Enough is ENOUGH as far as Canadiens fans are concerned after an 0-4 start! Yes, Montreal's star goaltender Carey Price is still sidelined with personal issues and won't be playing here, but I like the winless (0-4) home side to dig deep and to finally post a victory on Friday night.

Carolina comes in riding high after a 2-0 start. It beat the Islanders 6-3 at home, and then it won 3-2 at Nashville. The Hurricane's Jordan Staal has two assists over the first two games, while goaltender Frederick Andersen is 2-0-0 with a 2.50 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. However, Carolina's last win came FIVE days ago! That's an eternity as far as momentum is concerned in sports like the NHL or NBA. 

The Canadiens made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but they've struggled to find that same spark so far this season. That includes a 5-0 loss here to the Sharks two nights ago (note that the Canadiens are 8-2 in their last 10 after a shutout home loss off three or more goals.) It's interesting to note that this is the first time in 26 years that the Habs have started the season 0-4.

Jonathan Drouin has scored two of Montreal's three goals this season. Jake Allen is 0-3-0 with a 3.05 goals-against average and .885 save percentage. An 0-3-0 record isn't good, but Allen hasn't been terrible at all. He's just received little support to this point.

Carolina's extended break between games sets up for them to come out flat, especially against an 0-4 opponent. The panic button has absolutely been smashed in Montreal and I expect this now desperate team to respond. Look for the hungry Canadiens to finally earn their first victory of the season on Thursday night.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* GAME 3 GAME OF THE WEEK is on the Canadiens.

I have played on Montreal over the first two games on the puckline and come up short. I can't lay the price on the Habs on the puckline in Game 3, but I don't think we're going to need that extra goal and a half anyways.

With a line like this, the oddsmakers agree that this is going to be an evenly matched game.

But Montreal does have the advantage, in that this is the first time that Tampa has travelled out of the country to play this season. The subtle differences in dealing with travel and all the rest of it is going to throw a proverbial "monkey-wrench" into Tampa's series sweep hopes in my opinion.

The Lightning have been exceptional defensively over the first two games, but Tampa has definitely shown inconsistencies throughout these playoffs.

Clearly, Montreal has to get something going offensively, or this series is going to be over. The Habs though are 7-1 in their last eight in trying to revenge two losses against an opponent.

The Canadiens won't be panicking here, as they had to come from behind to knock off the Leafs in the first round after dropping to 1-3 in that series.

Montreal is also 10-2 in its last 12 when playing on one days rest and 4-1 in its last five after scoring two or less goals in its previous game.

I say this series gets a lot more interseting after tonight. The stage is set for a letdown here for Tampa, and nice payout for Montreal as a straight-up Game 3 winner.

The play is the Canadiens.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* GAME 6 SHOW-DOWN is on the Knights.

The NHL would love nothing more than this series to move back to Las Vegas for a decisive Game 7.

The Knights are reeling off a humbling Game 5 loss at home, but I expect the visiting side to throw everything it has at Carey Price and the Canadiens to try and extend it one more game.

Las Vegas finished as the No. 1 defensive unit in the league, but it was equally adept on the offensive end, as it finished No. 3 overall.

This Canadiens playoff team has been incredible. For the most part it's grinded out victories to get to this point. Tough defensive play and fantastic goaltending.

The Knights though have played really well in this spot for bettors though, as they're 7-1 in their last eight in trying to revenge a home loss against an opponent in which they were held to one or less goals in.

Tampa wasn't able to get the job done on the road last night in Game 6 and that series will now go to a Game 7.

I don't think that Montreal has what it takes to end this series tonight either, as it plays much better with its back against the wall.

This is the best price so far this series for the Knights, and I'm all over it.

The play is Las Vegas in Game 6.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* EAST SEMI-FINAL GAME 6 BATTLE is on the Islanders. 

The Islanders play better at home. They won Game 4 by a score of 3-2, then fell flat in an 8-0 loss in Game 5 in Tampa.

Clearly, that was an outlier. For both teams. It got ugly and out of hand and the Islanders were already looking ahead and planning for Game 6.

New York finished 26-6-2 at home. The Lightning were sure good on the road, but note that New York is 7-2 in its last nine in trying to revenge a shutout road loss against an opponent.

With the season on the line, I think the Isles can bounce back at home. They're still 5-2 their last seven as an underdog (they're also 8-3 in their last 11 when playing on one days rest.)

Tampa's not going to roll over, but it still has one more chance to wrap up this series on home ice. I say the "hungrier" team wins Game 6.

Great value here on the Islanders.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* GAME 5 DECIDER is on the Islanders.

The Canadiens looked like they were going to cruise to a win last night with a 1-0 lead late in the third period, but then the Knights scored to push it to OT and now they're heading back to Las Vegas all tied up at 2-2.

The Islanders and Lightning are also tied. New York looked very dominant in its 3-2 win over the Isles at home in Game 4 and I believe it has the blueprint to success against the Lightning.

I'm not reading too much into the home ice advantage and I think that these teams are in fact evenly matched across the board. It wouldn't be difficult whatsoever to write a really convincing argument for the Lightning to bounce back here and that there is in fact value on laying this larger price for them to do that.

But I don't think that's where the value lies at all on the side tonight. As I say, I don't think the home ice matters as an advantage for these teams, and I also don't think that the Lightning are a vastly better team.

So for me, that swings the value to this undervalued underdog.

This dogs barking on Monday night and I expect it to deliver.

The Islanders are the play in Game 5!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* GAME 3 TIE-BREAKER is on the Islanders.

New York won Game 1, but the Lightning have taken the last two.

I like the Islanders to bounce back here in Game 4 though, before the series shifts back to Tampa. 

Game 3 was tight, and it could have gone either way. The Lightning won though 2-1.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 27 of 28 shots. Semyon Varlamov has been great for the Islanders though all year long and there's no reason not to believe that he can't continue his strong play in Game 4.

Despite the loss last time out, the Isles are still 7-2 in their last nine as a home dog. 

Clearly, with a line like this the oddsmakers feel these teams are evenly matched. And they are, but with their backs against the wall and looking to avoid the dreaded 1-3 hole, in my opinion, everything points to the Isles finally bouncing back here after two straight losses.

Great value on New York in Game 4.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* EAST SEMI-FINAL GAME OF THE WEEK is on the Islanders.

This is going to be a back-and-forth series. New York held on for the win in Game 1, and then the defending champs rallied and responded in Game 2.

Now the series shifts to Long Island and I think that New York will return the favor and find a way to get the job done here in Game 3. 

Tampa's offensive numbers were superior in the regular season, but each team's numbers are pretty much even in the playoffs.

Both are filled with experienced talent and with a line like this, clearly the oddsmakers feel these teams are evenly matched.

And so do I. From goaltending, defense, offense, special teams and coaching, it simply would not be difficult whatsover for me to write a very convincing argument for either of these talented sides to win.

So why then do I like New York in Game 3?

The Islanders return home where they're 25-5-2-2. The Lightning are 20-11-1-2 on the road.

New York though is a near-perfect 7-1 in its last eight in trying to revenge a two goals or greater road loss to an opponent.

This series could easily see seven games, but Game 3 points to the Islanders bouncing back on home ice in my opinion.

The play is New York.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* LAS VEGAS INSIDER is on the Canadiens. 

I had a play on the Islanders last night and just like that play, I also believe that Montreal has much more than just a "punchers chance" in Game 1, and in this series.

The oddsmakers though aren't giving Les Habitens much of a chance in Game 1, or this series. This line is not accurate in my opinion considering how well the Canadiens are playing right now.

And so for me, that swings the value to the undervalued underdog. I said last night that the Islanders had the defense to slow down and upset the high-powered Lightning attack, and the exact same thing can be said here of Montreal, who dispatched of two straight high-scoring machines in Toronto and Winnipeg. 

And the Habs beat the Jets in four straight, after going to seven games with the Leafs, which included climbing out of a 3-1 deficit. 

Clearly, the Knights are a great team as well. They have the No. 1 defense in the league and the No. 3 offense.

I just think that the longer layoff won't help the Golden Knights offense and when considering all of the above situational factors I've listed, this price it just too steep in this situation

And as I've already said as well, that for sure in my opinion swings the value to this red hot Habs team, which will be throwing everything it has and riksing life and limb getting into shooting and passing lanes to try and pull of the upset.

I say Montreal manages to "steal" Game 1, as it continues its improbable run to the Cup Final.

The play is the Canadiens.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* EASTERN-CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL GAME OF THE YEAR is on the Islanders.

Both teams have looked excellent so far in the postseason.

The Islanders average 2.71 goals per game, which ranks 21st, while they concede just 2.23, which ranks second.

The Lightning average 3.21 GPG, whih ranks ninth, while allowing 2.59, which ranks sixth.

Tampa's offensive numbers are better, while New York's defensive numbers are better.

But overall these teams matchup well and in my opinion, I think the Isles have much more than just a "punchers chance" in Game 1. J-G Pageau leads the Isles in scoring int he playoffs with 13 points, while Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov each hae four wins piece.

Andrei Vasileskiy has played all 11 of Tampa's playoff games and he has a superb 2.24 GAA.

New York comes in with a chip on its shoulder and with something to prove. I say the Islanders pull off the upset in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup.

The play is the Islanders.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* EAST-DIVISIONAL FINAL GAME OF THE WEEK is on the Bruins.

The Bruins dropped a crucial Game 5 at home to the Islanders, but I think that Tuukka Rask and the visiting side will be up to the task to send this one back home for a Game 7.

The Islanders are now running on fumes after back-to-back victories, and I think they'll predictably stumble here. New York has superior defensive numbers, ranked No. 2 overall, but Boston isn't far behind, ranked fifth in that department.

The Islanders are better at home than on the road, but the Bruins are a near-perfect 7-1 in their last eight in trying to revenge a home loss against an opponent in which they allowed five or more goals in.

Boston was down big in Game 5 and almost mounted the comeback. As I say, New York is now clearly the one that's fatigued in this battle, and I say that Boston takes advantage.

This is the best price yet on the Bruins so far in this series, and it's the right time to back them in this spot as well.

The play is Boston in Game 6.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Jets.

I know it's hard to believe that Winnipeg could muster up a win here after three straight losses, but in this back-to-back scenario, I like the Jets to do just that.

Montreal has been unbelievable. The goaltending play of Carey Price has been phenomenal. 

Winnipeg has played well though recently in the second game of a back-to-back, going 5-2 in its last seven in that position.

The Jets numbers for the season are still superior(Winnipeg averages 2.83 GPG and it allows 2.33, while Montreal averages 2.22 GPG, while conceding 2.33) and I just don't think the Canadiens have it in them to complete the four-game sweep here. 

The Habs had to come back from a 1-3 deficit to beat the heavily favored Leafs in seven games, and they've now won three straight in this series.

I say Montreal's win streak ends at six and Winnipeg digs deep, plays with pride and guts out at least a single victory in this series.

The play is the Jets.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* WEEKEND WIPEOUT WINNER is on the Golden Knights.

I think the Golden Knights offer fantastic value at home here to even this series back up.

The Avalanche's six-game win streak came to an end in dramatic fashion in Game 3 and I think that Colorado will suffer another letdown here, before it heads back home for Game 5.

The Golden Knights peppered Avs' netminder Philipp Grubauer with 43 shots last time out and there's no reason not to think that they can't duplicate that effort again here as well.

These teams numbers are evenly matched on both ends of the ice. With a line like this, clearly the oddsmakers think these teams are very evenly matched as well.

The momentum though has swung now in favor of the Knights after their Game 3 victory, which was Colorado's first setback so far in the playoffs. I say Colorado has now lost its momentum, and with the knowledge that it'll be returning home for Game 5, I believe it gets caught flat-footed tonight.

The play is the Golden Knights.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* EAST-CONFERENCE SIDE OF THE MONTH is on the Islanders.

This has been a competitive, back and forth series. Boston won Game 1 by a score of 5-2. New York then won Game 2 by a score of 4-3 in overtime, before Boston then won here in Game 3 by a score of 2-1 in OT.

Now it's time for the Islanders to respond in Game 4 and before this series shifts back to Boston.

These teams regular season numbers on both ends of the ice are very even. Boston was great over the second half of the season, while New York was consistent from start to finish.

The Islanders were especially good at home as well, going 23-5-2-2 there so far. 

New York has also responded well in this spot for bettors, going 7-2 in its last nine in trying to revenge an OT home loss to an opponent (one other strong/current trend to point out is that the Isles are 4-1 in their last five as a home dog.)

I love New York in this spot, and getting it as an underdog at home is the proverbial "icing on the cake."

The play is the Islanders.

Good luck...Larry

10* PERFECT STORM on the Knights.

Let's just wheel out the Stanley Cup right now and present it to the Avalanche. Right?

They're unstoppable?!

That's actually so far been the case, as Colorado swept the Blues in four games to open up, while also taking both games at home over the Knights.

Clearly, Las Vegas was gassed after its seven game series win over the Wild, as it then got blown out 7-1 in Game 1 of this series. 

But the Knights took Game 2 to overtime before losing, and now I think they'll put it all together and get back into this series with a big win at home.

Colorado pounced on a tired Golden Knights team, but now the tables have turned. The Avalanche are fatigued and the Las Vegas has a chance to rally in its own building.

Note that Vegas was 23-6-1-2 here during the regular season. These teams sport almost identical numbers on both ends of the ice, but the Knights still lead the league defensively, conceding just 2.14 GPG.

Las Vegas is also 7-2 in its last nine in trying to revenge an OT road loss against an opponent.

I think Colorado finally has its letdown here against a desperate Knights team that'll be throwing everything it has at the Avs here to avoid the 0-3 hole.

Great price, the play is Las Vegas.

Good luck...Larry

10* GAME OF THE MONTH on the Hurricanes.

This has been a tight series, but Tampa has a 2-0 lead. The Lightning have played unbelievable defense, considering they struggled somewhat on that end of the ice in their opening series.

The Hurricanes seem to be struggling to find energy after their six-game series win over the Predators, four of those games saw overtime.

But with its back against the wall here and looking to avoid the dreaded 0-3 hole, I look for Carolina to dig deep here and post a big winning upset effort on the road in Tampa.

Carolina scored three goals or more in all six games against the Prdators. It also allowed two goals or less in three of the six games against the Predators. 

The Lightning are among the best in every offensive and defensive statistical category, but the Hurricanes numbers are almost identical in every regard.

I say that the Hurricanes bounce-back here and it's Tampa that will now come in with "heavy legs" after the satisfying back-to-back road victories.

The pressure is on this talented Carolina team, which is 7-3 in its last ten in trying to avenge two straight home losses to an opponent.

I don't expect Carolina to get swept in this series. Look for the Hurricanes to get back into it with an upset win in Game 3.

The play is Carolina.

Good luck...Larry

10* WEEKLY WIPEOUT WINNER On the Jets.

Will rest lead to rust for the Winnipeg Jets here, who have been waiting for their opponent for a week after dispatching the Oilers in four games?

I say no. I say the extra time off here will only help Winnipeg at this point of the season.

Colorado had a few extra days off between its first and second series and it destroyed the Golden Knights 7-1 in their first game of the second round, after Vegas went to seven games to advance past Minnesota.

The Habs had to fight back from a 3-1 hole to beat the Leafs and are clearly now physically and emotionally drained. 

I can't see the Canadiens coming out with any energy here whatsoever.

The Jets are also 4-0 their last four at home, while the Canadiens are just 6-15 in their last 21 following a victory.

The Canadiens have proven that they can't be taken lightly, and I don't expect the Jets to do that at all. Instead, I believe Winnipeg will be out to set an early tone in this series and take advantage of this fatigued Montreal team.

Great price, the play is the Jets.

Good luck...Larry

10* PERFECT STORM on the Hurricanes.

Game 1 was evenly matched. Tampa had a couple extra days off between series though, and that likely was the difference-maker in the end for the defending champs in their eventual 2-1 victory.

I'm not reading too much into Carolina's lacklustre Game 1 offensive performance. They Canes came into that contest average 3.15 GPG in the playoffs and they were just tired and emotionally drained from their six-game series win over the Predators, four of those contests seeing OT.

But now Carolina is ready to respond here in my opinion. Note, I actually had Tampa in the first game, but I do expect a letdown here finally.

Previous to their Game 1 win, the Bolts had been struggling somewhat on the defensive end of the ice. They caught a tired Hurricanes team "off guard" in Game 1, but I don't expect that to happen twice.

Look for Carolina to risk life and limb getting into shooting and passing lanes tonight as it looks to even things back up in this series before it shifts to Tampa.

Great price, the play is Carolina.

Good luck...Larry

10* PERFECT STORM on the Lightning.

These teams are evenly matched, but I think the defending champs will find a way to deliver in Game 1 of this series.

Tampa averaged 3.2 GPG in the regular season, but with Nikita Kucherov returning for the playoffs, the Lightning seem unstoppable right now. Andrei Vasilevskiy wasn't the greatest in the opening round, but he has the track record and pedigree to return to form here. 

I think Carolina comes in "gassed" here after its six-game series win over the Predators which saw four of the games going to OT.

Tampa's the more rested team, and in my opinion, that matters right now.

The Lightning are a sharp 11-4 in their last 14 when playing with three or more days rest and I expect this strong trend to continue here.

For all the reasons listed above, the play is Tampa.

Good luck...Larry

10* SITUATIONAL STUNNER on the Islanders.

I think that the Islanders are going to "stun" the Bruins in Game 1. These team's offense and defensive numbers are very similar.

New York averages only 2.71 GPG, which ranks 21st, but it makes up for it on the other end by conceding just 2.23 GPG, which ranks second.

Boston averages 2.93 GPG, which ranks 14th, while allowing 2.39, which ranks fifth.

Both are filled with experienced veteran talent, but I'm not buying into the "home ice" advantage here.

Note that the Islanders have performed well in this spot for bettors as well by going 7-3 in their last ten as a road dog in the +160 to +175 range.

New York faced a powerful Penguins offense, and it looked dominant in its series victory. I say the Islanders have more than enough to earn a split over these first two games in Boston, and I say they take Game 1 and STUN the home side in the process.

Good luck...Larry

10* PERFECT STORM on the Islanders.

These teams sport almost identical defensive numbers, as Pittsburgh allows 2.77 GPG, while New York concedes 2.23.

Pittsburgh is ranked 14th defensively, while the Isles are ranked second.

The Penguins though have the advantage on the offensive end, as they average 3.45 GPG, while the Islanders average 2.7.

Down 2-1 in this series though, I like New York to rally here and even up this series.

So far Pittsburgh has the upper-hand in this battle, but the Isles have responded well in this spot for bettors, going 7-2 in their last nine in trying to revenge a home loss vs. an opponent in which it allowed five or more goals in.

I say the Sid The Kid and the Penguins finally have a letdown here, as I expect the Isles to risk life and limb getting into shooting and passing lanes to avoid the 1-3 hole.

The play is the Islanders.

Good luck...Larry

8* LAS VEGAS INSIDER on the St. Louis Blues.

Colorado won the Presidents Cup Trophy on the final regular season game of the year. The Avs have won the first two games of this series quite handily, but I didn't expect Colorado to sweep this series.

I'm not sure if St. Louis can win two games, but as I just said, I don't expect it to get swept either, and in my opinion, Game 3 is the "do or die" moment for St. Louis. The Blues will be in a 0-3 hole if they lose this one, clearly one which will be just too deep to dig out of vs. this potent Avalanche team.

The Blues were actually better on the road than at home this year. Colorado was great both on the road and at home, but note that St. Louis is 7-2 in its last nine in trying to avenge back-to-back losses vs. an opponent.

It's also 6-2 in its last eight in trying to revenge a three-goals or greater loss to an opponent. 

I say St. Louis digs deep and finds a way to win Game 3 at home. 

The play is the Blues.

Good luck...Larry

10* PERFECT STORM on the Islanders.

These teams are evenly matched. The Isles won 4-3 in OT in Game 1, and then Pittsburgh bounced back with a tight 2-1 win in Game 2.

The Isles accomplished what they set out to do though, and that was earn a valuable "split" over the first two games. Now they have the advantage moving forward here, and I expect them to make the most of it.

Don't think home ice matters? I'd say, guess again!

The Penguins are 23-4-1-2 at home this year, but just a mediocre 15-12-1 on the road.

The Islanders are only 12-14-3-1 on the road, but 21-4-1-2 at home.

That Game 1 OT victory is clearly a big one for the Isles.

Now Pittsburgh has to face one of the best home teams in all of the NHL. Statistically, Pittsburgh has the superior offense, but the Islanders are definitely better on the defensive end.

The cast of characters, the strengths and weaknesses of each side are well known. The oddsmakers aren't giving the Islanders enough respect in their own building with this line though, and I'm ready to make them pay.

The great value play here in Game 3 is on the Islanders.

Good luck...Larry 

10* GAME OF THE WEEK on the Lightning.

Florida won five of the eight regular season games.

The Lightning are back to defend their title. 16 different players have 12 or more points for the Bolts, led by Brayden Point with 48 points. Andrei Vasilevskiy has a 31-10-1 record with a 2.21 GAA.

Offense and defense were a strength of Florida's as well. However, the Panthers struggled down the stretch of the season, conceding three or more goals in seven out of their last nine games. 

Experience counts at this time of year. Look for Tampa to send an early message with a convincing victory.

Good luck...Larry

10* NHL LAS VEGAS INSIDER (FIRST PLAY OF YEAR!)

Larry didn't play the NHL regular season, but he's ready to get "back on the ice" now that the Playoffs are here, as after 35 years as one of the top professional handicappers, Ness is widely regarded as a "Playoff Guru!" Don't dare miss this exciting play!

10* LAS VEGAS INSIDER on the Bruins.

As you may have read in the promo for this pick, I haven't actually played any NHL this season, but now that the playoffs are here, I'm ready to get into the game!

For this opening game of this series and the playoffs, I believe that "recent form," especially on the defensive end, will prove to be the difference maker.

Both teams can score, and both can defend. Washington averages 3.36 GPG, and it concedes 2.88, while Boston averages 2.93 GPG, while allowing 2.39. 

But as I said, for me this one is simple. Timing and chemistry are key entering the playoffs, and Boston is playing the better hockey right now.

Note that Washington has scored four or more goals in four of its last nine games, but it's also conceded three goals or more in five of its last nine.

Boston has scored three or more goals in eight of its last nine, while allowing two goals or less in eight of its last ten. 

Look for the Bruins to carry over their end of season surge into this opening series contest.

The play is Boston.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Edm Oilers at 9:00 ET.

Toronto leads the North Division with 23 points, as the Maple Leafs' point total is alo tops in the NHL. Montreal's 20 points is good for second in the North (All-Canadian division), with Edmonton (18) and Winnipeg (17) checking in right behind the Canadiens. The Oilers welcome the Jets to Edmonton having gone 6-1-0 over their last seven games, while the Jets are 4-4-1 since a 4-1 start.

Connor Hellebuyck will likely be back in net for Winnipeg on Monday, as he has started 11 of the Jets' 14 games (6-4-1) with a 2.36 GAA and .921 SP this season. Ehlers leads the Jets within nine goals (16 points) but Schifele tops the team with 18 points. Over on the Edmonton side, McDavid (9 G / 19 A / 28 points) and Draisaitl ( 8 G / 18 A / 26 points) are not only 1-2 in scoring for Edmonton but also own the top-two point totals in the entire NHL.

Edmonton has limited opponents to just three goals over the last three games, with goalie Mike Smith making 38 saves in a 3-0 road shutout of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Smith is expected to start Monday, as his return from injury has brought an immediate boost to Edmonton's goaltending. Smith has allowed just one goal on 66 shots faced (.985 save percentage) in his two starts this season (both wins). In comparison, Koskinen is just 6-7-0 (3.43 GAA / .895 SP). The return of Smith plus the 'firepower' of McDavid and Draisaitl make the Oilers the play in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month is on the Phi Flyers at 7:05 ET.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' 17 points lead all NHL teams but just ONE point behind the Leafs are the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers with 16 points. However, the two East Division rivals have already met three times this season with the Bruins winning all THREE! Philadelphia couldn't hold a two-goal lead and fell 4-3 in overtime to the Bruins on Wednesday and sure should be focused on snapping that current frustrating trend against Boston.

The Flyers committed four penalties, including an interference call on Scott Laughton that allowed Patrice Bergeron to score the game-winning power-play goal in overtime. The Bruins converted those four power plays into THREE goals. David Pastrnak had a hat trick, showing no ill effects of offseason hip surgery (five goals and two assists in three games back). His linemates have been red-hot all season. Bergeron has 15 points (six goals / nine assists) and Marchand has 14 points (six goals / eight assists).

Philly captain Claude Giroux (10 points, including NINE assists) played in his 900th career game Wednesday to become the third Flyer in franchise history to accomplish the feat along with Bill Barber and Bobby Clarke. However, Philly's "Big Three" consists of forwards van Riemsdyk (5 G / 9 A / 14 points), Voracek (3 G / 8 A / 11 points) and Hayes (6 G / 5 A / 11 points). Backup goalie Elliott has started three games and won all three (1.95 GAA & .941 SP) but Hart (3-2-1 / 3.61 GAA / .896 SP) has started all three vs Boston, allowing 14 goals. I'm not running (coaching) the Flyers but doesn't Elliott HAVE to get the start tonight?  I'm "all in" on the Flyers

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month is on the NY Islanders at 7:05 ET.

The Washington Capitals are 4-0-3 and their 11 points are tied with Vegas for the second-most in the league, ONE point behind the 6-2-0 Toronto Maple Leafs (12 points). The Caps beat the NY Islanders 3-2 Tuesday night and will go for a second straight victory when they again host New York on Thursday evening. The Islanders scored twice in a row and held a 2-1 lead in the second period before Washington notched the game's two final goals for a big comeback win. Justin Schultz ripped a shot past Semyon Varlamov with 26.4 seconds left for the game-winner. The Isles opened the season 3-1 but have now lost two straight of what will be a five-game road trip (New York plays at Philly on Saturday and Sunday).

Center Mathew Barzal led the team in scoring last season (60 points in 68 games) and has three goals and three assists after six games to lead the team once again. Schultz's game-winner handed Semyon Varlamov his first loss this season. He entered the game with a 3-0 record and an 0.33 GAA. Now, he's 3-1 with a 1.00 GAA and .966 SP.

Speaking of goaltenders, Washington's lya Samsonov remains on the COVID-19 protocol list. Rookie Vitek Vanecek continues to play well in place of Samsonov (3-0-2  with a 2.70 GAA and a .918 SP. Washington forward Nicklas Backstrom (four goals / four assists) left Tuesday's game late in the third period and did not return. Backstrom is not expected to play tonight plus Washington played Tuesday's game without Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and goalie Ilya Samsonov, all of whom remain on the COVID-19 protocol list.

Washington has now recorded a point in its first seven games and that's just the second time Washington has done that. The 2011-12 season was the other, when the Caps opened that campaign with a 7-0-0 start. I see this a great spot for the Islanders, on the strength of Varlamov's OUTSTANDING play, to hand he Caps their first loss of the season!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Pit Penguins at 7:05 ET.

The Philadelphia Flyers opened their season with a 6-3 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, led by a four-point performance from Joel Farabee (one goal and three assists). It was their first season-opening win at home since 2003. The Penguins and Flyers took Thursday off but return to the ice tonight, again in Philadelphia. The Flyers lost to the Islanders in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, while Penguins lost early in the playoffs' qualifying round 3-1 to the Canadians.

The Penguins played well for stretches on Wednesday but after they tied the game at 3-3, the Flyers finished strong with THREE unanswered goals for the win. The Flyers scored twice on the power play, which was "good news" for head coach Alain Vigneault. Philadelphia was just 4 for 52 on the power play in last year's postseason, including 0 for 13 against the Islanders. While the scoreboard showed a three-goal loss, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said, "I thought there was a lot to like about our game. "I don't think the score of the game was an indication of how it was played." Sidney Crosby scored once (he has scored 44 career goals against the Flyers, more than any other team). Free agent addition Mark Jankowski had a goal and an assist, contributing the entire game on both ends of the ice!

Teams playing two games in one city in back-to-back nights, or two games in three nights like this, will be common in this shortened 56-game season. EVERY game will be vital with the divisions realigned and I'm "all over" the Penguins to come back with a winning performance on Friday!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Year is on the TB Lightning at 7:35 ET.

The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning meet in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, with Game 1 set for Saturday night in Edmonton. Dallas is in its first Finals since 2000, the year after the Stars won the franchise's lone Stanley Cup (1998-99 season). Tampa Bay returns to the Finals for the first time since 2015 and like Dallas, the Lightning own just one title in franchise history (2003-04 season). Tampa Bay being here is hardly a surprise, as the Lightning went 62-16-4 (128 points) in the 2018-19 season, tying the record for most wins in a single season in NHL history. However, the Lightning then got swept in four games by Columbus in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tampa Bay had a very good regular season and this year's playoff run has been billed as the team's "Redemption Tour."

The 'story' behind the Stars' run to the Stanley Cup Final is more of a 'Cinderella' one. Dallas had lost SIX straight prior to the March shutdown and then went 1-2 in the round robin seeding round, losing 5-3 to Vegas and 4-0 to Colorado, before winning a 2-1 shootout against St Louis. The Stars were then seconds away from falling behind 3-1 lead in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series with the Flames. However, the Stars scored at 19:48 of the third period and then won 5-4 in OT. Dallas won Games 5 and 6 to take the series. However, the Star then found themselves up 3-1 vs Colorado in the next round but got extended to a Game 7. Dallas trailed 4-3 in Game 7 but tied it with 3 1/2 minutes left, then won in OT. Then came the Western Conference finals against favored Vegas, where despite being outshot and outplayed by wide margins throughout the series, the Stars won it in just FIVE games (4-1).

No. 1 goaltender Ben Bishop was injured early in the postseason and has started just three games (1-2, 5.43 GAA and .844 SP). To the rescue has been Anton Khudobin. He's played in 19 games (18 starts) this postseason, going 12-6 with a 2.62 GAA and .920 SP. Against Vegas, he 'carried' the team on his back. He stopped 153 of 161 shots for a .950 save percentage in the five games, including stopping 104 of 109 shots (.954 SP) as the Stars closed out the Golden Knights by winning THREE in a row after a 3-0 Game 2 loss.

Speaking of goalies, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy has started all 19 games for the Lightning since the Aug 1 restart, going 14-5 with a 1.82 GAA and .931 SP. His GAA in the regular season (that's an improvement of 0.74!) and his SP was .917, After the Islanders won Game 3 by the score of 5-3 (when they down 0-2 in the series), Vasilevskiy stopped 74 of 78 shots (.949 SP!) as the Lightning won game 4 (4-1), lost Game 5 (2-1 in 2OTs) and then closed out New York with a 2-1 OT win in Game 6.

Tampa Bay defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets (revenge for that 4-0 sweep last postseason) and Boston Bruins in five games (Boston's 100 points were an NHL-best this season, before beating the New York Islanders in six games in the Eastern Conference final. Tampa's high-octane attack was too much for the defense-first Islanders. Clearly, Dallas' play in the postseason has Tampa Bay's full attention but if that was not enough, the Lightning can't possibly forget Dallas won both regular-season meetings against Tampa Bay (each one went into OT!). NO overtime needed here, as the Lightning take a 1-0 lead with a comfortable win. It's my GAME of the YEAR!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Vegas Golden Knights at 8:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 9:00 ET Monday morning.

My 10* Game of the Week is on Vegas Golden Knights at 8:10 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 9:00 ET Tuesday morning.

My 10* LEGEND Play is on the NY Islanders at 7:30 ET.

There is something special about a Game 7, a winner-take-all situation that players in all sports have been dreaming about since they were kids! The New York Islanders took a 3-1 lead in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers when Jean-Gabriel Pageau (a trade deadline addition) scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period of a 3-2 win on Sunday night. The Islanders entered the NHL's 24-team expanded playoff as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed and advanced past the 10th-seeded Florida Panthers 3-1 in the qualifying round. They then KO'D the Metropolitan Division champion Capitals 4-1. When the Isles took the ice on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, they were ONE win away from reaching the conference finals for the first time since 1993!

However, the Flyers have extended this series in a Game 7 with a 4-3 OT win on Tuesday and then a 5-4 2-OT win on Thursday. The Flyers went with Brian Elliott in goal last Sunday when they fell behind 3-1 in the series but head coach Alain Vigneault put the second-year pro Carter Hart back in goal for Game 5. Hart stopped 29 of 32 shots in that 4-3 OT win, making some spectacular saves in overtime. He then made a career-high 49 saves (on 53 shots) in Thursday's double-OT win. That's 78 saves on 85 shots these last two games, as Hart is now 9-4 with a 2.17 GAA and a .929 SP in 13 games since the restart (Aug 1).

New York head coach Barry Trotz used both Varlamov and Greiss during the regular season but it's been almost ALL Varlamov in Toronto. He's been excellent (2.00 GAA and .921 SP) but the last two games, he's HARDLY been at his best. He had  a SP of just .875 (28 of 32) in Game 5 and only .839 (26 of 31) in Game 5. Could Trotz turn to Greiss, who in two games since the restart, owns a .1.68 GAA and .949 (?).

Trotz said after Game 6, "This is a very good hockey team that we're playing. We're pretty evenly matched. It's probably fitting that it is a Game 7." Hard to argue with that . Philly head coach Alain Vigneault has directed comebacks from down 3-1, before. He guided the New York Rangers back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Penguins in the 2014 second round and his Rangers did it again in 2015, when a 3-1 deficit didn't stop New York from beating the Washington Capitals in the second round. Is a THIRD comeback from down 3-1 in the cards?

Here's the rub. Teams don't often come back from 3-1 deficits to win but teams that forced a Game 7 after being down 3-1 were 29-28 in the decisive game entering Friday's two Game 7s. However,  NEITHER Colorado nor Vancouver were able to win their Game 7s last night and my bet says the Flyers will suffer a similar fate tonight The Islanders certainly would have taken a Game 7 opportunity when the regular season ended due to the pandemic on Mar. 12, as they were mired in a seven-game losing streak and one point out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team's STRONG late-summer run has them on the doorstep of the franchise's first trip to the conference finals in 27. Whether it's Varlamov or Greiss in net, the Islanders 'knock that door down' in this Game 7. One last thing. All three of Philly's wins in this series have come in OT and the Isles are 10-5 in the playoffs, with all FIVE losses coming by just ONE goal.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on Phi Flyers at 7:00 ET.

The New York Islanders took a 3-1 lead in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers when Jean-Gabriel Pageau (a trade deadline addition) scored the tie-breaking goal in the third period of a 3-2 win on Sunday night. The Islanders entered the NHL's 24-team expanded playoff as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed and advanced past the 10th-seeded Florida Panthers 3-1 in the qualifying round. They the KO'D the Metropolitan Division champion Capitals 4-1. Now, the Isles are ONE win away from reaching the conference finals for the first time since 1993!

The Flyers had 89 points in the regular season (NYI had 80) but went 3-0 in the seeding round, giving them the East's No. 1 seed. Philly got past Montreal 4-2 but now find themselves in a position in which they must win THREE in a row vs the red-hot Islanders to 'stay alive.' History says three straight wins are unlikely, as teams trailing 3-1 are 29-284 (9.3 percent) in winning a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoff series, including 0-6 in the first round this season!

However, while coming back to win this series is CLEARLY a longshot, winning Game 5 is NOT! The Flyers went with Brian Elliott in goal on Sunday and he allowed three goals on 30 shots (.909). I'd be really surprised if Philadelphia head coach Alain Vigneault didn't turn back to Carter Hart in goal. The second-year pro went 24-13-3 (2.42 GAA & .914) in the regular season and improved on those numbers since the Aug 1 restart, allowing 2.08 GAA with a .931 SP in 11 games (7-4-0). Getting back to Alain Vigneault, he has directed comebacks from down 3-1, before. He guided the New York Rangers back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Penguins in the 2014 second round and his Rangers did it again in 2015, when a 3-1 deficit didn't stop New York from beating the Washington Capitals in the second round. Is a THIRD comeback from down 3-1 in the cards? That may be a 'bridge too far' but a Game 5 win is my bet.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Afternoon Delight is on the Bos Bruins at 12:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 8:00 ET Saturday morning.

My 10* Game of the Month is on the TB Lightning at 7:00 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 9:00 ET Tuesday morning.

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Cal Flames at 10:30 ET.

The Calgary Flames were the West's top team last year, finishing with 107 points. They met the eighth-seeded Avalanche in the first round and after winning Game 1 (4-0), lost FOUR straight. The Flames have been nowhere near as good this season, going 36-34-7 (79 points) before the shutdown. Calgary won its qualifying series 3-1 over Winnipeg, advancing to play the Dallas Stars in the first round (Stars were 37-32-8, 82 points before the shutdown). Calgary took two of the first three games in this best-of-seven series but then...

The Flames were seconds away from taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series in Game 4, before surrendering a late, game-tying goal (Stars scored at 19:48 of the third period) and then falling in overtime. The Stars then edged the Flames 2-1 in Game 5 and now Calgary needs to win Game 6, or its season is over. Dallas head coach Rick Bowness is well aware of his team's challenge. "The toughest game to win is that knockout win, that fourth win," he said after Game 5. "That's the best game they've played against us this series, so give them credit. We're going to see that kind of game for 60 minutes on Thursday."

The Stars' No. 1 goalie (Ben Bishop) remains out and Anton Khudobon (3-3, 2.41 GAA & .917 in six games of the restart) will again be in net. However, I'm backing the Flames behind Cam Talbot (2.19 GAA & .934 SP during the restart) in this "win or go home" game. See you in Game 7.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Tie-Breaker is on the Van Canucks at 10:30 ET.

The Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues play Game 5 on Wednesday night in Edmonton. The Canucks won the first two games of the series 5-2 and 4-3 (OT), then the Blues won the next two, 3-2 (OT) and 3-1 to even it up. The Blues' wins came on back-to-back nights (Sun & Mon) and featured St Louis head coach Craig Berube starting backup goaltender Jake Allen in both games. 2019 postseason hero Jordan Binnington had gone 0-4 in this postseason with a 4.27 GAA & a .862 SP but Allen has stopped 61 of 64 shots (.953 SP) in the Blues' two wins. Could there be ANY reason for Berube to turn back to Binnington? I have to assume it will be Allen in net, again.

Speaking of goaltenders, Vancouver's Jacob Markstrom has been steady, going 5-3 with a 2.42 GAA and a .927 SP. Vancouver winger J.T. Miller said after Monday night's game, "We played a hard back-to-back against the Stanley Cup champs. It's a best-of-seven series for a reason, and we knew it was a tall task. We were one shot away from going up 3-0 (Sunday) and tonight it was 1-1 five-on-five. It's not like we're getting our butts whipped up and down the rink.'

I had a HUGE play on StL in Game 3 on Sunday, as the defending champs had their backs to a wall. It's a little different here and after an "off day," I expect the Canucks to bounce back. Center Bo Horvat has been shut out in the past two games after scoring four goals in Games 1 and 2, so look for him to make an impact in this one. Also, defenseman Quinn Hughes has been an excellent contributor so far, but had his six-game point streak (one goal, eight assists) stopped Monday. I'm "all over" the underdog Canucks here, as they go up 3-2 and place the Blues' backs up against the wall again in Game 6.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Was Capitals at 8:00 ET.

The Washington Capitals were best-known for their postseason failures (collapses) but that all changed in 2018. The Caps lost the first two games of their first round playoff series against Columbus in April of 2018. but then won the next four games. From there, Washington went on to capture the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup. However, in the 2019 postseason, Washington was back to its "old tricks." The Caps won their first two games at home against Carolina but would then lose FOUR of the last five, getting eliminated at home in Game 7 with a 4-3 double-OT loss. Here we are in the 2020 postseason and the Caps are again on the verge of yet another early playoff exit.

The NY Islanders went 35-33-10 (80 points) in the COVID-19 shortened regular season, 10 points less than the Capitals (41-28-8, 90 points). The Islanders beat the Florida Panthers in four games in a qualifying-round series and are now up 3-0 against the Caps (6-1 in the East's Toronto hub). The Islanders took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series Friday night when they scored THREE goals in a span of 3:58 in the second period before adding two goals late in the third in a 5-2 victory. They then won 2-1 on Sunday when Mathew Barzal beat Braden Holtby with a backhand 4:18 into OT. That puts the 2018 Stanley Cup champions on the brink of another early exit. 

Goaltender Holtby has NOT be the problem for Washington (2.64 GAA / .907 SP), rather it's been a non-existent offense. Washington's scored just FIVE goals in this series and netted just FIVE goals in their round round play (1-2). Ovechkin tied Pastrnak with a league-best 48 goals in the regular season but in six games in Toronto, he scored just two goals (both in Friday's 5-2 loss). Oshie leads the team with a modest three goals but TWO came in Game 1 of this series (4-2 loss). Defensenan Carlson (team leading 75 during the regular season) missed the Caps' first three games but has yet to score a goal in this series (does have four assists). New York saw Varlamov play 45 games in the regular season, while Greiss made 31 starts. However, it's been "all Varlamov" here in Toronto and he's been brilliant (6-1, 1.71 GAA and .932 SP). 

The bottom line is, 188 of the 192 NHL teams to take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win those series. Washington has been outshot 75-53 in 5-on-5 play in the series plus the  Islanders have dominated play in the third period (and OT) in all three games. New York has outscored Washington 6-0 after the second period and limited the Capitals to just six shots in the third period and overtime on Sunday. Sweep? 

"There's no tougher game than a game to clinch a series, and it's going to be no different in Game 4 here," said Islanders captain Anders Lee. "It's going to be a tough, tough game. We played a good one tonight, and we were able to come out on top, but we've still got a lot of work to do to make this thing right." Washington's Ovechkin added, It's a hard situation, but it's not over yet. For us right now, it's nothing to lose, right? So we just have to go out there and play. Don't think about the score in the series. We're going to take it game by game. We have experience. A (few) teams did it and we believe in ourselves." As the Monkees once sang, "I'm a Believer" in Washington for at least tonight! 

Good luck...Larry

My 10* LEGEND Play is on the StL Blues at 10:30 ET.

The St Louis Blues were the 'toast' of the NHL in 2019, winning the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup. The emergence of Jordan Binnington led to an amazing in-season turnaround, as the rookie would go 24-5-1 (1.89 GAA & .927 SP) after taking over as the team's No. 1 goaltender. He then helped lead the Blues to the title by playing all 26 games, going 16-10, 2.46 GAA & .914 (note: he and the Blues would go 10-3 on the road!). St Louis had the West's best record (42-29-10, 94 points) when COVID-19 shut things down in mid-March but the Blues lost all three of their round robin games, then opened their first round series with the Canucks by losing 5-2 and 4-3 in OT. Vancouver was just 36-33-6 in the regular season (78 pints were 16 less than that of St Louis) but the Canucks have won FIVE straight games since losing Game 1 to the Minnesota Wild in the best-of-five qualifiers.

Canucks center Bo Horvat has a league-high SIX goals in the postseason, including four goals in the first two games against St. Louis, including the game-winner Friday on a breakaway at 5:55 of overtime. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been in net for all six of Vancouver's games so far and has won FIVE straight after 3-0 in the Canucks first game. He owns a 2.31 GAA and .926 SP. Binnington has allowed nine goals on 47 shots in two games against Vancouver, including four on 25 shots in Game 2. He's 0-4 with a 4.27 goals-against average and .862 save percentage in the playoffs. Blues head coach Craig Berube was noncommittal when asked if he would start Jake Allen in net on Sunday night. Allen has played one game in the postseason, stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to Dallas.

I'm not about to say I know who Berube will start but either way, this game belongs to the defending champs!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Playoff Bounce-Back is on the Was Capitals at 8:08 ET.

The Washington Capitals built a two-goal lead in their Game 1 series with the NY Islanders but the Islanders scored FOUR unanswered goals in a span of just under 13 minutes bridging the second and third periods. The Isles won 4-2 and Game 2 goes Friday night. The Caps' lead was built on a pair of power-play goals in the second  period by T.J. Oshie but Washington was outplayed for most of the game, ending with just 14 even-strength shots on goal against New York, while losing 11 faceoffs following an icing.

The Islanders have been in the playoffs just FOUR times in the previous 12 seasons, while the Caps have been there 11 times in that same span. In NINE of those 11 playoff seasons, the Caps entered after winning their division (that's the case again, this year). However, Washington has been best-known for its playoff failures, before winning the Cup in 2018. Then again, the Caps followed winning the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup, by losing in last year's first round (Washington went up 2-0 on Carolina, only to lose the series in Game 7 at home!).

The Capitals will be without Nicklas Backstrom (54 points, including 42 assists before the stoppage of play), who is in the concussion protocol after a Game 1 hit by Anders Lee; a hit that was called "predatory" by Washington head coach Todd Reirden. The good news is that center Lars Eller is back for Washington, following the birth of his son and having quarantined for four days at the hotel. 

Simply put, the Caps have way more 'firepower' than the Isles, with defensemen Carlson leading the team with 75 points (60 assists) and Ovechkin's 48 goals tops among four Washington players with 20-plus goals. In contrast, the Isles' leading goal scorer is Nelson (26) and New York has only one other player with as many as 20 (Lee, who has exactly 20). To be sure, Backstrom is a big loss but the Capitals did win three of four games they played without their top center en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.

I'm NOT sure I trust the Caps for the entire series but I do see "BOUNCE-BACK written all over this game" for them.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Bos Bruins at 11:00 ET Wednesday morning.

My 9* play is on the Min Wild at 10:45 ET.

Vancouver lost 3-0 in the opener of its best-of-five qualifying series with 10th-seeded Minnesota but the seventh-seeded Canucks have bounced back to win two in a row. Vancouver won Game 2 last Tuesday 4-3 and then grabbed the series lead with a 3-0 victory on Thursday afternoon in Game 3, 'returning the favor' for Minnesota's 3-0 win in Game 1. Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom earned his first career playoff shutout with 27 saves and the Canucks 'killed off' SEVEN power plays! Markstrom has stopped 87 of the 92 shots this series, giving him a .946 save percentage.

Minnesota's Alex Stalock has held his own in goal, owning a 2.36 GAA and .918 SP. The Wild HAVE to be frustrated by the fact than the Canucks were able to block 14 shots, as Markstrom had to face only 27 shots on goal. "Unbelievable," Markstrom said. "You hear it on the bench every time someone blocked a shot. Every time somebody blocked a shot, everyone is pounding their stick, hitting the boards. It gets everybody fired up."

This is a quick turnaround and I'm expecting the Wild to finally break through. The Wild are 0-for-13 on the power play over the last two games (both losses), including 0-for-7 on Thursday. "Desperate hockey," Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said. "I think we're a good team when we play desperate, so we should bring out the best hockey that we've played all year tomorrow. There's not one guy in (the locker room) that is thinking about going home." I'm with Foligno and my bet is that this series goes FIVE!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* play is on the Edm Oilers at 6:45 ET Chicago entered the postseason as the 12th and final Western Conference playoff team after a 32-30-8 regular-season record, finishing NINE points behind fifth-seeded Edmonton. The Blackhawks beat the Oilers 6-4 in Game 1 and the final score was closer than the actual game. Chicago outshot Edmonton 42-29 for the game and outscored the Oilers 3-0 in even-strength play. The Oilers scored twice in the final four minutes to make the score respectable. Edmonton bounced back with a 6-3 Game 2 win, highlighted by Connor McDavid's first-ever playoff hat trick. Chicago then grabbed a 2-1 series lead on Wednesday with a dramatic comeback victory. The Blackhawks trailed by a goal late in the third period, but Matthew Highmore tied the score with 5:47 remaining and Jonathan Toews put Chicago on top with 1:16 to go.

That sets the stage for Chicago to advance to the Western Conference quarterfinals with a win in Game 4 against Edmonton. Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford has started all three games so far, but only owns a 4.33 GAA and an .859 save percentage during the series. Edmonton started Mike Smith in goal for Game 1 but after he allowed five goals on 23 shots, he was pulled from the game. Mikko Koskinen stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief of Smith, allowing only a power-play goal from Kubalik. Game 1 marked the first playoff appearance of Koskinen's NHL career and he's played the bulk of the minutes this series. Koskinen is 1-1-0 with a 3.21 GAA and an .886 save percentage.

The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cup titles since 2010 but this edition in NO WAY resembles those teams (2010, 2013 & 2015). The Oilers have something of a unique home-ice advantage since all Western Conference playoff games (and the Stanley Cup Final) are being played in Edmonton but then again, there are NO fans plus the Oilers are staying within the same "bubble" environment as every other team throughout the postseason. That said, I still believe Edmonton has an edge playing in its home arena. The Oilers "let one slip away" in Game 3 but can force a Game 5 with a win here. That's the bet!

Good luck...Larry

My 8* play is on the Pit Penguins at 4:00 ET.  The Montreal Canadiens took a No. 12 seed (last in the Eastern Conference) into their qualifying round series against the fifth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal won Game 1 in overtime, lost Game 2 (3-1) and then overcame a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals Wednesday to take Game 3 by a 4-3 score. The teams meet Friday in Game 4, as Montreal has a chance to eliminate the Penguins (86 points to Montreal's 71 during the regular season), who won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. 

The Penguins are an experienced group with a core of veterans who have two or more championship rings. The Penguins took a 3-1 lead in Game 3 and seemed headed to taking a 2-1 lead in the series but that didn't turn out to be the case (see above). "We've just done it by working hard," Canadiens head coach Claude Julien said about his team's 2-1 lead. "At the end of the day, we know where the experience is. The only way we can counter that is with our work ethic and our commitment and desire. We lack experience compared to the other team, but we're trying to make it up with our compete level." I will NOT overthink this. The Penguins are the MUCH better team ( review the teams' regular season records above!) and as captain Sidney Crosby (owner of three Cup rings) said, "I think it's pretty clear-cut when you're in that situation -- you've got to go out there and find ways to win a hockey game!" On to Game 5! 

Good luck...Larry

My free play is on the Nas Predators at 2:30 ET.

The Arizona Coyotes own a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five series with the Nashville Predators, after a 4-1 win in Game 3 on Wednesday. Games 2 and 3 were on consecutive days, with the Predators scoring twice in the first 10 1/2 minutes of Game 2, en route to a 4-2 triumph. Arizona jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held on for a 4-3 victory in Game 1. Nashville had a little bit better regular season, earning 78 points to Arizona's 74 (the teams split two games during the regular season).

Nashville has started Juuse Saros in goal in all three games, indicating that he is Nashville's clear choice in net ahead of veteran Pekka Rinne. Though three games in the series, Saros has only a 3.03 GAA and .900 save percentage. Could Nashville turn to Rinne here? Considering Rinne has been shaky over his last 19 postseason games (9-10 record,  3.08 GAA &.904 save percentage), it's unlikely. After all, Saros HAS established himself as the Predators' starter over the regular season.

Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 39 of 40 shots in the Coyotes' 4-1 Game 3 win. His Game 3 heroics were much needed, as No. 1 goalie Antti Raanta is still out of action with an undisclosed injury, leaving third-year goalie Adin Hill as Kuemper's only backup option. Nashville outshot Arizona by a 40-28 margin in Game 3 and  Predators captain Roman Josi said, "If we start like that (in the first period), I like our chances in Game 4."  

I'll take the Predators, who come in "with their backs to the wall." Note that the Coyotes' franchise has only won TWO playoff series since moving to Arizona from Winnipeg for the 1996-97 season (most recent win was in 2012). If necessary, Game 5 will take place on Sunday. Book it!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Dal Stars at 6:30 ET.

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars will both move on in the NHL playoffs but both still have plenty of motivation in tonight's game. Dallas may be a little more desperate, after blowing a two-goal lead against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday in a 5-3 loss in its first game of the format. Now the Stars now face a Colorado team coming off a last-second win over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. 

A loss here by the Stars and they can earn no better than the third seed in the West. The Stars led 3-1 entering the third period vs Vegas but the Golden Knights scored four unanswered goals in the final period. As for the Avs, Nazem Kadri scored a buzzer-beating power-play goal to give Colorado the win over the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. Kadri's shot crossed the goal line with 0.1 seconds on the clock. The NHL reviewed the play for several minutes before calling it a good goal. 

Dallas needs to forget about the loss to Vegas and the fact that the Stars dominated the Avalanche during the regular season, should help. Dallas won all four matchups vs Colorado. Ben Bishop should be in net for Dallas on Wednesday, as he played in three of the four wins against the Avalanche during the regular season, stopping 118 of 123 shots (.959 SP). Philipp Grubauer had 31 saves against the Blues but he might not be in goal against Dallas. Pavel Francouz was playing well after Grubauer was injured during Colorado's outdoor game against the Los Angeles Kings on Feb 15. Head coach Bednar typically waits to announce his starting goaltender but either way, Dallas grabs the much-needed win. 

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Daytime Dominator is on the Fla Panthers at 12:08 ET.

Does this mean the series is over? I'm not ready to concede that it does. The three regular season meetings saw the Islanders win two, one-goal contests (one in a shootout) plus a 3-1 victory with the third goal being an empty netter. Florida goalie Segei Bobrovsky has long been a quality netminder in this league, twice winning the Vezina Trophy. He was a HUGE reason the Blue Jackets upset the Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-game sweep during the 2018-19 postseason. He signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Florida Panthers back in July of 2019. The Panthers haven't defeated the Islanders since a 4-2 win back on Nov 10, 2018 but as Rod Stewart would say, "Tonight's the Night!" In this case, 'Today's the Day," as the game starts around 12 noon ET.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on the NY Rangers at 8:08 ET.

The Carolina Hurricanes have won the first two games of this best-of-five series with the NY Rangers and Tuesday night look to "close it out" at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Andrei Svechnikov's hat trick on Monday in Carolina's 4-1 victory was the first for the franchise in 144 all-time postseason games. "The games come fast and furious, but the guys love to play," said Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour. His counterpart, New York's David Quinn said of Svechnikov, "He's quickly emerging as one of the best players in this league."

There was very little difference between Carolina's play (81 points) and New York's (79 points) in the regular season plus let me remind all right here that the Rangers won all FOUR meetings with Carolina (Rangers outscored the Hurricanes 17-9). The Rangers have a streak of 21 consecutive playoff series with at least one victory and my bet that steak WON'T end here!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Edm Oilers at 10:38 ET.

Chicago entered the postseason as the 12th and final Western Conference playoff team after a 32-30-8 regular-season record, finishing NINE points behind fifth-seeded Edmonton. The Oilers have something of a unique home-ice advantage since all Western Conference playoff games (and the Stanley Cup Final) are being played in Edmonton but then again, there are NO fans plus the Oilers are staying within the same "bubble" environment as every other team throughout the postseason. So much for any home-ice edge in Game 1 of this best-of-five series! 

The Blackhawks routed the Oilers 6-4 and I say routed because the Oilers scored twice in the final four minutes to make the score respectable. In between those last four minutes and Connor McDavid's opening score at 2:34 of the first period, Chicago DOMINATED play. The Blackhawks responded to McDavid's goal by building a 4-1 lead by the end of the opening period and led 6-2 entering the final period. Chicago outshot Edmonton 42-29 for the game and outscored the Oilers 3-0 in even-strength play. 

Dominik Kubalik paced the Chicago offense with two goals and three assists, becoming the first player in NHL history to register five points in his first career postseason game. Corey Crawford saved 25 of 29 shots in Game 1 and is expected to again serve as the Blackhawks' starting goalie on Tuesday. Edmonton started Mike Smith in goal and he allowed five goals on 23 shots before being pulled from the game. Mikko Koskinen stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief of Smith, allowing only a power-play goal from Kubalik.

Game 1 marked the first playoff appearance of Koskinen's NHL career and while Edmonton's defensive breakdowns put Smith in some tough spots, it seems probable that the Oilers will go with Mikko Koskinen in net for Game 2. It's a "MUST-WIN" for Edmonton and while we all know must-win doesn't guarantee "will win," the Oilers ARE the better team, plus playing on home-ice CAN'T hurt. Bounce-back time here for Edmonton!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Bos Bruins at 7:08 ET.

The 43-14-12 (98 points) Boston Bruins have enjoyed season-long dominance and can become the first NHL team to reach triple digits in points with a victory tonight at red-hot Philadelphia. The Bruins are 0-2 vs the Flyers this season, including a 6-5 shootout loss at Philadelphia back on Jan 13. That contest is best remembered for Brad Marchand overskating the puck in what proved to be the final round to end the game. That victory sparked an 18-4-3 run for the Flyers, who are now 41-20-7 (89) and have closed within ONE point of the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division. 

The Bruins are coming off a rare loss, a 5-3 home setback against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. David Pastrnak did manage to score his league-high 48th goal of the season (his 94 points lead the team and rank 3rd-best in the NHL) while defenseman Charlie McAvoy added one goal and one assist. However, Boston gave up two short-handed goals in a game filled by numerous penalties (26 in all) and skirmishes. Boston's No. 1 line is once-again a dominant force, as Marchand (86 points) and Bergeron  (59 points / he's missed nine games) team with Pastrnak. Marchand has collected five goals and 12 assists during a 12-game point streak. Troubling for Boston is that the Bruins are beat up on the blue-line, so much so that coach Bruce Cassidy wasted little time in ruling out defensemen Torey Krug (49 points) and Brandon Carlo with upper-body injuries for Tuesday's contest, while naming Connor Clifton as a replacement.

The Flyers welcome the Bruins to Philadelphia having won a season-best NINE in a row overall and SEVEN straight at home, following Saturday's 3-1 win over Buffalo. Goalie Carter Hart has played a starring role in Philadelphia's ascent in the Metropolitan Division, posting a 9-1-0 record in 10 starts since returning from injury and a 20-2-2 mark at home this season. The Flyers can't match Boston's scoring 'punch,' as center Travis Konecny leads the team in goals (24) and points (61), well short the numbers of Pastrnak. RW Jakub Voracek set up a pair of goals against Buffalo to give him 10 of his club-best 44 assists during his last five games. He has 56 points, just behind center Sean Couturier, who has 22 goals and 59 points.

The Bruins had won four in a row before their Saturday loss to the Lightning but it's noteworthy that yet showed their mettle by coming back from an early three-goal deficit, before falling short. Nott sure if it will be Raask (25-8-6, 2.18 GAA / .926 SP) or Halak (18-6-6, 2.39 GAA / .919) in goal but either one would be fine. After two shootout losses to the Flyers this season, the THIRD time will be the CHARM for the NHL's best team!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NHL Game of the Week is on the Min Wild at 8:08 ET.

The Nashville Predators were tied with Edmonton entering the third period on Monday, before the Oilers exploded for five goals in a 5:13 span to prevail 8-3, leaving the  32-25-8 Predators in a three-way tie for the final wild-card spot (72 points) and just ONE point ahead of the 32-26-7 Minnesota Wild. The Wild had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 loss to Washington on Sunday and now will try to halt a SEVEN-game slide against Nashville.

Nick Bonino scored his 18th goal of the season, matching Filip Forsberg for the club lead, to tie Monday's game 3-3 before the wheels came off. However, defenseman Roman Josi leads the team in points with 61 (16 G / 45 assists). Note his point total is 18 more than any other Nashville play. Goalie Juuse Saros, who is 3-1-0 with a .932 save percentage in his last four games, will likely be in goal Tuesday after relieving Pekka Rinne, who allowed EIGHT goals versus Edmonton.

The Wild's Kevin Fiala was named the NHL's First Star of the Week after becoming the third player in franchise history to record four consecutive multi-point games, scoring in each of those contests to raise his team-leading and career-high point total to 49. Zach Parise (42 points) scored his team-leading 23rd goal Sunday and has two goals and three assists in his last three games. Alex Stalock (18-10-4, 2.64 FGAA / .909 SP) saw his four-game winning streak end Sunday but has a 2.27 goals-against average while starting the last four for Minnesota. However, he's 0-5-1 with a 3.00 GAA in his career vs. Nashville. Devan Dubnyk (11-15-2, 3.34 GAA / .892 SP), who last started on Feb 23, has lost four in a row vs Nashville, but owns a lifetime 2.24 GAA over 26 career games against the Predators.

Not sure who be in goal tonight but I like Minnesota here. The Wild haven't been in postseason position since early December but are 12-6-1 over their past 19 games and had won three in a row before Sunday's 4-3 home loss to Washington. Remember the TV show, Eight is Enough? Well, after SEVEN straight losses to Nashville, Minnesota breaks through.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the NY Islanders at 7:05 ET.

The NY Rangers and NY Islanders developed an "instant rivalry" when the Islanders joined the NHL for the 1972-73 season. The Rangers are one of the NHL's "Original Six," beginning in the 1926-27 season but when the Islanders joined the NHL, the Rangers had won just two Stanley Cups, the most recent being in 1940. It wasn't long before the Islander rose to the top of the NHL with FOUR consecutive Cup titles from 1980-83. The Rangers finally earned the franchise's third-ever Cup in 1994 but neither franchise has added to their respective 'trophy cases.' The Islanders haven't won a Cup since that 1983 season, while the Rangers are 'cup-less' since 1994. However, games between the Rangers and Islanders at the Islanders' longtime on-and-off-again home, the Nassau Coliseum, are never ordinary affairs. That won't change tonight, when the Metropolitan Division rivals meet at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A significant trade, a pair of big-money contracts and a car accident highlighted the two teams' recent off-days, have added to some extra 'juice' to tonight's contest.

Artemi Panarin leads the Rangers in goals (31), assists (52) and points (83) but the big news was the Rangers agreeing to terms with Chris Kreider (24 goals / 45 points) on a seven-year contract to keep the former first-round forward with them for the foreseeable future. Team president John Davidson said of the contract for the 28-year-old Kreider, "Both sides worked hard on this. Both sides are very happy with the deal we've been able to put together." However, his Monday news conference took a different tone after he announced that rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin and forward Pavel Buchnevich were involved in a car accident in Brooklyn on Sunday night. Shesterkin, who has posted a 9-1-0 record with a 2.23 GAA and .940 save percentage with the Rangers, sustained a rib fracture that is non-displaced and will be reassessed in a couple of weeks. The Rangers have won SEVEN of their last eight to claw their way back into the postseason discussion but with 70 points, remain SIX points out of the last wild card spot.

The Islanders and Blue Jackets hold down the two wild card spots with 76 points, although the Rangers have "three games "in hand" (note: both New York teams have played 61 games). The Islanders showed they are serious in their bid for the playoffs by acquiring Jean-Gabriel Pageau from Ottawa for three draft picks and he promptly signed a six-year contract with his new team. Pageau's 24 goals are two more than the Islanders' leading goal-scorer, Brock Nelson. Mat Barzal leads the Islanders in assists (34) and points (52), after setting up a pair of goals in Sunday's 4-1 victory over San Jose.

The Rangers come in a roll but the goaltender situation is now "in flux." Rookie sensation Shesterkin had become the Rangers' No. 1 goalie by winning NINE of his first 10 NHL starts and his emergence has relegated future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist to third-stringer duties. Lundqvist (10-11-3, 3.12 GAA & .907 SP) will sit in favor of Alexandar Georgiev (14-12-1, 2.98 GAA  & .912 SP) on Tuesday night. The Islanders have used both Greiss (16-18-2, 2.65 GAA & .916 SP) and Varlamov (19-12-4, 2.47 GAA & .920 SP) in goal, although Varlamov  has started the last FIVE. He ended a three-game losing streak with back-to-back 4-1 wins, stopping 50 of 52 shots (.962). However, it should be noted that during his (the team's) three-game slide, he had stopped 98 of 104 (.942) shots on goal. The Islanders have split their home schedule between the Coliseum and Barclays Center in Brooklyn the last two seasons, while their new arena is built at Belmont Park along the Nassau/Queens border. That arena is expected to be concluded in time for the 2021-22 season, but no announcement has been made yet regarding where the Islanders will play next season. For tonight, I'll back the Islanders in the boisterous arena known as "The Barn!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Win Jets at 8:08 ET.

The 21-33-5 Los Angeles Kings have just 47 points, leaving them 8th in the Pacific Division and 'light years away' (21 points to be exact) from the final wild card berth in the West. The Kings have won just FOUR times in 17 games since Jan 1 and visit the 30-25-5 Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. The Jets have 65 points (4th in the Central Division), which has them within striking s]distance (three points) of the final wild card berth in the West.

It's been a L-O-N-G season for the Kings but Los Angeles beat Colorado 3-1 at the Air Force Academy, giving the last-place team in the Western Conference its second consecutive victory after a five-game losing streak. Tyler Toffoli recorded the first hat trick in an outdoor game in NHL history, scoring twice in the final minute. Toffoli (team leader with 18 goals) was named the NHL's third star of the week on Monday, after scoring four goals in two games last week. He is two shy of reaching 20 for the fourth time in his career but the Kings struggle offensively, as Anze Kopitar leads the team in assists (34) and with a modest 51 points. That total is 16 more than Iafallo's 35 points. Goaltender Jonathan Quick made 15 saves in the first period Saturday and turned away 32-of-33 shots overall to snap an eight-game winless streak and earn his first win since Dec 31. However, Quick is FAR from the goalie he was in leading the Kings to Stanley Cup win sin 2012 and 2014, as he's 12-22-3 with a 2.99 GAA and .897 SP on the season.

The Jets are 5-2-1 over their last eight games, after Sunday’s 3-2 home victory over Chicago. While the Kings have just ONE player with more than 50 points (see above), the Jets have FOUR. Connor leads with 29 goals and 60 points, while Scheifele has a team-high 36 assists and 59 points. Laine (54) and Wheelers (51) are the team's other 50-point players. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had surrendered seven goals in losing his previous two outings but made 31 saves in Sunday's win. He's 25-18-5 with a 2.70 GAA and .919 SP on the season.

The Kings play 14 of their next 16 games at home but first travel to Winnipeg to face a Jets. The Jets are 9-21-4 on the road, one of just FOUR teams with less than 10 road wins. The Jets are "right in" the hunt for a wild card berth and after losing BOTH previous games to the Kings this season (3-2 and 2-1), should have NO trouble winning here. That's the bet!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* LEGEND Play is on the StL Blues at 3:00 ET.

The St. Louis Blues are the defending Stanley Cup champs and 32-15-10 (74 points), sit atop the Central Division plus own the West's top record. However, as the Blues get set to welcome the 27-22-7 (61 points) Nashville Predators to Enterprise Center on Saturday afternoon, they are looking to avert matching their longest winless skid of the season (St Louis has dropped three in a row, going 0-1-2).Nashville comes in having won FIVE of its last eight contests. moving the Predators to move within three points of Arizona for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

The Predators are coming off a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday, as Juuse Saros (10-9-4, 2.92 GAA / .905 SP) made 31 saves to earn the shutout. Craig Smith has scored five times during his three-game goal streak, highlighted by his first career hat trick on Thursday. That said, he has just a modest 27 points on the season. Nashville captain Roman Josi (defenseman) has set up five goals in his last four games to boost his team-leading totals in assists (42) and points (56). However, center Filip Forsberg (team-leading 18 goals) has recorded just one point and a minus-5 rating in his last six games.

St Louis returns home for this contest after squandering a two-goal lead in a 6-5 setback at Vegas on Thursday. St Louis has lost EIGHT of its last 10 (2-5-3). David Perron leads the team in goals (23) and assists (32) but Jaden Schwartz (44 points) has just one goal in his last 10 games. Jordan Binnington is 24-10-7 (2.74 GAA / .902 SP) but has been struggling since December. He followed up a 3.61 goals-against average in January with a 1-2-2 record and 3.57 GAA this month. Backup Jake Allen is 8-5-3, with a 2.26 GAA and a .925 SP.

Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen split the starts against Nashville in November (Blues lost BOTH) and are likely to do so again. Not sure which one will get the call here but note that Allen is 8-6-1 with a 2.72 GAA in 16 career appearances against Nashville. As for the Predators, Rinne is 17-13-3 (3.11 GAA / .895 SP) but Saros, who has started FOUR of the last five, also turned aside 47 of 51 shots as Nashville posted a 4-2 win in St. Louis on Nov 23 and a 3-2 victory over the Blues two nights later. My guess would be Saros. All that said, emotions should be high for St Louis. Thursday's loss at Vegas was the first game since defenseman Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench in Anaheim. "Obviously, it's tough. We all went through a lot," Blues forward Ryan O'Reilly said. "You could tell we missed him. For myself, every game I've played here in the last year he's been here. It's weird not having him in the room." A return home to face an inferior team (74 points to just 61) that has already beaten them TWICE this season, should be "just what the doctor ordered" for St Louis. No 'blues' in St Louis, tonight!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the TB Lightning at 7:35 ET.

The Tampa Bay Lightning matched the NHL record with 62 wins during the regular season in 2018-19, but injuries and sloppy play led to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tampa Bay has worked on adjusting its free-wheeling style of play this season. Early on, the Lightning struggled but those 'hard times" are now in the rear-view mirror, as the Lightning own an 18-2-1 record over their last 21 games. The Lightning "return to the scene of the crime" (Columbus) tonight, on a (7-0-1)  run after a 3-1 win over the NY Islanders on Saturday.

The 35-15-5 Lightning have points 75 points, third-most in the NHL behind Washington (770 and Boston (80). Meanwhile, Columbus has leaned on its defense (2.42 GAA ranks 2nd-best in the NHL to Boston's 2.38 per) to earn points in 24 out of its last 27 games (19-3-5). The Blue Jackets are now 30-17-9 on the season and their 69 points have them in 3rd-place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets welcome the Lightning to Columbus off their first regulation loss in 11 contests Saturday, as Colorado rallied for a 2-1 victory with two goals in the final 8:15.

Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov had a pair of assists Saturday to push his team-leading total to 67 points (team-high 42 assists) and extend his point streak to 10 games. That matches the same run by captain Steven Stamkos, who has 59 points, including a team-high 26 goals. Center Point (51), defenseman Hedman (45)  and center Killorn (41) also top 40 points on the season. Then there is goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.48 GAA / .918 SP), who has taken over the lead in the league with 29 victories and is 16-0-2 in his last 18 starts while posting a remarkable .945 save percentage since Jan 1.

While Tampa Bay has FIVE players with 40-plus points, Columbus center Luc-Dubois (42) is the LONE Blue Jacket with 40-plus points. However, he has been kept off the scoresheet in each of the last three contests  Defenseman Seth Jones scored his sixth goal Saturday to reach 30 points for the fourth straight season (6 G / 24 A). Fellow blue-liner  Zach Werenski leads all defensemen in the NHL with 17 goals, which ties him for the team lead with Luc-Dubois and RW Oliver Bjorkstrom. In goal, Elvis Merzlikins (12-7-4, 2.19 GAA & .930 SP) has been spectacular since Joonas Korpisalo (17-10-4, 2.49 GAA & .913 SP) went down with an injury in late in December, registering a .951 save percentage in 15 games (12-3-0).

BOTH teams are playing outstanding hockey but I won't miss the chance to play Tampa Bay in this one, as the Lightning return to the arena where their record-setting season ended so abruptly last April. The eighth-seeded Blue Jackets had never won a playoff series in the history of their franchise, yet stunned the hockey world with a four-game sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Lightning. They were anchored by standout performances from forward Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. However, Panarin, Bobrovsky and trade deadline acquisition Matt Duchene, all left in free agency last July,. Yes, Columbus has regrouped to play well lately but let's NOT forget that the Lightning enter this contest with an 18-2-1 record over their last 21 games and own "all the motivation in world," after last April's sweep, to win as the team's meet for the  FIRST time since that sweep.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month (Super Bowl LIV) is on the KC Chiefs at 6:30 ET.

The Baltimore Ravens ended the regular season on a 12-game winning streak to enter as the AFC's No. 1 seed at 14-2. San Francisco survived in Week 17 at Seattle, holding on (by inches) for a 26-21 win at Seattle to finish 13-3 and earn the NFC's No. 1 seed. If the two No. 1 seeds had advanced to the Super Bowl, we were looking at a replay of Super XLVII (nicknamed the Harbaugh Bowl), when Baltimore beat San Francisco 34-31 to win the 2012 title. However, the Ravens were upset by the Titans, so on Championship Sunday, a rematch of Super Bowl I loomed, if KC could win (as expected) over Tennessee and the Packers could upset the 49ers. KC held up its end but Green Bay (much to my chagrin) were NO match for San Francisco. The leaves us with the 49ers looking to match the Pats and Steelers with the franchise's SIXTH Super Bowl title, after becoming only the SECOND team in NFL history to make the Super Bowl a year after losing at least 12 games. The 1999 St Louis Rams also went 4-12 the season before reaching AND winning Super Bowl XXXIV. Not to be outdone in "the history" department, the Chiefs return to the Super Bowl 50 years after last appearing in one. The Chiefs played in and won Super Bowl IV 16-7 over the Vikings, the final Super Bowl prior to the AFL-NFL merger. That 50-year span sets a record for longest stretch between Super Bowl appearances for any club (note: As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs also played in Super I, losing to Lombardi's Packers, 35-10).

San Francisco's defense was dominant during the team's 7-0 start (11.0 PPG) but "worse than average" during team's last nine games, allowing 25.9 PPG. However, the Niners D has been "back in form" in the postseason, holding the Vikings to 147 yards and just seven FDs (Minnesota was 2 of 12 on 3rd downs and 0 of 2 on 4th downs). The Packesr did gain 358 yards in teh NFC championship game but trailed 27-0 at the half and two 4th-quarter TD drives accounted for 167 of the team's total of 358 yards. San Francisco averaged 29.2 PPG on the season (2nd) and its running game, second-best to only Baltimore's in the regular season at 144.1 YPG, has led the way in the playoffs.The 49ers controlled the game vs the Vikings with 186 yards on the ground (just 4.0 YPA, with its longest run being 11 yards) and then 'exploded' vs the Packers by rushing for 285 yards (6.8 YPA). Mostert set a team playoff record with 220 yards and four TDs. Jimmy G directed a scoring drive on his first playoff possession but finished just 11 of 19 for 131 yards with one TD and one INT vs Minnesota. He was no more than a 'spectator' in the win over Green Bay, going 6 of eight for 77 yards (no TDs or INTs).

KC has thrilled its fans in reaching this season's "ultimate" game. The Chiefs fell behind Houston 24-0 but then scored a TD on SEVEN consecutive possessions in a 51-31 win. They then fell behind Tennessee 10-0 and 17-7, before again taking control. KC scored 28 straight points to open a 35-17 lead and win, 35-24. Leading the way is the NFL's most exciting (best?) QB, Patrick Mahomes. His performances have been dazzling, as he's completed EXACTLY 23 of 35 passes in both wins, throwing for 615 yards with eight TDs and not a single INT. He's also been KC's leading rusher (106 yards / 7.1 YPA), including a SPECTACULAR 27-yeard TD scamper right before the half vs the Titans. RB Damien Williams has been acquitted himself quite well, rushing for 92 yards (three TDs) while adding seven catches and one TD. TE Kelce was a 'beast' vs Houston (10 catches for 134 yards and three TDs) but then took a 'backseat' to WRs Watkins and Hill vs Tennessee. Watkins caught seven passes for 114 yards and one TD, with Hill adding five catches and two TDs. KC's D struggled during the first part of the season but held opponents to just 11.5 PPG during the team's six-game winning streak to end the regular season. KC's defense was hit hard by Houston early but shut down the Texans in the second half, allowing just SEVEN points. It was deja vu all over again against Tennessee, as the Titans were also held to just seven second-half points. More notable, Titans RB Henry came into the AFC championship game averaging 196.0 YPG rushing (7.1 YPA) in his previous three games but KC completely shut him down, holding him to 69 yards on 19 carries (3.6 YPA).

Kansas City has won EIGHT straight games, all by SEVEN points or more, with its average winning margin being 16.1 PPG. Mahomes over Jimmy Garoppolo (a glorified game-manager) is a "no-brainer." Yes, San Francisco's running game is superb but the Chiefs are allowing just 3.8 yards per carry during their last six games plus Kansas City has limited long completions and the Niners' WRs leave a  lot to be desired (TE Kittle is the biggest threat). What's more, KC's pass rush has been greatly upgraded with the return from injury of premier DT Chris Jones and the late-season signing of veteran DE Terrell Suggs.

Mostert had a game for the ages against the Packers in the NFC championship game and NO WAY he comes ANYWHERE close to that kind of performance, here. I'm not going to 'beat up' on Jimmy G but c'mon, him vs Mahomes? The only QBs the 49ers faced who can be compared to Mahomes this season were Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson. The Saints scored 46 points against the 49ers, the Falcons scored 29 points at San Francisco and won, while the Seahawks averaged 24 points and were inches away from a TD that would have given them a season sweep. Garoppolo doesn’t have the arm, touch, mobility and craftiness Mahomes possesses. Garoppolo also doesn’t have the speed and depth the Chiefs have at the WR position. This could get 'ugly' for San Francisco.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Car Hurricanes at 7:35 ET.

Full, detailed analysis by 9:00 ET Friday morning.

My NHL 10* Game of the Day at 7:05 ET.

The Boston Bruins are 27-8-12 and their 66 points are enough to lead the Atlantic Division by EIGHT points (only the Caps and Blues, who both have 67 points, have more than Boston). However, Boston leads the league in overtime and shootout losses (12) and last night was a perfect, if not somewhat bizarre example. Brad Marchand was trying to extend Boston's shootout at Philly to a sixth round but overskated the puck at the center red dot and when he barely made contact to move it about one inch, the game was over. The Bruins are back on the ice tonight (I believe that's a good thing) when they visit Columbus to take on the 22-16-8 Blue Jackets. Columbus has a more modest 52 points, leaving them 6th in the eight-team Metropolitan Division. The good news is, the Blue Jackets are just TWO points behind the East's second wild card team.

David Pastrnak scored his NHL-leading 36th goal Monday (he has SEVEN in six January games) and leads the team with 66 points. Linemate Marchand, who had last night's shootout flub, has 63 points (20 G / 43 A), while the third third member of Boston's No. 1 line, Patrice Bergeron, has 39 points (19 G / 20 A). Boston has two quality defenseman in Krejci (32 points, including 21 assists) and Krug (31 points, including 26 assists). Jaroslav Halak (10-4-6 (2.46 GAA / .920) made 34 saves Monday, so expect No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask to be in net, tonight (more in a bit).

Speaking of goaltenders, the Blue Jackets'  No. 1, Joonas Korpisalo (17-10-4, 2.49 GAA / .913 SP), sustained a torn meniscus Dec 29. However, rookie goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is doing his best to keep Columbus playoff-relevant as he recorded his first career shutout in Saturday's 3-0 victory at Vegas. Merzlikins is 5-2-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .943 SP in seven starts. The team has also successfully navigated its time without Cam Atkinson (he is on the verge of returning from an ankle injury he sustained Dec 19), going 7-2-2 without him. Center Dubois scored in Saturday's 3-0 win at Vegas and shares the team lead in goals with defenseman Werenski (15). Dubois leads Columbus with a modest 34 points, while Werenski checks in with just 28.

As noted above, I believe it's a good thing for Boston to get right back on the ice, after its demoralizing, 6-5 shootout loss to the Flyers. Boston has dropped FOUR of its past seven outings (3-1-3), with a 2-1 overtime setback at home  to Columbus on Jan 2 included in the mix. Tuukka Rask started that Jan 2 loss and turned aside 31 of 33 shots. He's 17-4-6 (2.27 GAA / .925 SP) on the season and posted a .948 save percentage in the 2019 conference semifinals against Columbus (Boston won 4-2, taking the final three games of the series). Columbus' top-two goal scorers (Dubois and Werenski) each have 15 goals and have combined for a modest 62 points. That's ONE point less that Boston's one-two punch of blue-liners have produced. Then there is Boston's No. 1 line (see above for a reminder of both). Bruins bounce-back and earn the "W."

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Jan Game of the Month is on the Was Caps at 7:05 ET.

The Carolina Hurricanes blanked Arizona 3-0 on Friday and Los Angeles 2-0 just 24 hours later to finish their homestand 5-2-0.  The Hurricanes are 27-16-2 on the season and the team's 56 points leaves them in fourth-place on the Metropolitan Division, although Carolina currently owns the top wild card spot. The Hurricanes seek their THIRD straight shutout when they visit the nation's capital to take on The Washing Caps. The 30-11-5 Caps lead the Metropolitan Division and the team's 65 points is tied with the Bruins and Blues for the most in the NHL. The Capitals are looking to bounce back from a poor effort this past Saturday, when they gave up two goals in the first 6:48 of the second period, including a short-handed tally, to fall behind by three. Washington would NOT recover in a 5-1 loss to New Jersey at home Saturday (note: New Jersey is just 17-21-7 and its 41 points leaves them in 8th-place in the Metropolitan Division).

Mrazek (17-10-2, 2.64 GAA / .905 SP) made 32 saves to defeat Arizona and James Reimer (10-6-0, 2.60 GAA / .917 SP) turned aside 41 shots in Saturday’s victory. Mrazek and Reimer are the first pair of goalies with at least three shutouts in the same season in franchise history. Left wing Teuvo Teravainen had a goal and an assist Saturday to snap a three-game point drought and leads the balanced offense with 43 points (34 assists). Right wing Andrei Svechnikov is next with 42 points (18 G / 24 A) and left wing Sebstian Aho leads the team with 23 goals (40 points).

John Carlson leads the team along with all defensemen in the league with 55 points (42 assists) and captain Alex Ovechkin owns a club-best 26 goals (42 points). Kutznetsov also has 42 points (26 assists). Veteran center Nicklas Backstrom (35 points) had an assist Saturday to extend his point streak to eight games (one goal, seven assists). Jakub Vrana scored for the fifth time in five games this month to reach 20 on the season (37 points). No. 1 goalie Braden Holtby (18-9-4, 3.02 GAA / .899 SP) is not having a strong season, with an .832 SP in his last six appearances. Expected to get the start is rookie Ilya Samonsov , who is 12-2-1 with a 2.24 GAA and .921 SP.

Not sure which goaltender starts for Carolina. Mrazek was in goal for all SEVEN games in last year's first round, when Carolina rebounded after falling behind the Caps 0-2 in that series (Hurricanes won Game 6 at home and Game 7 at Washington in double-overtime). Carolina has also taken TWO of three from Washington this season, with Mrazek playing in two of them (1-1) but with just an .863 SP. My guess is Reimar starts. However, my play is Washington regardless. The Caps are coming off an embarrassing HOME loss to the lowly-Devils and SURELY don't want to lose the season season series to Carolina, which upset them in last year's postseason. Caps win impressively here.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Fla Panthers at 7;05 ET.

The 24-16-4 Arizona Coyotes take a three-game winning streak with them as they begin a three-game southeast road  trip against the 22-15-5 Florida Panthers on Tuesday. However, all is not right for Arizona. No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper (lower body) hasn't played since Dec.19 and Antti Raanta pulled himself from Saturday's 6-2 victory over Philadelphia after two periods with a 4-0 lead because "he felt something. Arizona is just TWO points behind first-place Vegas in the crowded Pacific Division, as the top-five teams are separated by only FIVE points. Florida welcome the Coyotes to BB&T Center (Sunrise, Fl) having has won SEVEN of its last 10 games and with 49 points, currently owns a wild-card playoff position in the Eastern Conference (note: it's a VERY crowded field!).

Nick Schmaltz leads the team with 35 points (28 assists) and a plus-9 rating after recording five points with a plus-3 in his last four games. Five player have 10-plus goals on the seaosn, with Garland's 14 leading the team. However, the goaltending situation is an issue. Kuemper (15-8-2, 2.17 GAA & .929 SP) was having an excellent season and Raanta (9-8-2, 2.66 GAA & .921 SP) has been effective, as well. Adin Hill, 23, likely will make his 16th career start. Hill, who was Arizona's third-round pick in 2015, has career numbers that include an 8-8-0 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in 19 career games (15 starts), after stopping 10-of-12 shots in the third period Saturday in his second relief appearance of the season.

Evgenii Dadonov has scored four of his team-high 18 goals in the last three games and boasts eight of his 34 points in the past six contests. Jonathan Huberdeau has ecorded 20 of his team-high 57 points in the last 10 games, scoring six of his 17 goals during that span. Barkov has 45 points (32 assists) plus Connolly (16) and Hoffman (14) also have 10-plus goals.cored Sunday for only the second time in 13 games. The Panthers have mostly used goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed a seven-year, $70 million contract in July. However, Bobrovsky (15-12-4, 3.33 GAA & .895 SP) was pulled after allowing three goals on just seven shots in a 3-2 loss to the host Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Rookie backup Chris Driedger came in and stopped all 11 shots he faced. Driedger then made 31 saves in Sunday's win over the Penguins.

It's expected that Bobrovsky will be back in net tonight but I sure wouldn't mind Driedger (4-1-0, 1.82 GAA & .944 SP). Is this the year the Florida Panthers end their lengthy playoff-series-win drought (one that dates back to 1996)? That's yet to be determined but the Panthers are playing well and the Coyotes face a challenging three-game trip (at Tampa Bay on Thursday and at Carolina on Friday) with questions in goal. I'm 'all over' the Panthers in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Min Wild at 2:05 ET.

The 22-16-3 Winnipeg Jets visit the 19-17-5 Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon. Winnipeg opened its 2020 schedule with a dud on Thursday against Toronto, a 6-3 loss in which goaltender Connor Hellebuyck gave up five goals on just 17 shots, as  the Jets were exploited repeatedly on defense. Minnesota's start to 2020 was no better, allowing the game’s first three goals in a 4-1 home loss Tuesday to Toronto. The Wild welcome the Jets to Xcel Energy Center FOUR points behind Winnipeg for a wild-card playoff berth.

Winnipeg finished Thursday with a season-high 48 shots on goal but the 6-3 loss saw them fall  to 2-5-1 in its last eight games. Center Mark Scheifele leads the team with 46 points (including a team-high 27 assists), while forwards Connor (team-high 21 goals) and Laine (15 G / 25 A) each have 40 points. As noted above, goaltender Hellebuyck is off a very poor game and I'll add that he has allowed four or more goals in SIX of his past nine games, quieting any talk of his Vezina Trophy candidacy (now just 18-12-3 on the season with a 2.70 GGA and .919 SP)..

Center Eric Staal has been held off the scoresheet the past two games but leads the team with 32 points, including a team-high 15 goals. Defenseman Ryan Suter leads with 21 assists (27 points) plus Parise (14), Zucker (12) and Zuccarello (10) are in double digits in goals. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk stopped 25-of-28 shots in Tuesday's loss, falling to 3-2-0 since he returned to the team Dec 19. He's 7-10-2 on the season with a 3.23 GAA and .898 SP.

The Minnesota Wild are currently four games into a stretch where they play 18 of 22 contests at home but are just 1-3 on home ice to open that stretch. In fact, Minnesota opened its home-heavy stretch with an ugly 6-0 loss to the Jets on Dec 21. The Wild also lost in Winnipeg way back on Oct 10 (3rd game of the season), 5-2. What gives? The teams are pretty much equal (just FOUR points separate them), so isn't ENOUGH, ENOUGH? Wild get some "payback" in this one, 'with room to spare!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NHL Game of the Week is on the Nas Predators at 8:05 ET.

The Nashville Predators were the 8th-seed in the 2017 postseason but made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins (more on them, shortly). The Preds then won the Presidents' Trophy (with 117 points) the following season but lost in the second round. Nashville won the Central Division again last season but lost in the first round. The Predators opened the current season 8-3-1 but by Nov 21, had fallen to 9-9-3.  However, Nashville is beginning to find some form, having strung together a five-game point streak (4-0-1) after knocking off Arizona 3-2 on Monday at home. The Preds look to build on their current run when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday in the opener of a home-and-home set.

The Penguins beat the Preds back in that 2017 Stanley Cup Final, giving them back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. However, just like Nashville, Pittsburgh has been bounced from the last two postseasons, early. The Pens lost in the second in 2018 and in the first round, last year. The Pens have fought injuries to key players all season and sat just 11-7-4 through Nov 21, but the team enters this home-and-home with Nashville with 21-11-4 mark.  The Penguins had been on 7-1-0 run before dropping a 4-1 decision at Vancouver on Saturday.

Evgeni Malkin is a top-notch talent but he has managed to play 75 or more games only ONCE over the past six season. That will be the case again this season, as he was hurt in the team's second game of the current season (Oct 5), not returning until Nov 2. He's a player though, with 31 points (9 G / 22 A) in 23 games. However, team captain and superstar Sidney Crosby had sports hernia surgery Nov 14 and has yet to return (17 points in 17 games). 'Stepping up big time' has been Jake Guentzel, who leads the team in points (37) and goals (17). Goalie Matt Murray (10-6-4, 2.91 GAA & .892 SP), a major part of Pittsburgh's back-to-back Cup-winning teams, has started just twice in December as Tristan Jarry has taken over. Jarry is 11-5-0 and leads the NHL with a 1.86 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. The two will split the home-and-home but I'm not sure which one will start, tonight.

The Predators and Penguins have something in common, as their designated backup goaltender coming into this season has pretty much moved ahead of their franchise goalie in terms of starts and playing time. For Nashville, 37-year-old Pekka Rinne (13-5-3, 2.93 GAA & .896 SP) could be starting to wear down. Juuse Saros (5-7-3, 3.09 GAA & .894 SP) has started eight of the last 15 games. 'He's playing really well right now," head coach Peter Laviolette said of Saros. "It's nice to have two goaltenders that we trust and we count on. I think Juuse's starts have to increase. He's not a rookie in the league anymore. In saying that, (Rinne's) still one of the best, so we're fortunate we have two goalies, and we'll utilize them both." Nashville captain, defenseman  Roman Josi, extended his goal streak to five games on Monday and leads the Preds with 35 points (14 G / 21 A). Another defenseman, Ryan Ellis, is second in points with 28 Center Forsberg matches Jossi's 14 goals, while fellow centers Bonino (13) and Jarnkrok (12) are right behind.

Pittsburgh has held its own despite losing 143 man-games to injury, sitting just ONE point behind the third-place Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division coming out of the holiday break. However, getting a win at Bridgestone Arena, won't be easy.  Not 100 percent certain as to the goaltender matchups but I suspect that the veteran Rinne will be in net for Nashville, which as noted above, comes in playing VERY well. It may be the Pens' turn tomorrow in Pittsburgh but NOT here!

Good luck...Larry
 

My 10* Dec Game of the Month is on the Phi Flyers at 7:05 ET.

The Buffalo Sabres entered the 2019-20 season having failed to make the playoffs for EIGHT straight seasons, while posting sub-.500 records in their last SEVEN. Buffalo surprised ALL by opening the 2019-20 season 9-2-1. However, the Sabres visit Philadelphia tonight with a 16-12-7 record (39 points), seeing the team's five-point run (3-0-2) come to a halt in a 5-3 loss at Toronto on Tuesday. The Flyers are coming off a 37-37-8 season, missing the playoffs for the FOURTH time in the last seven seasons (note: Philly lost in the first round in each of the three years Philly did make the playoffs). Philadelphia shook off a three-game losing streak on the road and returned home Tuesday to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1. The Flyers welcome Buffalo to the  Wells Fargo Center with an 18-11-5 record (41 points).

Buffalo captain Jack Eichel bids to match a franchise-record 18-game point streak on Thursday. He has 50 points on the season (24 G / 26 A), including 31 points (16 G / 15 A) during his 17-game run. Eichel has recorded four multi-point performances in a row and is arguably the hottest player in the league but the Sabres have been a sub-.500 team since their hot start (see above). Ullmark (10-7-3, 2.90 GGA & .913 SP) and Hutton (6-5-4, 3.05 GAA & .901 SP) have split the goaltending duties, with Hutton expected to be in goal, tonight.

The Flyers remain banged up, with Scott Laughton, Tyler Pitlick, Nolan Patrick and Michael Raffl all out against the Sabres. However, center Travis Konecny returned after a three-game absence with a concussion and performed at a high level against the Ducks, getting an assist and finishing with a plus-minus rating of two. He has 11 goals and a team-high 29 points on the season, with fellow center Couturier right behind him with 26 points.

Buffalo's 39 points are good enough for 2nd-place in the Atlantic Division, while Philly's 41 points leave them fifth in the more competitive Metropolitan Division. The Flyers are 11-2-4 at home and Carter Hart (11-7-3, 2.40 GAA & .912 SP) has been confirmed to start Thursday's contest in goal. That's great news for Phily fans (bettors?), as he just made a season-high 40 saves in Tuesday's win against the Ducks, improving to 9-1-2 at home in 2019-20,. That includes a 5-0-0 record with a 1.41 GAA  & .953 SP in his last five home contests. I'll back the 'hot' goalie over the 'hot' Buffalo captain, Jack Eichel.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the StL Blues at 8:05 ET.

We are all aware of the Blues' remarkable turnaround last season that began in January and ended with the franchise winning its first-ever Stanley Cup. St Louis sits 18-8-6 as Christmas nears, as the team's 42 points is just one less the Western Conference leader, Colorado. However, the Blues enter this game with the Vegas Golden Knights, having answered a sterling 6-1-1 stretch with consecutive THREE-goal losses to Pittsburgh, Toronto and Buffalo. St Louis looks to a avert matching a season-high four-game winless skid on Thursday, when the Blues open a four-game homestand against Vegas. The Golden Knights are trending in the opposite direction of St Louis, answering EIGHT losses in 10 games (2-6-2) with an excellent 5-1-1 stretch, highlighted by a 5-1 victory over Chicago on Tuesday. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 28 shots on an emotional night, as the three-time Stanley Cup champion played his first game since the death of his father.

Reilly Smith leads Vegas with 13 goals and enters Thursday with three goals and five assists in his last eight games, after collecting one of each vs the Blackhawks. Center William Karlsson snapped a 10-game goal drought with his ninth of the season on Tuesday and has a team-high 17 assists and 26 points. That's one point behind team-leader Pacioretty's 27 points. Fleury is expected back in goal again here and takes a 12-6-2 record this season into the contest (2.46 GAA & .921 SP).

The Blues have suffered a number of key injuries this season but could see the welcome returns of Alexander Steen (ankle) and Oskar Sundqvist (lower body), who skated with the team in Buffalo. That said, the 'core' of the team has been intact. Reigning Selke and Conn Smythe Trophy recipient Ryan O'Reilly leads the Blues with 21 assists this season (27 points), putting him three points behind team leader Perron (12 G / 18 A).  Schenn leads the team with 14 goals (25 points) plus Pietrangelo and Schwartz each have 22 points. Goaltender Jordan Binnington was the key to the Blues' turnaround last season and checks in 13-6-4 this season (2.45 GAA & .921 SP).

The Blues do have a four-game losing skid this season, and another three-game slide, but they still earned points for going into overtime during those runs. This is the first time the Blues have suffered three consecutive regulation losses. ENOUGH is ENOUGH. I'm betting on Binnington over Fleury, who is a modest 5-7-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 14 career starts against the Blues. The defending Stanley Cup champs swept Vegas last season and boast a 4-0-2 mark against the club since it entered the league in 2017-18.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the NY Islanders at 7:05 ET.

The Vegas Golden Knights lost EIGHT of 10 (2-7-1) from Nov 7 through Nov 25, faling yto 11-11-4 on the season, However, the Knights enter play tonight on a four-game winning streak, including winning the last two at MEG vs the Rangers and in the Prudential Center against the Devils. Vegas concludes its six-game, 11-day road trip tonight at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, when they visit the NY Islanders. Few teams had been as consistently good this season as the Islanders, who won 15 of 16 as part of a franchise-record 17-game point streak from Oct 12 through Nov 23 . However, the Isles are just 2-3-1 in their last six contests, a stretch that began with the final game of the point streak (a 2-1 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks).

Vegas had lost seven of nine when starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury took a personal leave following the death of his father. Backup Malcolm Subban took the loss in the next game but has rattled off four straight victories, including both ends of a back-to-back on Monday (Rangers) and Tuesday (Devils). “You get a couple wins, start to feel better about yourself, start to feel good about your game and stuff,” Subban said. “It’s been great. Obviously I still have stuff to work on, but it’s coming along.” RW Pacioretty leads the team with 26 points (10 G / 16 A), followed closely by center Karlsson, who has a team-high 17 assists and 25 points. Wingers Smith (12) and Stone (11) also have contributed 10-plus goals.

The Islanders have finally cooled off a bit following a six-week stretch in which they were the hottest team in hockey, Losers of four of their last six (2-3-1), the Islanders will face a surging opponent when they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. New York has played SEVEN of its last nine on the road and HAS to be looking forward to a return to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the first time since Nov 13. The Islanders don't have the scorers Vegas has, as center Barzal leads the team with 11 goals and 24 points. Only fellow center Nelson has also reached 20 points (8 G / 12 A). New York's strength has been the play of its goalies. New York is the first team to alternate starting netminders in each of the first 26 games of the season since San Jose in 2006-07. Thomas Greiss is 10-3-0 with a 2.18 GAA & .931 SP, while Semyon Varlamov is 8-3-2 with a 2.38 GAA & 922 SP.

Greiss faced Montreal in the last game, so Varlamov is expected to get the nod vs Vegas (the guys have been interchangeable). It seems like Fleury is set to return for Vegas but I'm NOT concerned with which goalie starts for the Golden Knights. This has been a long trip (see above), one which ends here with a THIRD game in four days. Vegas' current four-game winning streak  includes THREE, one-goal victories, and winning here is, I believe, a stretch. Tonight's game will be the Islanders' first on Lonfg Island since a 5-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs back on Nov 13. New York  is scheduled to play 28 of its 41 regular season home games at the Coliseum and has won SIX straight in its old home, where it is 7-2-0 overall this year (team is 4-0-1 at Barclays Center).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Col Blue Jackets at 7:05 ET.

The 12-7-5 Philadelphia Flyers are in Columbus tonight to face the 10-9-4 Blue Jackets. The Flyers are coming off a 37-37-8 season, missing the playoffs for the FOURTH time in the last seven seasons (note: Philly lost in the first round in each of the three years Philly did make the playoffs ). The Blue Jackets were able to sneak into the postseason last year by going 47-31-4 (98 points), claiming the East's No. 8 seed. Columbus was 'rewarded' by drawing the NHL's top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning which had 128 points. In a MAJOR upset, the Blue Jackets swept the Lightning in four games and then took a 2-1 lead over the Bruins, before losing three in a row. Neither team is currently inside the playoff 'cut line,' although there is still a long way to go

The Flyers picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, as the Flyers won a rare game in regulation (Philadelphia has competed in a league-high eight shootouts). . The Flyers and will look for their second consecutive victory when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets, tonight. The Flyers are just 2-5 in their last seven, since winning FOUR in  row from Nov 5-10. Putting the puck in the net has been a real issue for Philly as of late, as the Flyers have scored two goals or less in regulation in EIGHT of their last 10 games. The Blue Jackets are also coming off a tough 1-0 victory on Monday, edging the Ottawa Senators. However, unlike Philly which is 2-5 over its last seven games, Monday's victory gave the Blue Jackets their FOURTH win in five games.

The Flyers have made a habit of allowing late goals recently, with many of their games spilling past regulation. In fact, Philadelphia has played in overtime or a shootout eight times over its past 13 outings. These teams met back on Oct 26 in Philadelphia, with the Flyers scoring FIVE times in the third period to snap a five-game losing skid to Columbus with a 7-4 victory. Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo gave up six goals on 45 shots in that game but turned aside all 25 shots he faced to in Monday's win over Ottawa, recording his second NHL shutout and boosting his winning streak to a career-high four starts. Korpisalo should be primed for a bounce-back effort against the Flyers tonight and history is on his side. The Flyers are just 3-13-2 in their last 18 meetings in Columbus.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Month is on the Buf Sabres at 7:05 ET.

The Buffalo Sabres entered the 2019-20 season having failed to make the playoffs for EIGHT straight seasons, while posting sub-.500 records in their last SEVEN. Buffalo surprised ALL by opening 9-2-1 but are trying to rediscover the form that won them nine of its first 12 games, when the Sabres host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday. Buffalo enters tonight having lost SEVEN of its last eight games (1-5-2). The Minnesota Wild had strong seasons in 2016-17 (106 points) and 2017-18 (101 points) but missed the playoffs last year while going 37-36-9 (83 points). However, last season's record looks pretty good compared to the Wild's 7-11-2 mark in 2019-20, as the team's 16 points represents the fewest of any of the NHL's 31 teams.

Minnesota enters this contest having alternated wins and losses over its last six games, after falling 4-3 in overtime to Carolina at home on Saturday. "It's a work in progress until we find a way to win a game or two, and then it's amazing how the confidence builds positively rather than negatively." Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters. I believe Boudreau is sugar-coating things. Eric Staal (team-high 14 points) and Zach Parise each have a team-high six goals but are a combined minus-24. Mats Zuccarello, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract during the offseason, has just three goals and seven points and has been kept off the scoresheet in the last four games. No. 1 goalie Devan Dubynk is just 4-8-2 with a 3.35 GAA and .893 SP.

The injury bug is hitting the Sabres' forward unit hard as Tage Thompson sustained a shoulder injury in his season debut Sunday - one day after Kyle Okposo suffered a concussion - while Marcus Johansson and Johan Larsson (both upper body) will also miss Tuesday's game with Vladimir Sobotka (lower body) already out. However, captain Jack Eichel has FIVE goals in Buffalo's last two games, leading the team in goals (13), assists (11) and naturally, points (24). Defenseman Dahlin has a team-high 12 assists and is one of six Buffalo players with double digits in points.

Minnesota rallied from a 3-1 deficit with a pair of second-period goals to force overtime against Carolina in Saturday's home matinee but lost 4-3. The Wild failed once again in an effort to win back-to-back games, as Minnesota has won consecutive contests just ONCE in its 20 games, beating Montreal and Edmonton at home back on October 20 & 22. Dubynk was excellent in goal for Minnesota back in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons (see above), going 40-19-5 (2.25 GGA & .923 SP) and 35-16-7 (2.452 GAA & .918 SP) but as noted above, he's playing nowhere near that well this season. Buffalo's Hutton is no All Star but he's got a 2.73 GAA and .909 SP. The Sabres won a pair of one-goal games to sweep the 2018-19 season series with Dahlin scoring in each contest and Eichel recording four assists. That duo (plus Hutton) should lead the way again against a Minnesota team which is 3-10-0 on the road this season.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Las Vegas Insider is on the Tor Maple Leafs at 7:05 ET.

The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to compete with Tampa Bay for supremacy in the Atlantic Division in the 2019-20 season. However, both teams are mired in losing streaks as they prepare to meet for the third time this season, when the Bruins visit the Maple Leafs on Friday night. 11-3-4 Boston visits Toronto on an 0-2-2 stretch, after a stunning 5-4 home defeat to Florida on Tuesday, giving up four unanswered goals in the third period before falling in a shootout. 9-7-4 Toronto suffered a pair of 5-4 losses on its recent two-game road trip to extend its slide to three in a row. The Maple Leafs will play the next SIX games away from home, following this Friday matchup.

Boston's No. 1 line of David Pastrnak (16-15-31 points), Brad Marchand (11-19-30 points) and Patrice Bergeron (8-10-18 points) is again leading the way for the Bruins. However, already missing FOUR forwards from the lineup, Boston lost another when it learned that rookie Zach Senyshyn will be sidelined for at least four weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained in Tuesday's setback. Also, key defenseman Krug (2 G / 11 A / 13 points) also remains sidelined. Goaltender Tuukka Rask had a strong first month of the season but he has lost his last three starts and can take a large part of the blame in two of them (he's allowed 12 goals during his three-start losing streak).

The Maple Leafs dropped their third straight game (0-2-1) in a 5-4 decision to the host New York Islanders on Wednesday. It was their second consecutive 5-4 defeat.Toronto hadn't played since Sunday, before its loss at the NYI. Matthews (13 goals and 26 points) and Marner (14 assist and 18 points) are Toronto's top point-producers but Marner is out for at least four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain. Defenseman Morgan Rielly ( 3 G / 14 A / 17 points) said Toronto needs to get its "swagger" back and one area to start would be to rectify a struggling power play that has converted on only 5-of-43 chances over the past 13 games.

Boston has eliminated Toronto in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons (each time in a Game 7), so it's a "big deal" when the Bruins visit Maple Leaf Gardens. Toronto beat Boston 4-3 (OT) on Oct 19 at home but then lost 4-2 in Boston, three days later. With both teams struggling, I'm expecting the home team to prevail here, especially with Rask struggling (see above). Toronto's Andersen comes in 9-3-2 on the season, a while posting a 2.72 GAA and .912 SP. This game takes on even more significance for the Maple Leafs, knowing that they are off on a six-game road trip starting tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the NY Islanders at 7:05 ET.

The New York Islanders ended a two-year playoff drought last season, earning 103 points. They then surprised by sweeping the Penguins in the first round, advancing to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in the last 25 years. However, they found themselves on the wrong side of a series sweep in the second round, losing to Carolina. The Islanders lost THREE of their first four contests of the current season but then won 10 in a row heading into last Thursday's home game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders played two terrific periods of hockey in that game and entered the final period up 3-0. However, Pittsburgh erased a three-goal deficit in the third period and snapped its three-game skid when Bryan Rust scored his second goal of the game in OT. The Isles have played just once since losing to teh Pens, eking out a 2-1 home win over Florida on Saturday. That means that they will carry a 12-game point streak (11-0-1) into Wednesday's game with the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 9-6-4 Maple Leafs haven't played since Sunday, when they fell to the host Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4. John Taveres will make another trip to his old haunts when his Maple Leafs face the Islanders. Tavares left the New York Islanders to join the Toronto Maple Leafs after the 2017-18 season and was named the Leafs' captain prior to this season after serving as the Islanders' captain for his final five seasons with the club. He was considered the face of the Islanders' franchise for nine years and was booed each time he touched the puck and derisively serenaded in New York's 6-1 romp over Toronto on Feb 28 of last season. Tavares has 11 points on the season but it is the team's other two centers, Matthews (13 goals and 25 points) and Marner (14 assist and 18 points), who are Toronto's top point-producers. However, Marner is out for at least four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain.

Tavares' exit was supposed to cripple the Islanders, who missed the playoffs by 17 points in his final season with the team and were facing the prospect of splitting home games between Brooklyn's Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum while waiting for a new arena to be built on the Nassau/Queens border. However, under the new management team of general manager Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz, the now defensive-minded Islanders earned 48 wins and recorded 103 points, their highest totals in each category since the 1983-84 season. The Isles are using the same formula this season, as after allowing the fewest goals in the NHL last year, they have given up just 35 goals this year, 10 fewer than the next stingiest team.

Thomas Greiss watched as Robin Lehner handled the bulk of the work in the postseason but he sports a 7-1-1 mark with a 1.88 GAA and .942 SP this season. However, the Islanders, who have employed a true time share with Semyon Varlamov (5-2-01 2.37 GGA & .924 SP) starting the odd-numbered games and Greiss starting the even-numbered contest. It's Varlamov "turn" and he is expected to get the start. In stark contrast, the Maple Leafs have allowed the sixth-most goals in the league (62), giving up at least FOUR goals eight times in 19 games (surrendered four goals in the first period of Sunday's loss!). Isles win here and extend that point streak to a 'lucky' 13.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Division Game of the Month (Central) is on the Win Jets at 8:05 ET.

The Colorado Avalanche opened the season 7-0-1 but while the Avs enter this contest off back-to-back wins, they check in at just 10-5-2 on the season. Colorado opened the season with arguably the best No. 1 line in the NHL in center Nathan MacKinnon (41 goals / 99 points) plus wings Gabriel Landeskog (34 goals / 75 points) and Mikko Rantanen (31 goals / 87 points). However, Rantanen suffered a lower-body injury back injury in the team's ninth game, while captain Gabriel Landeskog joined him on the inured list eight days later. Meanwhile, Winnipeg has settled into its best sustained stretch of the season so far, earning points in five straight games (4-0-1) after Sunday’s 3-2 overtime victory at home against Dallas. At 10-7-1, the Jets' 21 points place them right behind the Avs' 22 points in the West's Central Division (defending Stanley Cup champs St Louis is 12-3-3 with 27 points to lead the division).

Nathan MacKinnon owns a team-high nine goals and along with 13 assists, leads Colorado with 22 points. Rookie defenseman Cale Makar continues providing an offensive boost with Rantanen and Landeskog sidelined, scoring two goals in Saturday’s 4-2 home victory over Columbus. He leads all NHL rookies with 17 points and 13 assists. The injury 'bug' has also been felt "in net," as No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer (6-3-2, 2.80 GGA & .915 SP) has missed the Avalanche's past two games with a lower-body injury. Pavel Francouz is expected to make his third consecutive start, after stopping 39 of 41 shots against Columbus on Saturday.

Winnipeg's lead scorer Mark Scheifele 17 points, including seven goals) scored the game winner 21 seconds into the extra period on Sunday, as Winnipeg won for the SIXTH time in seven games settled after regulation this season. “Nothing has been easy,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler told the media postgame. “When you go into overtime and you’ve been grinding all game, you have that as a habit.” Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck began the week tied for third in the NHL in save percentage (.933) and eighth in goals against average (2.28), after recording 26 saves Sunday to give him a 3-0-1 record with six goals allowed in his past four games.

Colorado has really missed Landeskog and Rantanen plus don't let Francouz's 39 saves in 41 shots on Saturday fool you. In his previous three starts, he had stopped just 67 of 78 shots, for an .859 SP. St Louis is clearly the 'class' of this division but the Avs (22 points) and Jets (plus the Preds, who also have 21 points to match the Jets) will be battling all season for playoff spots (positioning). Colorado won three of the five regular season meetings last season but note that the Avs' 4-1 road victory last Feb 14 snapped Colorado's SEVEN-game losing streak in Winnipeg. Home team wins this division game tonight!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Arz Coyotes at 8:05 ET.

The Minnesota Wild finished 37-36-9 last season and missed the playoffs after SIX straight postseason appearances. However, that 37-36-9 record is looking pretty good to the 2019-20 edition of the Wild, as they are off to a dismal 5-10-1 start, due in large part to Minnesota going 2-9-0 away from home. Minnesota has played at home only FIVE times (3-1-1) while attempting to persevere through a rugged early-season schedule that features 13 of its first 18 on the road. The Wild won for only the second time in 10 road games on Tuesday (4-2 at Anaheim) but followed with a 6-5 loss Thursday night at San Jose. The Wild play tonight in Phoenix, against the 9-5-2 Arizona Coyotes. Arizona is also facing a rugged schedule, as the Coyotes are in the midst of playing NINE games in the span of two weeks, including trips to Western Canada and the East Coast. Arizona suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since the first two games of the season, losing at home to slumping Columbus 3-2 on Thursday after blowing a two-goal lead two nights earlier in an overtime setback in Calgary.

Minnesota's Eric Staal has goals in back-to-back games and leads the Wild with 14 points (six goals). Only LW Jason Zucker (5 G / 5 A) joins him with double digits in points, which is NOT a surprising stat when one considers that Minnesota's 2.63 GPG average ranks 25th of 31 teams. No. 1 goalie Devin Dubnyk is expected to be in net but he's "not what he used to be," posting a 2-7-1 record with a 3.64 GAA and .883 SP. Arizona has FIVE players with 10 or more points, led by Nick Smaltz's 14 (team-high 10 assists). RW Conor Garland has 10 points and leads the team with seven goals. Defenseman Jordan Oesterle, who has sat out the past two games due to an upper-body injury, is expected to return to the lineup while a decision on fellow blue-liner Jason Demers will be made at Saturday's morning skate.

Arizona's No. 1 goaltender Darcy Kuemper (7-4-0, 1.81 GAA & .939) spent his first five seasons with Minnesota but Antti Raanta (2-1-2, 3.12 GAA & .912) is expected be in net for this one. I'd prefer Kuemper but either way, I'm playing against the road-weary Wild, who nearly overcame a four-goal deficit in the third period before succumbing to the Sharks on Thursday.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Pit Penguins at 7:05 ET.

The New York Islanders ended a two-year playoff drought last season, earning 103 points. They then surprised by sweeping the Penguins in the first round, advancing to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in the last 25 years. However, they found themselves on the wrong side of a series sweep in the second round, losing to Carolina. The Islanders lost THREE of their first four contests of the season but they extended their winning streak to 10 straight Tuesday, when they beat the visiting Ottawa Senators 4-1. The 11-3-0 Islanders welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to Barclays Center on Thursday night. Pittsburgh comes in having dropped their last two games, 2-1 in OT at home to the Oilers and 6-4 at Boston on Monday. The Penguins have dealt with the injury 'bug' all season and will enter this contest a modest 8-6-1.

Speaking of injuries, Pittsburgh saw star defenseman Kris Letang (4 G and 8 A for 12 points) exit Monday's loss to the Bruins with a lower-body ailment (note: the team hasn't updated his status). The good news is that center Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup last Saturday after missing almost a month with a lower-body injury. It's no surprise that Sidney Crosby leads the team with 17 points (five goals), with Guentzel (7 & 6), Letang (see above) and Hornqvist (5 & 5) joining him with double digits in points. Matt Murray (7-3-1, 2.36 GAA & .917 SP) is expected to be in goal for the Pens.

Bailey and Barzal each own six goals to lead the Islanders, with Bailey's 12 points just ahead of Barzal's 11 for the team lead. Thomas Greiss watched as Robin Lehner handled the bulk of the work in the postseason but he sports a 4-0-0 mark with a 1.55 GAA and .946 SP at home this season. However, the Islanders, who have employed a true time share with Semyon Varlamov (5-2-0, 2.14 GGA & .929 SP) starting the odd-numbered games and Greiss (6-1-0, 2.00 GAA & .937 SP) starting the even-numbered contest. It's Varlamov "turn" and he is expected to get the start in net Thursday f

Here's the bottom line. No current player on the Islanders was born the last time they were victorious in 10 in a row, which was part of a franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 1982. Thursday's game is the first between the two teams since Apr 16, when the Islanders completed a four-game sweep of the first-round series with a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh. I believe this is a "perfect spot" for the Penguins. What's more, I believe the oddsmakers agree. When is the last time, in any moneyline sport, that you've seen a team on an 11-game winning streak (and playing at home), in basically a "pick'em" situation against an 8-6-1 team (including 3-3-0) on the road? I'm "all over" Pittsburgh.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Weekly Wipeout is on the Ana Ducks at 10:05 ET.

My 10* Oddsmaker's Error Game of the Month is on the Edm Oilers at 9:05 ET.

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Buf Sabres at 7:05 ET.

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Buf Sabres at 7:05 ET.

The New York Islanders ended a two-year playoff drought last season, earning 103 points. They then surprised by sweeping the Penguins in the first round, although they found themselves on the wrong side of a series sweep in the second round, losing to Carolina. As for the Buffalo Sabres, last season was another sub-.500 one, in which Buffalo earned just 76 points, missing the playoffs for the EIGHTH straight season. However, both teams are off to great stars in the 2019-20 season, as each have already won NINE games. The Islanders lost THREE of their first four contests of the season but extended their winning streak to EIGHT games in Friday’s 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Buffalo opened the season 8-1-1 but has found keeping up that pace hard, suffering THREE losses in its last four outings (1-2-1) , after permitting four goals in the first 10:44 on Friday en route to a 6-1 loss at Washington.

Captain Anders Lee scored a goal and added two assists in Friday’s 5-2 victory over Tampa Bay, while center Mathew Barzal continued to produce, scoring his sixth goal in seven games Friday. That ties him with linemate Josh Bailey for the team lead with 11 points. Of greater note, New York has limited an opponent to two goals NINE times in 12 outings this season! Thomas Greiss made 33 saves for his fifth win Friday (5-1-0, 2.15 GAA & .933 SP) and has split time in goal with Semyon Varlamov (4-2-0, 2.53 GAA & .918 SP) , who is expected to be in net Saturday.

Buffalo captain Jack Eichel posted a minus-3 rating in Friday's loss but he leads the club with 17 points (7 G / 10 A). Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is tied with Eichel for the team lead with 10 assists and has matched forward Sam Reinhart for second on the team with 11 points. Backup goalie Linus Ullmark (3-2-1, 3.12 GAA & .915 SP) absorbed his third loss on Friday but No. 1 netminder Carter Hutton (6-1-1, 2.21 GAA & .926 SP) will get the start against the Islanders.

The Isles are overdue for a loss (right?) and why not here? It's the team's LONE road contest during a seven-game stretch (New York's next road game game won't be until Nov 16!). As for the Sabres, they will head to Sweden for two games against Tampa Bay following Saturday’s contest and could sure use a win here. FOUR losses in five games before taking on the Lightning for two games in Sweden would NOT make for a happy flight. Buffalo is 5-0-1 at home so far (lone loss was in a shoot-out) and Hutton is has been in net for FOUR of those wins, as well as making 42 saves on 44 shots in that 3-2 SO loss! Buffalo heads to Sweden off snapping the NYI's NINE-game winning streak. That makes for a HAPPY flight.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Division Game of the Month (Pacific) is on the Ana Ducks at 10:05 ET.

The Vancouver Canucks lost their first two games of the current season but head to Anaheim tonight on an 8-1-1 run. The team's rejuvenated offense has led the way, producing at least five goals on SIX occasions during their hot streak.The Canucks have earned points in five consecutive games (4-0-1) as they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night in the second of a three-game road trip. Scoring has been a problem for the Ducks, particularly on the road, but they opened a SEVEN-game homestand with a season-high goal total in a 7-4 rout of Winnipeg on Tuesday. Neither of these teams made the playoffs last season (both finished sub-.500) but both would qualify if the postseason started today. Defenseman Quinn Hughes ( 1 G / 9 A), drafted No. 7 overall in 2018, has provided a spark since he was shifted to Vancouver's power play on Oct. 20, collecting seven assists with the man advantage in five games. Pettersson leads the Canucks witch 18 points (4 G / 14 A), while Boesser (7 G & 7 A) and Miller (6 G / 8 A) check in with 14 points. The Canucks are now tied for second in the NHL with 13 power-play goals, with only the Buffalo Sabres ahead of them.

Jakob Silverberg leads Anaheim with 11 points and Adam Henrique tops the team with eight goals. Some good news is that defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who has a team-high nine assists, returned to practice Thursday and could rejoin the lineup after sitting out the past two games due to a lower-body injury. His return would be welcomed, although Josh Mahura had a spectacular season debut with three assists in a 2:52 span in Tuesday's win, becoming the sixth rookie blue-liner in league history with three assists in under three minutes.

Jacob Markstrom is expected to be in goal for Vancouver (5-2-1, 2.59 GAA & .915 SP) but while he owns a 2.32 goals-against average versus Anaheim, he is just 4-5-0 against the Ducks. John Gibson (5-6-0, 2.66 GAA & .920 SP) is expected to be in goal for Anaheim, although I wouldn't mind Miller (3-0-0, 2.10 GAA & .929 SP) stepping in between the pipes. Bottom line is, I want the Ducks in this one. The Ducks enter having won two of their last three games, scoring 12 combined goals in the two victories. Anaheim checks in 5-1-0 at home, losing only 2-1 to Carolina back on Oct 18. The Ducks have outscored their opponensts21-10 in their five home wins, all coming in regulation (that's 4.2-to-2.0 per game).

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Col Avalanche at 10:05 ET.

My 10* NHL Game of the Week is on the Ana Ducks at 10:05 ET.

The Winnipeg Jets have sputtered at both ends of the ice in opening 6-6-0. The Jets open a three-game road trip starting Tuesday at the Anaheim Ducks, who have not done much better in the early going, as they enter tonight's contest 7-6-0.Th Jets open the road trip with some positive 'mojo,' after fighting back from a 1-0 deficit to down Calgary 2-1 in OT on Saturday. That contest was an outdoor game played at Mosaic Stadium (home of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders). Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck recordied 29 saves to keep Winning peg alive until the Jets tied things with 4:11 left in regulation. Meanwhile, Anaheim has struggled of late, getting a goal from center Ryan Getzlaf early in the first period Sunday at Vegas, before allowing five unanswered scores in a 5-2 defeat. The Ducks welcome the Jets to Anaheim having lost FOUR of their last five.

Winnipeg's road trip got off to a rough start Monday, when forward Patrik Laine (3 goals and 13 points) left practice after colliding with newly acquired defenseman Luca Sbisa (his status for Tuesday is uncertain). Laine is tied for the team lead in points with Mark Scheifele (4 goals / 9 assists). Hellebuyck is expected ti be in net again but is just 2-2-0 in his last four games, despite allowing just six goals and posting a .952 save percentage in that spa. It sure hasn't helped Winnipeg goaltenders that the Jets have scored just FIVE goals in their last four games.

Ryan Getzlaf has scored a goal in three of the last four games to give him five on the season (including three game-winning tallies) in 13 games.Fellow center Adam Henrique leads the team with nine points (six goals), while LW Jakob Silfverberg (6 G / 3 A) and defenseman Hampus Lindholm (0 G / 9 A) are tied for teh team lead with nine points. The Ducks own the third-stingiest defense in the NHL, having surrendered 2.38 GPG. No. 1 John Gibson is just 4-6-0 despite a 2.52 GAA and .923 SP, while backup Ryan Miller is 3-0-0 (2.10 GAA & .929 SP).

Gibson is scheduled to start but I sure wouldn't mind if Miller was in net. Either way, I'm backing the Ducks, as Tuesday's game is the start of a season-long seven-game home stretch (next raoad game isn;t until Nov 16 in St Louis). Note that the Ducks are 4-1-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 15-8. Meanwhile, this is Winnipeg's first true road game since Oct 12. Before playing outdoors over the weekend, Winnipeg was just 1-4 during a stretch of home games in which the Jets were were outscored 17-8. At this price, Anaheim is a 'steal!'

Good luck...Larry

My 8* Las Vegas Insider is on the Bos Bruins at 7:05 ET.

The defending champion St Louis Blues visit the TD Garden for the first time since winning Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final 4-1 back on June 12. The victory allowed the Blues to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise's 39-year. Think the Bruins and the Boston fans will remember? St. Louis has opened the current season 5-2-3 and this week answered a four-game winless drought by posting back-to-back victories at home (3-1 over Colorado on Monday and 5-2 over the LA Kings on Thursday). However, star forward Vladimir Tarasenko exited Thursday's win over Los Angeles due to an upper-body injury. He was riding a five-game points streak () before he was injured in the first period and did not accompany the team on its two-game weekend road trip to Boston and Detroit. Tarasenko's 10 points ( 3 G / & A) trails only  Brayden Schenn's 11 points (8 G / 3 A) on the Blues. Binnington, who stopped 32 shots in the 4-1 Game 7 win in Boston, has played strong in net in St. Louis' last two games (has stopped 50 of 53 shots), following a four-game skid (0-2-2). The 6-1-2 Bruins have been off since beating Toronto 4-2 on Tuesday in Boston, so they have had plenty of time to ruminate ahead of this Saturday matchup with the Blues. Boston's No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron is again leading the way for the Bruins with a combined 35 points. Pastrnak has 10 goals and seven assists, Marchand has five goals and nine assists and Bergeron has two goals and six assists. Withe three days off, No. 1 netminder Tuukka Rask will make consecutive starts for the first time this season. That's really good news for Boston, as he's 4-0-1 with a 1.77 GAA and .944 SP). Some may say this "looks to obvious/easy" but I'm not 'blinking.' Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Cal Flames at 9:00 ET.

The 4-2-3 Florida Panthers have recorded at least a point in SIX straight contests and look to continue their run when they visit the 5-5-1 Calgary Flames on Thursday night to open a four-game western road trip. The Panthers are 3-0-3 during their streak, after winning at Nashville in a shootout Saturday and holding off Pittsburgh for a 4-2 triumph Tuesday. Calgary has yet to win more than two straight or lose more than two in a row in the first 11 games, after dropping a 5-3 decision against Washington on Tuesday at home.

The Panthers have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, which isn't exactly news. They have made the postseason just TWICE in 18 seasons. Florida is well aware a team can kill its chances with a poor opening month and the Panthers are hoping to carry their positive mojo into this four-game road trip. Jonathan Huberdeau leads the team with 10 points (goals) after matching fellow forward Denis Malgin (six points) with a goal and an assist Saturday against Pittsburgh. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves against the Pens and is expected to be in net again, tonight.

The Flames are coming off a 5-3 loss to the visiting Washington Capitals on Tuesday, a game in which they could very well have won but were done in by costly, ill-timed defensive lapses. Their bugaboo this season has been surrendering goals early in periods and quickly after they score. Left wing Johnny Gaudreau (three goals) notched an assist against Washington to take over the team lead with nine points. Gaudreau’s linemate Elias Lindholm recorded his team-best sixth goal in the setback. No. 1 goalie David Rittich (4-3-1) sat out the loss against the Capitals but is expected back between the pipes Thursday.

The Flames are not a good team right now but let's NOT forget that the Flames' 107 points topped EVERY team in the Western Conference last season. A solid winning streak can make the team's current inconsistent play a distant memory. Looking more closely at tonight's starting goalies, Florida's Bobrovsky is a modest 3-2-2 with a 3.75 GAA and .878 SP. Those numbers pale in comparison to him averaging of 38 wins per season the last three years, posting GAA between 2.06-to-2.58 with SP of .913-to-.931. As for Rittich, he's 4-3-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .912, very similar to his 27-9-5 record last season (2.61 ERA & .911 SP). When he's on, he's on. He's allowed a total of just four goals in his wins and 18 in the other four contests. My bet says he's ON!

Good luck...Larry

My 9* Situational Stunner is on the Bos Bruins at 7:00 ET.

The Bruins (107 points) and Maple Leafs (100 points) met in the first round of last year's playoffs, with Boston advancing by winning Game 6 in Toronto (4-2) and Game 7 at home, 5-1. It was the Bruins' second straight Game 7 win over the Maple Leafs and third in three playoff matchups between the teams. Boston previously knocked Toronto out of the postseason with Game 7 victories in 2018 and 2013. The Maple Leafs lost their SIXTH straight Game 7 on the road. The two "Original Six" both have 12 points in the early going of the current season, although Boston (5-1-2) has played two fewer games than Toronto (5-3-2). The teams met for the first time this season this past Saturday, with the Maple Leafs winning 4-3 in OT. The Bruins have been idle since Saturday, while the Maple Leafs will be playing the second contest of a back-to-back set after dropping a 4-3 decision to visiting Columbus on Monday in OT.

Toronto's loss to Columbus was just its second in its past five games and came in unlikely fashion. Mitchell Marner (team-high 12 points) was called for a hooking penalty on a breakaway at 1:57 of overtime, allowing Gustav Nyquist to score on a penalty shot and seal the victory for the Blue Jackets. Auston Matthews scored his eighth goal of the season and added an assist in the defeat, and is tied with defenseman Morgan Rielly (2 G / 9 A) behind Marner with 11 points.

Boston's No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron is again leading the way for the Bruins with a combined 35 points. Pastrnak has nine goals and six assists, Marchand has four goals and eight assists and Bergeron has two goals and six assists.

This is a GREAT spot for Boston. The Bruins have dropped two straight, falling in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday before a 4-3 defeat in overtime against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Saturday. Boston has not played since, while the Maple Leafs ate playing for the second straight night. Toronto head coach Mike Babcock opted to go with No. 1 netminder Frederik Andersen vs Columbus last night, meaning he will start backup Michael Hutchinson against the Bruins (??). Hutchinson, a Bruins draft pick in 2008, has allowed NINE goals in two starts this season. As for the Bruins, Tuukka Rask will return to the Bruins' net for this contest (Halak played in Saturday's loss at Toronto). Rask is 3-0-1 (1.72 GAA & .946 SP) this season and 17-7-2 with a 2.13 GAA in 29 appearances against Toronto.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the StL Blues at 8:00 ET.

The Colorado Avalanche qualified for last year's postseason as the West's no. 8 seed but then upset the top-seeded Calgary Flames in the first round (4-1). The Avs then extended their second-round series with the Sharks to seven games, before losing. However, the Avs visit St Louis tonight with a 7-0-1 record, as the NHL’s ONLY team without a loss in regulation time. The Avalanche allowed 46 shots on Saturday but received a hat trick from Tyson Jost and took advantage of their opportunities in a 6-2 victory at Tampa Bay, setting a club record for most points through eight games (15). The St Louis Blues are the reigning Stanley Cup champion and were able to open the current with a four-game point streak. However, the Blues have lost FOUR straight (0-2-2), after giving up three unanswered goals in the second period of Saturday’s 5-2 home setback against Montreal.

The addition of more scoring options up front has been one of the keys to the early-season surge by the Avs and the third line of Jost, J.T. Compher and Colin Wilson came up big Saturday with a total of eight points. However, Colorado's No. 1 line is a match for any other team's. Center Nathan MacKinnon (41 goals / 99 points) is surrounded by wings Gabriel Landeskog (34 goals / 75 points) and Mikko Rantanen (31 goals / 87 points). Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky were acquired from Toronto and Washington, respectively plus fellow forward Joonas Donskoi signed as a free agent to provide an added jolt to Colorado's offense. The No. 1 unit of MacKinnon, Rantanen and captain Landeskog has already combined for 22 points. No. 1 goalie Gribauer is 5-0-1 (2.79 GAA & .919) and backup Francouz is 2-0-0 (1.95 GAA & .951 SP).

Center Brayden Schenn leads the Blues in goals (five) and points (eight), while David Perron scored his fourth goal in Saturday’s loss (has six points) and is four points shy of 500 for his career. Vladimir Tarasenko (seven points) has notched at least one point in four straight games and Jaden Schwartz also has a four-game point streak going, after scoring his first goal on Saturday (six points, as well). Goalie Jordan Binnington was a star for the Blues in last year's run to the Cup and he's expected back in net after being rested on Saturday. Binnington (2-1-3, 2.93 GAA & .909 SP) is 0-1-2 in his last three games, after earning at least one point while giving up a modest seven goals in his first three starts.

The Avs won at Tampa Bay (last year's top team in the regular season, by far) but did allow 46 shots on goal. They now play another road game (the team's FIFTH of a six-game trip) at the home of the defending Cup champs. The Blues buckled against the Canadiens in a 5-2 loss at home Saturday. What's more, they blew two-goal leads in their two games prior to that, a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks at home and a 3-2 overtime road loss to the New York Islanders.Time for St Louis to get its act together and for Jordan Binnington to step up. That's my bet!

Good luck...Larry

My NHL 10* Game of the Month is on the Was Caps at 7:00 ET.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have opened 4-2-1, after scoring FOUR times in the second period to beat Minnesota 4-2 last. The victory comes following a four-game stretch in which the Maple Leafs won just ONCE (1-2-1). The Washington Capitals have opened 3-2-2 but are winless (0-1-2) in their first three games at home for the first time since the 1983-84 season. The Capitals gave up four goals in the first 9 minutes, 25 seconds of Monday’s 6-3 loss to Colorado at Capital One Arena and here's what head coach Todd Reirden told reporters about his team’s performance on Monday.“We got away from our team identity right from the start,” he said. “You could see the difference when we played to our identity and started to be physical and forecheck, now the whole game changed. We’ve got to be able to do that for 60 full minutes.”

Mitch Marner recorded three points (one goal) and defenseman Morgan Rielly set up four goals on Tuesday, while Auston Matthews scored his team-best seventh goal, giving him eight points (one behind team-leaders Marner and Rielly). Captain John Tavares scored for the second time in three games (he has six points), while Frederik Andersen (4-2-0, 3.14 GAA & .893 SP) got the victory with a 27-save performance.

Braden Holtby lasted just 7 minutes, 54 seconds on Monday, allowing three goals on as many shots and NEEDS to find his top form after opening the season 1-1-2 with a 4.27 GAA and .846 SP. Captain Alex Ovechkin has scored four of his team-leading five goals in the last three contests, while defenseman John Carlson has notched at least one point in SIX of his seven games this season. He leads the team with 11 points, including a club-high nine assists.

We could see two backup goalies in this one. Andersen started and won last night for Toronto, which could mean backup Michael Hutchinson (0-0-1, 3.85 GAA & .894 SP) will make his second start on Wednesday."It’s a team, and we’re a team,” Reirden said of Holtby. “I’m sure there are some things that he would have liked to have done different. But there’s some things that a lot of us would have liked to have done different. We’re in this together.” However, Reirden yanked Holtby in favor of rookie Ilya Samsonov on Monday, who checks in with a 2-1-0 record (1.43 GAA & .944 SP).

The goalie situation is irrelevant for me, it's more about a quality Washington team which after going 113-37-14 on home ice the previous four regular seasons, has gone winless in its first three games at home for the FIRST time since 1983-84 season. The Caps give the D.C. fans something to cheer about tonight, one night after the Nats clinched the franchise's first-ever World Series appearance by sweeping the Cards in the NLCS.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Was Capitals at 5:00 ET.

The Colorado Avalanche had the good fortune of opening the current NHL season with a four-game homestand. The Avs took advantage of that schedule by opening with three consecutive two-goal victories and then then pulled out a 3-2 OT win against Arizona this past Saturday. While Colorado is without a blemish in 2019-20, Washington snapped a three-game winless skid (0-1-2) with Saturday's 4-1 win at Dallas. The two teams meet tonight in Washington, as the Avs test their 4-0-0 start against the 3-1-2 Caps.

Former Capital Andre Burakovsky recorded his second game-winning goal in as many contests, as he netted the OT winner on Saturday. The 24-year-old Russian is facing his former team for the first time since being traded to the Avalanche in June for a second- and third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Nathan MacKinnon (led Colorado LY with 99 points) is tied for the team with six points (5 assists with linemate Mikko Rantanen (2nd on the team with 87 points, who has three goals and three assists. The Avs are particularly happy with their decision to move on from offensive-minded blue-liner Tyson Barrie and shift their focus toward the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, Cale Makar. He has rewarded Colorado's faith in him by becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to begin his career with at least one point in his first four regular-season games. He has yet to score a goal but has five assists, scoring one goal and setting up five others in 10 playoff contests last spring.

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin has three goals and an assist in his last three contests and tops Washington with four goals. However, defenseman John Carlson recorded his third straight multi-point performance and fourth of the season after scoring and setting up a goal in Saturday's win and leads all NHL blue-liners in assists (eight) and points (10). The Capitals have had problems holding leads in the third period in the early going so far, but the defense and rookie goalie Ilya Samsonov made everything stand up against Dallas. Samsonov is thought to be the goalie who will take over for Braden Holtby as the veteran's contract expires after this season.

Holtby has not started very well this season (1-1-2 with a 3.67 GAA & .868 SP) but is expected to be in net tonight, as he owns a 5-1-0 record with a 2.34 goals-against average in six career starts vs Colorado. Rookie goalie Pavel Francouz made his NHL debut and finished with 34 saves in Colorado's OT win on Saturday but he is the backup to Philipp Grubauer, who backed up goalie Braden Holtby during his time with the Capitals. Some (most?) may remember that Grubauer won the starting job heading into the 2017-18 playoffs but Holtby took it back and led Washington to the Stanley Cup. Grubauer was in net for Colorado's first three wins and has played well (2.34 GAA & .931 SP).

Colorado's 4-0-0 start is the team's best in SIX years but as noted, this marks the team's FIRST game away from Denver. The Avs were a modest 17-16-8 on the road last season and I'm on the Caps in this one, as Holtby & Co. will be primed to best Grubauer .

Good luck...Larry

My 10* play is on the Min Wild at 8:30 ET.

The Minnesota Wild have opened 0-3-0 and are hoping that some home cookin' will cure what ails them. All three of the Wild's losses have come on the road as head coach Bruce Boudreau noted. "They've been three road games against three tough teams," he said following his team's losses to Central Division rivals Nashville, Colorado and Winnipeg. "Granted, we would have liked to have won one or two of them. But now we get to go home. No excuses." The Penguins, who are dealing with long-term injuries to key performers, salvaged a split of their season-opening four-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over Anaheim this past Thursday

Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Nick Bjugstad and Alex Galchenyuk are all sidelined by injury, but head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that he isn't interested in making wholesale changes even with team's injury list growing larger by the day. "I don't think we're going to change our identity or style of play. I think we're going to simplify our style of play," said Sullivan. Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk has limped out of the gate this season by yielding 11 goals on 93 shots this season (3.73 GAA / .882 SP). Those numbers are far above his career numbers i]of .255 GAA and .916 SP.

Simply put, this marks Pittsburgh's first road game of the season, after the injury-riddled Pens were only able to split four home games. The task gets MUCH tougher here. Goaltender Matt Murray (2.52 GAA / .920 SP) has played all four Penguins games but with the team's first set of back-to-back games this weekend, backup Tristan Jarry stands a good chance of getting his first start of the season (that would be nice). The Wild are OVERDUE to play a good game. The time seems "just right' for that to happen in the club's home opener.

Good luck...Larry

My 9* play is on the Was Capitals at 8:00 ET.

Both Washington (2-1-2) and Dallas (1-3-1) have played nothing but one-goal games this season, including the Stars winning 4-3 (OT) in Pittsburgh this past Tuesday. Both clubs come into this contest off a loss, as Caps blew a two-goal lead in a 6-5 loss at Nashville on Thursday, while the Stars fell to 0-1-1 at home this season after blowing a two-goal lead in a 3-2 shootout setback to Calgary on the same night.

Alex Ovechkin scored twice Thursday, giving him three goals this season, as the future Hall of Famer is showing no signs of slowing down. T.J. Oshie is also off to a fast start with three goals, scoring on his only shot against Nashville. Goalie Braden Holtby (1-1-2 with a 3.67 GAA and .868 SP this season is expected between the pipes Saturday but he's 2-4-2 with a 4.02 goals-against average and .867 save percentage in nine career games (eight starts) versus the Stars. Roope Hintz recorded an assist on the power play Thursday for Dallas and is tops on the club with four goals and five points. Tyler Seguin (two) is the only other multiple goal scorer on the team. Goalie Ben Bishop ( with linemates Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov each tallying once. Ben Bishop is 1-2-1 on the season (2.48 GAA & .910 SP).

I like the quick "rematch" situation here and expect the Caps to get some "revenge." Holtby's numbers vs the Stars are a mild concern but Bishop hasn't dome much better in his career vs the Caps. He made 29 saves in Tuesday's win at Washington but is just 4-6-2 with a 3.37 GAA and .891 SP in 13 games against Washington. Holtby is a former Vezina Trophy winner and his goaltending sparked the Caps to their Stanley Cup win in 2018. Washington is the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 8* play is on the Chi Blackhawks at 7:00 ET.

Patrik Laine signed late in training camp following a disappointing season but the 21-year-old forward is off to a flying start as the Winnipeg Jets head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday. Laine has 10 points in his first five games for the 3-2-0 Jets (Jets have won THREE of four since losing their season-opener). Winnipeg visits a Chicago team that has opened by losing a pair of one-goal contests. Chicago beagn with a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia on Oct 4 in the NHL Global Series in Prague, Czech Republic and then opened a seven-game homestand with a 5-4 loss to the Sharks (it marks San Jose's lone win in a 1-4 start)..

Laine finished with 20 assists a season ago but already has SEVEN through five games. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck posted his second consecutive strong outing in Thursday's 5-2 home win over the Wild, with 38 saves. He has stopped 75-of-78 shots across the last two games, giving him a 2.68 GAA and .927 SP on teh season. Chicago was playing its first game six days (after opening the season with that game in Prague) on Thursday and maybe that's why the Blackhawks lost FOUR, one-goal leads in the contest.

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 29-of-34 shots in Thursday's loss and owns a 4.63 GAA and .875 SP after two games. Robin Lehner, who signed with Chicago as a free agent after playing with the Islanders last season (25-13-5, 2.13 GAA & .930 SP) just may make his debut on Saturday against the Jets. Thursday's loss was the first contest of what will be a SEVEN-game homestand for Chicago and I expect the Blackhawks to grab their first win of the season in this one.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* "signature" 36-Club Play is on the Pit Penguins at 7:00 ET.

The Anaheim Ducks finished last season just 35-37-10 (80 points) and found themselves on the outside looking in on the 2019 postseason. It marked an end to SIX consecutive playoff appearances for the Kings and going back further, a run of 12 postseason appearances over a 15-year span (Ducks lost a Stanley Cup Final in 2003 but won the Cup in 2007). The Ducks will play the second contest of their four-game road trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, having opened 3-0-0. The Penguins made the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season in 2018-19 and have won three Stanley Cups in that span, in 2009, 2016 and 2017. However, the Penguins have opened the current season 1-2-0 and are facing early adversity in the form of long-term injuries

John Gibson's sterling play between the pipes has been the common theme in all three of Anaheim's victories this season. He has turned aside 98 of 101 shots (.970 save percentage) while allowing just one goal in each contest (1.00 GAA). Anaheim showed its resolve in scoring three times in the third period on Tuesday, to earn a 3-1 win at Detroit. The Ducks are scoring only 2.67 GPG, surviving on the play of Gibson and the team's entire defense. Anaheim's penalty killing unit has been superb in front of Gibson, killing off all seven opponent power plays, giving the unit a "perfect score" by going 27 of 27, including the preseason.

I noted Pittsburgh's injury woes at the top. The Pens are without centers Evgeni Malkin and Nick Bjugstad plus winger Bryan Rust (all are out for an extended period of time), and then lost winger Patric Hornqvist on Tuesday in the first period of a 4-1 loss against Winnipeg when he got hit by a shot taken by teammate Kris Letang. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said Hornqvist and Galchenyuk are day-to-day because of lower-body injuries, which is better news than he has had on other injured players lately, but that does not mean one or both will be available against the Ducks.

"John Gibson has got a massive amount of leadership skills in him and he's the best goalie in the game," new coach Dallas Eakins said after his netminder's 31-save performance in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Detroit.To put it mildly, that's VAST overstatement! Yes, Anaheim has opened with three straight wins but the first two came over Arizona and San Jose, teams which are 0-6-0 to open the season. Eakins may think Gibson's "the best in the game" but he should look at Matt Murray's resume, which includes winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons of his career (Murray is in his fourth season). Pittsburgh is far from 100 percent but Anaheim hasn't opened 4-0 in its history (first season was 1993-94) and Gibson owns a 4-4-0 record with a 3.80 goals-against average and .886 save percentage in eight career starts vs the Pens. 'Jump' all over Pittsburgh in this one!

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the Veg Knights at 10:05 ET.

The Boston Bruins lost Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final 4-1 at home to the St Louis Blues but have opened the current season by winning their first two games, both on the road. The Bruins continue their season-opening four-game road trip with a visit to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. Vegas lost the 2018 Stanley Cup Final to the Washington Caps (4 games to 1) and like Boston, has opened the new season with two wins.

The Bruins have eked out two one-goal wins, at Dallas (2-1) and then at Arizona (1-0). The Bruins are averaging only 23.0 shots on goal, ranking LAST of the NHL 31 teams. The team's 1.50 GPG average ranks 27th. Boston's top line of Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were among the league's most potent units last season, combining for 108 goals, but they have managed only two points thus far. Tuukka Rask stopped 28 of 29 shots at Dallas and Jaroslav Halak had 35 saves for his 48th career shutout in the win over the Coyotes. Either goalie will represent a challenge for Vegas.

As opposed to Boston, scoring has not been been an issue for Vegas, as the Golden Knights have posted NINE goals in completing a home-and-home sweep of San Jose. The Golden Knights jumped out to early 2-0 leads in the first period of each of their first two games plus owns three short-handed goals, as well. The Golden Knights' top line is centered by William Karlsson, who plays with wingers Mark Stone and Reilly Smith. Stone has a team-high four points, while Karlsson and Smith each have three points. Smith and Karlsson also play on the team's top line and are the main reason Vegas has snuffed out all 10 short-handed situations. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 55 of the 57 shots he's faced (1.00 GAA & .965 SP).

Marc-Andre Fleury was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Penguins in 2003–04 and during his 13 seasons with the team won Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017. However, with the emergence of Matt Murray, Fleury willingly waived his no trade and no movement clauses to be left exposed by the Penguins for 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, where he was subsequently selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. He's been the backbone of the team in its first two season and is expected to be so again this year. The Bruins remain on the road and the team has yet to 'unlock' its offense. No reason to expect that to change here, vs Fleury.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Game of the Week is on the Col Blue Jackets at 7:00 ET.

The Buffalo Sabres finished last season 33-39-10 (76 points), missing the postseason for the EIGHTH straight year (was also the team's SEVENTH straight losing season). In stark contrast, the Columbus Blue Jackets were able to sneak into the postseason by going 47-31-4 (98 points), claiming the East's No. 8 seed. Columbus was 'rewarded' by drawing the NHL's top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning which had 128 points. In a MAJOR upset, the Blue Jackets swept the Lightning in four games and then took a 2-1 lead over the Bruins, before losing three in a row.

The two teams meet tonight in Columbus but it's the Sabres who have gotten off to a 2-0-0 start, not the 0-2-0 Blue Jackets. Buffalo opened teh season with a 3-1 win at Pittsburgh and then routed New Jersey 7-2 in its home opener on Saturday. Four players have recorded at least three points over the first two contests, with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leading the charge with four. Ralph Krueger is just the fourth coach in franchise history to win his first two games, joining Marcel Pronovost (1977), Scotty Bowman (1979) and Jim Roberts (1981).

Columbus has surrendered 11 goals while scoring just three in losing its first two games, after falling 7-2 in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Obviously, the Blue Jackets have struggled defensively, which is unlike a John Tortorella-coached team. "(The Penguins) end up scoring a few goals and then we lose our composure as far as how we have to play," Tortorella told the Blue Jackets' official website. "It just gives me a great opportunity to start teaching as far as what the patience of our game has to be."

This is a GREAT spot for Columbus and I'll support the feelings of the Blue Jackets' 21-year-old center Pierre-Luc Dubois who said, "We're a (freaking) good team. We just have to believe in it." this relatively young Columbus club allowed five second-period goals during Saturday's ugly 7-2 loss at Pittsburgh. Columbus last opened with three straight defeats in 2015-16 and I say that "AIN'T happening here!"

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Division Game of the Month (Metropolitan) is on the NY Islanders at 7:05 ET.

The New York Islanders finished one point behind the Washington Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division last season (104-to-103). Both squad disappointed in the playoffs in 2019, as the Caps lost a first-round series against the Hurricanes in seven games, after taking a 2-0 lead. As for the Isles, they swept the Pens in the opening round but then got swept by Carolina in the second round. However, all-in-all, it was an excellent season for New York and head coach Barry Trotz in his first season with the Isles. Trotz, who guided the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2017-18 before a contract dispute led him to move north, won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in the 2018-19 season.

Washington opened its season Wednesday night in St Louis, against the defending champs. After the Blues raised their championship banner, they took a two-goal lead in the opening eight minutes but relying on its experience, Washington settled down, tied the score in the second period and won 3-2 when Jakub Vrana scored 2:51 into overtime. Goalie Braden Holtby has seen his win total dip in each of the last three seasons, from a career-high 48 in 2015-16 to just 32 last season. He got off to a shaky start against the Blues, who scored on two of their first three shots. However, he settled down as the Caps came back to win. That said, rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov is expected to make his first NHL start, tonight.

New York pretty much stood pat and will basically feature the same roster from last season. The Islanders allowed the fewest goals in the league last season but did sustain a significant loss with the exodus of goaltender Robin Lehner (25-13-5, 2.13 GAA and .930 SP). However, Thomas Greiss (23-14-2) posted a 2.28 goals-against average and .927 save percentage to form an imposing tandem with Lehner. The Isles replaced Lehner with former Colorado netminder Semyon Varlamov. Greiss will be the team's No. 1 goalie and gets the start here in the team's season opener. Mathew Barzal, the top point producer in each of his first two seasons (62 LY and 85 the season before), centers the top line of Jordan Eberle (19 goals) and captain Anders Lee (team-high 28 goalies). Brock Nelson will skate alongside Josh Bailey on the second line, after each eclipsed 50 points last season. Veterans Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk plus youngsters Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews are part of a deep blue line.

Tough spot for Washington, which is coming off a nice comeback win Wednesday at St Louis. The Caps play tonight at the NYI and then return home to face Carolina, which eliminated them in last season's opening round. Isles are the play.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the Cal Flames at 9:00 ET.

My 10* NHL Game of the Week is on the Was Caps at 8:00 ET.

The two most recent Stanley Cup champions will take the ice on Wednesday, as St Louis (2019 champs) will host Washington (2018 champs) at the Enterprise Center, previously known as the Scottrade Center. The Blues will hoist their championship banner before the game but as reigning Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy recipient Ryan O'Reilly notes, "I think (the banner raising is) the last reflection before you start the journey again to the next one. Once it's up, it's back to work to do it again. I'm excited for that. The best part of the journey is playing the game and being together as a group." Speaking of "a group," St Louis returns much of the same roster that led the team to the franchise's first-ever title. The Caps exorcised their playoff demons by winning the 2018 Stanley Cup but last season was eliminated in the first round by Carolina, after taking a 2-0 lead (same old, same old).

Washington owns a roster with very few flaws. AlexOvechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and former Blue T.J. Oshie headline a Washington team that kept much of its potent offensive firepower in the fold, save for Brett Connolly (Florida). The most significant offseason change affected the team's blue line, as Brooks Orpik retired and the club acquired Radko Gudas from Philadelphia for fellow defenseman Matt Niskanen. Perennial Norris Trophy contender John Carlson still anchors a solid defense in front of Braden Holtby, who remains a solid netminder.

The Blues return the bulk of their championship team, losing only winger Pat Maroon to the Tampa Bay Lightning via free agency and swapping defenseman Joel Edmundson to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Justin Faulk. Faulk is a three-time All-Star and joins captain Alex Pietrangelo, Colton Parayko, Jay Bouwmeester, Vince Dunn and Carl Gunnarsson along the back line in front of Jordan Binnington, who sported a 24-5-1 record with a 1.89 goals-against average and .927 save percentage en route to being named a Calder Trophy finalist. Vladimir Tarasenko eclipsed 30 goals for the fifth straight season with a club-best 33 tallies, while O'Reilly collected team-leading totals in both assists (49) and points (77) in his first season with the Blues.

It's only Game 1 of an 82-game season but I 'LOVE' the visiting Caps in this one. We all know just how hard it is to repeat in the modern NHL. There's a reason so few teams can do it (and why it was so rare the Penguins pulled it off recently). The Blues' 26-game playoff run was taxing, especially since they were playing such a heavy brand of hockey. Many players spent the summer not only celebrating but recovering from significant injuries. In the Blues' amazing postseason run last year, they were a dominating 10-3 on the road but just 6-7 at home. Take the price!

Good luck...Larry

My NHL 10* Game of the Week is on the Bos Bruins at 8:08 ET.

The Boston Bruins have won SIX previous NHL championships (most recently hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2011) but they have never before played host to Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final. As for the Blues, they are looking for the franchise's first-ever NHL championship after entering the series 0-12 over three previous trips to the finals. St Louis had a chance to close things out at home in Game 6 on Sunday but Boston dominated the contest from the start and won, 5-1. This contest marks the 17th time the finals have gone seven games, with the home team going 12-4 in the previous 16 instances.

Rookie Jordan Binnington will once again step "between the pipes," giving him a second chance to set the single postseason rookie win total of 16 (he already owns the record for road wins with nine). Binnington allowed four goals on 31 shots in Sunday's Game 6 loss but the Blues are counting on the fact that he has posted a 7-2 record with a 1.86 goals-against average in games after defeats in the playoffs. Ryan O'Reilly has scored four goals and set up another in his last three games to push his overall playoff point total to 21 (seven goals, 14 assists), matching a franchise record with Hall of Famers Doug Gilmour (1986), Bernie Federko (1986) and Brett Hull (1990). However, Jaden Schwartz (the team's leading goal-scorer in the playoffs with 12), has yet to score this series.Another HUGE factor has been the Blues' inability to convert on the power play, as they are just 1-of-18 in the series!

I was "all over" the Bruins in Game 6 and noted prior to that contest that Rask was "the key" and he sure made me look smart in making 28 saves (12 came while St Louis was on the power play). Rask will take the ice tonight with the lowest GAA of any playoff goalie (1.93 per) and the best SP (.938) of any netminder. Boston's No. 1 line (Marchand, Pastrnak & Bergeron) each own nine postseason goals, with Marchand leading all players with 23 postseason points.

I WANT Boston's experience in this Game 7. Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, captain Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask have all previously traversed this terrain by suiting up in a winner-take-all contest in Vancouver in 2011 (note: Chara will play in his 14th Game 7, passing Hall of Famers Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens for the most in the NHL). Yes, Binnington has been terrific this postseason, especially coming off a loss (see above) but he has NOT been better than Rask (as just noted, above). Let me add that in three "elimination" games this postseason, Rask is 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA, having saved 145 of 149 shots (.973 SP!). I noted above that this will mark the first time that the Bruins will host a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final. Let me add that the City of Boston hasn't hosted a Game 7 in a championship round since the NBA's Celtics in 1984 (note: Celtics beat the Lakers 1111-102 in that one). Unlike the St Louis players and fans who were not up to the challenge in Game 6, I expect the Bruins (particularly Rask, who should win the Conn Smythe) and their fans will 'rule the day!'

Good luck...Larry

My 10* NHL Game of the Year is on the Bos Bruins at 8:00 ET.

I'm sure you've all heard this before. The St Louis Blues were through Jan 2. As the team got set to play its first game of 2019 (on Jan 3), St Louis sat at the bottom of the pack in the NHL with a 15-18-4 record and the fewest points in the NHL. Fast-forward five months later and the Blues are on the verge of completing a stunning turnaround. ONE more win (in Game 6 or 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals) and St Louis would capture its first Stanley Cup.The teams split the first two games of the series but Boston exploded for a 7-2 win in Game 3, chasing rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington after he allowed FIVE goals on 24 shots. However, the Blues rebounded to win Game 4 (4-2) and Game 5 in Boston (2-1), as Binnington stopped 59 of 62 shots (.952 SP).

Boston enters this "must-win" game getting just two assists in the past two losses from its No. 1 line. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak combined for 106 goals in the regular season and have 55 points in the playoffs. Bottom line is, Boston's play the last two games hasn't been good enough. The Blues' physical style is bothering the Bruins, forcing key mistakes that wind up in the back of the net. Of particular note, St. Louis has been the better team in 5-on-5 play AND the Bruins' potent power play is 0-for-5 in the past two games, after converting in each of the previous SEVEN contests (that includes Boston's 4-for-4 performance on 4 shots in Game 3).

The Blues' turnaround coincided with the arrival of Jordan Binnington, who went 24-5-1 following his promotion from the minors in early January and is coming off his best game of the Finals with a 38-save performance in Game 5. Center Ryan O'Reilly is riding a four-game point streak and has been HUGE in the back-to-back wins, with three goals and an assist.

Here's the setting. The Bruins are facing elimination Sunday night in Game 6 and will be playing in what should be a charged-up Enterprise Center. The cheapest ticket on the open market, according to StubHub, is going for more than $2,000. St Louis can become the first team in four years to win the Cup on its home ice and can also win the Cup for the first time in its 52-year history. It all seems too perfect for me. Note that while St Louis is 9-3 on the road during the postseason, the Blues are only 6-6 here at home. Yes, Binnington matched a postseason rookie record with 15 wins and set another with nine road victories but he's NOT the best goalie this postseason. That 'title' belongs to Boston's Tuukka Rask. He owns the postseason's lowest GAA (1.97) and best save percentage (.937), while Binnington's GAA (2.46) ranks 10th among all playoff goalies and his .913 SP is tied for 12th. St Louis may win its first-ever Cup but the Blues WON'T win it here in Game 6!

Good luck...Larry

My NHL 10* Game of the Week is on the StL Blues at 8:00 ET.

The St Louis Blues beat the Bruins 3-2 (OT) in Game 2 of the Cup Finals to ties the series at one-all, but after waiting 49 years between hosting games in the Stanley Cup Final, got steamrolled by the Bruins 7-2 in Game 3. The Bruins scored four power-play goals on as many shots, defenseman Tory Krug (goal, three assists) became the first-ever Bruin to record four points in Cup Finals game and SEVEN different Boston players scored. Boston's "Perfection Line"( Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak) combined for five points in Game 3. Goalie Rask made 27 saves and owns an NHL-best 1.91 GAA and .939 SP in the postseason.

As for the Blues, standout rookie goalie Jordan Binnington was pulled for the first time in 52 starts this season, after allowing FIVE goals on 19 shots. However, most feel that only ONE of those scores could be blamed entirely on Binnington, who got little help from his defense. Binnington will be back in goal tonight and St Louis head coach Craig Berube said, "My confidence level in him is really high" Berube added that he was at a loss as to why his club has been whistled for penalties as much as it has in the first three games of Stanley Cup Final. "First of all, we were the least penalized team in the league in the first three rounds; now all of a sudden we've taken 14 penalties in one series."

Let's not forget, St Louis actually came out and controlled the first six minutes on Saturday night, taking its cue from a revved-up crowd seeing the first finals game in the city since 1970. The Blues outshot Boston 5-0 out of the gate, but Rusk was up to the challenge. Boston converted its first power play in only 21 seconds and gradually choked the life out of the home crowd. It's "NOW or NEVER" for the Blues in Game 4. That's my bet.

Good luck...Larry

My NHL 10* Game of the Week is on the SJ Sharks at 8:08 ET.

The St Louis Blues have outscored the Sharks 7-1 since the controversial hand-pass goal that ended Game 3 and put them in a 1-2 'hole' in their series with the San Jose Sharks. However, the back-to-back wins mean the Blues are now in a position to "punch their ticket" to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970 with one more victory. Turnarounds are nothing new for the Blues this season, as they owned the NHL's worst record back on Jan 2! As for the San Jose Sharks, they aren't just facing elimination heading back to St. Louis for Game 6 of their Western Conference final, they are also facing questions about the availability of some key cogs in their lineup. San Jose captain Joe Pavelski (upper body), two-time Norris Trophy recipient Erik Karlsson (undisclosed) and Tomas Hertl (upper body) missed significant time in Sunday's 5-0 setback to St Louis while Joonas Donskoi (upper body) returned after being injured earlier in the contest.

San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer has shed little light on that topic ahead of the Sharks' potential elimination game Tuesday at Enterprise Center. "We're still alive," Sharks forward Logan Couture told reporters. "We've been in this spot before, going to Vegas down 3-2 in a very difficult building. St Louis is similar, it's a tough building against a good team. A structured team." St Louis comes into this contest off its most dominating performance of the playoffs. Jaden Schwartz recorded a hat trick and goalie Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for his first career playoff shutout."If you saw the game, you saw how good everyone on the team played," Binnington told Sportsnet after the game. "Everyone was outstanding, making the right decisions, playing hard and playing disciplined. That's a good team win." The rookie goaltender has turned aside 50 of 51 shots in his last two contests.

This scenario seems too good to be true. St Louis made the Cup final in each of its first three seasons but hasn't returned since. Awaiting the Blues if they win tonight are the Boston Bruins. The last time the Blues reached the championship round, they lost to the Bruins, a result forever framed by the famous image of Bobby Orr flying through the air after scoring the Cup-winning goal. Again, you can't make this stuff up. However, I will note that while the Blues are 7-2 on the road this postseason, they are a modest 4-5 at home! As for the Sharks, they overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round against Vegas by winning Games 5, 6 and 7. San Jose then won a Game 7 vs Colorado, which makes them a PERFECT 4-0 in elimination games this postseason. Make that 5-0, as this series is headed for a Game 7.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* PERFECT STORM is on the SJ Sharks at 3:08 ET.

Jordan Binnington made 29 saves in leading the Blues to  a 2-1 win in Game 4, which sent this series back to San Jose for a Game 5, tied at two-all.  The San Jose Sharks are 7-3 this postseason at SAP Center but the St Louis Blues are an impressive 6-2 on the road in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. That sets the stage for Sunday's Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Binnington, coming off shaky efforts in Game 1 and Game 3 losses (stopped just 46 of 56 shots for an .821 save percentage), set a franchise record with his 10th postseason victory this year and became only the 10th rookie goaltender to record double-digit wins in a single playoff run in league history.

Martin Jones, San Jose's oft-criticized goalie rebounded from allowing four goals in the second period to stop the next 15 shots that came his way in Game 3, when the Sharks came back to win in OT.  "It gets lost when we tie it up and win it in overtime," captain Joe Pavelski said. "But the critical saves he makes down the stretch ... (that) buys us some time to tie that thing up, were pretty important, pretty special." Don't blame Jones for the Game 4 loss, as he stopped 20 of 22 shots. Returning home will be good news for two San Jose players. Tomas Hertl scored a power-play goal in the third period for his first point of the series in Game 4 (and second on the road), as opposed to the 13 points (eight goals, five assists) he's posted at home. Defenseman Brent Burns has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 10 home contests in the playoffs.

We know that when conference finals are tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 owns an all-time series record of 19-8. More importantly, it's IMPOSSIBLE to ignore what's been going on with San Jose. After overcoming a 3-1 deficit against Vegas in winning Games 5, 6 and 7, the Sharks have alternated wins and loses in the team's last 11 games, winning Games 1, 3, 5 and 7 vs the Avs (lost Games 2, 4 and 6), with that trending continuing this series (won Games 1 & 3, while losing Games 2 & 4). I've been 'dialed in' on these two teams (9-1 in contests involving at least one of these teams in the 2019 playoffs) and I'll 'go to the well' again here, expecting the Sharks to follow their above-mentioned pattern and follow a game 4 loss with a win in Game 5.

Good luck...Larry

My 10* Situational Stunner is on the StL Blues at 8:08 ET.

A hand pass by San Jose's Timo Meier, undetected by the officials and not reviewable under NHL rules, led to San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson's goal 5:23 into overtime on Wednesday. The 5-4 victory puts San Jose up 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. Karlsson, the two-time Norris Trophy recipient joined the ageless Joe Thornton with two scores in Game 3, as the 39-year-old became the oldest player in NHL history to record a multi-goal performance in a playoff game. Meanwhile, St Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube told reporters on that his team is intent on moving past the controversy. "It is hard (to move on), for sure. It's not easy to do. It's a test. That's how you look at it," Berube said Thursday. "It's a tough play, tough call, but it's just a test, and we've been tested over and over throughout the season and the playoffs, and I think we're pretty good at bouncing back. That's the way I look at it. It's a mental thing more than anything."

Lost in the controversy was Martin Jones' performance in Game 3, as the oft-criticized goalie rebounded from allowing four goals in the second period to stop the next 15 shots that came his way. "It gets lost when we tie it up and win it in overtime," captain Joe Pavelski said. "But the critical saves he makes down the stretch ... (that) buys us some time to tie that thing up, were pretty important, pretty special." In contrast, Jones' "opposite number," StL rookie goalie Jordan Binnington (1.89 GAA and .927 SP in the regular season), has stopped just 46 of 56 shots (.821 SP) in losing Games 1 and 3.

However, it's IMPOSSIBLE to ignore what's been going on with San Jose. After overcoming a 3-1 deficit against Vegas in winning Games 5, 6 and 7, the Sharks have alternated wins and loses in the team's last 10 games, winning Games 1, 3, 5 and 7 vs the Avs (lost Games 2, 4 and 6), with that trending continuing this series (won Games 1 and 3, while losing Game 2). I've been 'dialed in' on these two teams (8-1 in contests involving at least one of these teams in the 2019 playoffs) and I'll 'go to the well' again here, expecting the Sharks to follow their above-mentioned pattern, one more time.

Good luck...Larry

My NHL 10*Game of the Week is on the Car Hurricanes at 8:08 ET.

The Boston Bruins needed to come from behind to win each of their first two series but they have outscored the Hurricanes 11-4 in winning the first two games of this Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 2-0 start in this series has extended Boston's postseason winning streak to FIVE in row (since trailing Columbus 2-1 in the previous round). For Carolina, the Hurricanes return home for the second time in this postseason facing a 2-0 deficit. They overcame that in the first round against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, winning all three home games in that series and then winning a Game 7 in Washington.

Boston took Game 1 by a 5-2 score, then won 6-2 in Game 2, despite its vaunted No. 1 unit contributing only two assists. It was the team's third line which came up big, as Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson and Dalton Heinen combined for seven points to boost their totals to 11 goals and 17 assists in the playoffs. As good as Boston's No. 1 line is, the Bruins have had 21 players post at least one point in this spring's playoffs (19 players have at least one goal!). Then there is goalie Tuukka Rask, who has stopped 50 of 54 shots in the first two games (.926 save percentage).

Speaking of goaltenders, Petr Mrazek was hurt in Game 2 of Carolina's second round series against the New York Islanders and did not return until the series opener against Boston. He maintains the injury and subsequent layoff were not factors in giving up 10 goals in the first two games (.808 SP). “I’m feeling good, no issue with that,” Mrazek said. “I don’t think it was that long a break, maybe nine or 10 days. I was feeling pretty good. I’m not going to look past, just look forward to the next one.” However, head coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged that he is contemplating a change in net for Game 3, which would mean a switch to Curtis McElhinney, who earned three wins by turning aside 71 of 75 shots in 7 1/2 periods against New York (.947 SP).

Either way, expect to see an improved Hurricanes team in Game 3. Obviously, the Hurricanes face a "must-win situation" when they host the Bruins tonight. The good news is, Carolina is a PERFECT 5-0 at home in the 2019 playoffs, outscoring their opponents 22-7. I'm "all over" Carolina in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Good luck...Larry