" Bolts. This could lead to plenty of scoring and a multiple goal early lead for the Bruins. However, I do expect the Lightning to eventually find their game again once they work the rust off and I look for Tampa Bay to then rally back. As for whom ultimately prevails in this first game I feel that is a tough call given the above. However, based on the above, I do see each team getting to at least 3 goals and that guarantees of nothing less than 4-3 game totaling 7 goals...it can't end 3-3! Note that TB has scored at least 3 goals in 6 of its last 8 games. They've averaged 3.9 goals per game during this strong stretch. Boston has scored 3 or more goals in 6 of its last 9 games and they've also averaged 3.9 goals per game during this stretch. The Bruins have had just 2 unders in their last 9 games. The Lightning are off of an under but previously had gone 4-2 to their over in their 6 prior games! 8* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Top Play Special - Rickenbach NHL Game #83 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The home team will get plenty of love here from the markets but the Jets have won 4 of their last 5 road games and I was more impressed with the Minnesota club they beat then the Avalanche team the Predators got past in the first round. Yes the Avs have some talent but they didn't have their starting goalie and then they lost their #2 goalie during the series and yet the Predators still were taken to 6 games in that series. What the Jets did against the Wild was much more impressive as, keep in mind, Colorado barely even made it into the post-season and their goalie situation was troublesome. Both Winnipeg and Nashville enter this series off of shutout wins to end their prior respective series. The Predators have lost 13 of 23 (-$6,200) when off of a shutout win in recent seasons while the Jets have won 6 of 8 this season when off of a shutout victory. The Preds only 11-11 in Friday games in recent seasons while Winnipeg has won 11 of 15 Friday games this season. The Jets enters this series having converted 3 of last 12 power plays while the Predators are 0 for 9 with the man advantage in their last 3 games. Also, Pekka Rinne had a couple of rough games in the Avs series while Connor Hellebuyck has had only 1 bad start in his last 7 starts. I like the value with the underdog here. 10* WINNIPEG

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #88 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins are without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin for this game. The Capitals have playoff revenge from last year when they rallied back against the Penguins (after being down 3-1 in series) but lost Game 7 on home ice. The Caps will be ready here and they have plenty of momentum after the way they battled with Columbus. Sometimes it actually helps a team to keep playing and not have any extended time off. Right now Washington is in a good cycle with game day and off day basically alternating perfectly. The Capitals did get some extra rest with their clinching win coming Monday. The Penguins wrapped up their series even though as they wrapped up Sunday with the Flyers. The Pens also have extra rest but the losses of Malkin and Hagelin are definitely impacting. The Pens have lost 16 of 29 (-$7,900) this season in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Both teams have been strong on the penalty kill in this post-season but the Capitals have the edge on the power play. Pittsburgh has converted 6 of 31 with the advantage dating back to their regular season finale. The Capitals have scored on 9 of their last 27 power plays!  10* WASHINGTON

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #25 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:35 ET - The Maple Leafs are rolling with confidence right now. Yes the first two games of this series were ugly losses at Boston. However, they won Game 5 here and, overall, have now won 3 of the last 4 games in this series. In those games Toronto has outscored Boston 12-9. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Leafs have rallied back to force a Game 7. The confidence of this team, the way that goalie Frederik Andersen has responded after some tough times, the fact that the pressure is on Boston here to avoid another collapse in a playoff series...it all adds up to quite a lot of line value on the underdog Maple Leafs in this one. Toronto has won 8 of the last 12 match-ups between these teams. Andersen was in goal for all but one of those dozen games. Look for him to be a difference maker here. He has a .936 save percentage the last 4 games. As for the Bruins Tuukka Rask, he has an .894 save percentage in the last 4 games. Boston is just 1 for 9 on the power play in the last 4 games while the Maple Leafs are 3 for 10 on the power play in the last 5 games. Of course the Bruins have revenge here after dropping back to back games in this series but they have lost 66 of 119 (money burning -$34,800) when playing with revenge in recent seasons. 10* TORONTO

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #20 Monday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Blue Jackets outplayed the Capitals in Game 5 but lost. It happens. However, that doesn't change the fact that we're now getting great line value with Columbus on their home ice and their backs against the wall. The Jackets won the first two games and yet now have lost three straight games. However, no one could truly argue that the Capitals are the better team in this match-up. In fact, Columbus was the better team in Game 5 and now they are on home ice and yet they're not even favored. This is the true definition of line value and a spot that is a perfect one to step up big. When leading in a playoff series the Capitals have lost 25 off 44 (-$14,600). Washington, when on the road and on an overall streak of 3 or more consecutive wins, have lost 4 of 6 this season! The Blue Jackets have won 22 of 35 home games with posted total of 5.5 goals this season and they'll get another one here after the bounces of the puck (and the calls) really went against them in Game 5 Saturday. 10* COLUMBUS

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #18 Monday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs got the big win at Boston in Game 5 to stay alive in the series. Toronto now has the added benefit of Game 6 on home ice tonight as they look to force Game 7. With that win on Saturday, the Leafs are now a fantastic 20-11 when trailing in a playoff series. The Maple Leafs are also 27-13 in home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. The Bruins are a long-term 63-86 in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Also, Boston has lost 15 of their last 26 April games. The Bruins are just 1 for 7 on their last 8 power plays while the Maple Leafs have converted 3 of their last 7 power play opportunities. Don't be surprised if special teams play proves to be a difference maker tonight and the Leafs will likely do better about getting more calls now that their back on home ice. They certainly were on the wrong end of the calls Saturday. That won't happen again Monday. 8* TORONTO

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #76 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (+) vs Nashville Predators @ 7:05 ET - The Avalanche have received an incredible boost from the play of Andrew Hammond between the pipes. He came on in relief of Jonathan Bernier in Game 4 and then got his first start in Game 5 and all Hammond has done is save 52 of 53 shots! Playoff teams are known for riding hot goalies and Colorado is certainly "feeling it" right now. That said, and with this game also at home, the Avs are in a great spot for a huge upset win at a great comeback price. Keep in mind, these teams have alternated wins and losses in the last 4 games and the only win by a multiple goal margin in the last 4 games was when Colorado dominated the Predators in Game 3 on home ice. The Avalanche are an incredible 17-6 on home ice in games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Nashville has a losing record (13-14) long-term when leading in a playoff series and they are simply very over-priced here given that they are on the road, Hammond is red hot between the pipes, and the Avs are looking to stave off elimination in their own barn. 10* COLORADO

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Game #74 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - Even if Evgeni Malkin plays he will not be 100%. He did not practice yesterday. The Penguins have plenty of star power but he certainly is one of the biggest. I do expect him to play but I don't expect him to be full strength. This could be a key factor here and we all saw how much better the Flyers were when they got Sean Couterier back for a Game 5 that kept their season alive. Philadelphia is starting to believe and they've got this game on home ice. They've already beaten the Penguins twice as big dogs in this series and they are a rather sizable dog too here as well. Michal Neuvrith also made his first start of the post-season between the pipes and he was fantastic for the Flyers in Game 5. He is certainly another impact player here and Philly has won 8 of 13 home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Surprisingly, the mighty Penguins haven't been so mighty in this particular scenario as they've lost 16 of 28 (-$8,900) road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals this season. The Flyers started out fantastic in Game 4 on home ice in the first period but were undeservedly down 1-0 and things unraveled from there. That is highly unlikely to happen again Sunday and I am grabbing the highly motivated and, arguably, healthier team in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #69 Saturday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 3:05 ET - The road team is a perfect 4-0 in this series. The Capitals certainly have a reputation of choking so don't think for a second that just because they tied up the series by winning two straight at Columbus that they actually have this locked up now. Look for the Blue Jackets to come out with a ton of fire in this one as fiery coach John Tortorella has them ready to go here. The Jackets won 16 of 23 this season when off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. The Capitals lost 15 of 29 this season when off of a game they won by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, Washington has lost 3 of their last 4 when tied in a playoff series. Upset time. 8* COLUMBUS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #65 Saturday 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs New Jersey Devils @ 3:05 ET - There were 3 goals scored very early in Game 4 and it easily could have been 5 and should have at least been 4 as one was taken off on a questionable offsides call bases on video review. Long story short, more goals will be scored in Game 5 after some craziness took the wind out of the sails of the teams early in Game 4 and then it settled into a tighter, lower-scoring game. I expect the high-scoring to resume today back in Tampa Bay where the Lightning have scored 5 goals in each game in this series! In fact the Bolts are averaging 5.3 goals per game their last 4 games on home ice. The Devils have been very scrappy throughout this series and I don't expect them to go away quietly. That said, they had averaged 3.3 goals per game in the first 3 games of this series before struggling in Game 4 and I look for a bounce back here. Each of these clubs is 9-4 to the over this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. The over is 11-4 in New Jersey's last 15 games. The over is 30-14-2 in the Bolts last 46 games. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay 

Canadian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Friday 8* Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 7:35 ET - The Jets dominated the first two games of this series in shots on goal but the Wild really played much better in Minnesota despite only getting a 1-1 split. That said, even though the Wild have gained confidence and are playing much better, they are still a desperate team down 3-1 in this series. Minnesota tonight will be in the "win or hit the golf courses" mode. Getting 2 to 1 odds with a team in that situation that has been playing much better and gaining confidence as this series has gone on is something I won't pass up on. Keep in mind, Devan Dubnyk has allowed just 3 goals in the last 2 games. Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, before the shutout win in Game 4, had saved only 50 of 59 shots in this series. That is an .847 save percentage which, of course, is not good. I feel the Wild are going to put a ton of pressure on him tonight and are going to steal this game on the road to stay alive in the series. I know Winnipeg is strong at home but this is a unique situation and the Jets have won only 17 of 31 games this season when off of a win by a multiple goal margin. The Wild have won 12 of 17 this season when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. 8* MINNESOTA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Friday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - This is tremendous big dog value in a desperation game for the Flyers. Keep in mind the road team has won 3 straight in this series and that includes Philly winning 5-1 at Pittsburgh in Game 2 of this series. I expect the Flyers to get Sean Couturier back for tonight's game. He is traveling with the team. However, even if he does not go, Philadelphia is coming to come out very aggressive and, again, look like a different team. They've played well in spurts in this series but the Penguins have certainly been the better team overall. However, the value here with the much hungrier team whom is in the "win or hit the golf courses" mode is huge. I'll grab the 2 to 1 odds with a dangerous underdog that will pull out all the stops to send this series back to Philly. Look for the road team to improve to 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Penguins have lost 16 of 31 (-$8,400) after a win by 2 or more goals this season. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Best Bet - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - With each of the first three games of this series, calling for a money line winner in this game is damn near close to a roll of a dice. However, where I feel we're getting value here in Game 4 is with this total at a 5.5 across the board. Keep in mind, the first two games in this series averaged 8 goals per game and both went over the total. Even though Game 3 stayed under the total, it did so just barely and that also had a lot to do with the teams combining to go just 1 for 8 on the power play. The power plays had been hot coming into Tuesday's game and I expect the high-scoring trend we saw earlier in the series to quickly resume. Not only have all 3 games gone to OT but also this will be the 3rd game in 5 nights so we could see some tired legs on defense in this one. Eventually teams start to wear each other down and there tends to be more open ice to execute in. With all the hockey that has already been played in this series (all 3 games going to OT) I expect that to be the case tonight. Keep in mind, the over is 5-1 in Capitals last 6 games and 8-1 in Columbus' last 9 games. Also, the Blue Jackets are 12-3 to the over this season when playing with home loss revenge. The over is 28-15 this season in Washington's games versus teams with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #2 Thursday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Everyone jumping on board the Bruins here to bounce back off of a loss. However, Boston is actually 0-5 in their last 5 road games. As for the Maple Leafs, they've certainly had a strong home/road dichotomy of late as well. In Toronto's last 6 games, the home team is a perfect 6-0. This is a combined 11-0, 100% PERFECT factor in favor of the Leafs in this one. I also like the fact that the Bruins have lost 14 of their last 24 April games. Another high scoring game is projected here by the odds makers (O/U posted at a 6) and the Maple Leafs are 23-10 this season in home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Grab the home dog! 8* TORONTO

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - The Lightning are going to push it here. They're tired of getting outdone in the 3rd period by the Devils and they finally paid the ultimate price for it in Game 3 as they lost 5-2 by being outplayed (again) by New Jersey in the 3rd period. The solution for Tampa Bay? Score more goals early and this is a team that is loaded with firepower so they are fully capable of it. They will be relentless in this game tonight and I look for them to do a little more "dirty work" in front of goalie Cory Schneider and get some goals off of a deflections and screens in front of him. A few put-backs off rebounds...those types of goals. Schneider has looked good since he replaced Keith Kincaid but he certainly is not unbeatable. That said, the Bolts really push it in this game but you have to give credit to the Devils for their ability to battle back in games and that is what I expect here. The result will be plenty of goals because also we've seen the special teams lead to plenty of power play goals already in this series. With tensions rising higher with each game, and more and more animosity, it is just unavoidable that guys will end up in the penalty box and power plays will result. The over is 5-1 in the 6 meetings between these teams this season (including 3-0 in this playoff series). The over is on an 11-3 run in Devils games. The over is 14-6 when TB faces a team with a winning record and the over is 18-10 when the Bolts are playing with revenge. The over is also 13-6 when NJ is off of a win by a multiple goal margin. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #58 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers rolled the Penguins 5-1 in Game 2 after getting embarrassed in Game 1. Then, in the first period of Game 3, Philadelphia played arguably their best period of hockey so far in this series and yet trailed 1-0 to Sidney Crosby and the Pens. The fact is that it sucked the life out of the building in Philly and stole all the momentum back. Is Philly a bit of a fragile team? Yes, perhaps. But the Flyers have shown a knack for responding well to adversity and they'll be ready to go here in Game 4. Keep in mind, they've been the better team in 4 of the last 6 periods of hockey and yet they're a +130 home dog here. Also, the Flyers are 4-1 the last 5 times they've allowed 5 or more goals in a game. Philadelphia is also a perfect 3-0 the last 3 times they were off of a game in which they were held to 2 goals or less. The Flyers also are a long-term 8-4 in home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The Penguins have lost 16 of 27 road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals this season costing dime players $10,000 in that role this season. 8* PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - Don't look for anything to slow down in this series. Washington peppered Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with 58 shots in Game 2 but the Capitals are still down 2-0 in this series despite scoring 4 goals in that game. The fact is that the Caps have to keep pushing hard after losing both games on home ice in overtime. They will be relentless tonight and I don't think Bobrovsky is going to have the same "puck luck" he did in Game 2. Give him credit for a helluva game but the Capitals (7 goals already) will continue to find the back of the net tonight. The key to the value with the over here is not only that it is a 5.5 but also that the Blue Jackets are back on home ice where they've scored 4 or more goals in 7 of their last 10 games. They don't have to be passive here. With the added boost of confidence of winning both games on the road at Washington they can afford to be aggressive and they're also going to be looking to stay out of the penalty box. As a result, could they be a little too soft on defense? You bet. The Capitals are going to push hard here and the Blue Jackets only option will be able to get back into the game with attacking the offensive zone and peppering the Caps goalie. The over is 8-0 in the Blue Jackets last 8 games and 5-0 in Washington's last 5 games. Also, the Capitals are 17-5 to the over when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on home ice. The over is a long-term 11-5 in Columbus first round playoff games. Those perfect trends above are a combined 13-0 / 100%! I'll take it. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #29 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - Look for another wild one here as the Devils should play even better on home ice and they've played some great hockey in stretches in this series. The problem for New Jersey is they can't keep the puck out of their own net as the Lightning just have so much firepower. Look for Tampa Bay, buoyed by the confidence of a 2-0 series lead, to continue to be on the attack in Game 3. This should lead to a back and forth true barnburner that ends up a 4-3 or 5-4 type game in my opinion. There is a reason that this is the only total out of all 4 games Monday that is higher than 5.5 goals. It is fully justified and we're going to continue to see plenty of scoring in this one. The over is 29-16 this season when Tampa Bay is off of a game where they scored 4 or more goals. Overall, the Lightning enter this game on a 29-13 run to the over dating back to early January. New Jersey is 14-8 to the over (including 7-4 to the over this season) when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. Also, the Devils are 17-9 to the over when they are off of a game in which they allowed 4 or more goals. Look for these trends to continue here. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #28 Monday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - No one will want the Maple Leafs after the way the Bruins dominated the first two games of this series. However, look for a huge change in the way Game 3 plays out as the series shifts to Toronto. The Maple Leafs will be fired up and are going to use the second change to their advantage to better match up with Boston's line changes and I expect a very physical and relentless game from the Leafs here. The home team has won 6 of the last 7 meetings between these teams. Also, Toronto has won 7 of 9 home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. That's a combined edge of 13-3 (81%) in favor of the Maple Leafs here and I look for them to get back into this series with an unrelenting effort tonight! 8* TORONTO

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #23 Sunday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - Common thinking will have most bettors backing the Capitals in this one. Of course that is why we've seen the money line on Washington moving even higher for Game 2 since it first opened up. As long-time followers know, there is nothing common about my thinking when I analyze games. The reason, of course, that most people will back the Caps here is because they lost Game 1 on home ice and the common man's thinking is there is no way they can lose a 2nd game on home ice and fall into an 0-2 hole in the series. However, the reality is that there is tremendous value on the road dog side in a situation like this because they have absolutely no pressure. They already stole 1 game on the road and now have a chance to just go out and go for that dagger to the heart of taking 2 straight games on the road to open up the series. All the pressure is on the home team. They know they can ill afford to go down 0-2 in this series. That pressure has been exasperated by the fact that there has been a 2-day layoff between games 1 and 2 of this series. This was even more time for the Blue Jackets to become more relaxed and confident while also giving more time for extreme pressure (and nervousness) to build up for the home team down 0-1. The only other home team that lost Game 1 (Anaheim) in this post-season sure enough lost game 2 too last night. I expect a repeat of that here. Keep in mind, the Capitals aren't quite what they once were as they lost some key contributors heading into this season. They are a quality hockey club but so too is Columbus and the Blue Jackets are more of an up and comer! Anything can happen on any day as we all know but this is a case where the road dog is offering fantastic value for all the reasons noted above. The Caps lost 5 of 8 Sunday games this season and the Blue Jackets have won 15 of 24 this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. 10* COLUMBUS

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Sunday 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - This is the biggest total on the hockey card of 4 games Sunday but it is absolutely justified. The last 14 meetings between these in-state and divisional rivals have seen 2 pushes on totals and the other 12 have gone 10-2 to the over. Look for Sunday's game to follow this same pattern trend. You know the Penguins are going to bring a huge effort after losing 5-1 on home ice Friday. However, you also know the Flyers are going to bring another huge effort after that huge bounce back in game 2 of the series to even it up. Now, back on home ice, Philly will look to keep the hammer down. The problem for the Flyers is that the Penguins have so much firepower on offense and they will be relentless after that ugly loss Friday. The over is 8-4 this season when the Penguins are playing with home loss revenge. Also, Pittsburgh is 17-8 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The over is 18-10 when the Flyers are knotted up in a playoff series. Not only is this series tied up at 1 apiece but the line on this game is a pick'em. It truly is, in my opinion, a pick'em game that could go either way but one thing for certain is that there should be plenty of excitement for those hockey fans that enjoy seeing plenty of offense! 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Saturday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - The Maple Leafs suffered an ugly loss in Game 1 and they'll respond big here in Game 2. Keep in mind, 3 power play goals for the Bruins certainly made a huge difference in the game. It was a tight game for quite awhile and then suddenly Toronto imploded. That is unlikely to happen again. While Boston certainly is worthy of credit for how that game played out the fact is that the Bruins also had some good "puck luck" on their side with the bounces. The Maple Leafs know they can't afford to again spend so much time in the penalty box in this one and I expect a much smarter game from them in Game 2. Boston is a long-term 22-22 when leading in a playoff series while Toronto is 18-9 long-term when trailing in a playoff series. I fully expect a huge bounce back in this game and feel we're getting exceptional value continuing the Leafs do have a good recent history of winning games in Boston. The Maple Leafs also won 9 of 13 games this season when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. Payback time for the Leafs and for us as there is a nice comeback price on this money line dog. 10* TORONTO

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Saturday 8* OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche @ 3 ET - Colorado really skated very well in Game 1 and that helped to keep the tempo at a good pace. Ultimately the Predators proved to be too much and, as I mentioned in Thursday's write-up, the Avalanche are really hurt by the loss of goalie Semyon Varlamov. The Avs #2 goalie Jonathan Bernier will again be pressured heavily in this one but the Avs best hope is to keep pushing the tempo and get a few past Preds goalie Pekka Rinne again. Nashville is not going to be shut down by the Avs defense or their goaltender. They're just not that strong on in their own end, especially without Varlamov. With that said, the over is the way to go in this game as we have good value with a total of 5.5 currently on this game. When the Avalanche are on an over streak of 3 or more, they over has gone 10-3. Also, Colorado is on a 13-2 run to the over in April games. Nashville is on a 13-8 run to the over when they enter a game on an unbeaten streak of 3 or more games. Also, when on a streak of 3 or more consecutive overs, the Predators are a long-term 24-12 to the over. Plenty of fireworks on offense again tonight in the Music City. 8* OVER the total in Nashville

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:35 ET - The Jets won Game 1 with offense. They sat back on their heels too much early but once they got more aggressive the goals came in bunches. That said, I look for the pace in Game 2 to be much better from the get go as Winnipeg controls the tempo on home ice. They don't want to let the Wild hang around in the game like they did in Game 1. That very nearly cost the Jets as they were only up 1-0 after 2 periods and then Minnesota got two early third period goals to take the lead. Winnipeg took over from there and registered a ton of shots on goal in the 3rd period. This time the Jets will do that from the get go and I look for a lot of end to end action in this game with odd man rushes and break out opportunities. Keep in mind, and I can't remember the last time I have ever seen this and truly don't know that I have ever witnesses in my multiple decades of watching hockey, the Jets missed an open net about a half dozen times in the final two minutes of the game. Just getting one of those would have resulted in a 4-2 final. Those who took the Wild on the puck line (+1.5 goals) willing to lay ridiculous juice ended up very fortunate. But for me, it was the total that burned as I had the over 5.5 and lost. I fully expect easy payback here as the pace we saw in the 3rd period Wednesday will be more of an all game pace we see in this one! The Jets are the highest scoring team on home ice in the NHL and they need to exert that power right from the start in this one and they know it. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #13 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:35 ET - The Blue Jackets ended the season on a 6-0 run to the over. The Capitals ended the season on a 3-0 run to the over. Granted this is now post-season hockey but more on that below. The Blue Jackets are weak on the penalty kill. Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a great regular season but is known for playoff struggles. Bobrovsky is an ugly 3-10 in his post-season career and has compiled a 3.63 GAA and .887 save percentage. The Capitals have decided to go with goalie Philipp Grubauer who has logged only 79 minutes of NHL playoff hockey in his career. They've decided to go with Grubauer over Braden Holtby and no matter what Grubauer says, he'll start looking over his shoulder as soon as Columbus pots a couple goals. It is hard when you're not the "real No. 1" for your team. The Blue Jackets scored 4 or more goals in 13 of their last 17 games. The Capitals wrapped up the regular season scoring 3 or more goals in 12 of their last 14 games. This is playoff hockey but we all saw the Penguins score 7 goals yesterday and the only reason the Jets game didn't go over the total is because Winnipeg inexplicably missed an empty net about a half dozen times over the final two minutes! Some of these early post-season games are going to be quite high-scoring. Things tighten up as the post-season goes on. This looks like an early barn-burner in my opinion. Only 4 of the Caps final 13 games resulted in an under. Columbus went 15-5 to the over their last 20 games. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Thursday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Boston might have rather played anybody else but the Maple Leafs to open up the post-season. The Bruins have lost 8 of their last 10 games against the Leafs. You read that right folks! Toronto has had the Bruins number and that includes 4 recent wins for the Maple Leafs at Boston too! In other words, they've got plenty of confidence coming into this series. That makes for a very dangerous dog and that is why the Bruins opened up as low as a -149 money line favorite for this game. Now, as of early gameday morning, we're seeing lines as high as -170 on Boston. Of course that is typical as the public loves favorites on home ice but, especially early in the post-season you tend to see a lot of road upsets. It did not happen yesterday but today you can expect to see a couple and I fully expect this to be one of them. The Bruins are the more banged up team and Boston did lose 4 of their last 5 games this season. The Maple Leafs lost only 4 of their last 14 games! Toronto took the most recent game between these clubs and the Bruins have lost 15 of 28 (-$8,800) this season and 65 of 116 (-$35,600) long-term when playing with revenge. They're a money-burner again here as the Maple Leafs add to an 8-2 (80%) mark this season when they enter a game with 3 days of rest between games. 8* TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS money line

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - I find it interesting that the Penguins (the two-time defending champions) opened as only a -175 favorite over the Flyers in this first game. Make of it what you want but I think the odds makers are trying to make sure they get balanced action by putting a much lower price than what many may have expected. In other words, there will be some sharp money on Philadelphia in this one and the odds makers had to balance that action by encouraging Penguins money with a low price on Pittsburgh. Less than 2 to 1 odds seem awfully low considering the Penguins have home ice here and not only are going for 3 straight Stanley Cup titles, they also won all the match-ups with the Flyers this season. Now, for the reasons to back Philadelphia here. Note that two of those games went past regulation this season and there has been a boost for the Flyers here as they got goalie Brian Elliott back late in the season. He and Philly earned back to back wins including a shutout in the final game of the regular season and Elliott's return was big. Also, the way Claude Giroux has played this season and with how hot he's been recently, he truly could end up being the best player on the ice in this series if he continues his current level of play. Look for a shocking upset in Game One. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:05 ET - This total opened up at a 6 and dropped to a 5.5 and, of course, this is playoff hockey. However, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is only 24 and has exactly 0 games of NHL playoff experience! But how about that Winnipeg offensive production? The Jets won 32 of 41 home games this season thanks to a juggernaut offense that averaged 3.9 goals per game. Devan Dubnyk was great in the post-season last year despite his record. However, I don't see anybody stopping the Jets offensive machine at home. These teams have played 7 games in Winnipeg the past 3 seasons. The over is a perfect 7-0 in those games. The last 4 games here have averaged 9 goals per game. Minnesota scored 10 goals in their last two road games of the regular season and I look for this one to fly over the total as the over improves to 18-10 in Jets home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg 

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Florida Panthers @ 7:30 ET - The Bruins have a chance to earn the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to Tampa Bay slipping up yesterday. That said, you know the division rival Panthers would love to play the role of spoiler here. Yesterday, Florida showed their not going to quit on the season as they stormed out to a 3-0 lead and thing hung on for a 4-3 win versus the Sabres even after finding out their post-season hopes were dashed by the Flyers. This says a lot about the character of the Panthers and I am expecting another solid effort from them here. That is what leads me to the over in this match-up. First off we're getting great line value with this total posted at a 5.5 as of Sunday morning. Secondly, I just don't see the Panthers being able to keep the Bruins from scoring plenty in this one. Boston has scored 53 goals in their last 11 home games. Yes, you read that right and yes that is an average of nearly 5 goals per game! The over is 8-2-2 in the Bruins last 12 home games and the 2 pushes were at 6 goals so, at a 5.5, the over would be 10-2 in Boston's last 12 at home! The over is 24-17-1 in Florida's games versus teams with a winning record this season. Roberto Luongo was strong in goal in the Panthers win versus the Bruins Friday but the last time he faced them in Boston he allowed 4 goals. This is the 5th game in 7 days for Florida (this was a rescheduled match-up) and I look for tired legs on the Panthers defensemen to also be an issue. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #71 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs St Louis Blues @ 9:05 ET - Of course this game has huge playoff implications so most will be looking at the under in this game because of the intensity that the game will have. There are two major problems with that viewpoint. Jake Allen and Jonathan Bernier. I know that Blues goalie Allen is normally a solid netminder. However, goalies tend to be very streaky and the last thing you need when you're going bad is a game with huge pressure. That said, Allen has gone 0-4 in his last 4 starts and has an ugly .869 save percentage. All 4 of those games have gone over the total. As for the Avalanche, you truly have to feel bad for them. It looked like they finally were going to playoffs (and they still can with a regulation win tonight) but then they lost #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov. The issue this has created is that Bernier is now the guy for the Avalanche. This is no disrespect to him but he is the #2 guy here for a reason and I feel he has not been dealing with the playoff pressure either! He has gone winless in his 3 starts since Varlamov got hurt and the Avs have lost those games by a combined score of 11-6. Look for many more goals than what most are expecting here because this goalie match-up features two guys that are definitely struggling right now! Also, the Avs are on an 11-2 run to the over in April games and the over is a PERFECT 7-0 this season when the Avalanche enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Situational Smash - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - Florida is still alive in the playoff picture as of Saturday morning. The chances they are alive in the post-season race by the time they drop the puck on this evening's game are not good. The Flyers are a huge favorite in early action versus the Rangers and only need to earn a single point to earn a post-season berth and eliminate the Panthers. That said, I am expecting that Philly wins that game and that is going to put Florida in a very tough spot here. It will be hard to play with a lot of defensive intensity when your playoff dreams are finally extinguished. With that said, the Sabres have been scoring a lot of goals but also giving up a ton of goals and I would look for a very loosely played wide-open affair. If by surprise, the Rangers do upset the Flyers early, I still like the over in this match-up because that shocking win would have the Panthers flying all over the ice with energy and that would lead to plenty of Florida goals. Either way the set-up is nice for another high-scoring game here. The Panthers have scored 4 goals in all 3 meetings with the Sabres this season. Buffalo enters this game averaging 3.7 goals per game their last 6 games the over is a perfect 5-0 in their last 5 games. 10* OVER the total in Florida

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Saturday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line -1.5 goals +120 vs New York Rangers @ 3:05 ET - The Flyers need to win to clinch a playoff spot. The Rangers, a division rival, would love to prevent that of course but they just don't have the right personnel to knock off the hungry Flyers in a spot like this. The Rangers have already begun building for next season and have been playing younger plays and their defense has been exposed often in recent weeks. The Flyers got goalie Brian Elliott back and, after a shaky start, he really got back into a groove and played well. Now, after shaking the rust off, look for a gem from him today while the Flyers continue to play very well in the offensive zone. Philadelphia has scored 4 or more goals in 8 of their last 10 games! The Rangers have been held to 2 goals or less in 5 of their last 6 games. The Blueshirts lost by just a single goal to the Islanders Thursday but, prior to that, 4 of their last 6 losses were by at least a 2-goal margin. These teams met in late March and it was a 1-goal game but, prior to that 4 of the last 5 meetings between these teams were decided by a multiple goal margin. Of course I am not going to lay a huge money line price with the Flyers but you can certainly see why I like them at -1.5 goals and getting plus money odds! 8* PHILADELPHIA FLYERS money line -1.5 goals +120

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs St Louis Blues @ 8:35 ET - Coming right back with the same play I used when these teams met in St Louis on Wednesday. The Blackhawks rallied for the win there but the reason I used the over is because I don't trust their goalie. He gave up 3 goals Friday and it paid off for me in the 4-3 Chicago win and I expect Jean Francois-Berube to again struggle here. He has an .871 save percentage in his last 4 starts and all 4 went over the total. Keep in mind that if the Blackhawks turn to Jeff Glass here, he has an .860 save percentage in his last 4 games (3 starts). With Chicago pushing hard to try and hurt the Blues playoff chances I do expect the Blackhawks to again be successful in scoring plenty again but they simply won't be able to keep the puck out of their own net. The over is 4-0 in the Blues last 4 games and the over is 7-2-1 in Chicago's last 10 games. The over is 10-6 this season when St Louis is playing with home loss revenge. Only 5 of the Blackhawks last 21 April games have stayed under the total. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 goals -110 vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7:35 ET - The Bruins loss last night at Florida kept the door open for Tampa Bay to have a shot at the #1 seed in the east. Boston has now lost 3 straight games and the Bolts can take advantage here with a late season push. The Lightning, surprisingly, are playing this game with double revenge against the lowly Sabres. TB lost when they most recent met in Tampa and also lost their most recent visit to Buffalo. That said they have payback on their minds and the Sabres are unlikely to be able to do much about it. Buffalo is very banged up and also has injuries at the goalie position. That should turn this into a home blowout as the Sabres last 8 losses have all come by at least 2 goals. In fact, 7 of those 8 Buffalo losses have come by 3 or more goals! As for the Lightning, 8 of their last 11 games have been decided by 2 or more goals. In other words, don't look for a 1 goal game here and of course I am not laying big money lines. Never have and never will. That said, the -110 price range available on the -1.5 goals here is offering great value. Buffalo has lost 27 of 38 games against teams with a winning record this season. The Lightning have won 9 of 12 this season when playing with home loss revenge. 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals -110

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Thursday 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - Islanders expected to start Jaroslav Halak and I know he has had success against the Rangers in the past but he hasn't started since last Tuesday and could be rusty here. Rangers goalie Ondrej Pavelec also could be rusty here as he makes his first start since last Friday and, keep in mind, he had been out for a quite awhile prior to that start. So you have two non-playoff times whom are also rivals and whom also have question marks in goal for this one tonight. You can see why I am expecting a ton of goals in this one as it will be a lively match-up and I just don't expect many stops from the netminders in this one. Also, in late season games involving teams out of the playoff pictures there are some younger inexperienced players getting some ice time and this leads to turnovers and mistakes on the ice that tend to lead to even better scoring chances. The over is 9-2-2 in the Rangers last 13 games. The over is 9-3 in the Islanders last 12 games. Rangers divisional games are 50-26 to the over the past 3 seasons combined. The Isles are 23-9 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 4 or more goals. This total is a big 6.5 for a reason. Look for the lamp to be lit early and often in this one. 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders

Puck Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +160) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers still are not officially in the post-season. They're also coming off of an inexcusable game versus the Islanders where they fell behind 4-1. Philly rallied back to tie it at 4-4 in the 3rd period but then immediately allowed the game winning goal to the Isles and so the Flyers didn't even pick up a point in the standings. They are steamed about their performance and now, at home, they are poised to give one of their best efforts of the season. The Flyers are fired up and of course I am never fond of laying big prices so I am going with the puck line in a big way here. Philadelphia has a comeback price in the +160 range at -1.5 goals and I am forecasting a blowout win here. Carolina would love to play the role of spoiler here but they really wanted to play that role in their most recent game (versus Florida) and they couldn't get it done Tuesday. They've now lost 3 of their last 4 and the Flyers (though they recently won 4-2 at Carolina) still owe the Hurricanes for a 4-1 drubbing on home ice in early March. The Flyers didn't show up that night and this is their first opportunity to host the Canes since the ugly effort on home ice. Trust me, the Flyers are showing up tonight and with goalie Brian Elliott also poised to return Philly is filled with a lot of positive energy tonight whether Elliott is between the pipes or not. The Hurricanes have lost 9 of their last 11 April games. 14 of Carolina's last 21 losses have come by 2 or more goals. Another one here! 10* PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Puck Line -1.5 goals +160

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - The Blues know if they win out they're in the playoffs. That said, you know the long-time rival Blackhawks want nothing more than to spoil the post-season hopes of St Louis. As much as I would love to play Chicago as a big dog in the spoiler role here, the Hawks have a big issue in the crease. They already have without #1 goalie Corey Crawford for a long time but now they also lost Anton Forsberg for the season. That makes the goalie situation a tenuous one for the Blackhawks and Jean-Francois Berube the expected starter in this one. Berube's last 4 games (3 starts) have seen him compile an .877 save percentage and all 3 starts went over the total. On the road this season Berube has played in 6 games (3 starts) and compiled an .857 save percentage and all 3 starts went over the total. You can see why this is unlikely to go well for Berube. But I do know this, Chicago (even without Jonathan Toews) is going to push very hard in this game as they are relishing the opportunity to play the role of spoiler here. I expect this to lead to plenty of goals in this one. The Blackhawks have scored 17 goals in their last 5 meetings with Jake Allen and the Blues. The over is 6-2-1 in the Hawks last 9 games and 3-0 in the Blues last 3 games. Both Allen and Carter Hutton have struggled recently between the pipes for St Louis. The Blues also have been impacted by injuries to defensemen. Chicago is 17-9 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - When you're not playing for a whole lot it is certainly tough to focus on the defensive end. That said, sub-par play in your own zone can lead to plenty of goals and that is what I expect to see here as these two division rivals continue to wind down another disappointing season. The over is 5-3 in Ottawa's last 8 games and the Senators have allowed at least 4 goals in 6 of those 8 games. The Sabres are 3-0 to the over in their last 3 games but, going even further back, Buffalo has allowed an average of 4.1 goals per game their last 10 games. Based on the above stats and recent trending, you can see why it would not be a complete surprise if each club gave up 4 goals in this game. That said, a total of 5.5 is offering great line value in this one. The Sens have scored at least 3 goals in 3 of their last 4 games while the Sabres, prior to a 5-2 loss at Toronto, had scored at least 3 goals in 3 straight games! 8* OVER the total in Buffalo

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Calgary Flames @ 9:05 ET - Nice set up here. Arizona has been one of the hottest teams in the league even though they're not going to the playoffs. The Coyotes are 16-8-2 since February 8th and they're taking on a slumping Flames team that had lost 7 straight games before finally winning Saturday. Whom did Calgary beat? Only their biggest rivals in a hard-fought 3-2 victory. The point is that the Flames could definitely be flat here after knocking off their provincial rivals, Edmonton, on the final day of March. Calgary also has bigger games on deck as they play at Winnipeg and then host Vegas in their season finale. The Flames are not going to be fully focused here and the Coyotes are motivated by losing 3-0 in their last visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Arizona goalie Antti Raanta went 3-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .964 save percentage in his 3 most recent starts and he and the Coyotes are motivated to continue this strong finish to the season and continue building for next season. While Arizona has been getting great goaltending, the Flames have allowed 4.4 goals per game their last 8 games! Ignore the full season numbers as, while neither of these hockey clubs are going to the post-season, the Coyotes are playing like a playoff team and Calgary most certainly is not! 10* ARIZONA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Tuesday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Panthers burned me last night with a tight win over visiting Carolina. I'll get payback tonight with a much better team now visiting Florida. Nashville takes on the Panthers tonight and the Predators still have plenty to play for. They have not yet locked up the Division Title and they also have their sights set on the Presidents' Trophy as they do have a shot at finishing with the most points this regular season in the NHL. The Predators will be ready to go here and the Panthers are in a tough back to back spot. Florida had lost 3 straight before the tight win last night. Also, the Panthers have lost 11 of their last 19 games against teams with a winning record. The Preds have won 15 of their last 21 games against teams with a winning record. Simply put, we're getting the far better team in a much better scheduling situation at a very fair price. Lay it! 8* NASHVILLE

Situational Smash - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Blues are off of an embarrassing 6-0 shutout at Arizona Saturday. The last 3 times that St Louis has been off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less, not only is the over a perfect 3-0, the games have averaged 9 goals each! Look for another high-scoring barn-burner here because the Capitals are off of a big win yesterday. They clinched the Metropolitan Division by knocking off the Penguins at Pittsburgh Sunday. That huge win could leave Washington lacking in energy in their own zone tonight after they used up a lot of energy to hold off the Pens last night. That, coupled with plenty of energy from the desperate Blues (fighting for a playoff spot) means that we should see plenty of goals from St Louis. The thing is I won't be surprised if the Capitals match them goal for goal. Washington has so many weapons on offense and they've scored 3 goals or more in 9 of their last 11 games. The Caps have averaged 4 goals per game in their last 6 road games. The over is 23-14 when Washington faces a team with a winning record this season. Look for that trend to continue tonight. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #6 Monday 8* Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:35 ET - The Jets clinched home ice for the first round with their 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs Saturday. Winnipeg also, barring a miracle, is not going to catch Nashville at the top of the division. That said, the Jets are looking to rest some guys and stay healthy for the post-season. You may see a disinterested Winnipeg team tonight. As for the Senators, though eliminated from the playoff picture a long time ago, they will be ready to go tonight. They have lost 3 straight match-ups versus the Jets including a 5-0 loss at Winnipeg this season. Also, this is the Sens home finale and it very well could be Erik Karlsson's last game ever in Ottawa as a member of the Senators. He'll go down as their all-time best player ever. That said, you know Karlsson and the troops are going to rally for this one and give an "A game" effort. It has been a very disappointing campaign for the Senators but on this one night you will see them at their best while their opponent is merely going through the motions. That leads to tremendous home underdog value here. I'll take it! 8* OTTAWA

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Sunday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 6:05 ET - Beautiful set-up here as the Predators are off of an embarrassing home loss to Buffalo. The Preds were clearly looking ahead to this big game at Tampa Bay as these two teams battle it out for the Presidents Cup as they are both at the top of the standings. Nashville has won 10 of 11 this season when they enter a game off of 3 straight home games. Also, Tampa Bay is off of a big win at the Rangers but of course the Blueshirts are just playing out the string on a disappointing season. The Lightning are in for a much different challenge here and they truly haven't been playing all that well. The Bolts had lost 5 of 8 prior to the win over the Rangers. Also, TB's Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 3 or more goals in 15 of his last 21 starts. That pales in comparison to the way Pekka Rinne has been playing. The Predators #1 netminder is coming off of a rare disastrous start versus the Sabres and will certainly respond here. Rinne is on a 22-3-1 run in which he has compiled a 2.02 goals-against average and .934 save percentage those 26 starts. Rinne has an overall record of 41-11-4, with a sparkling 2.25 GAA, fantastic .929 save percentage and his eight shutouts lead the league. The Lightning have lost 9 of their last 17 games versus teams with a winning record. The Preds have won 14 of their last 20 versus teams with a winning record! Also, even though this is a back to back for the Predators, they have won 7 of 10 this season in the 2nd game of a back to back. 10* NASHVILLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #52 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 12:35 ET - Not only are the Flyers at home and rested, the Bruins are on the road and in the 2nd game of a back to back. Also, Boston's win versus Florida yesterday was a huge divisional win for the Bruins. Look for the Flyers, playing 1st time in 4 days, to take advantage of a Boston team playing for the 3rd time in 4 days. Philly has won 5 of 7 Sunday games this season while the Bruins have lost 5 of 7 Sunday games on the season. Also, Boston has lost 23 of 38 (-$12,100) when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Saturday 8* Florida Panthers Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 1:05 ET - The Bruins are still dealing with a lot of injuries. This is the first of 3 games the Panthers have against Boston over the next week. In other words, if Florida wants to make the playoffs, they know they'll have to have success against the Bruins. Last season Boston dominated this series but the Panthers already took the first game this season. That was two weeks ago in Florida and the Panthers will prove to the the hungrier team here in Boston. They're off of a tough OT loss on a questionable call with just 13 seconds to go in OT. That was the 2nd straight loss for Florida which certainly holds significance because they haven't lost 3 straight games since January! The Panthers are catching the Bruins off of a big win as they just won a top team divisional battle with Tampa Bay. Also, while Florida is off tomorrow, Boston has another tough game at Philadelphia. The set up here is perfect and the underdog value is there on Florida. The Panthers are fighting for their playoff lives and had won 20 of 27 before the back to back losses. The Bruins have lost 64 of 114 (-$33,100) when playing with revenge. Just like two weeks ago, Florida gets the win here. They are fired up after what happened Thursday and they also are the hungrier team and certainly the healthier team. Road dog value. 8* FLORIDA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #56 Friday 8* New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are off of a big divisional win versus Florida on Wednesday and they have a game on deck tomorrow night at home versus Winnipeg. Of course they certainly view the match-up versus the playoff-bound Jets as much tougher than this match-up with an Islanders team that will be hitting the golf courses soon. That is where the value is in this match-up because it is truly a flat spot for the Leafs and the Isles are still showing competitiveness. Off of a win at Ottawa Tuesday, the Islanders are hungry to finally notch back to back to wins (it has been awhile) and they're looking to close the season strong. Also, a road team hasn't won in this series since the 2015 calendar year! The home team is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings between these hockey clubs and I look for Toronto to drop to 4-8 this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. New York is looking to atone for a shutout loss in their most recent home game where they were outplayed. Prior to that, the Islanders had outshot their opponent in 6 of their 7 prior home games. They get it back here and the home team makes it 7 IN A ROW in this series! 8* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Rangers are playing youth and already in rebuilding mode for next season. This leads to mistakes which, in turn, leads to odd man rushes and players getting caught out of position. Their game against the Capitals Wednesday could (and should) of had a lot more goals. But puck luck was in favor of the iron that night as there were a few off the post and crossbar throughout the game. This match-up sets up well for a high-scoring game because the powerful Lightning are in desperate need of a win after dropping 3 straight and they are very potent in the offensive zone and will attack early and often. With last night's 4-2 loss at Boston, the Bolts are 25-10-2 to the over in their last 37 games. When they play the 2nd game of a back to back this season, Tampa Bay has gone 9-2 to the over. The Rangers are 7-1-2 to the over in their last 10 games. The over is 14-8-1 this season when New York is off of a divisional game. The Lighting are going to push hard and the Rangers typical late season defensive struggles will be evident again here but they have been playing fairly well in the offensive zone and creating good chances for themselves. As a result I am expecting at least a 4-3 type game. Tampa has allowed at least 3 goals in 25 of their last 35 games! 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Thursday 8* Florida Panthers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +187) @ Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - I coming right back with Florida here after they let me down last night. However, with the money line price in the -160 range and my lack of fondness for laying big prices, I am recommending taking the Panthers on the puck line here. Yes that means they have to win by 2 goals but there is plenty of reasoning to support that happening and of course I love getting a nearly +200 return on my money! Florida desperately needs points as they are fighting for a playoff spot and Ottawa has long since forgotten about any post-season hopes. The Panthers have made the most of facing weaker opponents in their push for the playoffs as they've won 13 of their last 15 games against teams with a losing record. As for the Senators, they've lost 9 of 10 home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Now that we've established the high likelihood of a Panthers win (especially after digging themselves a 3-0 hole last night they could never fully recover from) what about whether they win this one by a margin? Florida demolished the Senators 7-2 last week and that was the 4th straight time that these two teams have met in Ottawa and the result was a decision by at least 2 goals. Prior to a 4-3 loss to the Islanders Tuesday, the Sens previous 4 losses ALL came by THREE or more goals. As for the Panthers, 8 of their last 9 wins have come by 2 or more goals. Look for a big plus money payback here and lay the 1.5 goals! 8* FLORIDA Puck Line (-1.5 goals +187)

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 ET - This is the type of late season match-up I look for in terms of finding games destined for a lot of scoring. The Red Wings and Sabres are both out of the post-season picture. They are each playing a lot of young guys to give them a look for next season. Younger players tend to lead to more mistakes on the ice which means turnovers, odd man rushes, defensemen out of position, and the list goes on with the point being more goals usually results. I also like the fact that Buffalo's Robin Lehner has allowed 8 goals in his last two starts. Detroit's Jimmy Johnson has lost 6 straight road starts while compiling a 3.60 GAA. Red Wings back-up Jared Coreau is 0-7-2 with a 4.57 GAA in his last 11 starts. The Sabres are off of a 3-2 win at Toronto but previously allowed an average of 4 goals per game in their 6 prior games. Detroit is off of a 5-2 win versus Pittsburgh but had allowed 4 goals or more in 11 of their 13 prior games! 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 10:05 ET - The Flyers are on a 6-game point streak. However, they continue to suffer some bad beats with losses in OT or the SO. Last night, despite completely outplaying the Stars, they lost in OT at Dallas. Philly was happy to earn at least a point (for the 6th straight game) but they are hungry to get a win and pick up two points in the standings. This is their final game this month and they have not been outshot in a game since their very first game of the month. Indeed, the Flyers have been playing very good hockey but some puck luck has gone against them of late. With this being their final game until Sunday's Easter match-up hosting the Bruins, Philadelphia is going to "leave it all on the ice" in this one. Yes, it is a back to back but with 3 off-days on deck (and desperate for points in the playoff race) look for the Flyers to go very hard at Colorado tonight. Like the Flyers, the Avalanche also need points in the playoff race but they're off of 3 straight huge divisional games (versus the Kings once and the Golden Knights twice). Against playoff caliber teams, the Avs have scored a total of only 5 goals in their last 3 home games. That won't get it done against a Flyers team that has averaged scoring 4 goals per game in its last 7 games. Philly, when in the 2nd game of a back to back where they allowed 3 goals or less in the 1st game, has gone 7-0, 100% the last 7 times. Also, 6 of those 7 wins came by a multiple-goal margin. Road rout here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Wednesday 8* Florida Panthers Money Line (+) @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - The Panthers are still very much alive in the playoff race as some of the teams in front of them have played 77 games while Florida, entering Wednesday, has played just 74 games at this point. That is 3 games in hand and means the Panthers still control their own destiny in the playoff race. As for the Maple Leafs, they have yet to clinch a post-season spot but they are close and they just won't be able to match the intensity that the Panthers are going to bring to this game. Florida has won 13 of its last 17 games! Toronto has won just 6 of its last 12 games. The Maple Leafs have lost 48 of 85 divisional games the past 3 seasons combined. The Panthers have a winning record inside the division during this time and also have won 14 of 22 divisional games this season. Florida has been getting strong goaltending and they have won 9 of 14 when off of shutout win in their prior game. The Panthers have allowed an average of just 1.7 goals per game their last 7 games. The Maple Leafs have allowed 3 goals or more in 10 of their last 14 games. 8* FLORIDA

Rickenbach NHL Game #13 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Flyers earned a much-needed point at Pittsburgh Sunday but still left with a disappointing OT loss that has them hungry and fighting for more Tuesday at Dallas. Fighting for more is something the Stars would certainly love to be doing as well but their 8-game slide has left them on the brink of elimination. While they try to stay focused on the task at hand, the 8-game losing streak and the absence of goalie Ben Bishop (knee) has devastated the psyche of a Stars team that once had high hopes for this season. Kari Lehtonen continues to struggle between the pipes and Dallas has been outscored by an average score of 4-2 during this 8-game losing stretch. As for the Flyers, good news is on the horizon at the goalie position with Michal Neuvirth's return imminent. He is on this road trip with Philly so it is expected that he likely starts tonight at Dallas or tomorrow at Colorado. Either way, just the fact he's returning from his injury is a big boost for this Flyers team. Even without him, they've been getting better goaltending than Dallas of late. Philadelphia, before the loss to the Penguins, had allowed 3 goals or less in 6 of their last 8 games. The Stars have allowed 4 or more in 5 of their last 7. The Flyers have won 14 of their last 21 when they enter a game having scoring 4 or more goals in their prior game. The Stars, having dropped 8 straight and down emotionally and physically, are easy to fade given they are priced as a favorite here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Predators certainly should respond here as they look to avenge their 4-1 loss at Minnesota Saturday. However, the issue for Nashville right now is they just can't keep the puck out of their own net. That said, I like the over here as the Predators offensive production has seen them average 3.5 goals per game at home this season. The Preds have allowed 4.7 goals per game their last 3 games and Minnesota has scored 4 or more goals in 3 of their last 4 games versus Nashville. The Wild are 9-2 to the over this season when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. The Predators have scored 3 or more goals in 25 of their last 32 games. Minnesota has averaged 3.4 goals per game in their last 9 games. Don't be surprised if this one is 3-3 at some point and ends up with at least 7 goals scored. 8* OVER the total in Nashville 

Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Tuesday 8* OVER the total in Carolina Hurricanes vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Yesterday's Hurricanes game stayed under the total but Carolina did score 4 goals and the over in Canes games was on a 7-0 run entering that one. With this being a back to back Scott Darling is likely to get the start and the back-up netminder has seen the over go 3-0 in his last 3 starts as he has not impressed! New Jersey is off of an upset win versus Tampa Bay Saturday that easily stayed under the total but the Devils entered that game on a 3-0 run to the over. The Hurricanes have averaged 4.4 goals per game their last 5 games but they also won't be able to keep the puck out of their own net in this one. 8* OVER the total in New Jersey

Rickenbach NHL Game #67 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Kings vs Calgary Flames @ 10:35 ET - The Kings have lost 6 of their last 11 so they truly haven't been overly sharp. In fact, LA has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in those 6 losses. When you look at Calgary you see a team that is struggling to score goals but the fact is they've had some bad puck luck. The Flames have outshot their opponent in 11 straight games. Calgary has averaged 40 shots on goal per game their last 11 games. They're going to put plenty of pressure on a division rival here as they look to play the role of spoiler against the struggling Kings. However, the issue for the Flames is that they have allowed 4 or more goals in 6 of their last 7 games. That is why I like the over. I don't expect Calgary, though dealing with some injuries, to lay down here. So the Flames are going to score a few in this one but they just won't be able to stop Los Angeles. The last 8 times LA has been off of a loss, they've scored an average of 4 goals per game in their next game. The over is 12-6 this season when the Flames are off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. Calgary is also 23-8 to the over (including 10-2 to the over this season) when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles

Rickenbach NHL Game #58 Monday 8* New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - Rangers #1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist is listed as questionable with a back injury but he needs to be healthy before he plays anyway as he had been struggling. The key here is that back-up netminder Alexander Georgiev is getting more and more confidence with each start and he enter this game off of a strong start! Georgiev held the Sabres to just 1 goal despite the fact Buffalo peppered him with over 40 shots. The Rangers, of course, are not going to the post-season while the Capitals sit at the top of their division with a very small lead. That said, the Blueshirts would love to play the role of spoiler here. The Caps are hot but they had lost 3 of 4 road games prior to back to back wins over the Red Wings and the Canadiens. New York has won 3 of last 4 home games and will prove to be the hungrier team tonight. The home team has won 4 of the last 5 meetings between these clubs. Washington has lost 5 of 6 road games this season with a posted total of 6 or more goals. 8* NEW YORK RANGERS

Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Monday 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers are 11-6 to the over the last 17 times they've scored 4 or more goals in a game. Florida's #1 goalie Roberto Luongo is listed as questionable with an upper body injury. The Islanders are 18-5 to the over this season after a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more in their prior game. The Isles are off of a 3-1 loss to Chicago but previously had scored an average of 4 goals per game in their 6 prior games. New York has allowed an average of 4.7 goals per game in their last 6 games. The over was 5-1 in the Isles 6 games prior to the loss to the Blackhawks staying under the total. 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Sunday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - This is a huge divisional match-up and, after losing last night at Minnesota, I don't see the Predators losing again here. The Preds enter this game off of back to back losses and that certainly holds significance here as they are 7-1 this season when they enter a game off of B2B losses. Only once this entire season have they lost 3 games in a row. Also, even though this is a back to back spot for Nashville, they are 7-2 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Predators coach Peter Laviolette was ejected from last night's game and Nashville is fired up after back to back losses and a poor effort as the game went on last night. You know they will respond here and I expect them to be the hungrier team here. Also, the Jets have won 4 straight games and are off of a dominating effort versus Anaheim. So often it is tough to duplicate an effort like that and the Preds are very determined here after what has happened. Side note about Winnipeg is a fistfight on the ice in practice yesterday. Sometimes that will help a team that is struggling but it is not necessarily a good sign when you've been going well and players are still having issues among themselves. The Jets have been great at home this season but have lost 9 of 12 games this season when on a winning streak of 3 or more games. Combining that with the Predators streaks noted above and you have a combined 23-6 edge favoring the road dog in this one. The odds makers price this one this way for a reason. Many will be fooled into grabbing the Jets on home ice. Not you and I as we go contrarian for the cash! The hungry road team gets this one. 10* NASHVILLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 12:35 ET - Huge game in the Metropolitan Division and there is no love lost between these division rivals. Keep in mind the Penguins are back to back Stanley Cup Champions. The Flyers are sick of being the "other team" from Pennsylvania when it comes to hockey. Yes, the Penguins have won all 3 meeting this season but the Flyers had won each of the prior two in blowout fashion. The road team has won 3 of the last 4 meetings and Philly dominated the Pens here in late March of last year and I see them coming up with another road win here at a great underdog price. The Flyers are now healthier than the last time they faced the Penguins (earlier this month) and Philadelphia enters this game having won 3 of their last 4 games. The Penguins have lost 4 of their last 7 games and 7 of their last 13 and are over-priced here in my opinion. Keep in mind each of their last 3 losses have come as a favorite in the -200 range and the dog is where it is at again in this one! 8* PHILADELPHIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Saturday 8* Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Coyotes scored 5 goals Thursday but lost as back-up goalie Darcy Keumper had a poor game. However, Anntti Raanta will be back between the pipes Saturday and he has led Arizona to victories in 11 of his last 16 starts. Overall, the Coyotes have scored 14 goals in their last 3 games and are really "feeling it" right now as they had won 14 of their 21 games prior to the 6-5 loss at Carolina. Couple strong goal-scoring and solid overall play with having a red hot Raanta between the pipes and this is one of the best 2 to 1 underdogs you'll ever see being offered! Of course the market loves favorites and loves having Florida off of a loss. Therefore the Panthers are getting some attention here but they're severely over-priced and have lost 2 of their last 3 home games. Looking at their last 6 games overall, Florida had a breakout game at Ottawa but other than that have averaged scoring just 2 goals per game in their other 5 games. In other words, value off the charts with the Coyotes in this spot! 8* ARIZONA 

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Blues used Jake Allen last night and Carter Hutton is dealing with a neck injury. That said, goaltending certainly could be an issues for St Louis tonight. Couple that with the fact that this is a match-up of two teams that are scoring a ton of goals and you have the perfect situation for an over where many aren't expecting it. That is why we can the over 5.5 goals at a +120 and that is a strong value. The Blue Jackets have scored an average of 4.2 goals per game their last 10 games. The Blues have scored an average of 4.5 goals per game in the 6 wins they have notched during their current run that has seen them post 6 victories in their last 7 games. In other words, it should not come as a total shock if each team ends up with at least 4 goals here. Sounds preposterous? The last time these clubs met in Columbus, the Blue Jackets won 8-4. I am not saying that will happen of course but I do expect 6 goals to come without too much trouble in this one. Both hockey clubs are hot right now and "feeling it" and this should lead to some nice crisp, clean scoring chances. The over is 3-0 in the Blues last 3 road games and the Blue Jackets were on a 9-3 run to the over before their shutout win versus Florida Thursday stayed under the total. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Divisional rivals but neither team going to the post-season. That is a key reason to like the over here as there is no reason for intense playoff-style hockey. Also, the Sabres are intent on opening things up and being aggressive here with an emphasis on offense as they know they must start scoring some goals again. Buffalo had been doing better with showing some glimpses of how they're capable of producing as they had scored 4 goals or more in 4 of 9 games but then they lost their last two games and managed only one goal. As for Montreal, they did get goalie Carey Price back but he is still a little rusty as he showed at Pittsburgh. The Canadiens have averaged allowing 4.1 goals per game their last 9 games. As for the Sabres, they've allowed an average of 3.7 goals per game their last 9 games. The over is a long-term 11-6 in Habs Friday games. The over is 3-0 in the Sabres last 3 divisional games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Red Wings are off of a win but they allowed 4 goals. Detroit has now given up an average of 4.3 goals per game their last 10 games. Couple their struggles in their own zone with the fact that they've got confidence up front after their 5-4 win over the Flyers and you have the perfect set-up for an over here. The Red Wings host a Capitals team that has allowed 3.8 goals per game in their last 4 games. The key for Caps current 5-1 run their last 6 games is offensive production that has produced 3 or more goals in 5 straight games. During this 5-game stretch Washington has averaged scoring 4.6 goals per game. You can see why this game certainly has the potential to result in 6 or more goals. The over is 4-0 in the Capitals last 4 games. Also, the over is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams and the average goals scored was 7.5 per game. More of the same here with 7 to 8 being expected! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Thursday 8* Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Even though this is a back to back spot for Arizona they are truly "feeling it" right now as they look to continue to build for next season! With last night's 4-1 win at Buffalo, the Coyotes have now won 12 of their last 18 games. Of course it is too late for any post-season hopes for Arizona but they are at least playing like a playoff team. As for Carolina, the disappointment of falling out of the post-season race has taken a toll mentally and the Hurricanes are in a major slump. The Canes have lost 12 of their last 16 games and yet they're up to a -200 favorite here. This is ridiculous pricing. Yes it is a back to back for the Coyotes but they are playing with a ton of confidence right now while the Hurricanes are playing like a typical team that has thrown in the towel on the season because they truly did have a shot at a post-season berth not too long ago. Now that the hope has faded, Carolina's level of play has also faded too! Not so for their Coyotes and their absolutely worth a shot here as a big dog in this one! 8* ARIZONA

Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Thursday 8* OVER the total in the New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Islanders off of a rare upset win where they allowed just 1 goal. The Bolts are off of a big divisional win over the Maple Leafs. While the Isles just knocked off a division rival too (and also the 2-time defending champs), the fact that the Lightning are also off such a hard-fought win has me forecasting very little defense in this one. Of course that is why this total is posted at 6.5 goals too. The odds makers know what they're doing. Tampa Bay has allowed 3 goals or more in 10 of their last 13 games but of course they're also one of the top teams offensively in the entire league. As for the Isles, prior to defeating the Penguins, they had allowed 5.7 goals per game in their 3 prior games (all losses). On the season, New York is allowing 3.6 goals per game (one of the worst marks in the league) but the Isles also have scored an average of 3.6 goals per game in their last 5 games. This one has the makings of an absolute barnburner! 8* OVER the total in New York Islanders 

NBC Sports Network Rout NHL Game #6 Wednesday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - What is making big news here is that the Blues will probably be without leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko tonight. However, St Louis has shown a lot of resiliency of late as they've been able to rally in the 3rd period of back to back games for key wins and have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Also, the Blues are the healthier team even if Tarasenko is out tonight. The Bruins are very banged up right now. St Louis lost at Boston earlier this season and the Blues also lost the last time they hosted the Bruins. Double revenge spot and a key payback spot for St Louis as they're fighting to earn a playoff spot. Jake Allen (Blues) and Tuukka Rask (Bruins) are both struggling but the key here for each team is on the other end of the ice. St Louis has scored 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games while the Bruins had been held to 3 goals or less in 10 of their last 15 games prior to the 5-4 loss to Columbus. Also, now Boston is back on the road where they've averaged just 2.2 goals per game in their last 9 games. The Blues have won 26 of their last 35 March games and pick up a key 2 points here in the playoff race! 10* ST LOUIS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Wednesday 8* OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - Late season game, two teams with playoff aspirations long gone, and a favorable total to work with. These are the type of situations I look for. The Coyotes are a different team on the road when it comes to allowing goals and the Sabres are a different team at home when it comes to scoring goals. Arizona has allowed 40 goals in its last 11 road games. Buffalo, prior to a rare home shutout versus Nashville in their most recent game, had scored 38 goals in their 12 prior home games. The Sabres have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net recently as they've allowed 3 goals or more in 7 of their last 8 games. The last two times these teams have met each game has totaled 9 goals! The over is 8-3 in the Coyotes last 11 road games and the over was 9-3 in Buffalo's last 12 home games prior to being shutout by Nashville Monday. 8* OVER the total in Buffalo

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:35 ET - At first glance, this looks like a great spot to back the Flyers since the Red Wings have lost 10 games in a row. However, Philadelphia is off of a big win versus Washington and they have a rivalry game at home versus the Rangers on deck. That said, this could be a bit of a flat spot for Philly and I expect this game to turn into a "barnburner" as a result. The Red Wings will score on a Flyers defense that could be a little flat-footed tonight but the problem for Detroit is they can't keep the puck out of their own net and that is why the play here is a big one on the over. The Red Wings have allowed 4.3 goals their last 9 games and, in fact, allowed at least 4 goals in 8 of those 9 contests! The Flyers have allowed 3.7 goals per game in their last 10 games and have given up 3 goals or more in 8 of those 10 games. You can see why I am expecting a 4-3 type game here! Philadelphia is 14-8 to the over this season when off of a divisional game. The Red Wings last 39 March games have resulted in only 14 unders! The last 4 times they were off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less they've gone 3-1 to the over. Another one here! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Tuesday 8* Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Hurricanes are as high as a -155 favorite here because the Oilers have had a tough overall season. However, Edmonton has been playing some of their best hockey of the season. Prior to a loss at Tampa Bay (a far better team than Carolina), the Oilers had won 4 of their 6 prior games and the the two losses came by just a single goal apiece. As for the Hurricanes, they are off of a win at New York over the Islanders. However, prior to this victory, the Canes had lost 11 of their last 14 games. I'll gladly grab the revenge minded dog here as Edmonton did lose at home versus Carolina earlier this season and they have payback on their minds here. The Oilers, prior to their loss to the Bolts, had won 4 of their 7 previous road games. The Hurricanes have lost 17 of 28 non-conference games this season and are off of a big divisional win and have been defeated in 16 of their last 23 divisional games. Give me the dog with big value! 8* EDMONTON

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Monday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Wild opened up as a -135 home favorite here and of course the markets are falling all over themselves trying to get down on Minnesota at home here and the price is now all the way up to a 150 on Minny. The fact is that the Wild have a full 4 days off after this game and then they face the division leading Predators. This is a definite flat spot for Minnesota because they're also coming off of back to back wins on their 2-game road trip to the desert to face Vegas and Arizona. Now they take on a hungry Kings team that is off of a shutout loss versus New Jersey despite outshooting the Devils Saturday. Los Angeles entered that game having won 7 of their last 10 games and Jonathan Quick has allowed a total of only 4 goals in his last 3 starts. As for the Wild, goalie Devan Dubnyk is off of a solid start but previously had struggled badly in each of his two prior starts. Minnesota lost those games by a combined score of 9 to 2 and another bad loss could be on tap here with how hungry LA is. The Kings are 4-1 to the over in road games with a posted total of 5 goals or less this season. The Wild have won only 5 of 9 games this month and the road dog is going to prove to be the hungrier team here as Minny looks ahead to a nice layoff and then the big game versus Nashville. 10* LOS ANGELES

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings @ 3:05 ET - The Red Wings are relegated to the role of spoiler this season and they get a shot to damage the playoff hopes of an old Western Conference rival here. Back in the day, the Red Wings were in the Western Conference and they had some epic battles with the Avalanche. That said, this spoiler opportunity at Colorado does carry a little extra weight for Detroit. The problem for the Red Wings though is they can't keep the puck out of their own net and that is why my play here is the over. Detroit has allowed 4.3 goals per game their last 8 games. The Avalanche are off of a 4-2 loss but previously had scored at least 4 goals in 4 straight games and at least 3 goals in 8 of their prior 9 games. There has been only one under in the last 5 meetings between these teams and Colorado is 19-9 to the over in non-conference games this season. The Avalanche also are a perfect 6-0 to the over in Sunday games this season. More of the same here! 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Daytime Demolition - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils @ 4:05 ET - The Devils have been playing very aggressive and are a different team since focusing more on speed. New Jersey has won 3 of their last 4 games and average scoring 4.8 goals per game. The Devils have allowed 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 7 games. The Kings lost 5-1 at New Jersey earlier this season so they'll be seeking revenge here and I look for LA to pressure the Devils early and often. Los Angeles has scored 3 or more goals in 17 of their last 20 games. In fact, during this solid stretch dating back to early February, the Kings have averaged 3.3 goals per game. Jonathan Quick is generally very solid between the pipes but he struggled badly versus the Devils earlier this season. Also, the Kings have allowed 4 goals or more in 3 of their last 6 games. The over is 16-9 this season when Los Angeles is off of a win by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, Kings Saturday games are 14-5 to the over this season. The Devils are 7-3 to the over this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. Also, New Jersey is 12-4 to the over when off of a win by a margin of 2 or more goals. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles