Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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12-11-21 | Capitals v. Sabres OVER 6 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -106 | 6 h 16 m | Show |
NHL Total of the Week 10* Top Play OVER 6 goals in Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - Both teams in a back to back situation. Both teams hungry off losses. I am expecting a big push in the offensive zone as a result and I like the expected goaltending match-up. Vanecek going for the Capitals and he will be rusty and has struggled in his last two starts. Luukkonen has started last two games for Sabres and played well but he is unlikely to go in this one. Prior to that the other 3 goalies started the 3 prior games for Buffalo were involved in games totaling 20 goals allowed by the Sabres. With Luukkonen unlikely to go here you can see why I am expecting the Capitals to have a huge game in the offensive zone given those numbers. The result should be a high-scoring match-up as the Sabres certainly will not lay down at home and they should enjoy success against a rusty Vanecek as his recent struggles continue. 10* OVER 6 goals in Buffalo |
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12-10-21 | Predators +102 v. Devils | Top | 3-2 | Win | 102 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter Friday NHL 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line +100 @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - The Devils are off a win, albeit over the slumping Flyers, and note that New Jersey has gone 0-3 last 3 times they were off a win. Overall the Devils had been slumping as prior to beating Philadelphia, they had lost 9 of last 11 games. The Predators come into this one hot as Nashville has won 14 of 21 including 3 straight. We get line value since this game is on the road for the Preds. I will take it as the Devils just haven't been consistent enough to trust in this spot. 10* NASHVILLE +100 |
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12-10-21 | Penguins v. Capitals OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 27 m | Show |
Total Blowout NHL 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - This series has seen 9 of last 12 games go over the total. Also, both teams enter this one on higher-scoring trends of late. The Penguins have scored 10 goals last two games and before that had allowed 5 or more goals in 2 of last 3 games. The Capitals have seen 7 of their last 8 games total at least 6 goals. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 5.5 in Washington |
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12-09-21 | Blackhawks v. Canadiens +123 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 48 m | Show |
NHL Early Blowout - 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens +123 @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:08 ET - The Canadiens have been playing much better since the management changes in the organization but they just don't have anything to show it for yet thanks in part to a tough schedule. Recent battles with Colorado, an OT loss at Nashville, and then they lost the game to Tampa Bay very late on Tuesday. The Habs have been on the cusp of breaking through and I like the way they have been playing and they can beat this Chicago team. The Blackhawks are certainly a step down in level of competition from what the Canadiens have been seeing and they will take advantage. Chicago has lost 16 of 25 this season and 5 of their last 9 and they have been held to 2 or less goals in all 5 of those recent losses. 10* MONTREAL +123 |
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12-08-21 | Flyers +137 v. Devils | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 55 m | Show |
NHL Early Blowout - 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +137 @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:08 ET - Well aware of the Flyers losing streak and so are the betting markets but so too are the odds makers! They set this line in the -125 range as an opener and yet it has shot up to the -155 range! The key here is that Philly fired their coach after the 7-1 debacle against the Lightning. The, even though they did not get the result they wanted in the 7-5 loss to the Avalanche, Philadelphia did look like a different team. This is a hockey club ready to get back into the win column and, keep in mind, the Bolts and Avs are two of the top teams in the NHL. This Devils team certainly does NOT fall into that category and New Jersey has lost 9 of its last 11 games! I feel strongly the odds makers knew what they were doing with setting a low money line on the hosts in this one. That said, we now have tremendous line value on the other side of the move. I'll take it and expect a very strong effort from a very hungry road dog tonight! 10* PHILADELPHIA +137 |
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12-07-21 | Blue Jackets v. Maple Leafs OVER 6 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 107 | 6 h 59 m | Show |
NHL Total Rout - 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:08 ET - The Blue Jackets off big 6-4 win versus San Jose. Not only did Columbus allow 4 goals in that one, they now go on the road where they have allowed an average of 4 goals per game this season! Toronto has won 5 of last 7 games thanks in part to offensive production that has seen them score an average of 4.7 goals last 6 games! You can see why I am expecting plenty of goals from the hosts here but also they have allowed 3 or more goals in 3 straight games and an average of 4 goals in regulation time of those 3 contests so don't be surprised if this one ends up in the 8 goal range in my opinion and we should see at least 7 in this one. 10* OVER 6 in Toronto |
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12-06-21 | Senators v. Devils OVER 6 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -115 | 6 h 8 m | Show |
NHL Total Smash - 10* Top Play OVER 6 in New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - Both these clubs been giving up goals like crazy. The Devils have lost 8 of 10 games thanks in large part to having allowed 4.1 goals per game in regulation time during this stretch. The Senators have been a bit of a mess since coming back from that 3-game stretch of postponements mid-November. Since then Ottawa has won 2 of 7 games and scored an average of 4 goals on their 2-game winning streak entering this game but have allowed an average of nearly 5 goals per game in these 7 games. Look for the high-scoring ways for both clubs to continue here. 10* OVER 6 in New Jersey |
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12-05-21 | Lightning v. Flyers +115 | Top | 7-1 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 59 m | Show |
NHL Earliest Blowout - 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +115 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 6:08 ET - This is a great spot for the Flyers as a home dog on the money line. The Lightning are off a fierce battle with the Bruins which they won in overtime yesterday at Boston. Not only is that the type of game that can leave Tampa Bay flat in their next game, it also means the goalie situation is unique. I do not expect Andrei Vasilevskiy to go again between the pipes after facing nearly 40 shots yesterday and with the game going to OT and, though I have plenty of respect for Brian Elliott, the veteran would be in trouble here. I do expect Elliott to start and he'll be facing his former team and they know the veteran netminder well. They know his strengths and weaknesses well and will take advantage here. No matter who is between the pipes for the Bolts, look for a very hungry and rested Philly team (just one game since last weekend) to take advantage and get a much needed win. Yes the Flyers have been slumping but this is the perfect spot to back them as a home dog and with a huge rest edge and with a massive situational edge with TB off that key win yesterday. 10* PHILADELPHIA +115 |
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12-03-21 | Sharks v. Rangers OVER 5.5 | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 17 m | Show |
NHL Earliest Cash - 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals New York Rangers vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:08 ET - Sharks in a tough back to back spot. The Rangers will look to take advantage and put on a blitzkrieg display of offense which is something they have been doing often. However, a confident San Jose team fully capable of responding to the barrage of shots the Rangers will bring here. That said, I expect this non-conference match-up to be high-scoring. New York has won 8 of 9 and the Rangers have averaged scoring 4 goals in those 8 victories. The Sharks off the tight 2-1 win in the shootout over the Islanders last night but San Jose did register a solid 35 shots on goal in that game and the Sharks have won 5 of 6 now and averaged 3.5 goals in the first 4 victories in that streak. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in New York Rangers |
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12-02-21 | Avalanche v. Canadiens +174 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 7 m | Show |
NHL Early Dominator - 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +175 vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7:08 ET - The Avalanche lost #1 goalie Kuemper to injury yesterday in pre-game and ended up having to turn to Johansson on short notice. He and the Avs got embarrassed at Toronto last night. Of course they will be hungry to bounce back but this is a very tough spot on the road. They have to use Johansson in 2nd game of a back to back or go with 21-year old rookie Justus Annunen on the road in a very tough situation. Yes it has been a very rough season for Montreal but now after the big management shakeup over the weekend. I fully expect another strong effort in this one. Yes they did have a strong effort versus an equally desperate Vancouver team but fell just short in a 2-1 loss that will only strengthen their resolve here. Canadiens are desperate for wins and need a big one on home ice and are catching the Avalanche at the right time to get it done and I look for a strong game from Jake Allen between the pipes and look for the goaltending to be the difference in this battle. 10* MONTREAL +175 |
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12-01-21 | Avalanche +111 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 3-8 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 29 m | Show |
NHL Early Dominator - 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche +110 @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:38 ET - The Avalanche are expected to have Nathan MacKinnon back tonight. Think about that for a second because he is one of the best players in the NHL and Colorado has been without him for most of this insanely red hot 7-1 run in which they have averaged a ridiculous 5.6 goals per game in the 7 victories! The only team to slow them down was Dallas and the Stars have been slowing down everybody of late as they continue an incredible run. That said, I also certainly do respect Toronto as the Maple Leafs are one of the top teams in the league but how many times are you going to get the Avalanche, when all their top guns are healthy, as an underdog? Exactly! This play is a great value spot for the underdog and I will not hesitate to step in! The Maple Leafs play in the hockey pressure cooker city known as Toronto (Montreal certainly takes the cake but Toronto is up there too) and though the Leafs have been hot, look at their recent home stats. The Maple Leafs have only 2 regulation wins in their current 3-2 run on home ice and have been held to an average of just 1.4 goals per game in regulation time of those 5 games! I am not sure they are going to be able to keep up with this red hot and confident Avalanche offense that also gets a big boost with the return of MacKinnon tonight. 10* COLORADO +110 |
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11-30-21 | Lightning +103 v. Blues | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 6 m | Show |
NHL Double Perfect Play - 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning +103 @ St Louis Blues @ 8:08 ET - St Louis is a solid team but they had been struggling recently before a win in most recent game. Tampa Bay is the defending two-time Stanley Cup champs and proving they can win even without guys like Point and Kucherov. That is the backdrop here and I love having the Bolts as an underdog as that is a rather rare occurrence. So now as for the double perfect situation. The Lightning are off a loss and are a perfect 4-0 L4 times off a loss. The Blues are a off a win and are an ugly 0-6 the last 6 times they have entered a game off a win. Give me the Lightning in this combined 10-0 spot! 10* TAMPA BAY +103 |
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11-29-21 | Seattle Kraken v. Sabres +130 | Top | 7-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
NHL Perfection Play - 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres Money Line +130 vs Seattle Kraken @ 7:08 ET - Yes the Kraken have won 3 of 4 but two of those wins were on home ice. Seattle is coming off a road upset win at Florida which was just their 2nd win in 10 away games this season. Also, Driedger started in goal in that game and the Panthers are his former team and it was just one of those nights when everything "clicked" for the Kraken. That said, this is still a team that has won only 20% of its road games and is now laying a -150 price here. I am not buying it. I know Buffalo has some issues of their own for sure but the Sabres are hungry off an OT loss and a respectable 6-5-1 on home ice so far this season. Buffalo is off that OT loss on the road at Detroit but won their prior game by a 4-1 count on home ice. They also have a win at Pittsburgh plus a home win over a strong Edmonton team in the past couple weeks. When the situation is right, this Sabres team can bring a strong effort and get it done. This is certainly the case again tonight as, they have a tough 2-game road trip coming up and won't be home again until next Tuesday. This games is very important for Buffalo and, as added motivation, they did lose 5-2 at Seattle early this month in a game that was tied at 2 heading to the 3rd period. Payback tonight. 10* BUFFALO +130 |
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11-27-21 | Oilers v. Golden Knights OVER 6 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -120 | 7 h 23 m | Show |
NHL Total of the Week - 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Vegas Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:08 ET - The Oilers are dealing with a cluster of injuries impacting the left side of the blue line. All the injury issues for their corps of defensemen is going to be particularly detrimental here. Keep in mind, Edmonton just allowed 3 goals at Arizona and now face a much tougher test here. The Golden Knights are hell bent on revenge for a 5-3 home loss to the Oilers last month. They are welcoming back Marchessault to the line up tonight and the Golden Knights also have Stone and he was not available in the first meeting between these teams. Vegas can score a lot of goals when healthy but, by the way, Edmonton is one of the highest-scoring most dangerous teams in the league. That will be the key the Oilers rely on tonight, is all that offense, since they are so banged up on defense. Note that Edmonton is averaging 4 goals per game this season. The Golden Knights are averaging 4 goals per game their last 11 games. Could we see a 5-4 game here? Honestly it would not surprise me and, at the very least, I do see at least a 4-3 game here as each team is allowing 3 goals per game this season and I do not see either team being held below 3 goals in this one. 10* OVER 6 in Vegas |
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11-26-21 | Avalanche -120 v. Stars | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -120 | 8 h 58 m | Show |
Game of the Month - NHL 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line -120 @ Dallas Stars @ 7:30 ET - The Avalanche have won 6 straight games and, incredibly, have scored an average of 6 goals per game in these victories! Not only that, Colorado might be getting Nathan MacKinnon back on the ice soon too. This Avalanche team continues to look like a Stanley Cup contender but last season Dallas ended those hopes and dreams with knocking the Avs out of the post-season in early September. This is their first meeting since and is a big-time revenge spot for Colorado. Since the Avalanche are on the road we get line value here as they are small favorite. This is a very manageable price and I know how hungry the Avs are for this game and they have been red hot on the ice. Dallas is hot too with wins in 4 of 5 games but lets not forget this is a Stars team that began the season with losses in 8 of 12 before this hot run. I think the road team is the vastly superior team this season and they get it done at a great price here. 10* COLORADO -120 |
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11-24-21 | Rangers -119 v. Islanders | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
NHL Divisional Dominator - 10* Top Play New York Rangers -120 @ New York Islanders @ 7:38 ET - In recent seasons, including last season, the Islanders have gotten the best of the Rangers more often than not. That said, this rivalry is set up perfectly Wednesday for the Rangers to get some much wanted revenge. The Islanders have been hurt badly by injuries and covid-19 protocols. As a result, even if some players come back, this team is just a bit disjointed right now. The Isles are not playing Isles hockey and just can't get anything going and they are definitely not going to get any sympathy here from an angry revenge-minded rival. The Rangers lost the last 4 meetings between the teams last season and the last 3 were by a combined score of 13 to 1. Suffice to say, a little payback is on order here in this one! The Islanders, by the way, have lost 6 straight games and allowed 4.5 goals per game in those 6 contests! The Rangers, on the other hand, have won 5 of last 6 games and this will be just their 2nd game since Thursday so they are well rested while the short-handed Islanders, though off so far this week, played games on both Saturday and Sunday. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS -120 |
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11-23-21 | Flyers +150 v. Lightning | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 24 m | Show |
NHL Early Annihilation - 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +150 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7 ET - This play is all about value. Of course the Lightning are a great team and the 2x defending Stanley Cup Champs but these teams met in Philly last week and the Flyers had a 2-0 lead in the game. Yes, Tampa Bay came back and eventually won the game 4-3 in the shootout but there is not much that separates these teams right now. Certainly not enough to warrant this big of a price on the Bolts in this one. Note that Tampa also was already without Kucherov and Cernak and now they lost Point to injury. Point is a fantastic player and his absence will be felt. Maybe he comes back here but he is dealing with an upper body injury and may not be 100% and he did not play against Minnesota on Sunday. The Bolts snuck by the Wild in a game that, like the Philly game, also required the shootout. In fact, TB has won 5 of last 8 games but of those 8 contests only 2 were Lightning wins in regulation. That said, this team is just over-valued right now and especially in this spot and, keep in mind, hunger matters in games like this. The Flyers are seeking revenge and are off B2B losses for the first time this season. The Bolts are still relishing their B2B Cup victories and have not been overly dominant so far this season. 10* PHILADELPHIA +150 |
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11-22-21 | Blue Jackets v. Sabres OVER 5.5 | Top | 7-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 1 m | Show |
NHL Earliest Dominator - 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 in Buffalo - The Blue Jackets are not the same team they were under Tortorella plus there was some roster turnover coming into this season too. Though they are off a 3-2 loss at Vegas Saturday that stayed just under this total, this team has been trending toward higher scoring games for quite some time now. That includes 7 straight games totaling 6 or more goals before that loss to the Golden Knights. Also, in the loss to VGK, you know CBJ is now kicking themselves for sitting back a bit after they got a 2-0 lead early. They can not make the same mistake tonight and so I look for extra push from a Columbus team that has been scoring quite a few goals of late. Korpisalo is expected to start for the Blue Jackets to give #1 goalie Merzlikins a break after 4 straight starts. Also, the Sabres are in 2nd game of a back to back so Tokarski is likely to be the starting goalie. He has been struggling often and Dell struggled last night in a 5-4 loss for Buffalo. The Sabres have lost 8 of 10 and have allowed an average of 5 goals per game in the last 7 losses. So with a total of 5.5 and considering the situation this looks like a high value situation on this total. 10* OVER 5.5 in Buffalo |
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11-21-21 | Maple Leafs v. Islanders OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -112 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
Total of the Week - 10* OVER 5.5 in NY Islanders - The Islanders are dealing with a covid outbreak and some injury issues. The team is missing some key personnel but they still fought hard in their loss in the opening of their new arena by Belmont Park last night. The fact is that after a short-handed team expended a lot of energy in a hard-fought loss to the Flames they will not have much left in the tank for this game. That is bad news as they face a Maple Leafs team that is angry off a home loss to the Penguins last night in which they were shutout! That said, my first thought here was a play on Toronto but I think the better play is the over especially at just 5.5 goals. We are getting a low total because of the long-term reputation of the Islanders but keep in mind this has not been your typical Isles team early this season. Also, the key to the over here is Toronto starting Joseph Woll between the pipes as he recently had a rough NHL debut and allowed 4 goals. The Islanders are smart enough to know they need to pepper him with shots here but the key is that on the other end of the ice the short-handed Isles will struggle to slow down an angry Leafs lineup full of solid attackers. The Islanders have lost 5 straight games and allowed an average of 4.8 goals per game. The Leafs are a different team when Jack Campbell is not between the pipes. He started last night so Woll gets the call tonight and the last 3 games not started by Campbell all have totaled at least 8 goals! Look for that pattern to continue here. 10* OVER 5.5 in New York Islanders |
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11-20-21 | Bruins v. Flyers +125 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 23 m | Show |
NHL Situational Slaughter - 10* Top Play PHILADELPHIA +125 - The Flyers are off a tough loss in the shootout versus Tampa Bay. Philly blew a 2-goal lead in that game and then actually had to rally to tie it on a late goal but still the missed opportunity motivates them greatly here. This is a team that has gone a perfect 6-0 this season when off a loss. They are hosting a Bruins team they already beat 6-3 earlier this season. Boston is a solid team but Philly has bested them in each of their last two meetings. Also, Bruins enter this game off B2B wins but have not won 3 straight all season. Boston also has struggled on the road this season. Prior to winning their most recent road game at New Jersey, the Bruins had lost 4 of 5 road games this season. Flyers known for being tough to beat on home ice and they bounce back to improve to 7-0 this season when off a loss. Great value with the Flyers as a home dog here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +125 |
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11-19-21 | Jets v. Canucks -105 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 25 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - NHL 10* VANCOUVER -105 - The Canucks off a tough loss to the Avalanche Wednesday in which the only 3 goals that Colorado had were on the power play. Vancouver did play hard and they are playing hard because they want to put the tough start to the season behind them. They are catching the Jets at the right time to do that. Winnipeg is off B2B big games against the Oilers and that includes, after winning the first one, a tough shootout loss (they lost in the shootout period) at Edmonton last night. That defeat could leave the Jets a little worn out both physically and mentally here and also Hellebuyck was between the pipes. That means it is likely that little used Comrie gets the call here. Though he has solid numbers this season, he has not played in nearly two weeks. I expect the rust to show in this one and, keep in mind, he entered this season with sub-par career numbers in his limited NHL action. 10* VANCOUVER -105 |
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11-18-21 | Lightning v. Flyers +115 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #10 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +115 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - This is all about the line value. The Lightning are the 2x defending Stanley Cup Champs. This is the first visit for the Bolts to Philly in quite some time. You know the Flyers will be highly motivated here. Philadelphia has won 4 of last 6 home games and coming off a confidence boosting win in OT over a Flames team that has been playing solid hockey. As good as Tampa Bay has been, it is definitely hard to 3-peat and this is especially true when you have a target on your backs all the time. The Flyers will be up for this game. The Bolts are going to lose some games this season. That is most likely to occur on the road and facing a quality team. This game, as a result, checks all those boxes and indeed Tampa has lost 2 of its last 4 road games. The last time these teams met was in the bubble in August of last year and the Carter Hart, playing very well right now by the way, outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy, the best goalie in the league, in that one. I look for more of the same here as the home ice makes the big difference here. Hart known for being tougher on home ice and the Bolts have allowed 3 goals per game when on the road this season and without Kucherov again and the loss of Cernak to injury also hurts them. 10* PHILADELPHIA +115 |
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11-17-21 | Avalanche v. Canucks +150 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #68 Wednesday 10* Top Play Vancouver Canucks Money Line +150 vs Colorado Avalanche @ 9:08 ET - The Canucks have their backs against the wall and the Avalanche have been rolling. That said, there is much more than meets the eye here. Vancouver actually is 2-0 the last 2 times they have been on home ice and coming off a loss. Also, the Canucks have only 1 regulation loss in their last 4 games played at home. The Avalanche have won just 2 of 5 road games this season and one of those wins was in the shootout. In fact, in regulation time in road games this season, Colorado has been outscored 20 to 13. I know coach Travis Green is on the the hot seat for Vancouver right now but his team is off a strong practice Tuesday and is ready to respond big after a road trip that wrapped up on Sunday. The Canucks have had a chance to regroup and hit the reset button and I expect them to start this 3-game homestand with a big upset win over an Avs team that is without Nathan MacKinnon now too. Look for the Canucks to get some revenge for last week's embarrassing 7 to 1 loss at Colorado. It is payback time here. 10* VANCOUVER +150 |
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11-16-21 | Flames v. Flyers +103 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 103 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +105 vs Calgary Flames @ 7:08 ET - The Flyers are off a loss at Dallas Saturday. Philadelphia is 5-0 this season when off a loss! The combined score of those 5 victories is 18 to 6. Look for angry Flyers team to take to the ice Tuesday in Philly and keep in mind they most definitely will not overlook the Flames. I say that because the Flyers lost at Calgary last month 4-0 in what is their biggest margin of defeat this season. Philadelphia was in the final game of a 3-game road trip to Western Canada and had won the first two at Edmonton and Vancouver and simply did not have it for the finale of the 3-game trip. That said, a little extra motivation for the hosts here and they catch the Flames off a win but that was at Ottawa. The Senators have been decimated by covid-19 issues and in fact are now having their next 3 games as a result. The Flames face a much bigger challenge here as the Flyers are mostly healthy and will prove to be a much tougher test. Also, Calgary had lost 5 of 6 games prior to the win over the Sens. Look for Philly to improve to 6-0 this season when off a loss as they get some revenge in this one and get right back into the win column. 10* PHILADELPHIA +105 |
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11-15-21 | Islanders +117 v. Lightning | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 56 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #39 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +115 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - I have tremendous respect for the two time defending champion Lightning and their goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Bolts are a fantastic team. However, there is a reason they are priced so low for this match-up. The Islanders are a much stronger team than their recent results have showed and the set-up here, TB off huge win, is a perfect one for backing the road dog. While Tampa Bay is off an OT win over Florida, the Isles are off B2B losses for just the 2nd time this season. The Islanders also are the much more rested team as tonight's game will be just their 2nd one in the past 8 days! Prior to the B2B losses, New York had won 4 of 5 and all 4 wins were by 2 or more goals and the lone loss was in the shootout. As for the Lightning, they are off huge win over a Panthers team that has been great early this season and that game was on Saturday. Prior to that the Bolts had lost 2 of 3 and this a challenging spot for them. Keep in mind, the Lightning have played 13 games this season and only 4 of them have resulted in a win in regulation time. This Tampa Bay team, as good as they still are (for sure high quality), do seem to be having a bit of a 2x Stanley Cup Champ hangover so far this season. Considering that plus the big win over the Panthers Saturday, this is an ideal spot to take a hungry dog and fade the Bolts. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +115 |
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11-14-21 | Oilers -105 v. Blues | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 17 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Sunday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line -105 @ St Louis Blues @ 7:08 ET - The knee-jerk reaction here from most will be to take the home team off a loss with Jordan Binnington between the pipes and on home ice. However, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of that. I really like this Oilers team this season and they are off a loss also. Key factor Edmonton is their loss was Friday while the Blues loss was yesterday. St Louis is in a back to back and has lost 5 of 8 games. Edmonton has yet to lose back to back games and I love the resiliency of this club. When the Oilers faced the Bruins in Boston on Thursday they fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 and 3-2 but kept battling back immediately each time in the eventual 5-3 win. Also, Mikko Koskinen is likely to be between the pipes since he did not play Friday and he is 8-1 with a 2.59 GAA and a .918 save percentage this season. He has played very well and looked very comfortable between the pipes. This will not be an easy game for the Oilers as the Blues are at home and hungry off B2B losses but I think the B2B situation here will be too much for them. That said, when you want to play strong teams like Edmonton you have to be willing to take them on the road and against quality opponents if you want to get the most manageable lines. So just like grabbing the Oilers as a dog at Boston Thursday now we get them in a pick'em price Sunday at St Louis and this is a solid value worth taking! 10* EDMONTON -105 |
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11-13-21 | Panthers v. Lightning -109 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 19 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #4 Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line -110 vs Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - The set up here perfect. The Panthers are starting to falter after losing their head coach following a red hot start to the season. Florida has now lost 3 straight games and has only 1 win that game in regulation in their last 7 games. Earlier this season the Panthers did get some playoff revenge against the Lightning with a 4-1 win at Tampa Bay. That makes this a payback spot for the Bolts and they are a rested team as they have been off since Tuesday and that was a tough 2-1 OT loss to Carolina in which goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning did play very well. In fact, the Bolts have been going the opposite direction of the Panthers of late. TB had won 4 of 5 before the OT loss to the Hurricanes and all 4 of the wins were in regulation with 3 of them by a multi-goal margin. The only 2 losses the Bolts have since Oct 26t were both in OT. Ideal situation to grab the home team at a bargain price in this one! 10* TAMPA BAY -110 |
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11-12-21 | Flyers +163 v. Hurricanes | Top | 2-1 | Win | 163 | 7 h 3 m | Show |
NHL Situational Shocker - 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +160 - The Hurricanes are a fantastic hockey club but situations do not get much better than this. Carolina is off a playoff revenge win over Tampa Bay in which they scored a late goal to tie it and then won in overtime. Keep in mind this tight win was a very emotional one for the Hurricanes plus this followed a 5-2 loss at Florida so the Canes haven't exactly been dominant last two games. Both of those games were huge games for Carolina as the Panthers entered that game as the other hottest team in the league. So now, after those two huge wins the Hurricanes are in a definite flat spot and taking on a Flyers team that has only one loss in regulation in 5 road games this month. Also, the Flyers are a perfect 4-0 this season when off a loss and they enter this game off a rare shutout defeat on home ice versus Toronto on Wednesday. Look for a huge effort from the road dogs here and they should get the job done with a big upset that many would not expect. The Canes are a great team but, especially considering this situation, the Flyers - a quality team in their own right - are very undervalued here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +160 |
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11-11-21 | Oilers +133 v. Bruins | Top | 5-3 | Win | 133 | 8 h 1 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Thursday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line +130 @ Boston Bruins @ 7 ET - We are getting phenomenal line value here. The Oilers are off just their 2nd loss of the season. Edmonton will be in bounce back mode here and they are the highest scoring team in the league but coming off a game in which they were held to just 2 goals. The only reason they are an underdog in this spot is because they are on the road and facing a Bruins team that is 5-0 on home ice this season. Boston is a solid team again this season no doubt but this is a team that had only 1 regulation time win in its last 5 games prior to sneaking by Ottawa 3-2 on Tuesday. The point is that the Bruins are not some juggernaut that has been rolling through teams this season. Ullmark is getting the start for Boston in goal here and he has allowed 3 or more goals in 3 of his last 4 starts. Oilers likely to go with Koskinen in between the pipes and he is 7-1 with a 2.54 GAA on the season! With all due respect to the Bruins and Ullmark, this is just an incredible value to have the highest scoring team in the league with a hot goalie between the pipes and getting a +130 price range when coming off a loss. 10* EDMONTON +130 |
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11-10-21 | Maple Leafs v. Flyers +115 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +115 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:38 ET - This spot is offering tremendous home dog value. The Flyers have been a great team on home ice ever since Alaign Vigneault took over. Also, Toronto is coming off a 5-1 loss and that was at home! Note that the Maple Leafs have lost 3 of 4 road games and the only win was in overtime. The point is that, though Toronto is a solid team, they are a bit over-valued and certainly have struggled on the road early this season too. The Flyers are well-rested for this game and have been playing well in long stretches early this season. Philly lost their season opener on home ice but have won 3 of 4 since with the only loss to a red hot Florida team and the 3 wins coming by a combined score of 15 to 4. The point is that this game has home blowout potential and even if it is a close game I still see the hosts prevailing. 10* PHILADELPHIA +115 |
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11-09-21 | Hurricanes +111 v. Lightning | Top | 2-1 | Win | 111 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes +110 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - Revenge game for the Hurricanes after getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Lightning last season. Also, Carolina - perhaps caught looking ahead to this game - is off their first loss of this season as they were hammered 5-2 Saturday at Florida. The Lightning are a little banged up right now and have not been as dominant as usual early this season. In fact, the Bolts have lost 3 of 5 games on home ice this season and one of their two wins was over an Arizona team that has been dreadful this season. The Hurricanes have won 9 of their 10 games this season. Yes Tampa Bay is on home ice here but the road team has actually taken 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams. Look for that trend to continue here as the Hurricanes have been the better team early this season and get some playoff revenge with a big win here. 10* CAROLINA +110 |
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11-08-21 | Panthers v. Rangers +110 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 110 | 10 h 46 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Monday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line +110 vs Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - I know it may look funny to be see a Rangers team that has lost half its games in nearly a pick'em price range against a 10-0-1 Panthers team that has yet to lose a game in regulation this season. However, think about that for a second...there is, of course, a reason this game is priced this way. That said, I am happy to grab the home dog here. The Rangers are back from a tough trip out west which ended with 3 consecutive losses. However. New York has played a road-heavy schedule and they are going to take advantage of this opportunity on home ice. The Rangers, in fact, won their most recent game on home ice by a 4-0 count. Also, this is NY's only game between last Saturday and this coming Saturday. They are focused on making the most of it and, of course, they are facing a Florida team with a bullseye on its back as the last remaining team without a regulation loss. I look for the Panthers to absolutely suffer their first regulation defeat here. Florida is off their biggest game so far this season as they faced an equally hot Carolina team and shut them won for the 5-2 win Saturday. This is one of those situations where the Panthers could get caught still celebrating such a big win. The Rangers will surprise them here as this is a high quality team ready to respond after a tough road trip and with another road game on deck. They won't let this opportunity pass them by and the goaltending bounces back after a pair of tough games. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS Money Line +110 |
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11-07-21 | Golden Knights v. Red Wings OVER 5.5 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
Total of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:08 ET - Love the set up here as the Golden Knights are off a playoff revenge win at Montreal yesterday. That could leave Vegas a little flat here in terms of defensive intensity. However, at the other end of the ice the Golden Knights finally got their power play going and it was the 3rd time in 4 games that Vegas has scored at least 4 goals. That said, I am looking for a barn-burner here with plenty of goals because Detroit also was in action yesterday in a high-scoring win at Buffalo. I like the fact the Red Wings got the win but also have now allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 4 games. Detroit has averaged scoring 3 goals per game when on home ice this season and with both teams in a back to back here that is tough on the goalie situation as well as the defense. I look for the Golden Knights to come out a little sluggish after the revenge lead and the Red Wings should take advantage but then Vegas comes back strong and this helps lead the way to a back and forth high-scoring game. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit |
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11-06-21 | Flyers +140 v. Capitals | Top | 2-1 | Win | 140 | 8 h 43 m | Show |
Philly Special - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers +140 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:08 ET - The Flyers are really undervalued here. Yes the Capitals are on home ice but Washington has only won 5 of 10 games this season and Philly has won 5 of 9 games this season. There is just not enough that separates these two teams to justify this high price. Also, the Flyers are off a poor game against Pittsburgh. Yes they salvage a point in the standings in the OT loss thanks to a strong effort from goalie Carter Hart in regulation but, overall this team did not play well. That said, great spot to back them at a big plus money price as the road team actually has won 6 of the last 8 meetings between these nearby divisional rivals. Travel just not a big deal in games between these clubs based on their close proximity. Also, note that Philly is 3-0 this season when off a loss. The Capitals have lost back to back games and 4 of their last 6 and the road dog value is just too good to pass up here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +140 |
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11-04-21 | Flyers +110 v. Penguins | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
Rivalry Rout - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +110 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:08 ET - The Flyers are the healthier team, hotter team, and are on the road here against a bitter rival so the result is a nice line for us! We can get Philly as an underdog and they are facing a Pittsburgh team that has lost 3 straight games by a combined score of 13 to 3. Not only that, the Penguins are going to have their hands full with a Flyers team that has revenge for a 7-3 home loss in the last meeting between these teams. Sidney Crosby is doubtful for this game (Covid) and this Flyers team is playing with confidence right now having won 5 of last 7 games and off a shutout win over Coyotes. Carter Hart is likely to be in goal tonight and he has been sharp recently and I expect more of the same tonight. He was rock solid when he last started again the Penguins in a 2-1 win and I expect another strong effort here! 10* PHILADELPHIA +110 |
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11-03-21 | Hurricanes v. Blackhawks +132 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 21 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line +130 vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8:38 ET - Tough spot for the Hurricanes. Yes, Carolina is a great team and 8-0 this season but the only other team without a loss in regulation this season is Florida. Up next for the Hurricanes is a match-up with the Panthers at Florida on Saturday. This is clearly a lookahead spot for the Canes. Yes, Carolina is undefeated this season but Chicago is in revenge mode after a 6-3 loss at Carolina Friday. They have been a different team since then as Marc Andre-Fleury was not in goal for that game but has been back between the pipes for the last two and he allowed just one goal in each game! Not only is Fleury back in top form, they got Patrick Kane back for their last game and he delivered a hat trick in the big 5-1 win for Chicago. The Blackhawks are a home dog with a hot goalie and a rejuvenated attitude and they catch the Hurricanes in a lookahead. This home dog too good to pass up on in this spot as I look for Kane and Fleury to again lead the way. 10* CHICAGO +130 |
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11-02-21 | Golden Knights v. Maple Leafs OVER 5.5 | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 26 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7 ET - The total has dropped from a 6 to a 5.5 for this one and I love the value with the over here. I know William Karlsson just suffered a broken foot for Vegas and the Golden Knights have been dealing with injuries up front. However, they still have firepower in their lineup and are coming off a 5-4 shootout win over Anaheim. The Knights have some momentum too courtesy of 3 straight wins now. However, though they should score some goals here, they will not be able to stop the high-powered Maple Leafs. For thing, Vegas goalie Robin Lehner has been rather inconsistent. For another thing, this Toronto team is very dangerous in the offensive zone. The Maple Leafs are off a 5-4 win and the last two games at the Air Canada Centre each totaled 8 or more goals. As per usual the Leafs defense has been a little leaky and they have had some goaltending concerns of late with 4 or more goals allowed in 4 of last 5 games! That is why I expect this one to shape up to be a barnburner. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto |
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11-01-21 | Senators v. Blackhawks -135 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 9 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Monday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line -135 vs Ottawa Senators @ 8:08 ET - Chicago is winless in 9 games this season and yet a moderately priced -135 favorite in this one. Confused? Don't be! The odds makers know what they are doing and in typical contrarian fashion to public perception of course I am siding with the odds makers and fading the masses as I will lay the -135 price with the winless Blackhawks. Couple keys here. Murray could be back between the pipes for Ottawa here but the Senators netminder was dealing with an upper body injury and could be rusty here after not playing in more than a week. As for the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre Fleury - after a rough few starts to begin the season - was absolutely fantastic at St Louis on Saturday in a 1-0 loss. Fleury appears to be back and ready to stake his claim as the #1 netminder in Chicago. Speaking of being "back", star Patrick Kane has been cleared from covid protocols and is expected back for this game tonight. He has missed the last four games. The combination of all these factors as well as home ice should lead to a solid victory for the hosts in this one. Lay the price! 10* CHICAGO -135 |
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10-31-21 | Blue Jackets v. Devils OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 6 h 42 m | Show |
Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 5:08 ET - The Devils are in the 2nd game of a back to back. That means options in net would be Bernier in back to back games but off an injury and certainly that is not a good choice. So more likely it will be Daws and Wedgewood and both those guys have been unimpressive of late. So I look for Columbus to have some success scoring here as they enter this game hungry off a shutout loss on Friday. As for the Blue Jackets netminder for this one it has been confirmed to be Korpisalo and that is another reason I like the over in this one! He has allowed 7 goals so far this season including 5 in his most recent start. Korpisalo had a 3.30 GAA last season and his struggles are likely to continue early this season as Columbus doesn't have the blue line strength they used to have in past seasons. The Jackets have allowed 4 goals in each of their two road games this season. The Devils have seen 4 of their 6 games total 6 or more goals this season and this total dropping from a 6 to a 5.5 has opened up solid line value here on the over given the situation including the goalies. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in New Jersey |
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10-30-21 | Panthers v. Bruins -126 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 57 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -125 vs Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - Florida is 8-0 on the season so it may seem contrarian to be fading them but that is what my contrarian crusher plays are all about. First off, Panthers certainly deserve a lot of credit for their 8-0 start to the season but they are now in their toughest situation of the young season by far. They are it the 2nd of back to back road games, they just had their head coach resign, they are playing their 3rd game in 4 days, they barely survived with an OT win at Detroit last night, and they are facing a Bruins team they just beat Wednesday but that it is 2-0 at home. Yes, Boston has definitely faced a tough early season schedule and will enjoy again being on home ice and I look for them to get revenge after scoring first at Florida Wednesday but then seeing thing slowly unravel from there onward. The Bruins are still a very strong team and this is particularly true when at home and particularly true when off a loss. Boston will be fired up for revenge here and they catch the Panthers in a very tough scheduling spot and will take advantage. This is the ideal spot for the Panthers, going through a lot of recent turmoil with former head coach Joel Quenneville, to see their unbeaten season come to an end. The Bruins are favored here over 8-0 Florida with good reason! Lay it! 10* BOSTON -125 |
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10-29-21 | Coyotes v. Capitals OVER 6 | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 54 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6 goals in Washington Capitals vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals are off a loss to Detroit in OT where they took their foot off the gas and blew a 2-goal lead. That said, I look for them to go all out here and keep their foot on the gas all the way and that is bad news for an Arizona team off to a horrible start this season and giving up piles of goals. The one bit of good news for the Coyotes here is that they should be successful in scoring some goals in this one! Ilya Samsonov is likely to get the start here and he has allowed 8 goals in his first two starts. For Arizona it hardly matters who starts as they have been given up so many goals no matter who was between the pipes but it is expected to be Karel Vejmelka that is getting the call here. He has given up 13 goals in about 8 periods of hockey over his last 3 appearances so that equates to nearly 5 goals per game. Vejmelka has been struggling and the Coyotes are allowing about 5 goals per game overall. That said, and given the situation, I love the over in this match-up. 10* OVER 6 goals in Washington |
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10-28-21 | Flyers +123 v. Canucks | Top | 2-1 | Win | 123 | 10 h 4 m | Show |
NHL Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +123 @ Vancouver Canucks @ 10:08 ET - Back to back spot for Flyers but last night's game was just their 2nd game in 7 days! In other words, Philadelphia's skating legs should be just fine here and, on that note, they certainly have been skating very well since an opening night loss to the Canucks in the shootout. That ruined the Flyers home opener and now they get their shot at revenge. Martin Jones is likely to be between the pipes since Carter Hart was last night but Jones should fare just fine here. He allowed 3 goals (but on 40 shots!) in a win over the Bruins in his lone start this season. He got great scoring support there and that should be the case again for Jones here as the Flyers are scoring an average of 4.6 goals per game and look like a rejuvenated team early this season. Their only other loss this season was to Florida and the Panthers are still undefeated on the season! That said, Philly is a strong early season team as you can see and they get some revenge at Vancouver tonight. The Canucks only other two wins were against the Blackhawks and the Kraken. Those two hockey clubs have combined for just 2 wins in 14 games this season! Vancouver has been held to 2 or less goals in 4 of 7 games this season and I look for the high-scoring Flyers to prove to be too much and get their revenge here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +123 |
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10-27-21 | Bruins +120 v. Panthers | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 40 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #73 Wednesday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line +120 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - The Panthers are coached by Joel Quenneville and he led the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup title in June of 2010 when they eliminated the Flyers in 6 games. What does that have to do with this play? Well the 2010 season is the key one in the allegations and possible cover-up involving a Blackhawks employee and multiple players and Quenneville is now being called to meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Thursday. So this is a major distraction as the Panthers are at home in Florida tonight taking on a very strong Bruins team than their head coach is in New York on Thursday and then the team is in Detroit on Friday. That said, even though the Panthers are undefeated this season, I love the Bruins in this spot. Boston has only played 4 games so far this season so that is the part of the reason they are further down in the standings. Even though it is early in the season there is no doubt that the Bruins are well aware of the Panthers 6-0 start and the fact that Florida is currently 6 points in front of them in the Atlantic Division even though Boston has lost only 1 game (3-1 thus far). I like the fact that the Panthers could be distracted here and the Bruins come in as the much more rested team and also a very focused team that is motivated by this chance to give Florida the first blemish on their sparkling record early this season. The Bruins have had great success at Florida in recent seasons and I look for that to continue here. 10* BOSTON +120 |
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10-26-21 | Flames v. Devils -113 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -113 | 11 h 3 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #60 Tuesday 10* Top Play New Jersey Devils Money Line -113 vs Calgary Flames @ 7:08 ET - Tough spot for the Flames as it is their first back to back situation this season. Also, Calgary used #1 goalie Markstrom last night so the back-up Vladar is likely to go tonight. Though the Devils have been dealt some goalie injury issues, they saw young rookie Nico Daws step up with a great performance in his first start. That game was on Saturday and improved New Jersey to 3-1 this season plus they come into this game with extra rest and on home ice while the Flames are playing this game with no rest. Vladar likely to start in goal for Calgary here and he has a 3.31 GAA in his 6 career NHL starts. Look for home ice and the rest edge and the goalie edge to lead to a big win for the Devils in this one. 10* NEW JERSEY -113 |
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10-25-21 | Lightning v. Sabres +1.5 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 3 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Monday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres +1.5 goals -135 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:08 ET - Tampa Bay has struggled so far this season and their only two victories have come in OT. Also, the Lightning have a big revenge game on deck as they will be at Pittsburgh tomorrow and they lost their season opener at home by a 6-2 count versus the Penguins. As for the Sabres, they have been very scrappy early this season with a 3-1-1 record. That means if you had Buffalo +1.5 in all games this season you would have won 4 of 5 bets and if you went against TB with +1.5 goals in all of their games this season you would have won all 5 bets against the Lightning. Hence the value here with only having to lay a -135 price to have the Sabres at +1.5 goals. Buffalo is off a tight 1-goal loss at New Jersey Saturday and won't be home again, after this game, until Saturday November 6th. After tonight's game Buffalo heads on a west coast road trip. As a result, and hosting the 2-time defending Stanley Cup champs tonight, I look for the Sabres to come out very strong tonight and make the most of this opportunity on home ice before heading west. 10* BUFFALO Puck Line +1.5 goals -135 |
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10-23-21 | Panthers v. Flyers OVER 6.5 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 35 m | Show |
PA Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 +105 in Philadelphia Flyers vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Short and sweet with this one. The Panthers are 4-0 this season and the Flyers are 2-0-1 so neither team has tasted defeat in regulation time this season. Not only that, Florida has scored 4 or more goals in all 4 games and Philadelphia has scored 4 or more goals in all 3 games. With two very confident teams playing to win rather than playing not to lose, the goals should be plentiful in this one. Need each team to get to 3 goals and, again, they have each gotten to no less than 4 goals in each game. As a result, don't be surprised if we see a 5-4 final here but either way I am expecting at least 7 goals. 10* OVER 6.5 goals in Philadelphia |
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10-22-21 | Bruins -1.5 v. Sabres | Top | 4-1 | Win | 125 | 8 h 33 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125 @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:08 ET - The Bruins in a great spot here. Fired up off a loss and now former Sabre Linus Ullmark will be between the pipes for Boston in Buffalo. I expect a big game from him and I know Buffalo is undefeated on the season and off to a great start but now they are facing one of the best teams in the league and they catch them at the wrong time too. This situation has blowout written all over it. Yes Buffalo off to a 3-0 start but the 3 teams they have faced have now lost a combined 12 of 14 games. All those clubs struggling. Now the Sabres take a big step up in level of opponent. 10* Boston Bruins -1.5 goals +125 |
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10-21-21 | Avalanche +105 v. Panthers | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 14 m | Show |
Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +105 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:08 ET - Landeskog back tonight from two game suspension. The only game he played the Avalanche won 4-2 in their season opener. Since then they have gone 0-2 and MacKinnon missed one of those losses and was not himself in the loss Tuesday in Washington after flying cross country Monday night after being cleared from covid protocols. I know goalie Kuemper has struggled early this season but I know what he is capable of too. That said, and with Landeskog and MacKinnon and Rantanen finally together again on the top line for this one, I look for a big road win from a hungry Avalanche team in this one. They are off back to back losses and they catch Florida off a big divisional win at Tampa Bay and, of course, the Lightning are the B2B defending Stanley Cup champs too. This set up is ideal for this play and the Avs get it done on the road to get back on track. 10* COLORADO +105 |
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10-20-21 | Bruins v. Flyers +121 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 121 | 10 h 37 m | Show |
TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +120 vs Boston Bruins @ 7:38 ET - The Bruins have played just one game and got a win. They have yet to face adversity early this season. The Flyers got plenty of that in their season-opening loss to the Canucks which was likely the best thing that could have happened to them. Philadelphia rallied to force a shutout as they were down 4-2 but tied it at 4 late and forced the shootout. They ultimately lost 5-4 but then bounced back with a big win over Seattle Monday and looked great at both ends of the ice in that one. The Bruins gave the Flyers trouble last season but Philly did win 2 of the last 3 meetings and I like the roster changes this Philly team made coming into this season. They are built much better now to do battle with high quality teams like Boston and also defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen should make his Flyers debut tonight. The additions Philadelphia has made will result in them being a much tougher team to face this season and Boston finds that out tonight. This Flyers team has more resiliency and veteran support guys and they will be a tough hard-fighting home dog in this match-up tonight. Great line value on home ice and Bruins went from being a -125 favorite to a -140 favorite and I am grabbing the value on the other side of the move. 10* PHILADELPHIA +120 |
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10-19-21 | Stars +115 v. Penguins | Top | 2-1 | Win | 115 | 10 h 58 m | Show |
Non-Conf Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line +115 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - I am well aware of the fact that each team has played 3 games and the Penguins have yet to lose in regulation while the Stars have yet to win in regulation. Still, I love Dallas in this spot. The Stars have faced a tough early season schedule and they are a solid team and they are catching the Penguins at the right time for an upset. Yes Pittsburgh has opened the season surprisingly hot but this is a team without Malkin until December and, more importantly, without Crosby until at least this weekend! Dallas is off a loss at Ottawa but they outshot the Senators in that game. Also, the Stars outscored the Sens 2-1 in 5 on 5 action in that game. The other loss Dallas had was at Boston and the Bruins are one of the best teams in the league! I feel we are getting exceptional line value here and I will not pass up on it. Hungry road team off a loss battling it out with a Penguins team still dealing with injuries and a little bit over-valued right now. Fade Pittsburgh as their fortunate start to the season comes to an end in convincing fashion Tuesday evening. 10* DALLAS +115 |
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10-18-21 | Rangers v. Maple Leafs OVER 6 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 26 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Rangers @ 7:08 ET - I know these teams have trended under so far this season but the Maple Leafs get Auston Matthews back tonight for his first game of the season. The center will help lead the way to a higher-scoring game here as the Rangers also have plenty of talent up front that has been a bit bottled up early this season. New York is off a 3-1 win and will build off that here but they are not going to shut down the Leafs in their own building either. Each team off a game in which they scored 3 goals and I expect the same thing here which would mean this match has to end up 4-3 at a minimum and that cashes our ticket in this one. 10* OVER 6 in Toronto |
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10-16-21 | Islanders +122 v. Panthers | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 36 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +120 @ Florida Panthers @ 6:05 ET - Islanders will respond off an embarrassing season-opening loss to a good Carolina team. I know the Panthers did open their season with a win but it took OT to do it and they knocked off a Penguins team that is hurting early this season and missing some key personnel. I think Florida could regress some this season and I still really like the Isles. That said, from a situational standpoint and value standpoint, this is a great spot to back a road dog. High quality team that rarely ever allows so many goals in a game. The road team responds here and gets back on track by producing their typical stingy game on defense. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +120 |
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10-14-21 | Islanders +115 v. Hurricanes | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #67 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +115 @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:08 ET - The Hurricanes deserve respect and I certainly do respect this team. However, getting the Islanders at plus money against anyone is a huge value. Also, their team has a little less turnover than the Hurricanes did coming into this season. I know Frederik Andersen performed well in goal for the Maple Leafs last season but historically he has been a bit inconsistent. Yes, the Islanders are without #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov right now but Ilya Sorokin is a rock solid #2 netminder for them and, unlike Andersen, he is use to the teammates in front of him too. Keep in mind, there could be a bit of an adjustment period early on for Andersen in Carolina. The Hurricanes are a solid team but I love the stingy Islanders on the road getting plus money. The defensive-minded hockey club frustrates their opponents and wears them down and I expect that to be the case again in this season opener for these two clubs. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +115 |
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10-13-21 | Rangers +115 v. Capitals | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 14 h 31 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line +115 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Rangers finished 5th in the divisional standings last year while the Capitals were 2nd in the same division. That is why it might seem surprising to see Washington as such a slight home favorite here in this season opener. However, this Capitals team is getting a little long in the tooth and the Rangers, on the other hand, are trending the right direction. Also, lets not forget the Tom Wilson / Artemi Panarin incident that happened late last season. That is part of the reason the Rangers got Ryan Reaves as an enforcer this season. Reaves is listed as probable for tonight's game. Also, Ryan Strome is probable for the Rangers as well. New York will be ready to go and get some revenge against this Capitals team. Washington's injury news is not as good either. Nicklas Backstrom is currently out and Alex Ovechkin is questionable with a lower body injury. This one sets up well for the road team to get it done. Like I said with my intro, this game is priced very low for a reason so grab that small dog on the road and look for them notch the mild upset in this one. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS +115 |
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10-12-21 | Seattle Kraken +1.5 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 4 m | Show |
ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play Seattle Kraken +1.5 goals -110 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 10:15 ET - Both teams dealing with a combination of injury/covid protocol issues coming into this regular season opener. If anything that favors Seattle as Vegas just does not have all their usual top end talent for this one. That said, I like the fact the the Kraken are very strong on the blue line and in net. With having Grubauer and Driedger as their goalies and strong defense in front of them (even with Oleksiak out for this one), I expect Seattle to be very stingy in terms of goals allowed. At the other end of the ice it will be interesting to see how the outspoken netminder, Robin Lehner, performs now that Marc Andre Fleury is gone and is a Blackhawk now. Could this actually backfire as Lehner no longer is worrying about Fleury? Was Fleury helping to push him to be even better? Look for this to be a tight low-scoring game and that means the ability to get the +1.5 goals at a pick'em price is absolutely a bargain here. The Kraken are highly motivated and I certainly do not see them laying an egg in their first shot on the ice with entirety of the NHL world watching them in the 2nd game of tonight's ESPN double header. 10* SEATTLE +1.5 goals -110 |
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07-07-21 | Canadiens +199 v. Lightning | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 16 h 21 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Lightning have nothing to worry about, right? They are back on home ice, had won the first 3 games of the series, and they have the championship pedigree. While certainly Tampa Bay could finish this series off tonight, I feel there is a ton of value with the big road dog in this one. The Lightning had 5 power play opportunities compared to just 1 for the Canadiens in Game 4 and the Habs still got the win. Montreal killed off all 5 power plays and their penalty kill has been the best of all playoff teams in this post-season and is a big part of the reason they are still standing. I also like the fact that the Canadiens outshot the Lightning 43 to 23 in the most recent game at TB but lost the game. The Habs are a confident bunch as a result of that huge effort here. They know they can win here and should have won that game. Prior to this series the Canadiens were on a red hot run on enemy ice. Don't be surprised if they get the shocking upset win here and force a Game 6 back in Canada. Carey Price was huge in goal in Game 4 and certainly capable of helping the Canadiens steal a game on the road here. 10* MONTREAL |
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07-05-21 | Lightning v. Canadiens +142 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 142 | 11 h 52 m | Show |
Contrarian Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +140 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Canadiens can rise up and win a game here. They should have won Game 2. Of course blowing that game despite a 43-23 edge in shots on goal is why they are on the brink of elimination now. The Habs have outshot TB by 25 shots on goal the past two games combined. However, that does not change the fact that it is the Lightning that are still winning the games. I see that changing tonight as professional pride kicks in at its highest level for this proud, resilient home dog. Remember they were left for dead when they were down 3 to 1 in the opening round series with the Maple Leafs. Montreal then won 3 straight and never looked back as they got on a major roll. I am not saying they win this series of course, I am just saying they win at least one game and avoid the sweep and that "must win" happens tonight as Montreal staves off elimination with another very valiant effort like they had in Game 2 that, this time, also translates to victory on the scoreboard. 10* MONTREAL +140 |
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07-02-21 | Lightning v. Canadiens +119 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
Playoff Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Friday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +120 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - Montreal dominated Game 2 and outshot the Lightning by a margin of 20 shots on goal. The Canadiens, however, still lost the game. Suffice to say it was a brutally bad beat for Montreal and I expect another determined effort from the Habs here. Being on home ice is certainly a big plus. Also, Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy has been superb between the pipes but when he does slip up it has tended to be on the road. His home numbers were much better than his road stats this season. The Canadiens will be absolutely relentless here as they fight hard to get back into the series in what is, for all intents and purposes, a must win game. They did not look in Game 1 but they looked the better team in Game 2 even though they lost. That is saying a lot about how well the Habs are capable of playing against this solid Tampa Bay team and I expect to see their best again tonight and, this time, it translates to a win. The Bolts power play has been great in the playoffs but the Canadiens penalty kill has ranked #1 throughout the post-season! Carey Price in goal for the home team comes up huge in this one too he has allowed more than 2 goals just once in 8 starts on home ice in this post-season. 10* MONTREAL |
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06-30-21 | Canadiens +180 v. Lightning | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 19 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +180 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Canadiens got blitzed in a Game 1 loss. They struggled to get many scoring chances, especially in the first period and a half of the game. At the same time, they allowed the Lightning far too many chances, especially from the slot area and TB made them pay. There was traffic in front of Montreal's fantastic goalie, Carey Price, and that made it a very difficult game for him. The loss certainly can not be blamed on him. Overall though, Montreal will make adjustments. After losing 5-1 in Game 1 Montreal would have been expected to be an even bigger dog here in Game 2. Of course the reason they are not is that the odds makers know the same things that the sharps do about this one. That is that the Habs have a great shot at the upset win here. Montreal has been playing the "us against the world underdog mentality" very well and they have been a resilient bunch ever since down 3-1 in the opening series versus Toronto. Ever since then, the Canadiens have won 11 of 14 games and they are 3-0 the last 3 times they have entered a game off a loss. As impressive as Tampa Bay has been, this is a team that is just 1-4 ATS the last five times when off a game in which they allowed 1 goal or got a shutout win. Too much big dog value to pass up on here as the road dog will make adjustments and will also come out with a lot of fire for this one - ready both mentally and physically. 10* MONTREAL +180 |
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06-28-21 | Canadiens +177 v. Lightning | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 43 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +175 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - Just too much value to pass up on in my opinion here. The Canadiens have had plenty of doubters in each series and yet they continue to defy logic and get the upset wins. I am not saying they will win this series and win it all. But I do sense an upset in Game One. The way Carey Price is playing, the Habs are a tough to beat right now. That does not mean the Lightning also are not a tough team to beat with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes. I am just saying that the value here is in going against the defending Stanley Cup Champs as the element of surprise is at its biggest in Game One of a series and there is just something special about this Canadiens team this season that has them winning many match-ups in which they appear outclassed in terms of the way the teams match up. Having Price in the crease is a big key in that regard. I fully realize just how good this Tampa Bay team is but Montreal just beat a very good Vegas team to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning are laying a -200 price here against a team that has won 11 of 13 games. Tampa Bay is off a hard-fought 7-game series against the Islanders and the Canadiens have an extra day of rest and have won 4 of 5 while the Lightning were just 3-3 last 6 prior to beating the Isles in Game Seven. 10* MONTREAL +175 |
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06-25-21 | Islanders +146 v. Lightning | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Friday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +145 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Bolts are on a 13-0 run in the post-season when coming off a playoff loss. In typical contrarian fashion, I will take the Isles here as I fade that stat! Certainly it is not without good reasoning though. First off, we have excellent underdog line value with the Islanders available at +145. They could have packed it in after an 8-0 loss in Game 5 at Tampa Bay and then getting down 2-0 in Game 6. A loss there and we would not even be talking about this game! The fact is that New York rallied to tie the game and then won it in OT and now here we find ourselves getting to enjoy a Game 7. Ironically, the last time the Lightning played a Game 7 was in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals and that was also on home ice and Tampa Bay lost the game to the Capitals. Washington's coach at the time was, you guessed it, Barry Trotz! The Isles current head coach ended up taking the Caps to a Stanley Cup win over Vegas and he has his sites set on another Stanley Cup run with these Islanders! To do it he has to do the same thing he did in 2018 and that is win a Game 7 at Tampa Bay. I expect him to do just that as the Bolts are also currently dealing with an injury to the player who is leading the post-season for most points (goals and assists combined) and Nikita Kucherov is a critical player for TB. If he even plays tonight I do not expect him to be 100%. Underdog value is off the charts in this one. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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06-24-21 | Golden Knights v. Canadiens +131 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 131 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
Contrarian Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #22 Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +130 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The odds makers appease the markets when they make the lines to draw equal action. That being said, it is truly the only reason the Golden Knights are a moderately priced favorite here. In my typical contrarian mindset, I am fading market perception here. The masses are still believes in Vegas but the Golden Knights internal issues started up again with the goalie change that always seems to lead to bad things for Vegas come playoff times. Now you have a team that has lost 3 of last 4 games as a -150 range favorite and it is simply not justified. The only win that the Golden Knights have in the last 4 games very easily could have been a loss as that was the game most questioned in terms of officiating and the Golden Knights scored late to tie it and then they won in OT. That said, this series could very easily be over already with Montreal advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Though that is not the case yet it will be after tonight in my opinion. Carey Price has been stellar between the pipes for the Habs and Vegas has scored an average of only 1.5 goals per game in regulation time of the last 4 games in this series. The Canadiens simply continue to be an "unliked" team by the betting markets but they have now won 10 of 12 games. That said, I will gladly take them as a home underdog in this one. 10* MONTREAL +130 |
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06-23-21 | Lightning v. Islanders +132 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 132 | 12 h 33 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders +130 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders did not just lose Game 5, they got thoroughly embarrassed. This is a hard-nosed, resilient team with a strong head coach. The Isles will respond tonight on home ice in Game 6. They had a 3-0 lead in the eventual 3-2 win in Game 4 here and, after the Game 5 shellacking, the Islanders will refuse to be ushered out of the post-season by virtue of a loss in their own barn. I expect New York to play a fantastic game tonight and dominate. New York is 10-4 last 14 times when at home and off a loss. The Islanders are 3-1 in the post-season when off a game in which they allowed 4 or more goals. Tampa's Vasilevskiy had a 1.75 GAA at home this season but a 2.63 GAA on the road this year. The Bolts are a great team but the home dog is no slouch and responds with professional pride after Tampa Bay poured it on against them in Monday's game and this has ignited a fire in the Isles. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +130 |
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06-22-21 | Canadiens +209 v. Golden Knights | Top | 4-1 | Win | 209 | 15 h 53 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Tuesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - You will see a very determined effort from the Canadiens here after they felt a bit "cheated", if you will, by the officiating in Game 4 of this series. Montreal deserved much better and could very easily be up 3-1 in this series as they also held an edge in shots on goal in the eventual OT loss on Sunday. The Golden Knights have totaled only 5 goals in regulation time of the last 3 games and are severely over-valued here. After how well Fleury had been playing I still feel it will be a mistake that Lehner was in goal in Game 4. No matter who starts Game 5 the "head games" have begun with Vegas and threaten to damage the mentality of both of these netminders now going forward. There are no such questions for Montreal where Carey Price has been fantastic between the pipes. Also, you are going to see a huge effort from an angry Habs team that will be determined to get back the lead in this series as it is tied 2-2 now but should not be. The road team has split the games in this series, home ice is way over-valued, and I am taking a shot with the big dog in Game 5 just like I successfully did in Game 2 here. Look for another upset here. 10* MONTREAL +210 |
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06-21-21 | Islanders +167 v. Lightning | Top | 0-8 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 27 m | Show |
Money Line Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #71 Monday NHL 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +165 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - This one is all about the line value. The Islanders were up 3-0 in Game 4 and then hung on for the 3-2 win. Now the Lightning are back on home ice in a 2-2 series and so the markets will be backing them. However, just because a team is off a loss it certainly does not make it automatic that they bounce back with a win in the next game. Keep in mind, the Lightning won 2 straight in this series - Games 2 and 3 - and the Canadiens won those same 2 games in their series with the Golden Knights. That said, getting +165 with a team that has proven to be just as tough as the team they are facing is a value so strong that I will not pass up on getting involved here. Note that the road team in Tampa Bay playoff games, was on a 6-2 run prior to the Bolts losing at New York on Saturday. Also the Islanders, prior to losing game two of this series at Tampa Bay, had won 3 straight road games in the post-season and 4 of their last 5. Scrappy, defensive-minded, a hard team to play against, well-coached...all those things characterize the Islanders. Yes, the defending champion Lightning are a great team of course but this Isles team the real deal with a head coach that won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals just a few years ago. Upset alert. 10* New York Islanders Money Line +165 |
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06-20-21 | Golden Knights v. Canadiens OVER 5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -123 | 10 h 44 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Golden Knights put 45 shots on goal in Game 3 but only had 2 goals to show for it. Vegas will undoubtedly put a ton of pressure on the Habs again in this one. Carey Price has been great in goal for Montreal but did allow 4 goals in Game 1 and the Golden Knights have scored very well this season when off back to back losses. When entering a game off 2 or more consecutive losses, Vegas has averaged 4 goals this season. 6 times this season, 24 goals. At the same time, Montreal is loaded with momentum right now playing with confidence and has won 9 of 10 games! The Canadiens have averaged 3.1 goals per game in those 10 games. Though there is plenty of deserved respect for both goalies here, you can see why I would not be surprised to see a 4-3 type game given the situation for this one. Canadiens look to take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series and the angry Golden Knights fighting hard to even up at 2 games apiece and will be relentless in creating quality scoring chances in the offensive zone. 10* OVER the total in Montreal |
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06-19-21 | Lightning v. Islanders +116 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 116 | 11 h 13 m | Show |
Semi-Finals Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #52 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders are in a must win spot here after dropping Game 3 on home ice. Yes, in theory, anything is possible but coming back from a 3-1 deficit with 2 of the final 3 games at Tampa Bay would be an incredible challenge. That said, I am expecting New York to play their best game of the series tonight. I also feel strongly that they would have won Game 3 were it not for a back-breaking momentum-shifting goal very late in the 2nd period immediately after a TB penalty had been killed off. It did not go in the books as a power play goal but, for all intents and purposes, it was. That proved to be too much for the Isles to bounce back from but this is a resilient group and very well-coached. I expect a big bounce back here. The Islanders have now lost back to back games and are 5-1 the last 6 times when entering a home game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +115 |
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06-18-21 | Golden Knights v. Canadiens OVER 5 | Top | 2-3 | Push | 0 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Vegas needs to respond off the Game 2 loss but the Canadiens will be an even tougher team to face on their home ice. I like Montreal to be very energized here and have some success in the offensive zone and they created some strong chances against Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 2. But I am not backing them here because I know how hungry the Golden Knights will be and that they should respond well here on the road. The value of getting this total at a 5 is a big one. Of course we do not want to settle for a push here but I do feel we have a great shot at 6 or more and note that each of the Golden Knights last 9 games have totaled 5 or more goals! Those 9 games did average exactly 6 goals in regulation time (does not include the 2 OT goals) and I am expecting at least 6 in this one. Vegas has been getting their scoring chances, including in Game 2 of this series, and the Knights had won 5 straight games and averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 5 before the loss on Wednesday. Habs will get some goals on their home ice but the hungry visitors will be right there with them and I would not be surprised to see a see-saw type battle here that gets to 3-3 at some point! 10* OVER the total in Montreal |
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06-17-21 | Lightning v. Islanders +120 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 48 m | Show |
Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #32 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +120 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:05 ET - The Islanders got blasted in Game 2 after winning Game 1 and they will now respond on home ice. The Isles were fantastic on home ice this season. Tampa Bay has a fantastic goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy but he is not as strong on the road as he has at home. That has been a recurring theme throughout the year for him and I expect the Islanders to take Game 3 as a home dog. They are so strong on home ice and can frustrate the Bolts just like they did in Game 1 of this series. Similar to the Canadiens upset win over the Golden Knights last night after getting blasted in the prior game, look for a defensive-minded team to get the early lead here an then grind out a win. That is Islanders hockey to a T and they are very well-coached and should come up with a big response here after Tuesday's ugly loss. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +120 |
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06-16-21 | Canadiens +230 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-2 | Win | 230 | 12 h 35 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +230 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - I have a ton of respect for the Golden Knights but this play is all about the value. People do not realize this Canadiens team is quite strong and they are not hanging their heads after that Game 1 loss. The fact it was a 4-1 final gives us some extra value here as there are plenty of non-believers when it comes to Montreal and this money line is being held high as result. The Vezina trophy is awarded each year to the top goalie in the league. In 2020 Connor Hellebuyck won it. What does that have to do with this play? He plays for Winnipeg and it is that Jets team that Montreal just swept out of the playoffs in the 2nd round. Note that in the 1st round the Habs rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to upset the heavily favored Leafs. Toronto was getting much better goaltending this season too plus loaded with star power and the Canadiens still managed to win games despite being outshot. Why? A guy by the name of Carey Price is between the pipes for Montreal and he is fully capable of stealing games. Price also has a Vezina trophy win on his resume and is one of the best netminders in the game. So too is Marc-Andre Fleury of Vegas but the Canadiens did have some quality chances but the puck luck - bounces of the puck if you will - did tend to favor the Golden Knights in Game 1. I expect a very hungry Habs team to come out with a much stronger full 60 minutes here as they tapered after a strong first period in Game 1. Perhaps the week long layoff caught up with the Canadiens but they will be better tonight. I am sure of that and feel it will lead to a big upset win. The Habs had won 7 straight games overall before the Game 1 loss and were also 6-1 on the road in this post-season prior to Monday's loss. Bounce back time here. 10* MONTREAL +230 |
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06-15-21 | Islanders v. Lightning OVER 5 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 13 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders @ 8:05 ET - You know Tampa Bay is going to respond on home ice in Game 2 of this series after dropping Game 1. However, the way the Lightning respond is to turn to their skill and speed in the offensive zone and I am looking for a very high-scoring game here as a result. The fact is that the Islanders impressed me greatly in Game 1, a winner right here as a big dog, with their ability to get quality scoring chances on Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. With Tampa Bay emphasizing offense here - their only goal coming in the final minute of Game 1 - I do fully expect the Islanders to get plenty of quality scoring chances at the other end. The result is going to be a much higher-scoring game than we saw Sunday. 10* OVER 5 goals in Tampa Bay |
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06-14-21 | Canadiens +1.5 v. Golden Knights | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -124 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
Puck Line Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 -125 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - The Canadiens swept the Jets in the prior round so they are well rested. They now face a very tough Golden Knights team at Vegas however and that is why they are a huge dog here. But having Carey Price between the pipes is huge as the veteran netminder has been fantastic in this post-season and certainly is capable of stealing games. Even if he does not steal this one per se, I could see it being a loss by the slimmest of margins - a one goal loss for Montreal. I am laying the -125 price to have the insurance of the goal and a half here. Keep in mind, the Canadiens have won 7 straight games. Their last 9 games have featured just one that was a Montreal loss by more than a single goal margin. Also, the Golden Knights did get a chance to rest some after knocking off Colorado but still that was an epic battle with an Avalanche team that is very tough to play against and could take something out of Vegas heading into this one. The Golden Knights did pull away for a huge win in Game 6 against the Avs but that was just the 3rd time in 9 games that Vegas has won by a multiple goal margin. That's right, just 33% of the time for a 2+ goal margin win for the Golden Knights and I like the chances of the Canadiens possibly being a surprise here in Game One. Vegas is the better team no doubt but Price and the Habs could steal one here and this should be a very tight game either way. 10* MONTREAL Puck Line +1.5 goals -125 |
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06-13-21 | Islanders +170 v. Lightning | Top | 2-1 | Win | 170 | 6 h 19 m | Show |
NBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #81 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +170 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 3:05 ET - These are two very strong teams. Very well-coached too. Jon Cooper let the Bolts to the Stanley Cup Championship over the Stars last season. It was only a couple years before that the Islanders coach, Barry Trotz, was head man of the Capitals and led them to the Stanley Cup Championship over the Golden Knights. That said, I feel the -200 price on TB is offering us tremendous underdog line value on the other side that is too good to pass up on! The Islanders are a tough team to play against and this will be the first meeting since the Lightning knocked them out of the post-season last year. That series was played in the bubble and I remember it well as the Islanders were handed a very tough situation with coming off a grueling 7-game series win over the Flyers that including 3 OT wins and then having to face the Lightning on short rest. The Isles got blasted in Game 1 and could never recover. They were just worn out and beat up. This situation this year is entirely different and this should be a fantastic series with a Game 1 upset setting the tone. New York is rested and ready this year and now, about that home ice, note that the Islanders have won 4 of 6 road games in this post-season. Also, the Lightning are coming off a series against the Hurricanes in which the home team won only 1 of 5 games! Prior to a win over the Canes in TB in Game 4, the Lightning had lost 3 of last 5 games on home ice. Considering all of the above, this is incredible underdog line value here. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS +170 |
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06-10-21 | Avalanche +120 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 22 m | Show |
West Div P/O Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +120 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - 2-0 going to 3rd period on your home ice and you lose the game. That is the situation the Avalanche just had in Game 5 of this series to sink into a 3-2 hole. Some turnovers were the key in the game but overall Colorado looked very strong in that one and never should have lost it. They worked so hard all season to get home ice and all is not yet lost. With a win in Game 6 at Vegas, the Avs can send this series back to Colorado for a winner takes all Game 7. In other words, the Avalanche know there is still much to play for and they know they should not be down 3-2 in this series. The Avs have now lost 3 straight games and this team has not lost 4 straight games all season long. Ironically the only time the Avalanche suffered a 3rd straight loss in the regular season it was at the hands of the Golden Knights and Colorado responded with a 3-0 shutout loss in their very next game. I am expecting a similar response here. You will see the Avalanche play their best game of the post-season tonight and, while the public will be lining up on Vegas to close this out on home ice, in typical contrarian fashion I am betting big on the road dog to get it done here. 10* COLORADO +120 |
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06-09-21 | Bruins -131 v. Islanders | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -131 | 9 h 60 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Wednesday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -130 @ New York Islanders @ 7:35 ET - The Bruins were on the wrong end of a 5-4 final Monday despite dominating play statistically for the 4th time in the last 6 games between these two clubs. In the last 4 games in this series, the road team has taken 3 of them and I see that trend continuing here. The Bruins are a sizable money line favorite on the road here for a reason! Don't let the line fool you. Yes the Islanders were great on home ice this season but the Bruins had won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these two clubs before losing the last 2 games. The road team trend continues here. 10* BOSTON |
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06-07-21 | Islanders v. Bruins OVER 5 | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 49 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5 goals in Boston Bruins vs New York Islanders @ 6:35 ET - With the Bruins off a loss and this series shifting back to Boston for Game 5, the over is offering fantastic line value. You know the Bruins want to respond here as the Islanders have now tied the series up at 2 games apiece. However, the Islanders are proving they are not going to go away quietly. 5 of the 6 meetings this season between these teams in Boston have totaled 5 or more goals. 3 of those 5 totaled 7 goals. All we need is a 2-2 game here and we can not do worse than a push. That said, I expect an aggressive attacking response from the Bruins here on home ice and they will get their goals. However, also note that the Islanders have scored an average of nearly 3 goals per game in this series. The Isles outshot the Bruins in the most recent game and that is also a good sign for New York as Boston had been dominating that category in this series. With that said, I like the fact that the Bruins will come up big here at home but the Islanders confidence is growing as this series has gone on. It all adds up to what should be a continuing trend of higher-scoring games when these teams match-up on Bruins home ice! 10* OVER the total in Boston |
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06-06-21 | Avalanche +101 v. Golden Knights | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 22 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line +100 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:35 ET - The Avalanche outshot the Golden Knights by a huge margin in Game 1 and got a dominating win. In Game 2 they were outshot by a big margin but got away with it. So the same thing happened in Game 3 and, this time, the Avs paid for it. They surely will be much hungrier here after letting Vegas get back into this series with a 3-2 win in Game 3 that was earned via a 43 to 20 edge in shots on goal. Colorado must be much better here and they know it and caught an earful from their coach about it. I fully expect the Avalanche to be firing on all cylinders in this one as a result. The Avs are the better overall team in my opinion but truly have not "flexed their muscles" since Game One of this series. Great line value since this game is at Vegas and I will grab the Avalanche as they are known for responding very well off losses. 10* COLORADO |
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06-05-21 | Hurricanes +144 v. Lightning | Top | 4-6 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 31 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Saturday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line +145 @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 4:05 ET - The Hurricanes offer tremendous value here. The road team has won all 3 games so far in this series and the final game of the regular season so the traveler is 4-0 L4 between these teams. Also, the Canes could get Vincent Trochek back for this one. Additionally, Carolina got a boost with the goalie change. The Hurricanes were outshot by the Lightning in Game 3 but Peter Mrazek came up big with a strong start. Carolina did outshoot the Bolts by a combined 106 to 72 shots on goal in the 3 meetings prior to the Game 3 win in this one. That said, it is ironic that the team that has been outshot has won each of the last 4 meetings. The Hurricanes win the shots on goal battle and the game here in my opinion as they have often looked like the better team this season plus they got a boost with Mrazek back between the pipes. So difficult for teams to repeat and that is what the Lightning are trying to do this season but I feel strongly they will struggle to get past the Canes and Game 3 was a sign of things to come. 10* CAROLINA +145 |
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06-04-21 | Canadiens v. Jets -110 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line -110 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - The Jets will be without Mark Scheifele due to suspension and also Paul Stastny (undisclosed) is a bit of an unknown. However, Winnipeg still has a guy by the name of Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes and I just do not see he and the Jets being denied in Game Two. After losing Game One on home ice, falling behind 2-0 early, look for Winnipeg to come out refocused and ready to bounce back here. There is the classic rest versus rust factor that appeared to plague the Jets in Game One. They had swept the Oilers in the first round while the Canadiens went the full seven games against the Maple Leafs. As it turns out, Montreal was able to maintain their rhythm in Game One while the Jets indeed showed a rust factor from being off for more than a week. The point is that this will not be repeated in Game Two and we also have excellent line value here with the much lower money line on the Jets because of the personnel situation. I will grab the value here as Montreal has won 4 straight games now after never winning more than 3 in a row in the regular season. The streak ends here as the Canadiens had been 0-3 this season when entering a game on a winning streak of 3 games. 10* WINNIPEG -110 |
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06-03-21 | Bruins -137 v. Islanders | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 46 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line -135 @ New York Islanders @ 7:35 ET - I have plenty of respect for both of these hockey clubs but, in my opinion, the Bruins are a sizable road favorite here with good reason. In spite of the Islanders having a great season on home ice, Boston is in a bounce back spot here after the OT loss in Game 2 and I fully expect a big response here. The Bruins had won 4 straight before the overtime loss at home and note that the 4 victories came by a combined score of 15 to 5. That is an average winning margin of 2.5 goals per game and I look for another big win here for the road team. Boston has outshot the Islanders by a count of 193 to 127 in the last 5 games. That is an average margin edge of 13 shots on goal per game. The Isles have not won the shots on goal battle in any of those games. The Bruins wrapped up the regular season 8-2 the last 10 times they entered a game off a loss. Then, in the post-season, they also responded off their only loss. Look for them to do the same here. 10* BOSTON |
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06-02-21 | Canadiens v. Jets -136 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -136 | 10 h 37 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #82 Wednesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line -135 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - The Canadiens won the most recent meeting between these teams but that was preceded by the Jets winning 6 of 8 match-ups and now they have a huge rest edge in this one. From a situational standpoint, Winnipeg is set up extremely well here plus they get this game on home ice. Courtesy of their 4-0 sweep over Edmonton in the first round, the Jets enter this game with a little over a week of rest. Montreal is certainly at the opposite end of the spectrum as they just faced a grueling 7-game series with the Maple Leafs in which the Habs had to rally from a 3-1 deficit which included winning games 5 and 7 at Toronto! Including action of Monday May 24th, this will be Montreal's 6th game in 9 days while it will be just the 2nd for Winnipeg since that same day, Monday May 24th. Also, in the regular season, the Canadiens went 0-3 when they entered a game on a 3-game winning streak. This one set up perfectly to be all Jets. 10* WINNIPEG |
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06-01-21 | Lightning v. Hurricanes -109 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -109 | 10 h 34 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #72 Tuesday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line -110 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - The Hurricanes did outshoot the Lightning in the Game 1 loss. It was a game that truly could have gone either way. It is so tough to repeat as champions in any sport and the NHL is no exception. That said, I know the Bolts are only into the 2nd round of this post-season but the point is that it is a tough climb ahead of them and I certainly don't see them blowing right past Carolina. On home ice, look for the Hurricanes to respond in a big way after the Game One loss. Carolina had won the most recent regular season meeting between these teams. Also, prior to Sunday's loss, the Canes had won 3 of the last 4 meetings when on their home ice. In fact, prior to the final regular season meeting between these teams (a Carolina win) the home team had won 5 of the last 6 meetings. The Hurricanes have outshot Tampa Bay in 4 of the last 5 meetings. The Canes have averaged an edge of 11 shots on goal in those 4 meetings in which they had the edge. Look for the Hurricanes to have the edge over the Lightning in this one again and, this time, it will translate to a win. 10* CAROLINA |
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05-31-21 | Canadiens +1.5 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 16 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Monday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 goals -135 @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The only other first round series that played out similar to this is the Wild rallied to tie the Golden Knights at 3 games apiece only to then get blasted in Game 7 at Vegas. I know many may expect a repeat here but I just do not. Part of the reasoning is Carey Price between the pipes. Montreal has him, Minnesota did not. The Canadiens did look very tired as Game 6 went on and this was particularly true in the overtime period. So, on the one hand, Montreal was fortunate to win the game after getting a 2-0 lead in the 3rd period only to then blow it and see the Leafs force overtime. However, the fact is they have now been able to rest and recharge the batteries a bit and they are happy to be in this situation! They were not supposed to take the Maple Leafs a full 7 games. That means all the pressure is on Toronto here. The Habs were not even supposed to be here and so they welcome this situation with open arms and can play much more loose and relaxed. This is in stark contrast with the heavily favored Leafs. As a result, I would not be surprised at all to see the Canadiens end up with an upset win here but I do feel that any loss will be by just a single goal as this is likely to be a tight hard-fought game. That said, I like the value of having the goal and a half with the puck line on our side. It is in a reasonable price range so I am grabbing that for the added insurance in this one. 10* MONTREAL +1.5 -135 |
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05-30-21 | Golden Knights v. Avalanche -1.5 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 140 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Puck Line -1.5 goals +140 vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - The Golden Knights just came off 7-game war with the Wild and have been playing all week long. The Avalanche are coming off an ultra-easy 4-game sweep of the Blues and have been resting all week long. The rest edge and home ice edge are both with Colorado for this Sunday match-up. Also note that Vegas continues to travel constantly as Game 5 was in Vegas but then Game 6 was in Minnesota and then Game 7 back in Las Vegas again and now it is off to Denver for this series. Conversely, as noted above, Colorado has been resting up all week long and preparing for this highly coveted match-up everyone has been wanting to see. Advantage belongs to the Avs from a situational standpoint and of course that is also part of the reason they are nearly a 2 to 1 favorite on the money line in this one. That said, where we find the value in this one is on the puck line as we get into the +140 range by laying the 1.5 goals with the Avalanche. The last meeting was a 1-goal victory for Colorado but that was preceded by 3 of the last 4 meetings between these clubs all being decided by 3 or more goals. I look for a home ice win by at least a 2-goal margin in this one as the Avs are healthier than they have been in a long, long time and they will have fresh skating legs here and their speed and talent at the forward positions will prove to be too much for a tired Golden Knights hockey club in this one. 10* COLORADO Puck Line -1.5 goals +140 |
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05-29-21 | Maple Leafs v. Canadiens +166 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 166 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line +165 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - Tremendous underdog line value here. The shots on goal have been almost exactly equal in the last 3 games combined. Price has proven he can be just as good as Campbell between the pipes. The Canadiens also have the home ice edge here. When you add all those factors up, as well as a big move toward the Maple Leafs money line in this one, you definitely have a big value edge in favor of the home dog in this match-up. This series is 3-2. In the regular season the Leafs had 17 road wins and the Habs had 13 home wins. Toronto is also without Tavares right now. That said, given the above stats showing very little disparity between these teams, there is just tremendous underdog line value in this spot that I will not pass up. The fact the Canadiens really got to Campbell in the most recent game is another key here. 10* MONTREAL |
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05-28-21 | Wild +155 v. Golden Knights | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 14 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Friday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line +160 @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - Momentum, goaltending situation concrete, and value. Those are the keys here. Minnesota has rallied back from a 3 to 1 deficit in the series to force Game 7. The Wild are set in goal with Cam Talbot. They win with them or they lose with him. As for Vegas, who knows? This is what happens when you go with a 2-goalie system during the regular season. Now Marc-Andre Fleury has allowed 6 goals on just 37 shots the last two games and some are calling for Robin Lehner to get the Game 7 start. This is not a knock on Fleury but just the point that now the Golden Knights option in goal or a guy who has lost 2 straight or a cold guy coming in who has not played in over two weeks and who had an .859 save percentage in the month of May! As for the value I mentioned above, it is simply hard to argue against it. Yes we take some risk in grabbing a big dog but to me the risk is much bigger with laying a big price here! The road team has won 7 of the last 10 meetings between these teams! So you have home ice being over-valued here and, as good as Vegas was in the regular season, the fact is that the Wild have continued to be a troublesome match-up for them all year long. Look for it to continue for one more night as all the pressure is on the Golden Knights to advance and avoid a monumental first round collapse. The road team has no pressure here and could play much better as a result. This series was not even supposed to go more than 5 or 6 games. To the Wild, the pressure is off and they will make the most of this opportunity. 10* MINNESOTA |
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05-27-21 | Canadiens +1.5 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 59 m | Show |
Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Thursday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Puck Line +1.5 goals -120 @ Toronto @ 7:05 ET - The Canadiens are down 3 games to 1 in this series and off an ugly loss in Game 4 but that is helping to give us line value here. I just do not see Montreal going down without a fight in this one and in terms of ugly losses prior to Monday's defeat, lets take a closer look. Toronto had won 9 of last 14 games between these teams prior to the big Game 4 win. However, 5 of the 9 wins were by just a single goal margin. That means in the 14 most recent games prior to that big win Monday, only 4 of the 14 had resulted in a Maple Leafs win by 2 or more goals. Here we can get the Habs at +1.5 goals and lay a very small price in doing so. That said, I like the odds here of a potential upset or, at the very least, a tight 1-goal loss as I do expect the Canadiens to put up a tremendous fight in this one. Also, in 12 of the last 15 meetings between the clubs, the road team has either won the game outright or lost by just a single goal margin. Again, tremendous value here in a must win game for the Canadiens. 10* MONTREAL Puck Line +1.5 goals |
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05-26-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -108 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 51 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #10 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line -110 vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 6:35 ET - The Islanders are riding a hot goalie in Ilya Sorokin. He is 3-0 in his 3 starts in this series. The Penguins are a strong team no doubt but I give the goalie edge to the Isles no matter who they have in goal here. Tristan Jarry made an egregious error in OT of the critical game five that has now swung all momentum the way of the Islanders in this one. I look for them to finish off the Penguins tonight. Yes Pittsburgh had strong edge in shots on goal but goalies are a key in the playoffs and we have seen that trend play out in numerous series including this one thus far. Even if Semyeon Varlamov got the call here it would still favor the Isles. The Pens Jarry could be in trouble after his slip-up in Game 5 as that kind of mistake impacts a goaltenders mentality in his very next game too. As for the other Pens goalie, Casey DeSmith, he has been trying to recover from an injury. Momentum and strength of goalie play are huge factors in this one and I like the home ice value. Keep in mind the Penguins only won about half their road games in the regular season while the Isles won 75% of their games on home ice. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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05-24-21 | Islanders +124 v. Penguins | Top | 3-2 | Win | 124 | 8 h 11 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #73 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line +125 @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Tristan Jarry has now allowed 4 goals in 3 of 4 games in this series. If Casey DeSmith is able to go it would be his first action in awhile and he could be rusty. That said, I do feel that the Islanders have the goalie edge here and goaltending is so critical in the playoffs. We have seen this be a key in numerous series already this post-season and it will very likely be a continuing pattern. That said, I do expect the Islanders to go with Ilya Sorokin again tonight. He is 2-0 so far in the series and allowed only 1 goal in the win over Jarry and the Penguins on Saturday. That was the only win in the series by more than a 1-goal margin and I like the underdog value with the Isles again in this one. Pittsburgh has been unable to create separation from the Islanders throughout this series. In my strong opinion, the Pens were only better than the Isles in the Game Two win and this series could easily be 3-1 Islanders already. That is why I am rolling with the road dog here in Game Five. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS Money Line +125 |
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05-23-21 | Hurricanes v. Predators OVER 5.5 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 110 | 5 h 18 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals +110 in Nashville Predators vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 2:35 ET - Like the fact we get a good number (5.5) and at a plus money price on the over in this one. I know the first thought is that the teams might be tired after the Friday game went into double-overtime. However, they had an off day yesterday which certainly helps and another key is that this game is in the same venue so no travel was involved. Both teams are rested and ready to go strong again here and Friday's game was 3-3 before even getting to the 3rd period. The teams combined to go only 2 of 10 on the power play so it is not as if they were not generating chances 5 on 5. The fact is that 7 of the 9 goals were scored 5 on 5 in Game 3. Now a key Game 4 match-up as the Predators are working hard to get back into the series and they now have life after the win Friday in the second overtime. I like the fact that Nashville has won the last 3 home games with Carolina and has averaged scoring 4.3 goals in those 3 games. The Hurricanes will, of course, be ready to respond here after seeing Game 3 slip away and the Canes have scored 3.3 goals per game in their last dozen against the Preds and that includes an average of 4 goals per game in the last 3 match-ups. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals +110 in Nashville |
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05-22-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -110 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 58 m | Show |
East Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #54 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - The Islanders are off back to back losses and, since Feb 1st, have gone 7-2 when they enter a game off 2 or more consecutive losses. The Isles are well-coached and are a very good team and they will be ready to bounce back on home ice here. Yes the Penguins stole Game 3 on the road but now in Game 4 I look for the Islanders to bear down. Lets not forget Pittsburgh had nearly as many losses as wins on the road during the regular season and the Isles won 21 of 28 home games in the regular season. One could argue based on the above that the Islanders have 78% and 75% chances of winning this game while the Penguins are only more in the range of a "coin flip" in this game. I love the home ice value as a result here and will gladly grab the "pick 'em" pricing on a host that should be priced higher in my opinion. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS -110 |
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05-21-21 | Jets +152 v. Oilers | Top | 1-0 | Win | 152 | 11 h 25 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line +150 @ Edmonton Oilers @ 9:05 ET - There is a rather simplistic theory in sports with playoff series that many employ but, in truth, the theory just does not "hold water" so to speak. The theory is that if a team is off a loss they must bounce back in the very next game. Of course sometimes this does happen but it is certainly not a "catch all" that works perfectly. For evidence of that we can look at the current post-season and note that the Penguins are off B2B wins over the Islanders, the Bruins are off B2B wins over the Capitals, the Hurricanes are up 2-0 on the Predators, the Lightning had gone up 2-0 on the Panthers before upset loss last night, Colorado is up 2-0 on St Louis, and Vegas has now won 2 straight over the Wild. The other two series that just started and have had just one game apiece include the Canadiens upsetting the Maple Leafs last night as well as this one, the Jets upsetting the Oilers Wednesday night. So the point is that there are 8 series going, and of the 6 that have played multiple games all 6 have seen a team win 2 in a row. Now, just because Winnipeg won at Edmonton in Game 1 the Oilers are supposed to get revenge tonight. I don't see it that way. What I see is we have one of the best goalies in the game, Connor Hellebuyck, against - no disrespect intended - a tandem of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen that strikes fear in no one. That is not to say they are bad goalies but they certainly are not elite. Just like Game One I expect Edmonton to ousthoot Winnipeg but just like Game One I expect Hellebuyck to be the difference maker! That said, incredible line value with here with the Jets in the +150 range! 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-20-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -115 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line -115 vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The fact the Islanders got a win at Pittsburgh in Game 1 was huge. Even though they lost Game 2, they still sit in the drivers seat right now in this series. Why is that? These are two of the best home teams in the league. Pittsburgh won 22 of 28 home games and the Isles won 21 of 28 home games. That said, the value is with the home team in this match up as the Penguins barely won half their road games. I love backing the Islanders off a loss and on their home ice and fading a team that has often struggled in road games this season. The Isles went 9-3 this season when they were on home ice and coming off a loss. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS -115 |
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05-19-21 | Capitals +153 v. Bruins | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 28 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 6:35 ET - This play is all about the value. Yes the Capitals have some injury issues and this includes at the goalie position but the last time I checked (sarcasm of course) no team in the NHL won more road games in the regular season than Washington! The point is that this is far too much value to be given to the Caps in this situation. They are a +155 DOG even though they have more road wins than Boston has home wins this season! Washington had won 2 straight over the Bruins before a tight 4-3 loss Monday. Also, the Capitals did win 2 of the 4 regular season games at Boston this season and that included a blowout 8-1 win! I am certainly not expecting that type of game here but I am expecting another close game where no one can argue with me that we do not have the better value having the road dog. I expect this game to be a close one but I expect the Capitals to find a way. Note that Boston had won just 6 of 12 prior to the win in Game 2 of this series. The Bruins have not managed back to back wins in the past two weeks. The Capitals are a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times they were on the road and coming off a loss! 10* WASHINGTON +155 |
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05-19-21 | Canucks v. Flames OVER 6 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 106 | 4 h 44 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks @ 3:35 ET - This is the final regular season game of the season which was still going on even as the playoff began. Of course this was due to the late season covid issues that ravaged Vancouver. The Canucks are off a 4-2 home win over the Flames Monday but Calgary actually outshot them 40 to 24. I look for a very entertaining season finale. Of course there is no pressure on either team here as neither one made the post-season. However, I do expect a strong effort from Vancouver here as getting a win would allow them to escape the basement as they would move past Ottawa and into 6th place. At the same time, the Flames do not want to end the season with a home ice loss so a strong effort from them as well. In other words, look for both clubs to be aggressive on the attack. The winning team in the last 5 meetings between these teams has scored at least 4 goals and I like our chances of another high-scoring game here. Those 5 games averaged 7 goals per game and I expect this one to get there as well. We only need 6 for a push but I do expect at least 7 as we cash a ticket in the regular season finale. 10* OVER the total in Calgary |
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05-18-21 | Lightning -110 v. Panthers | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 2 m | Show |
CNBC Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line -110 @ Florida Panthers @ 8:05 ET - This line has made a major move this morning and it is because Florida is starting Chris Driedger between the pipes for this one. I know the Panthers netminder shutout the Lightning the last time he faced them but, prior to that, he allowed 3 goals on 19 shots in a start against the Bolts. Also, the one before that when he faced Tampa Bay, Driedger allowed 4 goals. I know the Panthers are hoping for a spark with starting Driedger here after Sergei Bobrovsky allowed 5 goals in the Game 1 loss but, honestly, Bobrovsky was not the problem in Game 1. The problem for Florida is just at that Tampa is the better team overall and loaded with a history of playoff winning while the Panthers are always getting bounced early in the post-season when they even do make a playoff appearance. So, while I do respect Florida, this is a very tough match-up for them and I feel we have great line value here as the Bolts have gone from a -130 fave to nearly a pick'em now in this match-up. Keep in mind, prior to shutting out TB the last time he faced them (which will actually motivate the Bolts even more here), Driedger allowed 8 goals on just 54 shots over his last 3 appearances. That is a lousy save percentage of only .852 over those 3 appearances for Driedger. More of the same here. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-17-21 | Bruins v. Capitals OVER 5.5 | Top | 4-3 | Win | 124 | 11 h 10 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins @ 7:35 ET - My initial thought here was to play on Boston as the Bruins look to bounce back from the Game 1 loss and because Washington has goalie issues. Vanecek exited Saturday's game early with a lower-body injury and Samsonov has been out for a couple weeks and would be rusty and Anderson has hardly played this season and it was a surprise the 39-year old netminder fared as well as he did in Saturday's win. With all that said, I do expect the Bruins to enjoy success in the offensive zone in this one. However, how do I play against a team that found a way to win Saturday's game on home ice despite the goalie issues and despite giving up a power play goal and having only 1 power play chance while giving Boston 4 and despite losing the faceoff battle by a 3 to 2 ratio? Exactly! I just can not play against the Capitals here but I do expect them to struggle to stop the Bruins. The fact we have the over 5.5 available as high as a +125 makes this a valuable plus money bet! Remember that Game One was 2-2 going to the 3rd and only a scoreless 3rd prevented an over. Look for this one to get to at least 6 goals as Boston scores well but the Caps, so tough on their home ice in particular, answer them goal for goal! 10* OVER the total in Washington |
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05-16-21 | Lightning -115 v. Panthers | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line -115 @ Florida Panthers @ 7:30 ET - The Lightning got a lot of good news on the injury front entering this one. A bunch of players now listed as probable for Tampa Bay and that includes Kucherov and Stamkos. That is part of the reason you can throw Florida's dominance of the last two regular season games out the window. It is playoff time and I have plenty of respect for the Panthers but feel strongly that the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bolts are going to come out strong and make a statement in Game 1 of this series. The playoffs are an entirely different animal than regular season hockey and, at least in the opener of this one, I look for the Lightning to prevail. There is a reason that lower-seeded Tampa Bay is favored on the road at Florida in this one. Do not be fooled by the line here. The Lightning are justified in being the favorites in this one after being road dogs in the last two meetings of the regular season at Florida. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-15-21 | Bruins v. Capitals +118 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 118 | 9 h 31 m | Show |
National TV Blowout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Saturday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line +118 vs Boston Bruins @ 7:15 ET - I have tremendous respect for both of these teams and feel both are built very well for playoff hockey. However, that said, I do feel we are getting tremendous line value here with the Caps as a home dog. One interesting item of note is that, since we are expecting tight defensive-minded playoff hockey, I did notice something about recent match-ups between these teams. There have been no shutouts in any of the last 9 meetings between these teams but 5 times a team has been held to just a single goal. 4 of the 5 times that team was Boston and they were on the wrong end of a loss to Washington. The Capitals beat the Bruins by a combined score of 14-4 in those 4 games. Now, certainly I am not expecting a blowout win here but I am just saying that the Capitals do know how to stifle the Bruins and actually have outshot them in 5 of the last 6 meetings. Look for the Caps to find a way on home ice in this one and I am grabbing the underdog in this one! 10* WASHINGTON +118 |
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05-14-21 | Maple Leafs v. Jets +139 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 139 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #44 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line +140 vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Maple Leafs and Jets are both set in terms of playoff positioning. That said, this is a rather meaningless game and it is simply hard to justify Toronto being such a pricey road favorite. The Leafs have lost 5 of last 8 road games and face a Jets team that had been struggling but now has won 2 of last 3 games that Connor Hellebuyck has started and he is expected to get the call here. Winnipeg has won those two games by a combined 9-0 score. This is a tune up game for the post-season but the Jets might prove to be the more motivated team. The Maple Leafs have won 4 of the last 5 meetings and are the top team in the division. The Jets want to prove they can turn the tables on Toronto and beat them heading into the post-season and wrapping up the regular season with a winner on home ice. Too much underdog value here to pass up. 10* WINNIPEG +140 |