NBC Sports Dominator - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - This game means a little more to the Flyers than the Blackhawks. Philadelphia lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to Chicago a few years back and though nearly all the players have changed since then the Flyers as an organization certainly haven't forgotten and they always seem to "bring a little extra" for this match-up! Philly only split with Chicago last season but the season before the Flyers got the sweep! They are catching the Blackhawks at a good time too as Chicago is floundering and has lost 3 straight. While that may have some thinking "bounce back" here, the fact is that the Blackhawks are only 6-6 in recent season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more and, long-term the Hawks are 84-109 in this season! Chicago is laying a hefty price here with this money line moving up so far this morning. It in the -150 range and I love the value with underdog Philly here. The Flyers are off of an OT loss to the Coyotes Monday and, after losing to the only team in the league that was still winless, Philadelphia is fired up. Clearly they were looking ahead to this game and overlooking a winless Arizona team. Note that the Flyers are a perfect 4-0 this season when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or less. Chicago has been off since Saturday and while rest is good sometimes too much rest can be a problem. Sure enough the Blackhawks have lost 12 of 18 games when they enter a game with rest of 3 days or more. While these teams penalty killing has been about equal, the Flyers power play has been nearly twice as effective as that of the Blackhawks. Look for Philly to improve to 5-0 this season when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or less. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - Minnesota is off of a 2-1 win versus the Stanley Cup Champs. Winnipeg is also off of a big win (7-1) over those same Penguins. With each team off of a win where they allowed just 1 goal against the team that has been the best in the NHL the past two seasons, don't be surprised if we see a flurry of goals tonight. Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck gave up 3 goals to the Wild in their first meeting earlier this season. This is nothing new as last season he had a 4.01 GAA in his 4 games (3 starts) versus Minnesota. The over is now 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these teams and, though Devan Dubnyk is off of a strong start versus the Pens, he previously had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of his first 6 starts this season. That included Dubnyk allowing 4 goals versus the Jets in their first meeting of the season. So far this season Dubnyk has yet to put together back to back strong starts and I'll gladly challenge him to do that here against a Jets team that has won 5 of their last 8 games and averaged scoring 4.4 goals per game in the 5 wins. The problem for Winnipeg is their own goaltending concern as Hellebuyck's struggles versus the Wild are consistent. The over is 7-3 in Jets games this season and the over was 6-1-1 in Minnesota's games before their low-scoring win over the Pens. The over is 4-1 when Winnipeg is off of a non-conference game this season. For the Wild, only 27 of their last 71 divisional games have resulted in an under. Big total here but it is absolutely justified. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Lightning and the Panthers are each off of a loss but there is a big difference between these two clubs! Tampa Bay is a team on a mission this season after they were derailed by injury issues last season. The Bolts had won 8 of their last 9 games prior to losing Saturday versus Anaheim. Now the Lightning visit division rival Florida and they did lose their last game here (early this season before the Bolts 8-1 run). Now it is time for some payback and the Panthers have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Tampa had allowed 2 goals or less in 6 of its last 7 games before allowing 4 to the Ducks Saturday. Florida, on the other hand, has allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of their 10 games this season. In fact, the Panthers allowed 4 goals or more in 6 of their first 8 games this season. In terms of how these two teams play in their own zone and the quality of goalie play these clubs get between the pipes, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. With that said, I'll gladly grab the value here as the Bolts are available at a small money line price here due to being on the road for this one. It's certainly not much of a road trip and Monday it is payback time! 10* TAMPA BAY

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia Flyers vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers are off of a 4-2 win at Toronto that burned me up as I had the over 6 and finished with a push even though the game already was 4-2 heading to the 3rd period. In any event, considering they are now matched up with an Arizona team that is 8-2-1 to the over in their 11 games this season, I have no problem coming right back with the over in this one. The Flyers defensive intensity may not be at its best in this game considering they just got that big win over the high-powered Maple Leafs and they have the Blackhawks on deck. Chicago, even though also a non-conference opponent just like the Coyotes, certainly gets some extra attention from Philly because they beat them in the Stanley Cup Finals a few years back. Arizona has been an over machine this season thanks in large part to giving up a ton of goals. However, the Coyotes also have seen their offense come to life in recent games. Arizona has scored an average of 2.8 goals per game in their last 5 games and that should help result in a barn-burner here with a Philly team that is off of back to back road games where they scored 4 goals in each game. The Flyers have averaged 3.4 goals per game at home this season. Only 2 of Philadelphia's last 8 games have resulted in an under. More of the same here. 8* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Defensive Dominator - Rickenbach Sunday NHL 8* Calgary Flames Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 9:05 ET - The Capitals are off of a much needed win last night at Edmonton but, with this being a back to back, it is likely that Philipp Grubauer will get the start between the pipes for the Caps. The Washington netminder is winless this season and has allowed 5 goals per game in his 3 starts. Overall, Grubauer has an .850 save percentage! That spells trouble against a defensive-minded Flames team that is hungry for a win and does not give up many goals. Calgary has allowed 2 goals or less in 4 of its last 6 games and, off of back to back losses, look for a superb effort from the Flames here. They have yet to lose 3 straight games this season and want this one badly tonight as they don't play again until Thursday! Keep in mind Washington had lost 6 of their past 8 games before defeating the Oilers last night. The Flames lost both games with the Capitals last season so pay back is on order in a big way here. Calgary has won 28 of 47 when they are off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less and I look for Washington to drop to 0-3 on the season when they are playing the 2nd game of a back to back. 8* CALGARY

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 8* OVER 6 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - This total was as high as a 6.5 and the odds makers had it right and the markets have it wrong as this one has moved back down to a 6 as the morning has gone on. This one should easily see 7 goals or more. Keep in mind that a 3-3 game guarantees no less than a 4-3 final and there is plenty of reason to expect each club to get to 3 goals here. The Flyers have scored 3 goals or more in 4 of their 5 road games this season. The Maple Leafs have played 10 games this season and they've scored at least 3 goals in 9 of the 10 games. The Leafs have also allowed 3 goals or more in 7 of their last 9 games. The Flyers have allowed 11 goals in their last two games overall and have given up 11 goals in their last two road games. I know Philadelphia has had some sucocess at times this season in goal and in their own zone but, keep in mind, Toronto is arguably the most explosive offense in the league. Look for the over to improve to 9-2 in Maple Leafs games this season. Also, the Flyers are 2-0 to the over this season when off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. 8* OVER 6 goals in Toronto

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - As long-time followers know, I like to fade struggling teams that are favorites. The Canadiens have won just 2 of their 10 games this season. While it is true that the Rangers have also struggled early this season it is also true that New York is not the team laying -150 here! Also, the Rangers continue to have the Habs number. The Rangers knocked Montreal out of the playoffs last April so the Canadiens had revenge against the Rangers when they faced them in New York three weeks ago. The result was still a 2-0 loss for Montreal! The Rangers have now won 4 straight games against the Habs and goalie Ondrej Pavelec sparked the team in their win versus Arizona Thursday. The Rangers have now won 2 of their last 3 games while the Canadiens have lost 8 of their last 9 games. Montreal has been held to 2 goals or less in 7 of their last 9 games. The Rangers have scored 3.4 goals per game in their last 5 games! Also, New York has won 31 of 42 (+22,000) road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The Rangers again will thrive in that situation here as the Canadiens continue to feel the immense pressure of the home fans. An upcoming 4-game road trip for the Habs may be what gets them on track. Right now they're in a "pressure cooker" in hockey-mad Montreal! 10* NEW YORK RANGERS

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach Friday NHL 10* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:05 ET - The Golden Knights have certainly been the biggest surprise of the NHL on this young season and, while credit is definitely due, they've also had their fair share of "puck luck" too. Also, when a team is hot they get settled into a routine and they like keeping things at the "status quo" and riding out the hot streak in that way. In this case, this game starts at 3 PM local time on a Friday. It is a unique early game for the Golden Knights on a weekday and I don't expect that to do any favors for Vegas here. As for Colorado, they are hungry for a road win in what is their only road game in a span of two weeks. Though the Avalanche have lost their last two road games, they did start the season with 2 wins in a 3-game road trip. Now they take advantage of facing a goalie, Oscar Dansk, making just the 2nd start of his NHL career. The Golden Knights have been outshot by 28 shots on goal in their last 3 games and have been fortunate that they won all 3 of those games. The Avalanche have won 11 of 16 (+$10,500) Friday games and the price is right to grab them again here. 10* COLORADO

Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 10:05 ET - The Canucks have won 3 straight games and now are back home after winning 4 of 5 on their road trip. This was a huge confidence boost for Vancouver and they're now looking to make up for a poor homestand that opened their season. The Canucks won their season opener versus Edmonton but then lost 3 straight games on home ice and, carrying the momentum of a hugely successful road trip, Vancouver is ready to carry the success to their home barn! Those 4 road wins for the Canucks came by a combined score of 12 to 3 so there is nothing flukey about the recent winning of Vancouver. Their getting solid goaltending and now hosting a Capitals team that has lost 5 of their last 7 games. Also, every time this season that Washington has followed a win with a loss they've then lost their next game too. Look for this pattern to continue here as the Capitals suffer their 3rd two game losing streak already in this young season. The Caps have been held to 2 goals or less in 4 of their last 6 games. Washington has been off since Sunday but sometimes rest can lead to rust and, sure enough, the Capitals have lost 10 of 17 (-$9,500) when they enter a game off of 3 or more days of rest. After this game, Vancouver has 3 days of rest before their next home game and so they're going to "leave it all on the ice" in this one. Conversely, Alex Ovechkin and company have a big game against Connor McDavid and company in Edmonton coming up on Saturday and the Caps have swept the Canucks each of the last two seasons. Will Washington be fully focused here? That is certainly questionable for the Capitals but there is no doubt the home team is going to be ready here and I love the home dog price as they go for 4 in a row! I'll take it! 10* VANCOUVER

Contrarian Dominator - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders have won 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. It is no fluke as the Isles have scored 14 goals in their last 3 games and their confidence is running very high right now. Certainly the Wild are at the other end of the spectrum right now. Minnesota is squeezing the sticks a little too tight as they just can't get on track this season. The Wild have lost 5 of their 7 games in the early going here in this new campaign. Not only are they off of a shutout loss, Minnesota has the defending champion Penguins on deck. The Wild may not be fully focused on an Islanders team they beat 6-4 in the most recent meeting here in Minny. However, the Isles had won the prior meeting last season and had swept both meetings the season before. New York has their sights set on revenge here and the Wild have lost 36 of 67 (-$17,100) in non-conference action including losing all 3 games versus Eastern Conference teams this season! The Islanders have won 37 of 62 (+$11,100) non-conference match-ups. Look for the Isles to make it 4 in a row and we'll ride the streak. 8* NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Total of the Month - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres @ 8:05 ET - The Blue Jackets are shuffling their forward lines for this one. Interesting move by head coach John Tortorella considering that Columbus scored 4 goals in their loss to the Kings on Saturday plus scored a power play goal to end a drought with those. However, the fact that the Jackets are still emphasizing the forwards in this match-up tells you all you need to know. Columbus has scored 4 goals or more in 3 of their last 4 games but they've allowed 3.5 goals per game in their last 4 games. The real problem for Columbus has been some inconsistent goal-tending. The Blue Jackets however are getting plenty of pucks at the net with averaging 39.2 shots on goal their last 5 games. They now catch a Sabres team off of a surprising 1-0 win versus Detroit last night. To get a shutout is surprising considering Buffalo's goal-tending had been the worst in the league coming into last night's game. Now, in a back to back situation, it likely means Chad Johnson will be back between the pipes and he's allowed 15 goals in his 4 starts this season. He'll see plenty of shots here too with the Blue Jackets off of a loss and playing very aggressive tonight. Columbus was already averaging nearly 40 shots a game in recent action and now they come into this game rested and in a foul mood after losing to the Kings Saturday. The Sabres had 3 straight overs prior to last night's 1-0 win and they've not had back to back unders yet this season! Columbus is 3-1 to the over this season when off of a game where they scored 3 goals or more. Also, the Blue Jackets are 8-4 to the over the past two seasons when they play a game with 3 or more days of rest between games. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 8* Florida Panthers Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - Nice set up for an underdog here. The Panthers are off of a confidence boosting 4-1 win over the Capitals in Washington. Florida is playing with absolutely no pressure here. Meanwhile, Montreal is the most pressure-filled NHL city for a home team when things are not going well. That said, the Habs feel the weight of the entire city on their shoulders as they prepare to host the Panthers Tuesday night. The Canadiens have lost 7 straight games and, making this game even tougher on them, is the fact they just wrapped up a west coast home trip. Yes, they've had some days off since coming back but oftentimes the first game back home for an east coast team after traveling out west does not go well at all. The Canadiens didn't just lose on their road trip either, they got annihilated. Montreal lost the 3 games by a combined score of 16 to 5. Also, the road team won 3 of the 4 meetings between these clubs last season and the Panthers have won 3 of their last 4 visits to Montreal. The Canadiens are getting poor goaltending (even from Carey Price at home!) and they've lost 11 of 15 games when off of 3 or more days of rest between games! The Panthers have actually won 24 of 43 when off of a win by 2 goals or more and, as noted above, it is the Habs who are under pressure here and really squeezing the sticks tight right now while the road dog will play freely and with confidence here. 8* FLORIDA

TV Top Play - Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - On Sunday I got burned by the over in Detroit as the total was 5.5 goals and the Red Wings were down 4-1 after 2 periods. Inexplicably not another goal was scored and the Wings did get chewed out by their coach after that game. It was an inexcusable effort on their part and I expect a much better game from them tonight. The result should be some payback for me with an over easy winner here. Buffalo has had the worst goaltending in the league so far this season. The Sabres are off of a win at Boston but it was thanks to 5 goals scored! That's because Buffalo again allowed 4 goals and that marked the 6th time in their last 8 games that they have allowed 4 goals or more. The Red Wings are also having an issue keeping pucks out of their own net as they've given up 4 goals or more in 3 straight games and 3 goals or more in 5 straight games! This explains why Detroit has had just 3 unders in their 9 games this season and Buffalo has had only 2 unders in their 9 games this season! When off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more in their prior game, the Red Wings have had just 14 unders in 48 games! When the Sabres are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more, they have had only 14 unders in 40 games! 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 8* Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Both teams are off of losses but the Penguins are back to back Stanley Cup Champions while the Oilers are much hungrier and out to prove they belong among the NHL's elite. Yes, Edmonton has an ugly record so far this season but they've certainly had their unfair share of bad "puck luck". The fact is that the Oilers have 70 more shots on goal than their opponents so far this season! That is an average shot edge of 10 shot per game for Edmonton. For comparison purposes the Penguins have outshot the opposition by only 1.56 shot per game on the young season. The Pens have allowed an average of 4.4 goals per game in their last 5 games and have not allowed less than 3 goals in any of those games! The Oilers have allowed a total of just 3 goals in their last 2 games and also allowed a total of only 3 goals in their first 2 games this season. In between was a bad stretch for Edmonton but, the point is, they have settled back in now and I like them to get the upset win at a great underdog payback price here in the final game of their road trip. 8* EDMONTON

Total Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 8* OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - These Kings are not the Kings of old. They play at a much faster pace and are much more aggressive in the offensive zone rather than playing a defensive-minded approach that we were used to seeing with Los Angeles hockey. Of course that is why you're seeing this total at a 6 today and there is great value with being able to grab the over at plus money. The over is 4-1 in the Kings last 5 games and the over is 7-1 in the Maple Leafs 8 games this season. LA has scored at least 3 goals in 6 straight games. The Leafs have scored at least 3 goals in 7 of their 7 games this season. Of course a 3-3 game means we get at least a 4-3 final here and you can see why I like our odds on that. Toronto is known for their firepower up front but they tend to give up a lot of goals. Perfect recipe for an over! The Maple Leafs have allowed 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 7 games. The Kings defense and netminding has been better but, remember, they're facing an ultra-talented group of Maple Leafs forwards and Toronto is also fired up because they're coming off of an ugly 6-3 loss at Ottawa Saturday! Look for the over to improve to 5-0 on the season in Maple Leafs home games! 8* OVER the total in Toronto

Top Play Dominator - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Sharks are off of an ugly loss to the Islanders Saturday after a shutout win over the Devils Friday. San Jose then had all day Sunday to think about how they got drilled by the Isles and they're rested and ready to respond on Monday against a Rangers team off of a rare win. Indeed, the Blueshirts victory over the Predators Saturday came on the heels of 7 losses in the Rangers first 8 games to begin this season. I believe we are getting excellent line value here with the Sharks having their #1 goalie, Martin Jones, back between the pipes for this one. San Jose is very hungry for a win as they had won 3 of 4, building some solid momentum, before #2 goalie Aaron Dell had a rough start and the Sharks lost to the Islanders despite outshooting them 31-23. Keep in mind, San Jose has won each of the last 3 starts Martin Jones has made. The Sharks have won 30 of 44 (+$13,600) when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more! The Rangers have lost 30 of 57 (-$13,400) when off of a win by a margin of 2 goals or more! As you can see, this situation totals $27,000 in net profit in favor of the road dog! 10* SAN JOSE 

Streak Special - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 8* OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:05 ET - The Canucks get back defenseman Erik Gudbranson for this one. However, they've been without one of their top defenseman Alexander Edler and the Red Wings are in the same boat as they're now without Danny DeKeyser. This is adding value to the over here and, keep in mind, Detroit has gone over the total in 5 of their last 6 games and the Canucks have recorded 4 overs in their last 5 games. The Red Wings have lost 3 straight games but they're averaging 3.6 goals per game in their last 5 games and Detroit scored at least 3 goals in all but 1 of those games. The Canucks have won 2 of 3 games and have scored 3 goals or more in all 3 games. Of course a 3-3 game guarantees us of no less than 4-3 final and I see every reason to believe each team will score 3 here. The Red Wings are hungry to respond on home ice and off of 3 straight losses. The Canucks are playing with a lot of confidence and momentum can especially build when on a road trip and that is what you're seeing with Vancouver right now. When the Red Wings are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more, they've had just 21 unders in 60 games! When Vancouver is off of a non-conference game, they've had just 21 unders in 67 games! Look for the Canucks high-scoring trend (along with the hungry Red Wings) to continue here. 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 8* OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - The Sabres goal-tending continues to be the worst in the league as they lost 4-2 to Vancouver last night. Now they are on the road and facing a Bruins team that is off of a 6-3 win and that has averaged 4 goals per game in their last 4 games. The issue for Boston has also been goal-tending early this season as Tuukka Rask has struggled and Anton Khubodin has seen extra time between the pipes as a result. The Bruins are allowing 3.5 goals per game and the Sabres have averaged 3 goals per game in their last 3 games and should be able to push a few past the struggling Bruins goalie combo. The issue for Buffalo will be that they're unable to stop a Boston freight train on offense that will be pushing hard as this their last game until Thursday. Look for the over to improve to 3-0 this season in Bruins games against teams with a losing record while also improving to 4-1 in Sabres games when Buffalo is off of a non-conference match-up. 8* OVER the total in Boston

Rickenbach Friday NHL 8* OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - Big total here but absolutely justified as the Panthers are 5-0 to the over this season and the Penguins are 5-2 to the over. 4 of the Panthers 5 overs have totaled at least 7 goals. 4 of the Penguins 5 overs have totaled at least 9 goals and the other one totaled 7 goals. That said, this total being at a 6 is truly not a mistake. Pittsburgh is known for tremendous "over streaks" when they get hot like this and they've scored 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 52-34 when the Pens enter off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Florida is 23-14 to the over when off of a game where they lost by 2 goals or more. Also, the Panthers are 16-8 to the over when they enter a game with 2 days of rest. 8* OVER the total in Florida 

Rickenbach Friday NHL 8* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - The Canucks are in a back to back spot here but they'll be fired up after their 6-3 loss at Boston last night. Let's not forget that Vancouver won their prior game 3-0 at Ottawa. Let's also not forget that Buffalo is priced at -160 here even though they've lost 6 of their 7 games this season. The Sabres are happy to be back at home but oftentimes the first game back home does not go well for an East Coast team after a West Coast road trip. Buffalo just finished up 4 games in 6 days all in the Pacific Time Zone. The Canucks have only won 2 games this season but the Sabres, simply put, are way over-priced here. Vancouver won both match-ups with Buffalo last season and the Sabres do have a divisional game on deck at Boston tomorrow. Buffalo is still adjusting to new coach Phil Housley and their goaltending has been the worst in the league so far this season. More of the same here. Give me the generous price with the angry underdog! Sabres have lost 9 of 12 when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. 8* VANCOUVER

Rickenbach Friday NHL 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Not only are the Devils off of a huge come from behind win at Ottawa last night, they are also expected to be without their #1 goalie Cory Schneider for this one.  In addition to this being a back to back, Schneider has a lower-body injury. Back-up netminder Keith Kincaid is off of a strong start in his first appearance this season. However, he is the #2 guy for a reason and he gave up 4 goals when he faced the Sharks last season. In fact, San Jose won both match-ups with New Jersey last season and dominated to the tune of an 8-2 combined scored. Although New Jersey has won 6 of 7 this season and the Sharks have won just 2 of 5, the Devils have 22 less shots on goal than their opponents while San Jose has outshot the opposition by 15 shots on goal so far this season. Martin Jones saved 47 of 48 shots in the two games versus New Jersey last season and the Sharks, off of a 5-2 home win versus Montreal, have been targeting this 5-game East Coast road swing as an opportunity to jump start their season! Look for them to do just that here as they are catching the Devils at the perfect time to dominate them. New Jersey has lost 21 of 34 when they scored 4 or more goals in their prior game. The Devils also have lost 20 of their last 24 Friday games! The Sharks have won 45 of their last 74 versus the Eastern Conference and dominate again here. 10* SAN JOSE SHARKS

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Ottawa Senators vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - In their first game with Erik Karlsson back in the lineup the Sens inexplicably got shutout. Keep in mind, they had previously won 3 straight games and averaged scoring 5 goals per game in the 3 victories. In other words, look for Ottawa to bounce back with a big game with plenty of solid scoring chances in this one. The Senators will be firing away with plenty of pucks on net. The problem for the Sens is they're hosting a red hot Devils team that certainly has not been playing like the Devils of old. New Jersey has won 5 of their 6 games this season and they're averaging scoring 4.3 goals per game! The Devils have been great on the power play but have struggled on the penalty kill and that is a perfect recipe for overs. Also, after scoring 4 goals or more in their prior game NJ is 3-0 to the over this season and they've had just 10 unders in the last 33 such instances. 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Ottawa

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Nashville Predators @ 7:05 ET - Revenge game for Flyers. They had a wild one at Nashville a little over a week ago. Philly was down 3-0 before rallying and scoring 5 straight goals only to give up the final 3 late and lose 6-5. Needless to say Philadelphia hasn't forgotten how that one played out and they have won each of their two games since then. Also, the Flyers have won 28 of 42 (67%) home games with a total posted at 5.5 goals. The Predators have won just 16 of 43 (27%) road games with a total posted at 5.5 goals. Not only does Philly have the home ice edge here, they also catch the Preds off of a big divisional win. 8* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella spent many years as the head coach of the Lightning earlier in his career. Suffice to say, any time his team is matched up with the Bolts it carries extra meaning for him. Last season Columbus won all 3 match-ups with Tampa Bay and the Jackets averaged scoring 4.3 goals per game in the 3 games! The Blue Jackets also come into this game hot as they've won 5 of 6 this season and have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their 5 victories. However, Tampa Bay is not going to go down without a fight here. Not only do they have revenge from last season's 0-3 mark versus Columbus, the Lightning enter this game off of a 5-4 loss to the Devils. The Bolts are averaging 3.9 goals per game this season but their goaltending performance this season has not been the same with Ben Bishop now a member of the Dallas Stars. Also, when TB is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more, they've had only 19 unders in 55 games. Look for that trend to stay strong here and add another over to the list. 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Columbus

NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks (Nick Schmaltz) and the Blues (Alexander Steen) are hoping to get key players back tonight. A decision on Steen is unlikely until after the morning skate while Schmaltz is already listed as probable for tonight's game. Even if Steen does came back he'll be on the top line for the Blues and that's not really where their biggest trouble has been for St Louis. The big issue for the Blues early this season is that they've had ZERO goals in their first 6 games from anyone on the 3rd or 4th line. St Louis, in my opinion, is going to be unable to keep up with the Blackhawks tonight. Chicago has cashed in on 13% of their shot attempts this season and are averaging 4.2 goals per game. St Louis has scored on 9.9% of their shot attempts and they're averaging 3.0 goals per game. Chicago lost the outdoor game at St Louis last season but in "normal indoor match-ups" at Scottrade Center in St Louis, the Blackhawks won both games last season. In fact in their last 3 meetings indoors the Blackhawks have won all 3 games by a combined score of 12 to 7. The Blues are only 14-11 (DOWN $3,000) in home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals while Chicago has won 22 of 37 (60%) of their road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. St Louis goalie Jake Allen has been solid (.917 save %) this season but Blackhawks netminder Corey Crawford has been phenomenal (.960 save %) this season. The Hawks have allowed 1 goal or less in 4 of their 6 games! 10* CHICAGO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 8* Detroit Red Wings Money Line (+) @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - Beautiful set-up here as the Red Wings are off of a tight 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay Monday but went into that game with a 4-1 record on the season. The Maple Leafs are in a tough back to back spot as they are off of a huge revenging win at Washington last night. Look for avenging victory to leave Toronto flat tonight. Keep in mind, Detroit also has revenge from losing all 4 games to the Leafs last season. The Red Wings lost 3 of the 4 games by just a single goal and it is payback time here. Detroit was expected to struggle badly this season but they seem to be playing with a "chip on their shoulder" early on and I expect that to continue tonight. The Wings are 3-1 on the road this season and the Maple Leafs have lost 24 of 34 when the playing the 2nd game of a back to back the past two seasons. This is Toronto's first such test this season and it will prove to be a tough one. 8* DETROIT RED WINGS

Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:35 ET - Not only are the Ottawa Senators the only team in the Eastern Conference not to have a regulation loss this season, they are scoring goals like crazy right now plus will be getting back Erik Karlsson tonight. After missing the first 5 games of the season, one of the best players in the NHL returns for the Sens Tuesday. Karlsson will help give a boost to a Senators club that has been red hot and has scored 6 goals in each of their past two games. Though the Canucks haven't put up big numbers in terms of goal-scoring so far this season, they have scored at least 2 goals in all 4 of their games. Only 22 of Vancouver's last 65 non-conference games have resulted in an under. As for the Senators, when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road, the over is 15-5! Also, in non-conference match-ups the over is 33-22 in Ottawa's games. Keep in mind, East vs West match-ups tend to have a little less defensive intensity and I expect Karlsson and Company to be ready to put on a big show for the rabid Sens fans in this one! Look for the fired up Canucks (3 straight losses) to match the Senators goal for goal however and that sends this one easily flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa

Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Philadelphia Flyers vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers defensive intensity could certainly be lacking in this one as they get caught still feeling the after-effects of a huge playoff revenge win over Washington, 8-2 on Saturday! The over is 3-2 in Flyers games this season and, other than a shutout loss, Philly has scored at least 3 goals in 4 of their 5 games. In fact, in those 4 games they've averaged scoring 5.2 goals per game! Speaking of scoring, the Panthers are 4-0 to the over this season! Florida is averaging 4 goals per game but allowing 3.8 goals per game. A model of consistency thus far, the Panthers have scored at least 3 goals in all 4 games but they've also allowed 4 goals or more in 3 of their 4 games. Florida is on a 17-9 run to the over on Tuesdays and the Panthers are 15-8 to the over when playing with two days of rest between games. 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Philadelphia

Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 8* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins Matt Murray is settling in and has won 3 straight starts. I expect him to get the start here as this is Pittsburgh's only game between his win Saturday versus the Panthers and Friday's rematch at Florida. Of course this is also a divisional game which should bring out the best in the Stanley Cup champions. Last season the Rangers were seeking revenge for getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Pens in the spring of 2016. However, New York still only won 2 of the 5 games and the 3 losses all came when Murray started. The Penguins netminder went a perfect 3-0 against the Blueshirts and Pittsburgh won those games by a combined score of 17 to 6! Considering that as well as the fact that the Pens come into this game having won 3 of 4 while the Rangers have stumbled into this season with losses in 5 of their first 6 games, I really like the value the road pricing offers here! The Penguins have scored 4 goals in 4 of their first 6 games. The Rangers have been held to 2 goals or less in 5 of their first 6 games! 8* PITTSBURGH

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Monday 8* OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - Both of these teams have won 4 of 5 games and the over is 4-1 for both of these clubs as well so far this season. That said, I expect the hot scoring to continue. Tampa Bay is off of a tight 2-1 win versus St Louis but, prior to that, they scored at least 4 goals in each of their first 4 games! Detroit has scored 4 goals in 3 of their first 5 games including their only home game so far this season. The Red Wings will take advantage of a Lightning team that, prior to the win over the Blues, had allowed 3 goals or more in all 4 of their games this season. The trouble for Detroit is they have lost 7 straight games to the Lightning and TB did score 4.2 goals per game in their 5-0 sweep of the Red Wings last season. The Bolts have plenty of confidence in Detroit as they've won 7 straight games there and, keep in mind, Tampa did eliminate the Red Wings from the post-season with a 4-1 series win in the spring of 2016. When the Wings are off of a stretch where they played 3 or more consecutive road games, they've had just 8 unders in 24 games - 33%! When the Bolts are off of a stretch where they've played 3 or more consecutive home games, they've had just 11 unders in 29 games - 38%! These teams had one tight, low-scoring match-up last season but they totaled 30 goals in the other 4 meetings - an average of 7.5 goals per game! 8* OVER the total in Detroit

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Sunday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Vegas Golden Knights vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins scored 6 goals last night and back-up goalie Anton Khudobin had a great game and allowed only 2 goals. However, now Boston either turns to him again in a back to back spot or goes back to struggling Tuukka Rask who has allowed 10 goals in his 3 starts. Vegas finally saw their strong season-opening run come do an end as Marc-Andre Fleury gave up 6 goals in an ugly home loss to Detroit Friday night. The Golden Knights, however, have scored 8 goals in their last two games and are now hosting a Bruins team that has scored 3 goals or more in 3 of their 4 games. In other words, look for quite the entertaining contest this evening in Vegas as this should be a barn burner! The over is 21-10 when Boston, in the first half of a season, is facing a team with a winning record. 10* OVER the total in Vegas

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 8* OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 8:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that the Wild are dealing with injury issues up front but the fact is that Minnesota gets a huge break here as they are catching Columbus in a back to back spot. That means it is highly likely that the Wild are going to be facing Blue Jackets back-up goalie Joonas Korpisalo rather than the #1 netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. The Wild, excited for their home opener, should take advantage even though they are missing some players up front. Minnesota's concern happens to be in their own net as they have allowed 3.7 goals per game so far this season. Columbus did score 4 goals in their last visit to Minnesota and the Jackets will be looking to get on the board early and often to try and take some of the pressure off of their back-up netminder. Note that the Blue Jackets have had just 27 unders the last 66 times they were off of a divisional game and last night's win over the Rangers was certainly a big win for Columbus. As for Minnesota, they are off of a big win at Chicago on Thursday night. The Wild are now 28-13 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more as they had scored 4 in a loss at Carolina before scoring 5 in the win over the Blackhawks. Look for the over to improve to a perfect 4-0 this season in Wild games! 8* OVER the total in Minnesota

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 8* OVER the total in New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Both teams expected to start their back-up goalies here. Also, the Devils are traditionally known for being an "under" team but they've certainly changed their tune early this season! The over is a perfect 3-0 in their last 3 games. Also, New Jersey is averaging scoring 4.5 goals per game so far this season. The Rangers not only have their back-up goalie in net tonight but note that they've allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of their 5 games this season. The Rangers have averaged scoring 3.5 goals per game in their last 4 games versus the Devils and you can see why I like the over so much here! The over is on a 19-10 run in Saturday games for the Rangers and only 13 of the last 34 times they've been in the 2nd game of a back to back has an under resulted. 8* OVER the total in the New York Rangers game early Saturday evening

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Colorado Avalanche vs Anaheim Ducks @ 9:05 ET - Both these teams have a long-term reputation of being involved in lower-scoring games and that's why this is a "contrarian" play. The reason we're getting value with the over here is the fact that Colorado has scored 4 goals or more in 3 of their 4 games and the Avalanche are expected to have back-up goalie Jonathan Bernier between the pipes. The Avs will be saving #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov for the game at Dallas tomorrow. That is noteworthy here because the lone loss the Avs have (4-1 defeat) this season was when Bernier started. He and the Avalanche will be facing an Anaheim team that has been getting much healthier up front and that means the Colorado defense (and Bernier) will be tested early and often in this one. The Ducks have recorded 3 straight unders but, other than a shutout loss to the Flames, Anaheim has averaged 3.3 goals per game in their other 3 games. The Avalanche were held to just 1 goal in their lone loss this season but have averaged 4.7 goals per game in their other 3 games! You can see why I am expecting a lot of goals here tonight, especially with Bernier likely to get the start for Colorado. The Avalanche penalty-killing has struggled this season and that should get the Ducks power play going in this one. That will certainly help this one get over too because Anaheim has yet to score on the power play and yet, other than the shutout loss, they've managed to average 3.3 goals per game in their other 3 games. Avs playing with confidence and scoring well, Ducks forwards are healthier now, Avalanche weak in their own end for this one. It all adds up to a barn-burner in Denver tonight. 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Friday NHL 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The set-up here is fantastic. The Capitals are off of rare back to back losses while the Devils are off to a surprising 3-0 start to the season. Also, the Caps are on the road and that helps keep this line from being too pricey. Yes, Washington is a moderately priced favorite here but it is a very fair price and I am stepping in and taking advantage of a great situational play. The Capitals have won 7 of the last 8 meetings between these teams. Also, Washington has won 17 of 21 Friday games! The Devils have lost 19 of 23 Friday games. Also, New Jersey has lost 38 of 60 divisional games while the Capitals have won 47 of 80 divisional games. 8* WASHINGTON

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:35 ET - The Wild are 0-2 this season while the Blackhawks are 3-0-1 as they've yet to lose in regulation this season. That said, Chicago opened up in the -150 price range for this one and yet that line has fallen dramatically even though the Hawks will be on home ice tonight. Though that may seem like a head-scratcher, don't be fooled. The sharp money is on the Wild here. Chicago is a veteran team used to playoff success. As a result, there will be some "off nights" during the "ho hum" regular season and this is likely to be one of them. Why? Because the playoffs are so much more important than early regular season games and, that said, Chicago can't help but be peeking ahead at their huge game Saturday. They have a chance at "playoff revenge" against a Nashville team that swept them out of the playoffs in the first round this past spring. The Predators are up next for the Blackhawks and I know that Chicago already has their eyes on that match-up. Conversely, Minnesota is "all in" on tonight's game as the Wild are a damn good team under head coach Bruce Boudreau and yet they are still seeking their first win of the young season. The Wild will prove to be the hungrier team tonight as they are highly motivated and I am aware of the fact that they're rolling 11 forwards and 7 defensemen tonight instead of the traditional 12 and 6 but they'll get the job done. Boudreau is a helluva good coach and the Wild have won 22 of 32 (+$13,000) when facing a team with a winning record in the first half of a season. The Wild have won 3 of their last 4 games at the United Center. 10* MINNESOTA money line

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - Nashville backers enjoyed tremendous luck as the Predators early season struggles continued against Philadelphia and ye the Preds rallied for the improbable win. Nashville quickly blew an early 3-0 lead and ended up trailing the Flyers by a 5-3 count in the 3rd period before staging an improbable comeback to win in regulation. The problem for Nashville here is they now face one of the best goalies in the game in the form of Ben Bishop for the Stars. The former Tampa Bay Lightning netminder has been on top of his game early this season and has looked very sharp for Dallas. The Stars had the lead when he got forced out of the game (puck to the face) against Vegas in their season opener. Dallas went on to lose that game and then they lost the next one as Kari Lehtonen started for the Stars. Ben Bishop came back against the Red Wings and Dallas got the big 4-2 win behind another strong effort from Bishop. He has now allowed just 2 goals in his two games this season. Also, the Stars have revenge from losing their last two meetings of last season versus the Preds including a costly home loss in April that came by a 7-3 final. It is payback time here and the Predators have allowed 13 goals in 3 games while Bishop has allowed just 2 goals in 2 games! Nashville has lost 36 of 62 (-$21,300) when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. The Stars have won 47 of 81 when facing a team with a losing record and they offer great value as a dog here. 8* DALLAS money line

Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* St Louis Blues Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - When Mike Yeo took over the head coaching reins from Ken Hitchcock (fired on Feb 1st) last season, the Blues wrapped up the regular season by going 22-8-2 under Yeo. St Louis then lasted two rounds in the post-season and they've now begun this season with a perfect 4-0 start under Yeo. No one can argue that the players certainly seem to have responded well to the coaching change and I see no reason for their perfect start to come to an end here. The Blues have allowed only 5 goals total in their last 3 games. Conversely, the Panthers have already allowed 9 goals in their first 2 games this season. Sometimes too much rest is too much of a good thing and Florida has not played since Saturday! Note that the Panthers have lost 93 of 167 (-$27,000) when they enter a game on 3 or more days of rest. Remember that rest can equate to rust and that is especially true early in the season when teams are still trying to get their momentum going. Certainly the Blues are just fine in the momentum department and I look for their red hot hot play (26-8-2 in regular season games) under coach Yeo to continue! 8* ST LOUIS BLUES money line

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 8* OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - None of the last 6 meetings have stayed under the total as these teams have met 3 times each of the past two seasons and there have been 4 overs and 2 pushes. With each of these clubs off to a hot start this season, I look for the high-scoring ways to continue. Toronto is 3-0 this season and they've averaged scoring 6.3 goals per game. The Devils are 2-0 this season and they've averaged scoring 5 goals per game! Though New Jersey's Cory Schneider and the Maple Leafs Frederik Andersen are both solid goalies, there is simply a ton of confidence with both of these clubs skating very well and moving the puck very well in the offensive zone. This has resulted in great scoring chances for both the Devils and Leafs and I expect the high-scoring ways to continue. When the Maple Leafs have been on a winning streak of 3 or more games the past two seasons, the over has gone 8-4, 67% in those 12 situations. More of the same here. 8* OVER the total in Toronto

NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - A lot of key edges for the Capitals in this one. Certainly Washington has revenge on their minds as the Penguins have been a playoff nemesis for the Caps. The Pens again knocked the Capitals out of the post-season last spring. Additionally, the Stanley Cup champion Penguins have the distraction of yesterday's White House visit to deal with. Conversely, the Capitals have been fully focused on hockey and, while the Pens are off of their first win of the season, the Caps are off of their first loss this season. That certainly is adding to the motivation for Washington here as they let a 3-1 lead slip away against Tampa Bay Monday night and then lost 4-3 in overtime! Matt Murray will be between the pipes for Pittsburgh and certainly the Capitals have the goal-tending edge in this match-up. Murray has an ugly 4.43 GAA versus Washington. The Caps will have Braden Holtby between the pipes and he has a solid 2.77 GAA versus the Penguins. The Pens are 19-21 (-$6,800) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of a season. The Capitals are 29-10 (+$12,500) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of a season. 10* WASHINGTON on the money line early Wednesday evening.

Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Dallas Stars vs Detroit Red Wings @ 8:35 ET - The Stars have actually played quite well and have been generating plenty of scoring chances but they don't have anything to show for it. Dallas has registered at least 40 shots on goal in each game but yet they've scored a total of only 3 goals. Look for that to change tonight at home but the issue for the Stars could be their goal-tending in this one. Yes, Ben Bishop is expected back for Dallas tonight but how will he be after taking that puck to the face in the season opener versus Vegas? Keep in mind, if a goalie is just slightly "off" it has huge consequences and the Red Wings come into this game with plenty of confidence since they're already 2-0 on the young season. If the Stars are again forced to go to their back-up goalie, Kari Lehtonen, he is already struggling badly early this season with 6 goals allowed on 32 shots. No matter how you look at, this could be a tough situation for the Stars between the pipes and though the Red Wings are likely to struggle overall this season, they have plenty of confidence here with how their season has begun. That makes for a dangerous dog but Detroit will have to score plenty to keep up with an angry and determined Stars team that won't take their foot off of the gas in this one and that is why I see it flying over the total. 10* OVER the total in Dallas Tuesday evening.

Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The Flyers won 2 of 3 in California to open up the season (including both of the games started by Brian Elliott) and are now working their way back east as their home opener is coming up Saturday versus Washington. Philadelphia is facing a Nashville team that is playing their home opener and will be raising the banner tonight (for their Western Conference championship last season) but the Predators have shown holes early this season. Not only did they allow 4 goals in each game but they also got shutout by the Penguins in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch. What is even worse about that is that the Pens had allowed 15 goals in just 2 games heading into that meeting with Nashville. The Predators goal-scoring woes could certainly continue here against a Flyers team that is significantly outshooting the opposition on the young season. Also, Philadelphia has allowed just 7 goals total in their 3 games. The Predators have lost 40 of 72 (-$21,700) non-conference games. This is a case of hot versus not and it is offering significant road dog value. The road team won both meetings between these clubs last season and the Flyers also won the game in the Nashville the prior season as well. 8* PHILADELPHIA on the money line Tuesday evening.

Rickenbach Tuesday NHL 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Hurricanes got a 5-4 win in the shootout versus the Wild on Saturday. So far this season that is the only game the Canes and I believe that makes them vulnerable here. Certainly Carolina's Scott Darling did not impress between the pipes and the Hurricanes now face a very hungry Blue Jackets team that is playing their 3rd game of the season already. Columbus is hungry because they have had to wait since Saturday to now get some redemption for an ugly 5-1 loss at Chicago. Now, back in divisional action, look for the Blue Jackets to respond. Keep in mind, the Jackets dominated in their season opener versus the Islanders. Now, off of a loss in non-conference action, note that Columbus has won 33 of 55 (+$14,600) when off of a game against a Western Conference opponent. The Blue Jackets will be much more focused and "ready to grind" as they take on a divisional opponent tonight. The Hurricanes are also off of a non-conference game but they've lost 35 of 56 (-$16,800) when off of a game against a Western Conference foe. Also, the Canes have lost 36 of 60 (-$13,000) in divisional action. I like having a quality team off of an ugly effort! Give me the road dog in this one! 8* COLUMBUS on the money line early Tuesday evening.

Total of the Week - Rickenbach Monday NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - Of course Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are off to a red hot start this season but the value in this game, in my opinion, is with the total. Both teams have gone over the total in each of their games. The Washington offense, behind Ovechkin's insane start to the season (multiple hot tricks), has totaled 11 goals so far but the Lighting offense is not too far behind. Tampa Bay has tallied 9 goals so far this season. The issue for the Bolts is that they're quickly finding out that the goaltending in their post-Ben Bishop era could be quite the challenge. Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up 8 goals already. He also gave up 4 goals in each of his two starts against the Caps last season. However, as strong as Braden Holtby is between the pipes for the Capitals, he did allow 4 goals in his lone road start this season. He now faces a Tampa Bay team that is flying all over the ice early this season and creating great scoring chances. The Bolts are on a mission this season after the disappointment of last year and I foresee them giving a huge effort in this revenge opportunity against a divisional rival tonight. That should mean plenty of goals for the Bolts but their problem is they haven't been able to keep the puck out of their own net and the Capitals are red hot right now. Also, when TB is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more, their next game resulted in an under only 18 times in 53 games! In other words, the high-scoring trend usually continues and I expect that to be the case again tonight given the way these two teams have been scoring goals! 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Midday Mauling - Rickenbach Monday NHL 8* Buffalo Sabres Money Line (-) vs New Jersey Devils @ 3:05 ET - Nice set up here. The Devils won their season opener but they played an Avalanche team that was one of the worst teams in the league last season. The Sabres are 0-2 to start the season and they have a long west coast road trip on deck. After this afternoon's game, Buffalo won't be back home until October 20th. With that said, the Sabres are certainly going to give a tremendous and intense effort here and, right now, the Devils have a cluster of injuries up front with center and wings comprising their injury list. Look for Buffalo to respond on home ice here and get revenge for having been swept by the Devils in last year's 3-game season series. New Jersey has lost 20 of 30 when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. The Devils also have gone 0-6 the past two seasons in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. 8* BUFFALO on the money line

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach Monday NHL 8* OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Colorado Avalanche @ 1:05 ET - With the Avalanche face a team with a winning record, only 29 of 73 games have resulted in an under. The Bruins, when off of rest of 3 days or more, have gone 9-5 to the over. Boston has been off since their 4-3 win versus Nashville in the Bruins season opener Thursday. The Avs scored 4 goals in their season opening win over the Rangers at New York but then the Avalanche allowed 4 goals in their loss at New Jersey Saturday. The Avalanche did score 4 goals in their last visit to Boston and I like looking for offense from them after they only scored 1 goal Saturday against the Devils. The Avs will be ready to go here but I also like the fact Bruins have only played 1 game and will have fresh legs after the long layoff since Thursday. As noted above, this has a history of producing overs for the B's when off for 3 days or more and I look for that trend to continue here. 8* OVER the total in Boston

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach Sunday NHL 8* Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - Both of these teams got thoroughly embarrassed in yesterday's action and each ended up using two goalies to complete the 60 minutes. The fact is that Montreal is more likely to bounce back here. They were thoroughly beaten from start to finish and the Canadiens then were already looking ahead to this revenge match-up with the Rangers team that knocked them out of the post-season last spring when the Habs blew a 2-1 series lead. It's payback time here and the Rangers rallied from a 5-1 deficit in yesterday's game to tie it at 5-5 heading to 3rd period but they then allowed the final 3 goals. That is a tougher loss to bounce back from then the type of defeat the Habs had yesterday. What I also like about Montreal is that they did win their first game this season and allowed just 2 goals. The concern for the Rangers early this season is that they can't stop anyone as they did allow 4 goals to the Avalanche in their season opener. Montreal's season ended here in New York in April when the Rangers wrapped up the series on home ice in a Game 6. However, prior to that home win, the road team had won 5 of the last 7 meetings and that certainly is part of the reason you're seeing the Rangers as such a small home fave here. The fact is that the road team has held the edge in recent meetings and this is a big time revenge spot where the road team is highly motivated. Indeed the Canadiens should get their payback here. 8* MONTREAL

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals (-) in St Louis Blues vs Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - The Stars put up 46 shots on the Golden Knights last night but still fell short as Marc-Andre Fleury had a tremendous game between the pipes for Vegas. Look for Dallas to be even more fired up after losing their home opener and another strong effort with plenty of shots on goal is likely to result on many more finding the back of the net in this one. St Louis is off of a wild 5-4 overtime victory in their season opener at Pittsburgh Wednesday night. The Blues can take advantage of the fact that the Stars may have to start Kari Lehtonen between the pipes as Ben Bishop took a puck to the face and had to exit last night's game. It was all downhill for the Stars after he went out and even if Bishop is back for Dallas tonight he may not be 100% himself after that vicious shot to the mask. The Blues and Stars have quite the spirited rivalry and 3 of the last 4 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Given the situation here I am expecting another wild one. Note that Dallas is 19-11 the past two seasons when they're off of a game where they scored 1 goal or less. The Blues have scored 11 goals in their last 3 games versus the Stars and, after putting up 5 on the defending cup champs on opening night, they roll into this game with plenty of confidence. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in St Louis

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 8* Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Wild lost on Thursday at Detroit. That was despite spotting the Red Wings a 2-goal lead and then rallying to tie it up. Minnesota lost because of the slow start and because they went 0 for on the power play while Detroit went 2 for 5 with the man advantage. Rest assured, the Wild are fired up and ready to respond on Saturday evening after losing their season opener. We're getting solid line value here because Minnesota is on the road and the Wild have moved all the way up to as high as +130 as of about Noon ET. This is great value against a Carolina team that finished 12th in the Eastern Conference standings last season. I know that the Hurricanes had a solid record on home ice last season and that is part of what is driving this line move but, to me, that's just additional line value for us. The fact is that Minnesota's 22 road wins last season ranked them among the top teams in the league and let's not forget that the Wild finished #2 in the Western Conference standings last season. The Hurricanes are on a 14-21 (40%) run in Saturday games and the Wild have the added edge of already having a game under their belt too. 8* MINNESOTA on the money line

NHL Network Smash - Rickenbach Friday NHL 8* Dallas Stars Puck Line -1.5 goals (+130) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:35 ET - Certainly Dallas has a big game on deck at St Louis for tomorrow night. However, this is the season opener and, of course, home opener for the Stars and that means there is no way they're going to overlook the Golden Knights. While Vegas has a decent defense (at least based on the roster they've built), I believe their goaltending is a definite area of concern as Marc-Andre Fleury has certainly seen his better years. Also, the offense is a concern as that looks like the weakness of this Vegas team. They've certainly been able to pool some talent and they're going to sneak up on some teams throughout the season, particularly at home, but they are destined to get beat badly in their season opener. Dallas will be amped up for their home opener and the Stars had arguably the best off-season of any of the NHL teams. Of course I don't lay big juice so no way would I be recommending a play on the money line here. However, I love the added value of the +130 range currently being offered on this puck line play. Dallas should win this by 2 or more as Vegas still has to adjust to all the new faces and playing together as a team in this, their expansion, year. The Golden Knights will improve as the season goes on but I foresee some struggles early on and that begins here against a Stars team determined for a hot start after missing out on the playoffs last season. They are fired up! 8* DALLAS on the puck line -1.5 goals +130

NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach Thursday NHL 8* Minnesota Wild Money Line (-) @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - It wasn't that long ago that it was very hard to play against the Red Wings in Detroit but certainly those days are long gone. That is why you're seeing the Wild as a moderately priced favorite here even though this game is being played in Detroit and even though the Red Wings are unveiling their new arena for this one. Minnesota just is on a different level right now than Detroit as the Red Wings truly are in full rebuild mode. Sure the Wings would love to get a win in their home opener (especially being that it is a new home) but the Wild are seeking redemption for all the past seasons of frustration when facing the Red Wings, particularly in Detroit. It is payback time here and the Wild are a different (improved!) team with head coach Bruce Boudreau behind the bench. Also, Minnesota is 43-29 (+8,900) in games played in the first half of the season the past two season. Detroit, with those same parameters, is 34-40 (-$11,200) and, again, the Red Wings are also headed the wrong direction while the Wild appear poised for another post-season appearance this spring. Detroit won only 17 of 41 home games last season and the Red Wings averaged only 2.5 goals per game last season while the Wild averaged 3.1 goals per game. I just don't see Detroit being able to "keep up" in this one as the Wild are fired up about the way their playoff hopes were quickly dashed early in last season's playoffs. They can't wait to start to erase that memory and that begins tonight! 8* MINNESOTA

NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 8* OVER 5.5 goals (+) in Pittsburgh Penguins vs St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - Last season Blues goalie Jake Allen finished up very strong thanks in large part to Martin Brodeur taking over as goalie coach and mentor to help him after a rough run through the first portion of the season. Though there will certainly be some benefits from that which will have a lasting impact, the fact is that Broduer has now assumed a full time upper management position with St Louis and it will be interesting to see how this impacts Allen. On a night in which the Penguins are celebrating yet another Stanley Cup, the atmosphere in Pittsburgh is certainly going to be electric. With that said, you can expect the Pens to be flying all over the ice in their home opener and I am expecting an exciting wide-open game to result in plenty of scoring here. The over was 12-6 in Allen's starts versus Eastern Conference opponents last season. As strong as Matt Murray was between the pipes for the Penguins last season, the home games did have a tendency to get "crazy" and the over was 17-9 in his home starts last season! Look for more of the same tonight! 8* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - Though it may seem "crazy" to back the Penguins here because the home team has won every game in this series AND the Predators are 9-1 at home in the post-season, there are a couple of key factors I like about the Pens here. For you history buffs out there note that when the Penguins win the Stanley Cup they've done it on the road. That has been the pattern and I don't see it changing here. The fact is that the Penguins really took the wind out of the Predators sails in Game 5. The Pens didn't just win that game, they absolutely crushed Nashville in the process. Sure the Preds are back home and sure they have have success here but that was an absolutely deflating defeat for the Predators as they immediately gave up back all the momentum they had earned by winning games 3 and 4 by a combined 9-2 score. The point is that, had the Preds lost a tight one in game 5 the reaction might be different. But to get totally clobbered like the Predators just did, is extremely deflating. It's just not the same thing as coming home down 2-0 in the series but knowing you still have 3 potential home games and a long series in front of you. In this case, the Preds now come home down 3-2 and knowing that everything they worked so hard for is gone, completely gone. The Predators got absolutely dominated in Game 5 and the Penguins proved they are certainly hungrier than a lot of people, including myself, gave them credit for. That said, I am forecasting the Pens to become the first team in nearly 20 years to win back to back Stanley Cup titles and, as they've always done before, I am forecasting them to win it on the road. Pittsburgh has been there, done that. The Predators certainly haven't and they showed me all I needed to see in Game 5. The Preds are done. Look for the Predators to drop to 4-7 the last 11 times they're off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. Look for the Penguins to improve to 30-18 this season when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. 10* PITTSBURGH PENGUINS money line Sunday

NBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - The Predators have outshot the Penguins in every single game in this series. The Pens are 0 for 13 on the power play in the last 3 games. The Preds are 4 for 12 on the power play in this series. Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne has proven he's "back" in this series and he's highly motivated to record his first ever win at Pittsburgh. The Predators have looked to have a little more energy than the Penguins and a little extra "step" on them in the last two games and they certainly have all the momentum back in this series. No Stanley Cup champion has repeated in the past twenty years. The point is that it is not easy and the way the Preds have taken back momentum in this series, and knowing that the Penguins can't help but now have some self doubt, I expect the Predators to "steal" Game 5 on the road. All the pressure is truly on the Penguins here and it is tough to play with pressure. Not only the pressure of being the defending Stanley Cup champs but also the pressure of now trying to defense home ice even though they lost the last two games by a combined score of 9 to 2 in Nashville. In my opinion, all things considered, the Penguins are very over-priced here and there is tremendous underdog line value with the Predators. Look for the Preds to improve to a perfect 4-0 in this post-season when tied in a playoff series. 10* NASHVILLE PREDATORS on the money line

NBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +115 in Nashville Predators vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - I know it seems crazy that we're seeing so much scoring in these Finals but there is truly no reason to expect it to stop. Also, after seeing a ridiculous total of only 38 shots on goal in Game 1, we saw an average of 63 shots on goal in the next two games. The pace is likely to continue to "pick up" here in Game 4 as the Predators want to jump right on the Penguins Monday night and retain the momentum they worked so hard to attain by nothing the big Saturday night win. As for the Pens, they are hungry to respond after scoring just 1 goal in Game 3 and the Penguins had averaged nearly 4 goals per game in their 6 prior games so a response can certainly be expected here. On the season, Pittsburgh is 10-5 to the over when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. Also, when leading in a playoff series, the Penguins are a long-term 48-27 to the over. The Predators, in recent seasons, are 6-3 to the over when trailing in a playoff series. The Preds are also 20-10 to the over this season (and 47-26 to the over long-term) when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. The Predators power play is now 4 for 10 in this series and the Penguins power play is far too strong to keep struggling as it has in the past two games. Another crazy atmosphere in Nashville Monday and plenty of goals for both clubs expected here. I know Pekka Rinne bounced back but these are the defending champs he's facing and he did struggle in Pittsburgh. As for Matt Murray, he's starting to show some vulnerability too as expected. 10* OVER the total in Nashville

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +125 in Nashville Predators vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - Pekka Rinne has been the weak link in this series for the Predators so far as they've lost the first two games by a combined score of 9-4. While I do expect the Preds to respond today, I also expect the Penguins to come into this one very relaxed and confident by virtue of holding the 2-0 series lead. As a result, they will likely put intense pressure on Rinne in this one as they can be a little more aggressive since they have the 2-0 series lead. The Predators have averaged 3.2 goals per game at home on the season and the Penguins have averaged 3.8 goals per game in their last 5 games. Don't be surprised when this one turns into a barnburner. The last 10 times the Preds have been trailing in a playoff series, only 3 games have stayed under the total. The Pens are 29-17 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more this season. Look for the over to improve to 13-6 in Pittsburgh's Saturday games on the season. 10* OVER 5.5 goals +125 in Nashville Saturday

Game 2 Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - Even after having a first period goal disallowed that wiped a 1-0 lead off of the board, the Predators showed a lot in their Game 1 loss at Pittsburgh. For one thing Nashville showed resilience in batting back from a 3-goal deficit to tie it at 3. For another thing the Preds did outshoot the Pens by a 26-12 count for the game. The Predators will respond after allowing 5 goals in Game 1 (including the late empty-netter). Nashville has won 14 of 22 when they are off of a loss by a multiple-goal margin and goalie Pekka Rinne will bounce back. He had been 12-4 in the playoffs and seemingly stopping everything in sight before some tough bounces went against him in Game 1. Rinne certainly wasn't on top of his game Monday but he's a strong goalie and will bounce back here. As for Penguins goalie Matt Murray, he wasn't exactly flawless in Game 1 either plus the Penguins have now allowed power play goals on 3 of their opponents last 8 chances. I love the underdog value here as the Preds found some things in Game 1 to build on and certainly the Predators ability to limit Penguins scoring chances was huge. Look for the Preds to even this one up in what should be a fantastic series. Keep in mind the Penguins were only 6-6 in their last 12 games prior to the win Monday. Also, the Predators haven't lost two straight games since early April! 10* NASHVILLE

Total of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +125 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - How will these teams react after the layoff that preceded the Stanley Cup Finals getting underway? The Predators have played 9 games this season after a layoff of 3 days or more. The results? Only 2 unders in those 9 games! As for the Penguins, they've played 8 games this season after a layoff of 3 days or more. Pittsburgh has gone 7-1 in those 8 games! Not only are there trends to support this play though. The fact is that the old adage of 'speed kills' applies to both of these teams. They are each so dangerous with their skilled forwards and I expect this to be a highly entertaining series. Of course the Preds loss of Ryan Johansen was a big one but just look at how they've responded! The Predators wrapped up the Western Conference Finals by scoring 6 goals in their series clinching victory over Anaheim. The Predators are 19-10 to the over this season (and 46-26 to the over the past 3 seasons) when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Each of the last 3 games between these teams has gone over the total and if the odds makers were expecting a solid under here, they would have posted a total of 5 goals. Why the 5.5 on this one? It's because the odds makers expect the same thing I do. After the layoff, neither team will be completely crisp in their own end, neither goalie will be as razor sharp as they might usually be, and with all the speed on the ice there will be some excellent scoring chances for both clubs in this one. These teams have combined for an average of nearly 70 shots on goal per game in their last 3 meetings. Look for a wild opener to the Stanley Cup Finals and I am more than happy to take advantage of the big plus money being offered on the over in this one. 10* OVER 5.5 goals +125 in Pittsburgh

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators @ 8 ET - The Penguins only scored 1 goal Tuesday but they did register 46 shots on goal! In other words, it certainly wasn't for lack of effort and the key here is that the Senators had allowed 10 goals to the Pens in the prior two games. That included the ugly Game 5 loss in Pittsburgh when the Penguins chased Sens goalie Craig Anderson with 4 goals on their first 14 shots. That said, don't be surprised if another strong effort in terms of shots on goal Thursday leads to quite a few more goals than the 1 goal scored in Game 6. Give Anderson credit for stealing a game for the Senators in Ottawa Tuesday but he's facing a helluva challenge on the road in Game 7. As for Penguins goalie Matt Murray, he has done a great job since coming in for Marc-Andre Fleury. However, we just need 2 goals from each club to guarantee no less than a 3-2 final here. Of course I am expecting 6 goals or more or wouldn't be going with a top play here. But the point is, will we get at least 2 from the Sens? They've scored at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 8 games and that includes 2 of their last 3 when Murray has been between the pipes for the Pens. When tied in a playoff series this spring, Ottawa has gone 4-0 to the over. The over is 10-5 this season in Penguins games when they are off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. Look for an offensive explosion here which will surprise many being that this is a Game 7. However, the odds makers won't be surprised. They opened this one up with the over 5 goals at -135 and the price is now as low as -110. I'll gladly fade the market movement and side with the odds makers on this one! 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - After getting embarrassed 7-0 on Sunday, look for Ottawa to bounce back strong here. They are happy to return to home ice but did lose here in Game 4 as well so this Senators team has blown a 2-1 series lead and is now facing playoff elimination. Look for this to bring out the best in a Sens team that has been resilient throughout this post-season. The Senators, in the past 7 weeks, have never lost 3 straight games and I don't expect that to change here. Though their power play has struggled since a good stretch early in the post-season, the Senators have been excellent in 5 on 5 hockey, Sunday's result notwithstanding. The Sens, the past 3 seasons combined, are 38-24 (+19,000) when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. Look for the Senators to get back to playing the style that delivered so much success for them earlier in this series. They need to clog up the neutral zone and prevent the Penguins from getting so much open ice as they enter the zone. The Senators did hold the Pens to just a single goal in each of the first 3 games in this series. In fact, dating back to the regular season, it was 5 straight games for Ottawa holding Pittsburgh to just a single goal before the Pens hung on for a 3-2 win in Game 4 and then got the blowout win in Game 5. After that ugly loss for the Sens in Game 5, it is payback time tonight for the Senators. 10* OTTAWA on the money line Tuesday evening

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Anaheim Ducks @ 8 ET - Ducks goalie John Gibson, if he plays, is not 100% as he's dealing with a lower body injury. Back-up netminder Jonathan Bernier is simply not at the same level as Gibson if he would end up getting the call here. No matter who is in net for Anaheim here, they are going to face a barrage of shots in this one because Nashville wants revenge for the Game 4 loss here and they certainly want to avoid a trip back to Anaheim for a Game 7. With that said, in a raucous arena on Monday night, you're going to see a little bit more of a "wide open" style played here. The Predators don't want to get cautious and hurt themselves by trying to play it "safe" at home. As for the Ducks, for them to spring the upset here, they know they're going to have to score plenty giving their current uncertain goalie situation. The Ducks have averaged 3.3 goals per game in their 7 road games in this post-season. Similar to how the Predators stepped up without Johansen and Fisher in Game 5 on the road, look for the Ducks to step it up without Rakell and Eaves in Game 6 away from home. The Preds loss on home ice in Game 4 was their first home defeat of the post-season. They're averaging just under 3 goals per game in their last 14 games overall and just under 3 goals per game in their 7 home post-season games. The Ducks will make some adjustments based on how the Predators really clogged up the neutral zone and denied entry for Anaheim as Game 5 went on. The result will be some more "risk-taking" from the Ducks here in a win or go home game. I look for this one to get surprisingly high scoring like the 5-3 game we saw back in game 2. The over is 3-1 in this post-season and 20-13 long-term when Anaheim is trailing in a playoff series. The Preds have a long-term run going of 69-48 to the over when facing a team with a winning record. Both teams are going to push hard for plenty of offensive zone pressure in the first possible elimination game of this series. The Preds want to push hard for early scoring and really get their home crowd behind them but Ducks won't stay grounded here either either. They'll be flying all over the ice and this one should fly over the total as a result. 10* OVER the total in Nashville

PA Insider - Rickenbach Sunday NHL 8* Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3 ET - These teams have gone back and forth alternating wins and losses so far in this series and I see solid odds that this pattern continues here. The Penguins are simply over-priced because of home ice and the fact they are the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Senators have actually taken 4 of the last 6 meetings between these clubs as the Sens did win the two final regular season meetings and this playoff series is now tied at 2 wins apiece. Keep in mind, the Penguins have averaged just 1.9 goals per game in their last 9 games and they haven't scored more than 3 goals in any of those games. The Senators have scored 4 goals or more in 3 of their last 6 games and have averaged 3 goals per game during this stretch. There has been only one blowout in this series and the Sens were on the right side of that one in Game 3. Considering all the other games have been tight low-scoring battles and you can see why there is so much value with the Senators as a big dog here. Also it is certainly noteworthy that the Sens are 3-0 in this post-season when tied up in a playoff series. Look for that record to improve to 4-0 after today's Game 5 is in the books! 8* OTTAWA

Bulldogs Best - Rickenbach Saturday NHL 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Anaheim Ducks @ 7:15 ET - The Predators are off of a loss Thursday and truly did not play all that well. However, they still showed enough resilience to send the game to overtime and lets not forget that the Preds had outshot the Ducks by a combined margin of 119 to 76 in the first three games of this series. Nashville is the better team in this series but now we get line value because they're on the road. I love having the Predators off of a loss at plus money as this is a team that hasn't lost back to back games since early April! Keep in mind, Nashville was 10-3 in the post-season before that Game 4 home loss Thursday and the Predators are fired up to respond here. This is an odd start time Saturday (5:15 local time in Anaheim) and the Ducks have lost 9 of 13 Saturday games this season. The Preds had to rally from a 3-2 series deficit in last year's playoff match-up with the Ducks and they don't want that to be the case in this year's match-up. The Predators will bring a hugely intense Game 5 effort and, keep in mind, last year's 7 games series saw the road team win all but one game! Considering the split so far in this series (each team winning once so far on enemy ice) that means that the road team has won 8 of the last 11 playoff games between these teams. I look for that trend to continue here and will grab the line value with the hungry road dog ready for revenge for what happened on their home ice Thursday. 10* NASHVILLE

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 8 ET - The Penguins got thoroughly embarrassed in Wednesday's loss and can be expected to respond here and even the series up after that 5-1 defeat. The Pens are 14-6 this season when off of a loss by a multiple goal margin and 22-10 this season when off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The Senators are only 4-4 this season when leading in a playoff series and only 12-12 when off of a win by a margin of 2 goals or more. Marc-Andre Fleury was awful in goal in Game 3 and whether he is back in net or Matt Murray gets the call, you can look for a response from Pittsburgh between the pipes tonight. The D-men in front of the entire team really pick up the intensity and effort after a game like that. In many respects it's easier to bounce back mentally from a game like that compared to a tight OT loss or one-goal defeat. The Penguins have the better power play and will "carry play" so much in Game 4 that they'll earn a few penalties from the Senators. The Sens are on an 0 for 21 run on the power play. A lot of factors in favor of the Pens here and they are also a little healthier than they were entering Wednesday's game. 10* PITTSBURGH

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Anaheim Ducks @ 8 ET - This series is only 2-1 in favor of the Predators and the two Preds wins have been one goal wins. However, Nashville has proven to be the much better team and the closer results have merely helped to give us some phenomenal line value here. The Predators have actually outshot the Ducks by a combined total of 119 to 76. That's an average of edge of 14.3 shots PER GAME so far in this series. When you are getting extra chances at scoring you're going to eventually break through and this actually has a great shot at being the big "break through" game for the Preds. They outshot the Ducks 40 to 20 on Tuesday and won for the 6th time in 6 home games in this post-season! With this line dropping down into the 130 range this morning we were afforded some phenomenal line value here with the better team playing the better hockey and on home ice! Look for Anaheim to drop to 4-7 in their last 11 Western Conference Finals games. Look for the red hot Preds to improve to 24-11 in their last 35 games against teams with a winning record. 10* NASHVILLE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8 ET - The Penguins are very banged up right now. I know they have some depth on their blue line and are planning to use some veteran defensemen but it is still going to be tough now that the the Pens are without their top three D-men. As for the Senators, I look for them to get a spark by returning home where they have won 3 straight post-season games. Keep in mind, Ottawa had won 6 of their last 8 overall before the 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Monday. The Pens had lost 4 of 6 before coming up with the tight win in Game 2 of this series. The Penguins have been struggling to score goals and I look for them to drop to 1-3 this season when they enter a game on an "under streak" of 3 games or more. The Pens have had 3 straight unders and the normally high-flying Penguins have been held to 2 goals or less in 5 straight games. The Senators had averaged 3 goals per game in their last 8 games before being shutout in Game 2. Even though the Pens are a few games over .500 against teams with a winning record in the season they have netted $0 profit because they are such a public team (and again are over-priced here in my opinion). As for the Senators, they are a fantastic 29-18 and +$19,600 in games against teams with a winning record this season. At home for just the 2nd time since late April, the Senators are really going to be amped here and the fans will be going nuts as the Sens host the defending champs with a chance to get a 2-1 lead knowing they'll still have 2 more home games in this series (if needed). With the Pens very banged up, the Sens take advantage of the situation and I'll gladly grab the hungry home dog here. 10* OTTAWA SENATORS money line

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Anaheim Ducks @ 8 ET - The Predators have developed one of the bigger home ice edges in the league as Nashville has certainly been loud and proud in supporting their Preds. Nashville is a perfect 5-0 on home ice in the post-season and, dating back to the regular season, has won 13 of their last 16 home games. The Predators will be looking to bounce back off of a road loss in Game 2 and they have outshot the Ducks 79 to 56 so far in this series. Anaheim has been strong long-term but, keep in mind, they were just 4-4 in their last 8 games before getting the win in Game 2 of this season. Anaheim is only 1 for 22 on the power play in their last 7 games. The Predators have hit a power play scoring drought in their last 3 games but previously had converted 4 of 13 power play opportunities in their 5 prior games. Great value price on a Preds team that has been playing great hockey in this post-season and goalie Pekka Rinne will respond here as he is stellar on home ice! 8* NASHVILLE on the money line

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Monday 8* Pittsburgh Penguins Puck Line (-1.5 goals) vs Ottawa Senators @ 8 ET - In their 2-1 OT loss in Game 1 Saturday, the Penguins saw numerous shots hit iron and there certainly were some other missed scoring chances for Pittsburgh that should have been buried. In fact the Pens head coach is telling his team they've got to shoot the puck more in Game 2. In Game 1 on Saturday Pittsburgh was guilty of holding onto the puck too long at times or making too many passes instead of just getting the puck on net. Look for an effort in that regard to pay dividends with plenty of goals here for the Penguins in Game 2 on Monday. Of course, as long-time followers know, I am not a proponent of laying big juice but I certainly like getting big plus money paybacks. That said, I am grabbing the Pens on the puck line in this one. By laying the -1.5 goals we get a healthy payback in the +155 range for this one and I look for the fired up Penguins to win this one in a home rout. Pittsburgh won 9 of 13 games this season when playing with home loss revenge. The Senators have lost 8 of 13 games when they are on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Also, 7 of the Sens last 11 losses have come by 2 goals or more. In fact, Ottawa's average margin of defeat in those 11 losses was 2 goals per game. As for the Penguins, 35 of their last 52 wins have come by a margin of at least 2 goals. In other words, when the Pens wins, odds are strong they win big and I look for them to come out strong in this home loss revenge situation and they won't take their foot off of the gas after what happened in Game 1. In other words, expect the blowout here! 8* PITTSBURGH on the puck line -1.5 goals

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Anaheim Ducks @ 7:30 ET - Many will look to back the Ducks here as they just can't see them going into an 0-2 hole on their home ice in this series. However, how many people though these Predators would sweep the Blackhawks? The fact is that the Preds are now 9-2 in the post-season and simply rolling! They also outshot Anaheim by a 46-29 count in Game One! The Ducks are only 4-4 in their last 8 games and just aren't playing at the same level that this Nashville team is right now. I love to use the "zig zag theory" to my advantage and this is one of those cases. With the Ducks off of a home loss in Game 1, the betting markets will favor them here and the result is line value for us by being a contrarian. I love being a contrarian when I know I have the better team at a good price. Look for Nashville to add to their impressive 5-2 mark when leading in a playoff series. As for Anaheim, I look for them to drop to 3-6 their last 9 games in conference finals action. Special teams is a key edge for the Predators as their penalty kill has been phenomenal while the Ducks penalty kill has been only mediocre in this post-season and their power plays has fizzled out. Anaheim is 0 for 20 with the man advantage in their last 6 games! 10* NASHVILLE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 8* Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7 ET - Just way too much line value to pass up on here in Game 1. The Senators just won a series over a damn good Rangers team. Sure some breaks went the way of the Sens in that series but you can't discount the fact that Ottawa was very resilient and they are now the more rested team heading into this series. The Pens had to go toe to toe in a fierce battle with the Capitals that really could have taken a lot out of them as it went 7 games and the Pens had to give everything they had left to win that Game 7 on the road at Washington. The Senators are 28-17 this season in games against teams with a winning record while the Penguins are only 23-19. You can see from those records that these teams aren't nearly as far apart as this line would lead you to believe. Ottawa has been at their best against strong competition. The Senators have won their last 2 meetings with the Penguins by a combined score of 6-2 and they won't be intimidated here. 8* OTTAWA SENATORS money line Saturday evening

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +120 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - The Senators have scored an average of 3.8 goals per game in their last 5 games with the Penguins and certainly there is no reason to doubt the capability of the powerful Pens offense. Pittsburgh has averaged 3.6 goals per game dating back to late March and they've scored 7 goals per game the last two times they've hosted Ottawa. Those two games hosting the Sens each totaled at least 11 goals and of course that is double what this total is as it sits at 5.5 goals. Of course this is playoff hockey and that is a different animal altogether but, at the same time, the Sens have allowed 3.8 goals per game in their last 5 games and the Pens allowed 3.5 goals per game in their 4 games with the Caps prior to the shutout win in Game 7. The over is 8-4 this season in Penguins games played after 2 days of rest. Also, the over is 4-1 this season when Pittsburgh is off of a shutout win. the over is 23-12 on the season in Pens games when they are off of a victory by a margin of 2 goals or more. Don't be surprised when both the teams light the lamp early and often in this one. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Pittsburgh

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Anaheim Ducks vs Nashville Predators @ 9 ET - This total opened up at a 5.5 and the betting markets said to the odds makers "no, you're wrong" and hammered the under. I love fading the markets in a case like this as the value is now clearly on the over with this total dropping to the key number of 5. The total has moved a lot too because there is not even much extra juice on the over at 5 either. What is the key to expecting a lot of goals here? For one thing, in the Ducks most recent trip to the conference finals only 1 of the 7 games stayed under the total! As for the Predators, they have some extra fresh legs here as they were afforded some extra rest. The Preds this season have had only 2 unders in the 8 games they've played with 3 or more days of rest between games. Keep in mind that Anaheim had gone over the total in 4 straight games before their Game 7 win versus Edmonton stayed under the total. Of the last 9 games meetings between these teams in Anaheim, there has been only 1 under! These teams are a little extra "chippy" with each other as they met in last spring's playoffs with the Predators eliminating the Ducks from the post-season. In their 3 meetings in this regular season, the average goals scored per game was 6 and none of the 3 games stayed under the total. There were 7 power play goals scored in those 3 games. Like I said, "chippy"! There was an average of 9 power plays per game in the 3 meetings and I look for plenty of scoring chances early and often in this one as the Predators look to use their fresh legs and speed to get an early jump on the Ducks on the road in this series. 10* OVER the total in Anaheim

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +130 in Anaheim Ducks vs Edmonton Oilers @ 10 PM ET - Not only have 5 of the 6 games in this series gone over the total, each of the 5 overs totaled 7 goals or more. The fact is we're getting fantastic line value with this over available at big plus money in Game 7. While it is true that we must get to 6 goals to get the win, keep in mind that all the other overs in this series totaled at least 7 goals. The Oilers have averaged nearly 4 goals per game in their last 8 games. The Ducks, prior to the ugly 7-1 loss at Edmonton in Game 6, had scored 3 goals or more in 17 of their last 19 games. As you can see, there is plenty of reason to expect each team to get to at least 3 goals here and that guarantees us of no less than a 4-3 final. The Oilers, when tied in a playoff series, have had just 6 unders the last 17 games. The Ducks, when tied in a playoff series, have had just 9 unders the last 27 games - a 33% under rate. What is perhaps most amazing about the current run of high-scoring games in this series is the fact that there have been only 4 power play goals in the last 4 games and yet there have been 31 goals scored. 5 on 5 this series has featured plenty of offense and the goal-tending, more often than not, has lagged behind. Look for that to continue here on Wednesday. I know it's a Game 7 but there is simply too much goal-scoring potency on both sides and certainly the defense and goal-tending has been lagging behind. That said, neither team can afford to "sit on a lead" like you might typically see in a Game 7 situation. Hence the value here! 10* OVER 5.5 goals +130 in Anaheim

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 8* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:30 ET - The Capitals certainly have carried play in the last few games in this series but that doesn't mean the Penguins are going to roll over for them in Game 7. The fact is that this is a tremendous value price on the defending Stanley Cup champs. Is this the year that the Caps finally get past the Pens. No one knows for sure but I'll pay to find out! The fact is that Pittsburgh will make some adjustments for this deciding game and, with their plethora of playoff experience, they've still got plenty of confidence even though they've lost the past two games. Keep in mind the road team has won 4 of the 6 games in this series! Washington goalie Braden Holtby has only an .879 save percentage in the last 3 games and he also struggled in the first two games of this series. A key reason the numbers look good for the Capitals in recent games is because they limited the Pens shots on goal but the Penguins will make some adjustments for this huge Game 7 and I feel Washington is tremendously overpriced here. Truly anything can happen in a Game 7. Washington is only 8-11 in 2nd round playoff games. The Penguins have won 8 of 12 when playing with home loss revenge and the Pens have won 13 of 19 when off of a loss by 2 goals or more. 8* PITTSBURGH

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:30 ET - After the opening game in this series was a 2-1 Senators win, the next 4 games have averaged 7.5 goals per game and none of them have finished with less than 5 goals. That is why there is tremendous line value here with the over at 5 goals. The Rangers have deserved a better fate but it's also their own fault for blowing late leads. However, the fact is that New York has outplayed the Sens for long stretches but they just don't have anything to show for it as their two wins were by solid 4-1 counts but the Rangers have lost all 3 close games. The reason I like the over so much here is that New York has scored at least 4 goals in 4 straight games now! That said, and facing elimination tonight, the Rangers will continue to pile up goals tonight. However, the issue for the Rangers is that they truly can't be trusted to protect leads. Blown leads are a part of any good hockey series in the playoffs but New York has truly shown a penchant for blowing leads to the point it is a major weakness of theirs against this resilient Sens team. I also like the fact that Ottawa can go "all out" tonight knowing they still have a game seven on home ice (if needed). In other words, the Senators are willing to be aggressive tonight and attack more in the offensive zone as they certainly want to bounce back after scoring just 1 goal in each of their two games at New York in this series. The Rangers have had just 3 unders the last 13 times they've been trailing in a playoff series. In other words, they'll turn to their firepower up front to try and force a game 7 here. This is especially true with Henrik Lundqvist having had a few tough stretches already in this series. The Sens forwards have extra confidence up front after stealing Game 5 by a 5-4 count in overtime. 10* OVER 5 goals in New York Rangers

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +110 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals @ 7:30 ET - The Capitals, off of their 4-2 win Saturday to extend this series, have now outshot the Penguins by a count of 174 to 115 in this series. That's an average advantage of nearly a dozen shots per game for the Caps. I expect Washington to keep pushing on Monday as they are in desperation mode as they look to avoid elimination and send this series back to DC for what would be a colossal Game 7. However, the Penguins certainly have something to say about that and have arguably had the better scoring chances for much of this series. Also, the Pens have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their last 6 games with the Capitals. The Caps have allowed an average of 3 goals per game in their last 10 games and I just don't see this one not getting to 3-3 at some point. The Capitals are starting to expose Marc-Andre Fleury a bit as they've now managed 9 goals in the last 3 games and, at the same time, the Penguins will be flying all over the ice as they want to finish this series tonight. To close this out, Pittsburgh knows the last thing can do is to get passive. They must remain aggressive and look to create those prime scoring chances. That is something Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin do so well in the biggest of games and this is a big one here! The over is 46-25 long-term when Pittsburgh is leading in a series. Also, in 32 games this season when playing with revenge, only 11 of those Penguins games have resulted in an under. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Pittsburgh

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 8* OVER 5.5 goals +120 in Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7:05 ET - It took a late goal from Anaheim to send Game 5 to overtime in the eventual 4-3 Ducks win. That said, one may be cautionary about again playing the over in this match-up. However, the Oilers are in full-out desperation mode now and their problem (as usual) is that they can't keep the puck out of their own net. The Oilers have allowed 14 goals in their last 3 games and have allowed 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 8 games. Of course this has played a big role in 6 of Edmonton's last 8 games not only going over the total but totaling at least 7 goals! With that said, over 5.5 goals and a plus money return is quite an attractive option here. The Oilers have scored 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 7 games. The Ducks have scored 3 goals or more in 17 of their last 19 games. As you can see, the odds are strongly in favor of each team getting to at least 3 goals in this game. Also, the over is 7-3 in the Ducks last 10 second round playoff games and also 6-3 when Anaheim enters a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more. Edmonton is 5-2 to the over this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Also, the Oilers are 15-7 to the over this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. What is also amazing about these high-scoring games is the fact that there has been a total of only 2 power play goals in the last 3 games. In other words, a ton of scoring in 5 on 5 hockey and I look for that to continue Sunday evening. 8* OVER the total in Edmonton

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 7* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs St Louis Blues @ 3:05 ET - Long time followers know I rarely lay juice and certainly avoid the big 2 to 1 type favorites. In this particular case we're talking about a line in the -160 range and when it's playoff time and the situation is right, there are occasions when I'll lay juice in this range. This is one of those occasions that certainly fits the bill. The Predators just a lost a tight game at St Louis on Friday and their lead in the series was trimmed to 3-2. Certainly the last thing the Preds want to do is face a Game 7 on the road in St Louis. That said, they know they have to take care of business on home ice and truly Nashville does have a massive home ice edge because it is one of the loudest arenas in the league. It'll be rocking again Sunday afternoon and the Predators have won all 4 of their playoff home games this post-season. Also, the Preds have won 35 of 54 when they are off of a game where they were held to one goal or less. The Blues have been held to 2 goals or less in 4 of their 5 road playoff games this post-season and the Predators have scored at least 3 goals in 3 of their 4 home playoff games. The Preds are going to be very aggressive on home ice and will prove to have too much firepower for the Blues. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has won 25 of 38 home starts this season. The Blues Jake Allen is barely above .500 in his road starts this season. 7* NASHVILLE

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:15 ET - The Capitals will be the popular choice here. After all, the Caps are down 3-1 in the series, the Penguins are without Sidney Crosby, and Washington outshot Pittsburgh by a significant margin the Game 4 loss. However, the key is that the quality shots are going to the Pens and that has been a key difference maker in this series. That is why an elite goalie like the Capitals Braden Holtby has struggled while a goalie known for past post-season disappointments, Marc-Andre Fleury, has flourished. Until the Caps start elevating the puck more with their shots and getting real solid quality chances the struggles will continue. That said, time is running out and I look for the Pens to make the most of this opportunity to close this one out on the road. Keep in mind the Capitals have lost 4 of their last 5 home games dating back to the regular season while the Penguins are on an overall 7-2 run and have averaged scoring nearly 4 goals per game during this hot streak! Both teams have strong records this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. However, the Capitals are really frustrated and will be clutching the sticks a little too tight tonight while the Penguins can play loose and relaxed and look to close this one out on the road knowing they still would have two more chances after this too! The Pens are on a 7-3 run in 2nd round playoff games. The Caps are on an 6-11 run in 2nd round playoff games. The Pens are a dangerous big dog here and it's no secret that sharp money is what hit the Penguins here as this line originally was at the -200 level for Washington. 10* Top Play PITTSBURGH PENGUINS money line Saturday evening

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 8* New York Rangers Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 3 ET - The Rangers are the better team and have outshot the Senators 108 to 84 in the last 3 games. The Sens are lucky to even be tied up in the series as the Rangers have now back to back games by 4 to 1 scores and also should have won Game 2 as they inexcusably blew a very late 2 goal lead. It appears that was "lesson learned" for the Rangers and I don't expect them to let up here after winning each of the last two games by identical 4-1 scores. The Rangers have won 12 of 17 Saturday games this season and were one of the best road teams in the league in the regular season! The Senators have lost 26 of 45 home games (-$10,600) with a posted total of 5 goals or less. The Sens have been held to 2 goals or less in 5 of their last 7 games while the Rangers have scored 3 goals or more in 5 of their last 6 games and have tallied 13 goals in their last three games! The Rangers are starting to flex their muscles in this series and I'll gladly take advantage of the low line being offered because of New York being on the road in this one. Keep in mind, they played better on the road than at home this season! 8* NEW YORK RANGERS money line Saturday afternoon

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (-) vs Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - Pekka Rinne, Preds goalie, has certainly been a difference maker in this series but the fact is that he has only won 13 of 31 road starts this season! The Blues got a key Game 2 win on home ice after dropping Game 1 and now they need another key home win to stay alive in this series and I expect them to get it. With that win in Game 2, St Louis has now won 8 of its last 12 road games. Also, the Blues have won 8 of the last 11 games hosting the Predators. Despite coming up short on the scoreboard in Game 4, St Louis did outshoot the Preds by a 33-25 margin. With this being a "win or pack your golf bags" game for the Blues, there is every reason to believe we'll another strong effort from St Louis here! The Predators have a losing record on the season in road games with a posted total of 5 goals or less. The Blues have won 17 of 26 home games with a posted total of 5 goals or less this season. Also, the past 3 seasons combined, St Louis has won 36 of 54 games when they are playing with 2 days of rest between games! The rest, with the Blues coming back home and needing that time physically and mentally to hit the "recharge button" for this game, definitely helps the trailing team in this playoff series. When down in a series, St Louis has won 5 of 8 the last 3 seasons and they get another big win here on home ice with their backs against the wall. 10* ST LOUIS BLUES 

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 8* OVER 5 goals in New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:30 ET - Under players rejoiced as these teams had a scoreless third period in Game 3 and that allowed them to hang on for a push in a game that was 4-1 after two periods. Not only was that a fortunate push but the prior game totaled 11 goals and, of the 16 goals in the last 2 games combined, the teams are a combined 0 for 14 on the power play. Certainly that lack of production from the power plays is not going to continue and at the same time they've averaged 8 goals per game the last two games without any power play markers. Look for that to change here on Thursday. The over is 18-11 this season when the Rangers are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Also, the over is is 6-3 the last 3 seasons combined when the Rangers are trailing in a playoff series. They got back into it with a 4-1 win in Game 3 but they know there is still work to be done and the Sens will respond after scoring just 1 goal. The last 6 times the Senators have been off of a game where they scored just 1 goal the next game has had at least 5 goals scored all 6 times. Look for an Ottawa response here but the Rangers are hungry to even the series up. That should lead to a barnburner in this one. 8* OVER 5 goals in New York Rangers

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach Wednesday NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals (+120) in Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks @ 10 ET - After Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Ducks, the Oilers have seen 4 of their last 6 games fly over the total and Edmonton has allowed 19 goals in those 4 overs. Their goaltending (at least in my book) is still suspect but certainly they have dangerous weapons with their top lines up front. That has played a key role in Edmonton averaging 3.4 goals per game in their last 5 games and they'll be looking to respond off of the Game 3 loss as they don't wait to let the Ducks steal back home ice which the Oilers had worked so hard to earn by taking both games down in Anaheim. The issue, as usual, for the Oilers is going to be keeping the puck out of their own net and I just don't see that happening here. Anaheim has won 9 of its last 11 games thanks to offensive production that has averaged 3.6 goals per game during that rock solid stretch. Only 1 time in those 11 games were the Ducks held to less than 3 goals. The over is 5-3 in Anaheim's 2nd round playoff games and they have had just 13 unders the last 39 times they've been trailing in a playoff series! The over is 13-7 this season when Edmonton is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. Also, the over is 11-6 this season when the Oilers are off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more this season. Look for a barnburner tonight in a crucial game in this series that means so much to both clubs. Cam Talbot's divisional games for the Oilers have gone 24-11 to the over this season and John Gibson's divisional games for the Ducks have gone 14-8 to the over this season. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Edmonton

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:30 ET - Even though Sidney Crosby got hurt in Game 3 and is expected to miss Game 4, this play has much more to do with the fact that the Capitals finally got what they deserved on Monday (a win) and will ride that momentum here. Keep in mind, the Caps did outshoot the Pens by a combined count of 71 to 45 in the two games in Washington but had a tough 2-0 series deficit heading on the road for Game 3 in Pittsburgh. Now, riding the momentum of the Game 3 win and looking to erase the bad memories of recent playoff ousters at the hands of the Pens, look for Washington to come out flying in Game 4 and take advantage of the impact of the Crosby injury on the Pens. The Capitals are 18-8 in road games with a posted total of 5 goals this season. Also, the Caps have now won 26 of 39 games against teams with a winning record this season. Keep in mind, the Penguins only have won 21 of 38 games (and only break even on units) against teams with a winning record. The Capitals are 3 for 10 on the power play in this series while the Penguins are just 1 for 10 and now without a key component. The tide is turning in this series. 8* WASHINGTON

Total Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in Nashville Predators vs St Louis Blues @ 9:30 ET - The Predators don't want to let this opportunity pass them by. They have chance to go up 3-1 in the series and make sure they have the home ice edge with Game 6 set to be played here as well. However, a 2-2 series means the Blues get home ice edge with Game 5 and 7 set to be played in St Louis. With that said, the Predators want to take control early in Game 4 and get the home crowd into it. They can't afford to let the Blues control this game with a defensive-minded effort and trying to use physicality to slow down the Preds. The Predators have scored at least 3 goals in 5 of their last 6 games. The Blues had averaged 3.4 goals per game in their last 10 road games prior to being held to just 1 goal in their loss at Nashville Sunday. The last 7 times when trailing in a playoff series St Louis has not had a single under in any of those 7 games! Also, when off a loss by a multiple goal margin, the Blues have had just 8 unders in 24 such games this season - that's only a 33% rate to the under! In 2nd round playoff games St Louis has had just 2 unders in 10 games and the Predators have had just 1 under in 10 games! Many factors pointing to a game similar to Game One of this series that saw 7 goals scored! 10* OVER 5 goals in Nashville

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 8* New York Rangers Money Line (-) vs Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - As long-time followers know, I rarely lay juice and certainly don't play 2 to 1 favorites. However, there are RARE exceptions when it is a playoff time and a situation is simply too strong to pass up on. That is the case here with the Rangers at home in a must-win game and with this line available as low as -155 in some spots as of early gameday morning. The Rangers suffered an inexcusable loss in Game 2 in Ottawa as they blew a late 2 goal lead. New York was the better team in that game and, arguably, were the better team in Game 1 as well. Yet the Senators got a late goal in Game 1 on a deflection off of goalie Henrik Lundqvist's head and Ottawa then won Game 2 in double OT. The Sens have certainly had the "puck luck" so far in this series but the Rangers could just as easily be the team holding the 2-0 lead. New York outshot the Senators 48 to 34 Saturday and I look for them to continue that domination here as they are more determined than ever as they know they can't afford to fall into a 3-0 hole. All the other series are now 2-1 and you can look for this one to become a 2-1 series as well on Tuesday night! When playing with two days of rest between games Ottawa has lost 11 of 18 this season and 29 of 49 the past 3 seasons combined. When the Senators are on a winning streak of 3 games or more they've lost 7 of 12 this season. New York has won 25 of 39 this season when playing with revenge. Also, the Rangers have won 54 of 87 home games with a posted total of 5 goals or less the last 3 seasons combined. They notch another home win here. 8* NEW YORK RANGERS

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:30 ET - Even though the Capitals lost each of the first two games of this series on home ice I look for them to bounce back on enemy ice. The Caps did outshoot the Penguins by a combined 71 to 45 in the first two games but they lost a tight one in Game One and then goalie Braden Holtby had an awful performance in Game Two and got yanked. I expect Holtby to bounce back strong here as is he one of the game's best and he'll get back on track. The fact the Capitals have a big edge in shots on goal also shows the scoring chances are coming and Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has certainly been known for some playoff meltdowns of his own. Don't be surprised if he is the one struggling in Game 3 just like Holtby did in Game 2. Despite the loss in Game 2, Washington has won 22 of 34 this season when playing with revenge. Also, the past 3 seasons combined, the Capitals have won 30 of 47 when playing with home loss revenge. When off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more, the Caps have won 27 of 41 the past 3 seasons combined. We rode the Ducks to victory last night and they were in the same situation the Capitals are here (lost both games on home ice) and Anaheim won big 6 to 3. I look for the Caps to respond in a similar fashion here. 10* WASHINGTON

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 10* Top Play Anaheim Ducks Money Line (+) @ Edmonton Oilers @ 7 ET - The Ducks are a little banged up but one can't ignore the domination of the Oilers in the first two games of the series. The situation here on underdog Anaheim is strengthened by the fact that the Ducks are down 0-2 in this series despite outshooting Edmonton 76 to 55, winning the faceoff battles, and also leading in puck possession. The key categories the Ducks are leading in would have you believing they're up 2-0 in the series or at least no worse than tied up at a game apiece. Yet Anaheim is an 0-2 hole and on the road and that leaves no doubt about the fact that they're going to bring an intense effort here. Even with the Oilers "fortunate" start to this series, they are still 44-75 their last 119 games against teams with a winning record. Even with Friday's loss, the Ducks are still 10-5 this season when playing with home loss revenge. Also, Anaheim is 13-6 this season (and 37-22 the last 3 seasons) when they are off of a game where they scored 1 goal or less. The Ducks also are 32-15 in Sunday games in recent seasons while Edmonton is 13-19. The road team that has dominated but is down 0-2 in this series, gets back into it with a big win here. 10* ANAHEIM

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs St Louis Blues @ 3 ET - The Predators outshot the Blues in both games in St Louis but only got a split so, after losing game two on Friday, look for Nashville to be fired up here at home to win Game 3 and bounce right back. The Preds have won 10 of their last 13 home games. The Blues have certainly been hot but the Predators have looked like the better team so far in this series. Keep in mind, you don't sweep the Blackhawks out of the post-season without doing a few things right! As for the Blues eliminating the Wild, St Louis was outplayed in much of the series and one certainly could argue that Minnesota was the better team but there always will be some "puck luck" involved in games too. The Blues, long-term, are 11-14 when tied up in a playoff series and overall 14-20 in 2nd round playoff games. The Predators have won 48 of 79 home games with a posted total of 5 goals or less. St Louis Jake Allen is 18-14 on the road while the Preds Pekka Rinna is 23-13 on home ice. The edges here coupled with the Predators being highly motivated off of a loss combine to make the Preds well worth the price in this one. 8* NASHVILLE

Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8:05 ET - Thursday's game one was a 3-2 game with over 7 minutes to go in the game. Considering the firepower of these two teams (and the fact that an empty netter is always a possibility in a situation like that in the final minute or so), it was a bit surprising to see that one end up staying under the total. Look for Game 2 to make up for it. In the first game neither team scored in the first period but then there were 3 goals in the 2nd and 2 goals in the 3rd and I expect that momentum to carry right into Game 2. One thing is for certain, Washington is going to come out aggressive and will be again peppering Marc-Andre Fleury with shots in this one. Even with a total of "only" 5 goals scored in Game 1, these teams have averaged nearly 9 goals per game in their last 4 meetings. The under in Game 1 was just the 4th under in Fleury's 14 starts against a divisional foe this season! The over is 8-4 this season when the Capitals are playing with home loss revenge. The over is 3-1 this season (and 44-23 long-term) in Penguins playoff games when they hold the lead in the series. With the Pens trying to go up 2-0 on enemy ice, you know Alexander Ovechkin and company are going to come out strong in this one. It sets this one up nicely to be a back and forth barnburner because the Caps will look to get early goals and turn the tables on the Pens but Pittsburgh has averaged 4 goals per game in their last 12 games and certainly won't go away without a fight in Game 2. Barnburner indeed! 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Saturday night

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 3 ET - The Rangers lost a tight one in Game One and I look for the "road warriors" to bounce back in Game Two. No team had more road wins than the Rangers in the regular season and they'll make a few line changes and tweak a few things to get back on track Saturday afternoon. It was a 2-1 loss for the Rangers Thursday night as a fortuitous bounce for the Senators with 4 minutes to go in the game was the difference. Certainly Ottawa deserves credit for their great effort in Game One but the Rangers will be more aggressive in Game Two. Look for the Rangers to limit the Sens scoring chances Saturday as they know the 40+ shots they allowed on Henrik Lundqvist can't happen again in this one. The Rangers, when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less, have gone 36-14 the last 3 seasons - including a fantastic 12-2 this season! When trailing in a playoff series the Rangers are 7-3 the last 3 seasons. When playing with revenge, the Rangers are 25-13 this season! In a home game with a posted total of 5 goals or less the Sens are only 18-26 and the Rangers won 27 of 41 (66%) road games this season! 10* Top Play NEW YORK RANGERS money line Saturday afternoon

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Friday 8* St Louis Blues Money Line (-) vs Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - The Blues battled back in Game 1 after a sluggish start but still ended up falling short as the Predators got the tie-breaking goal late. Why expect St Louis to bounce back in Game 2? They haven't lost back to back games in about two months! The Blues had a rough patch in the 2nd half of February that wrapped up with a loss on March 3rd. Since then, St Louis has not lost back to back games. Nashville has lost 19 of 31 this season (and 51 of 82 the last 3 seasons) when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. In home games with a posted total of 5 goals or less, the Blues have won 16 of 25 this season! Before that upset win in Game 1 for the Predators, the home team had won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams. Look for that home dominance to resume on Friday. 8* ST LOUIS BLUES money line

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 7 ET - The Rangers got past a very strong Canadiens team in the first round and they did it by winning 3 straight games after being down in a 2-1 hole in the series. I am impressed. I am not so impressed with the Senators series victory over the Bruins as Boston was banged up and also simply not a consistent team this season. The Bruins had a lot of holes. The Rangers don't! Also, the Rangers have thrived on the road all season. New York's 27 road wins in the regular season easily topped the league. Also, the Rangers took 2 of 3 at Montreal in their opening round series win. As for the Senators series with the Bruins, the road team won 5 of the 6 games. The Rangers lost their most recent trip to Ottawa 3 weeks ago but the Rangers playoff position was set at that point. Also, the Rangers have won 25 of 37 this season when playing with revenge. The Senators have lost 4 of 5 this season when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS

TV Smash Pass - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 8* OVER 5 goals +110 in St Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators @ 8 ET - Don't be surprised if both teams get some extra scoring chances in this one after the long layoff for both teams. The Blues haven't played since Saturday and the Predators haven't played since Thursday. This can create a little sloppiness with the puck and that can lead to turnovers and great scoring chances. Note that the Predators had 7 games this season with 3 or more days of rest between games and only 2 stayed under the total. As for the Blues, they are 3-1 to the over this season when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. The last time St Louis was in the 2nd round of the playoffs there was only 1 under in 7 games. The Predators went 4-0 to the over the last time they were in the 2nd round of the playoffs. These teams are divisional rivals and the Preds are 17-9 to the over in divisional games this season. Look for a rather loosely played Game 1 with plenty of scoring opportunities for both clubs. The result should be a 4-3 type game. 8* OVER the total in St Louis

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs certainly have proven worthy to be worthy competition for the Capitals and I feel strongly that they aren't done yet. While their 2-1 lead in the series is gone, this has been a tight battle all the way in this series with 4 of the 5 games decided in overtime. That said, way too much value is being given to Toronto here considering they are on home ice and no team has won 3 straight in this series yet and I expect that will not occur in this one as these two teams have proven to be too closely matched. The Leafs had scored 4 goals in 3 straight games before the 2-1 loss in Game 5. To put that in proper perspective, consider that the Caps have scored more than 3 goals just once in this entire series. Indeed Toronto has proven they are up to the challenge and certainly they are well coached. The Capitals have lost 11 of 16 road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. Also, the last 3 seasons combined, Washington is 4-8 when they're leading in a playoff series. Toronto has a long-term mark of 18-8 when trailing in a playoff series and the Maple Leafs had outshot the Caps in 3 straight games (including both games in Toronto) before being outshot in Friday's loss. Bounce back time here for the Leafs as they avoid elimination and force a Game 7 for Tuesday. 10* TORONTO

Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 8:05 ET - The Rangers tried but were unsuccessful in asking the league to move this game to Montreal! All kidding aside, the Rangers are simply a better team on the road than at home. It doesn't make a lot of sense and yet it is a fact. That said, the fact you can get Montreal at a fair price here (instead of laying a big price at home) is a true value in this spot as the Habs look to avoid elimination. Clearly, the Canadiens were outplayed as Game 5 went on and they deserved to lose that one in OT which they did. However, that doesn't mean that Montreal is finished and it doesn't mean that Montreal can't make adjustments and force a Game 7 back to at the Bell Centre. Note that the Canadiens have won 11 of 17 games this season when playing with home loss revenge. Also, prior to New York's home win in Game 4 of this series, the Rangers had lost 9 of their last 11 home games! New York still has not scored a power play goal in this series and the Canadiens have 3 power play markers in the last 3 games. The Rangers have only outshot the Habs once in the first five games of this series. In the Canadiens two wins they outshot NYR by a combined 28 shots. The Habs are well aware of this and will be ultra aggressive tonight and not look like the same team that got out-skated as that game went on Thursday night. I look for a huge bounce back effort on the road in this one Saturday night. 10* MONTREAL

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 8* OVER 5 goals +125 in Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues @ 3:05 ET - Things are getting very chippy in this series and the fact that it is still "do or die" time for Minnesota ensures a rather aggressive game plan here for the Wild. I am well aware of the fact that each of the first four games in this series have stayed under the total but I also feel the odds makers are keeping this total at a 5 with good reason. They're expecting the same thing that I am, a little more scoring in game 5. After losing 2-0 in Game 4, this will be the 16th time this season the Blues are playing with home loss revenge. So far only 4 of the 15 games have resulted in an under! Especially with St Louis off of being shutout I look for a huge effort here. But the Wild are going to match the Blues in terms of aggression as they play yet another elimination game. Each team only had 2 power plays in Game 4 but I expect that to change here as the physicality continues to increase with the Wild finally having gotten into the win column in this series. The over is 18-9 this season when Minny is off of a win by a multiple goal margin. This is a contrarian play but something tells me this one is going to get crazy and I love having the big plus money here with this totals selection. 8* OVER the total in Minnesota early Saturday

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - The road team has won 3 of the 4 games so far in this series. After winning game one at Ottawa, the Bruins have lost 3 straight and I look for them to bounce back big here and avoid elimination. Boston has won 5 of 7 this season when on a losing streak of 3 games or more. Ottawa has lost 6 of 10 this season when they are off of a shutout win. Also, in a home game with a posted total of 5 goals or less, the Senators have lost 25 of 42 the last 3 seasons combined. Every single game in this series has been decided by a single goal and give credit to Erik Karlsson for being the difference maker for the Sens so far. The Bruins have had enough and I look for them to make some adjustments here for Game 5 that will prove to be the difference maker against Karlsson and company. Also, Karlsson has averaged nearly 29 minutes of ice team in these last 3 games and there has been only one day of rest between games ever since the Game 1 win. For a team relying so heavily on one player, fatigue could be a key factor here and I know the Bruins are going to do their best to make life miserable for Karlsson in this one. 10* BOSTON

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Friday 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Capitals vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The first game of this series barely stayed under the total, a 3-2 final. Since then there have been 3 straight overs and the average goals scored per game is 7. As you can see from that data, one could easily argue that this total should be a 6 with the way the series has progressed. That said, the fact that this total makes 6 a win number with the over has me happily backing the over. The Capitals are 9-4 to the over this season when off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The Maple Leafs are 14-8 to the over (a long-term record) when they are tied up in a playoff series. With this series knotted at 2 games apiece, and with Toronto having lost the first game of this series 3-2 but having gone 2-1 since then thanks to taking a little more risk and being willing to take chances to create good scoring chances, I foresee another wild one tonight. The Maple Leafs have allowed an average of 3.5 goals per game in their last 8 games and have not allowed less than 3 goals in any of those match-ups. The Caps have been outshot in each of the last 3 games and their defense has proven susceptible to the speed of the Maple Leafs. It makes for one helluva series and one where I am not comfortable calling the side but I am certainly comfortable looking for another barnburner here in terms of the total. 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Washington

PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The last two games between these clubs didn't just go over the total, they FLEW OVER the total with 9 goals in each of the past two games. I just don't see that changing here. The Blue Jackets, now down 3-1 in the series after staving off elimination in Game 4, certainly aren't going to stop fighting but they haven't been able to stop the Penguins goal-scoring power in this series. Pittsburgh is averaging 4 goals per game in this series but I look for Columbus to hang around and "risk everything" to stay close in this game and have a shot to send the series back to Ohio. With that said, there will be plenty of scoring opportunities for each club and the current trend of higher scoring games continues in this chippy series! The over is now 13-6 in Blue Jackets April games the past 3 years combined. Also, the over is 6-2 all-time in Columbus games when they are trailing in a playoff series. As for the Penguins, the over is a long-term 43-23 when they are leading in a playoff series. Also, this season, the Pens are 28-13 to the over when they are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. 8* OVER 5.5 goals in Pittsburgh