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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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04-02-21 | Capitals v. Devils +138 | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 49 m | Show | |
Big East Beast - NHL Rotation #60 Friday 8* New Jersey Devils Money Line +140 vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals are in the 2nd game of a back to back plus #1 goalie Samsonov might have a concussion. Additionally, both Samsonov and #2 goalie Vanecek got blitzed in yesterday's 8-4 loss at New York against the Islanders. Teams are starting to gun for the Capitals after they moved into the top spot in the division as that certainly did not go unnoticed. I am well aware of the fact that the Caps have owned the Devils this season with a perfect 6-0 mark against them but I love the home dog New Jersey here. They just blew a 4-1 lead at Boston Tuesday and lost in the shootout. They will be fired up here as today and Sunday are their last two chances to get a win versus the Capitals in the regular season and certainly they are not happy about the collapse against the Bruins Tuesday. I really like the fact that the Devils have had two days off leading into this game while Washington is off a grueling effort against the Isles and their former coach, Trotz, yesterday. The set up is perfect for a New Jersey home dog upset. The Devils had won 5 of 8 before letting one slip away at Boston. They will bounce back here. 8* NEW JERSEY |
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04-01-21 | Penguins +107 v. Bruins | Top | 4-1 | Win | 107 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
Big East Beast - NHL Rotation #49 Thursday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins have lost each of their last 10 visits to Boston yet this game is priced at very nearly a pick'em. Long-time followers know where I am going with this one! The fact is the Penguins come into this game on a hot streak and desperate to end their losing streak in games at Boston. Pittsburgh has the hottest goalie in the league right now with Casey DeSmith on a phenomenal run over his last 10 appearances. As for the Bruins, they are expected to start Dan Vladar here. He has been strong in his first two starts but this is still a 23-year old netminder appearing in just his 3rd ever NHL game and he is facing a Penguins club that has won 4 straight games and 11 of 14. Boston, on the other hand, had lost 11 of 18 games before rallying for a win versus New Jersey Tuesday. The Bruins last 3 wins have come against the Sabres (who had lost 18 straight) and the Devils (fortunate win for Boston). Give me the highly motivated road dog playing the much better hockey of late and that also has the goaltending edge. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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03-31-21 | Flyers -190 v. Sabres | 1-6 | Loss | -190 | 9 h 8 m | Show | |
Big East Beast - NHL Rotation #31 Wednesday 6* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:35 ET - NOTE my rating here. As long-time followers know my top play is 10* so this one is rated at nearly only half of that! Currently priced in the -190 range that means betting this at 6* is commensurate with betting a 10* top on a -115 money line. The fact is I rarely ever lay these kind of prices and the only time I do is in the most rare of cases and this is certainly one you will not see often! The Sabres have lost 18 straight games. The most recent was a 4-3 OT loss to these same Flyers on Monday in which Buffalo blew a 3-0 third period lead. Of course the Sabres will wan to respond but that kind of a loss is hard enough for any team to bounce back from and this is particularly true of one that has lost 18 games in a row! At the same time, the Flyers are desperate for points and to stay alive in the playoff race. Philadelphia has 3 days off after this game - a rare break in the schedule - and so they will definitely leave it all on the ice for this game! They are hungry for 2 points and then a needed break and then ready to make a playoff push. Until the Sabres prove they can win a game - and by they way they are now winless in last 5 versus Flyers - they must be faded. 6* PHILADELPHIA money line |
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03-31-21 | Maple Leafs v. Jets +126 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 33 m | Show |
NHL Rotation #30 Wednesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - This is a battle for first place in the North Division and I like the home underdog in this one. It is hard to argue that the Leafs should be such a pricey favorite on the road in this one when you consider the Jets record is every bit as good as Toronto's plus these teams have split the first four meetings this season. I know Jack Campbell has played surprisingly well between the pipes for the Maple Leafs of late but he certainly does not have the long-term success factor that Connor Hellebuyck has. Also, Hellebuyck is 4-0 with a .966 save percentage and has allowed an average of just 1 goal per game his last 4 starts. I know Campbell has been great this season - albeit in limited action thus far - but he lost 12 of 18 road decisions last season. As for the season before that, Campbell lost 9 of 14 road decisions. In fact in his career, prior to this season, Campbell lost 24 of 36 decisions away from home. That is 2 out of every 3 decisions resulting in a loss on the road. He is a solid netminder playing well right now but Hellebuyck is playing even better and home ice matters and we get an underdog line here as well. A lot of positive factors in our favor and the Leafs are one point in front of the Jets in the standings. Great set up here. Also, the Maple Leafs have lost 7 of their last 11 games. The Jets, on the other hand, have won 4 of last 5 and those were on the road plus they have won 7 of last 10 on home ice. 10* WINNIPEG |
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03-30-21 | Oilers v. Canadiens -118 | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 34 m | Show | |
NHL Rotation #72 Tuesday 8* Montreal Canadiens Money Line -118 vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - I understand the line move here as everyone is playing Edmonton because Montreal has had a long layoff. This will be the Canadiens first game since the 20th. However, certainly the Habs will have fresh skating legs as a result and this is the ideal spot to fade the Oilers. They are in the 2nd night of a back to back and rallied for a huge OT win at Toronto last night. Having struggling badly against the Maple Leafs this season, and that being their final game against them for this year, they wanted it badly. That makes this a potential flat spot for Edmonton here. Also, the Oilers handed the Habs a 3-0 shutout loss at Montreal in the last meeting. Suffice to say the home team hasn't forgotten that beatdown and wants revenge. Also, in their last 15 games the Canadiens have earned at least a point in 12 of them. A tough team to beat in regulation and a great spot to back them for a win here. 8* MONTREAL |
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03-30-21 | Capitals v. Rangers +102 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 102 | 9 h 10 m | Show |
NHL Rotation #18 Tuesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals have been hot for sure but the Rangers have been playing very well and will carry some momentum over from Sunday's game at Washington. Momentum from a loss? Yes! The Rangers were down 4-0 in that game but showed a lot of fight in never giving up in the eventual 5-4 loss. Now with the scene shifting from DC to NY for this one, the Rangers get the home ice win tonight. New York has won 4 of its last 6 home games and has won them by a combined score of 23 to 7. Also, Shesterkin should be between the pipes for the Rangers tonight and he has been great in recent starts against the Capitals. Overall, he has been great this season and has a 2.06 GAA and .942 save percentage in the month of March. More of the same here and, off tight back to back losses - to Flyers and Capitals - I do not see the home team being denied here. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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03-29-21 | Oilers +137 v. Maple Leafs | 3-2 | Win | 137 | 9 h 55 m | Show | |
NHL Rotation #3 Monday 8* Edmonton Oilers Money Line +140 @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - This is the Oilers last shot at knocking off the Maple Leafs in regular season action. The teams have already met 8 times so this is the 9th and final game between the North Division foes. Toronto rallied for the overtime win on Saturday night as Edmonton blew a huge lead. Look for the Oilers to make up for that here with a huge effort. Edmonton was dealing with a schedule break before facing the Leafs Saturday and that week off seemed to take something out of them as they were unable to finish the game off after getting a big lead. Keep in mind, the Oilers had won 7 of 9 before that loss and I fully expect them to bounce back her now that they have a game under their belts. Toronto has taken 6 of the 8 meetings between these teams so far and certainly the Oilers are not happy about this. Payback time here. Yes, the Maple Leafs are off 3 straight wins but the last two have come in OT plus Toronto had lost 6 of 7 games prior to this hot streak. This game is simply offering too much line value to the highly motivated road dog and I will not pass up on it. 8* EDMONTON |
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03-29-21 | Islanders -105 v. Penguins | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
Rotation #1 NHL 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Islanders are one of the best teams in the NHL and they just got hammered 6-3 at Pittsburgh on Saturday. You can bet (literally!) that they will be ready to respond in this rematch Monday. The Isles had won 12 of 14 games prior to the loss Saturday. Going further back it was a stretch of 19 wins in 25 games for this rock solid Islanders club. One of the few teams that has given the Isles any trouble this season is the Penguins. That said, this is the Isles last shot at them in the regular season and I am sure they will make it count! New York has lost 5 of 7 meetings with Pittsburgh this season and this is payback time. Pittsburgh has won 3 straight games but 2 of those victories came against a Buffalo tam that has lost 17 straight games. Plus, prior to that stretch, the Pens had lost 3 of 4. I just do not see the Islanders being denied tonight given all of the above and the situational factors here. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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03-28-21 | Rangers +123 v. Capitals | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 3 h 33 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - NHL 8* New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 12:05 ET - This line jumped because it is a back to back for the Rangers and they'll have back-up goalie Georgiev between the pipes. However, he played a lot recently because Shesterkin was out with an injury. Also, he played well in most outings too! Georgiev has allowed just 2 goals in his last 2 starts and that included a shutout win and a tough 2-1 loss to the Capitals. That makes this a revenge game for Georgiev as his Rangers blew a 1-0 lead in that game and lost 2-1 despite a 33-18 edge in shots on goal. They dominated play but lost when the Caps got a couple of late goals in the 3rd period. Coming off a loss to the Flyers yesterday and with Georgiev looking for revenge, the Rangers are poised for a big game here. The Rangers had won 5 of 7 before yesterday's loss and each of their last 3 losses has been by a single goal while their last 5 victories have come by a combined score of 29 to 7. We get value here because the Capitals have been so hot but there is a reason the odds makers had priced this line so low on Washington in the first place. The odds makers are sharp...but we are too! Fade the masses! 8* NEW YORK RANGERS money line |
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03-27-21 | Rangers v. Flyers +116 | 1-2 | Win | 116 | 3 h 30 m | Show | |
Big East Beast - 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Rangers @ 1:05 ET - The Flyers have been embarrassed by the rival Rangers in two straight games now and will turn to veteran Brian Elliott between the pipes to steady the ship. Even though the most recent defeat was still certainly embarrassing, Philadelphia showed resolve in still battling hard and playing hard as they battled back from a 6-0 deficit. They will carry some momentum from that effort right into this game and, on home ice and off an embarrassing loss, the Flyers will not be denied here. Elliott is 7-4-1 this season and has a 2.75 GAA in home games. This is a bit of a make or break game for the Flyers and I do not seen them being denied. I liked their response in Thursday's ugly loss and they will carry that right into a determined effort in today's game. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-26-21 | Devils +196 v. Capitals | 0-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 23 m | Show | |
Big East Beast - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Friday 8* New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - Too much big dog line value pass up on here. I know the Capitals have been playing great but the Devils are an up and coming team that has played very well on the road this season. Yesterday every goal they scored ended up being quickly answered by the Caps and Washington hung on for the eventual 4-3 win. Look for New Jersey, a very determined hockey club, to show even more resolve in today's game and I look for them to get the huge upset win. The Devils had won 4 of 5 games prior to yesterday's loss. Also, entering yesterday's game, New Jersey had lost only 7 road games this season while the Capitals have lost 8 games on home ice this year! In other words, even as hot as Washington has been, there is simply no argument here about the fact that there is line value with the live dog in this one! I like the Devils to bounce back and get the big road win. 8* NEW JERSEY |
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03-25-21 | Rangers v. Flyers +112 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 9 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - You think the Flyers might be motivated and play one of their best games of the season tonight? They absolutely should! Philadelphia has lost 3 straight games for the first time this season. Their loss to the Devils Tuesday was the first time this season they did not respond off back to back losses as they had been a perfect 5-0 in that situation this season. That said, I fully expect a huge response here as the game that started this 3-game skid was a very embarrassing 9-0 loss to the Rangers last week. Teams do not suffer losses like that very often at all and when it happens against a rival and then you can get quick shot at redemption you can bank on what should happen here. We are also are getting some line value here because Shesterkin is expected to be back between the pipes for New York tonight but he is returning from injury and could be rusty making his first start in 3 weeks. The line moved toward the Rangers after his return was announced for tonight but for all the reasons above, I feel strongly that this line move is the wrong way and the home dog gets payback and cashes in here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-24-21 | Flames -167 v. Senators | 1-3 | Loss | -167 | 6 h 33 m | Show | |
Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #69 Wednesday 7* Calgary Flames Money Line -167 @ Ottawa Senators @ 5:05 ET - A little pricier than I like to normally play but that is why I have reduced the rating to a 7* here. In other words, it is similar to laying -120 on a 10* top play. This is simply a fantastic spot as the Senators won a tight one 2-1 Monday behind an outstanding effort from their rookie goalie. The Flames outshot them 36 to 23 and will get payback here. Ottawa is 0-4 the last 4 times when off a win. Only twice this season have the Sens produced a winning streak of 2 or more games. Calgary is 5-1 the last 6 times this season when they enter a game off back to back losses. Only twice this season have the Flames had a losing streak of more than 2 games. Payback time here. Lay it! 7* CALGARY -167 |
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03-23-21 | Devils v. Flyers -157 | 4-3 | Loss | -157 | 7 h 23 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #58 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers are off a tough OT loss to the Islanders yesterday as the Isles tied the game on a bit of a fluke goal in the 3rd period and then got the win after a Philadelphia turnover in their own zone. That said, Philly will come out strong in bounce back mode here. Carter Hart will be in goal and he was fantastic on home ice last season plus has been very strong against the Devils both this year and last season. Also, New Jersey enters this game having struggled to score goals of late with an average of only 2 per game in their last half dozen contests. As for Philadelphia, even though this is a back to back, they have played very well in the 2nd game of back to backs this season. This is about the upper limit money line I am willing to lay and, given the situation, I will not pass up on this opportunity. The Flyers played very well last night but lost and now come out even hungrier against the Devils tonight. New Jersey is off an OT win over Pittsburgh so the set up is perfect here. The Devils had lost 13 of 17 prior to the win over the Penguins. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-22-21 | Islanders v. Flyers +112 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 16 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #46 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - When a good team is left for dead it is often the best time to step in and play them. Everyone is very down on the Flyers right now but they got what was coming to them with Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Islanders. Certainly New York is a great team but now they are on the road and lets not forget that Philadelphia had won each of the first 3 meetings between these teams this season. Also, the Isles have been great at home this season but have lost 9 of their 16 road games. The Flyers are a perfect 5-0 this season when off a loss in which they were held to 1 goal or less. Bounce back time here so grab the home dog. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-18-21 | Flyers +143 v. Islanders | 4-3 | Win | 143 | 7 h 25 m | Show | |
Early Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers did not just lose yesterday to the Rangers, they were thoroughly embarrassed in a 9-0 beatdown. That is the type of defeat that brings about an immediate response from a team and I expect Philadelphia to bounce back strong here. The Flyers are already 2-0 this season against the Islanders as motivation has gone a long way - the Isles eliminated Philly from the post-season last year. The Islanders just lost a key player to a season-ending injury as Anders Lee suffered an ACL injury. This is awful news that is tough for a team to immediately respond to. The Isles had won 9 straight games before a loss to the Capitals Tuesday. However 7 of the 8 most-recent wins in the streak came against the bottom-feeding Devils and Sabres. New Jersey and Buffalo have combined for just 15 wins in their 54 games this season! Now the Islanders, still adjusting to playing without their leading goal-scorer, host a very angry visitor in this one. The Isles are a great team but the line value lies with the big dog Flyers here after what happened to them last night. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-17-21 | Flyers -124 v. Rangers | Top | 0-9 | Loss | -124 | 8 h 19 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:35 ET - The Flyers have dominated this series of late and that includes the games at Madison Square Garden as well. Philadelphia is on an 8-2 run last 10 meetings including a perfect 4-0 at New York. The Rangers lost to the Flyers Monday and Carter Hart played better between the pipes for Philly than you would have expected based on the final score of 5-4. Also, the Rangers have lost 4 of their last 5 and now Alexandar Georgiev is expected to be in the crease for the hosts tonight. He is making just his 2nd start in the last 10 days and Georgiev hasn't lasted long at all in his last two appearances! He has given up 7 goals on just 20 shots for an awful .650 save percentage as Georgiev has been chased from each of his last two appearances. Look for more of the same here as the Flyers have been piling up goals in recent games and have been red hot on the power play. Philly has scored an average of 4 goals per game last 4 games and I look for the recent dominance of the Rangers to continue in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-16-21 | Islanders -111 v. Capitals | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -111 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
East Div Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Tuesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals were out for revenge when they had a 2-game set with the Islanders in late January. That's because Washington was eliminated from the post-season last year by the Isles. However, now it is New York with revenge as they lost both those late January games and seek payback here. The situation certainly favors the travelers here as the Caps are in a back to back spot. Yes, the Capitals have been hot but they are in a back to back spot here and also it is likely to be Samsonov (allowed 7 goals last 2 starts) between the pipes since Vanecek was in the crease for last night's shutout win. That game was at Buffalo by the way so the Caps also had to travel for this next game. The Islanders certainly are the more rested team as they were off yesterday. Also, even though the Capitals have been hot, so too have the Isles as they have won 9 straight and 11 of their last 12. Both teams certainly playing very well but grab the hotter team, playing with revenge, and in the better scheduling situation. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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03-14-21 | Stars -125 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 7 h 35 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #62 Sunday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (-) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 5:05 ET - The Stars lost this match-up yesterday in OT. Based on the goalie match-up yesterday it is likely to be Khodobin versus Korpisalo in this one. The Stars netminder will be looking to redeem himself after allowing 4 goals on just 8 shots in his most recent appearance. This followed a stellar effort of just 1 goal allowed in his prior start on 22 shots. Korpisalo allowed 7 goals in his last two starts and that included a loss to Dallas. The Stars have scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 3 games at Columbus and I expect that coupled with a strong performance bounce back from Khudobin to lead to a road rout here. 10* DALLAS |
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03-13-21 | Capitals v. Flyers -115 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -115 | 8 h 28 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers lost to the Caps Thursday but showed resilience in battling back and now will carry momentum from that game right into this one. A season that was humming along for Philly took a hit because of covid protocols and that seems to have left Philadelphia in a bit of a funk. Carter Hart goaltending performances are not helping but having veteran Brian Elliott to steady the ship is a key. Elliott will get the start here and I expect a huge response from the Flyers after Thursday's loss. Philadelphia is 4-0 this season when off a game in which they allowed 5 or more goals in regulation. The Capitals are 1-2 this season when on a winning streak of 3 games or more and the lone win came in the shootout while the 2 losses came by a combined score of 10 to 4. Look for this one to be all Flyers. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-11-21 | Capitals v. Flyers -109 | 5-3 | Loss | -109 | 8 h 35 m | Show | |
Early Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line -110 vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers lost the most recent meeting 3-1 but outshot the Capitals 37-27 in that loss on Sunday. Philadelphia is out for revenge here and note that Philly had won 5 in a row against Washington prior to that loss over the weekend. Not only that, the Flyers won those 5 games by a combined score of 25 to 11. That is an average score of 5 to 2 per game and certainly there is nothing average about that! Look for the Flyers recent series dominance to resume here as they take advantage of the opportunity to avenge that defeat. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-09-21 | Panthers -128 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 36 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Tuesday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (-) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers are off a 4-2 loss at Carolina on Sunday. Florida is 7-1 this season when off a loss. The Panthers also were on a 7-1 run in road games prior to the loss to the Hurricanes Sunday. That big run followed a 3-2 shootout loss at Columbus in late January when these teams most recently met. In other words, ideal set-up here as Florida also has revenge against the Blue Jackets here. We also get line value in this one since the Panthers are on the road. At home they would be a pricey favorite but on the road they are priced very reasonably. Columbus is off their 8th loss in 11 games and that was a 5-0 beating at Dallas. Though the loss to the Stars was a road game and one might thing the Blue Jackets will be better here at home, note that Columbus did win their most recent game as a host but this was preceded by 3 straight home losses. Also, that win came against the Red Wings. The Panthers most certainly are at a much higher level than Detroit! 10* FLORIDA |
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03-09-21 | Rangers +152 v. Penguins | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 7 m | Show | |
Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Tuesday 8* New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 6:05 ET - The Rangers got hammered 5-1 at Pittsburgh on Sunday but that game fell apart for them in the span of just a couple minutes late in the first period after they had grabbed a very early 1-0 lead and things were looking so good. After that ugly collapse, they will make up for it here and are offering great underdog value. New York is 3-0 the last 3 times they were off a loss. Also, the Rangers had won 6 of 8 games prior to the ugly loss Sunday. Also, even though this game is at Pittsburgh, note that New York had won 5 of 6 road games prior to the loss at PPG Paints Arena Sunday. The Penguins are off back to back wins but this was on the heels of an 8-8 run in which 4 of the Pens 8 wins came after regulation too. That means Pittsburgh had just 4 regulation wins in 16 games. There is simply not enough difference between these teams right now to warrant the Penguins being priced as high as they are. They have moved up to as high as the -175 range this morning because Keith Kinkaid will get the start here. However, after the veteran netminder was able to work the rust off in relief of Alexandar Georgiev Sunday, look for him to give a strong effort here and you know the Rangers will be skating hard in front of him after the ugly weekend loss. 8* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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03-08-21 | Golden Knights v. Wild +101 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 101 | 10 h 41 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Monday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Wild are available at even money in this one even though they are at home. I like the value here with revenge minded Minnesota in this one. They faced the Golden Knights in Vegas twice last week and lost the first game 5-4 in OT after blowing a 4-2 lead. Keep in mind 2 of the Knights 4 goals in regulation came on the power play so the Wild did outscore Vegas 4-2 in 5 on 5 hockey of that game. Then Minny got blown out on the scoreboard in Wednesday's rematch but did outshoot the Golden Knights by a 37-28 margin in that one. Vegas is having a great season but also enter this game off back to back wins over their hated rival, the Sharks. I will not be surprised to see Minnesota out-skating the Golden Knights here as they are likely to be the hungrier team given this double revenge spot. By the way, the home team has now won each of the last 4 meetings between these teams. Also, the Wild are off a 5-2 loss at Arizona and have gone 5-1 this season when they enter a game off a defeat in which they were held to 2 or less goals. 10* MINNESOTA |
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03-06-21 | Jets +124 v. Canadiens | Top | 1-7 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 44 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Saturday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Winnipeg entered Thursday's game at Montreal off a 5-2 win over Vancouver on Tuesday as it was payback time for the Jets after that rare loss to the Canucks Monday. Winnipeg, entering Monday's game, had won 4 straight games and 8 of their last 11 games. After the Tuesday win followed by a win at Montreal Thursday, the Jets have won 10 of their last 14 games! The Canadiens entered Thursday's game off a win as well but they had entered Tuesday night's game having lost 7 of 8 games. This is clearly a case of two teams heading opposite directions for multiple weeks now and, as expected, one game does not change all that. Sure enough, though it was a hard-fought win, the Jets got a well-deserved victory over the Habs Thursday. The fact is that Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck gives them a big edge over the Canadiens as he is one of the best in the league. Time to again take advantage of underdog line value here because the Canadiens have not responded all that well since the coaching change and it is going to be a transitional cycle for a period of time for Montreal. Considering all of the above, the plus money price on Winnipeg here is an excellent value as this is the perfect spot to back a strong team and the stronger goalie against an over-priced favorite that still can't seem to shake its losing ways. The Jets are 4-0 the last 4 games against Habs with Hellebuyck in goal and they outscored them 15-9 in those games. 10* WINNIPEG |
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03-06-21 | Flyers +101 v. Penguins | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 3 h 15 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Saturday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 1:05 ET - Though it didn't look good early for them Thursday (a 3-0 deficit in first few minutes of game!), the fact is that the Flyers are getting healthier again and getting back in a rhythm as guys have come back and now they even have Travis Konecny back too! Sure enough, they rallied and eventually earned a hard-fought 4-3 comeback win. That is the kind of win that can really trigger one team's momentum while also decimating the spirits of the losing team. That said, though the Penguins have a solid record this season they had arguably been the most fortunate team in the league. Pittsburgh has 12 wins this season but only 5 have come in regulation. The Penguins have 10 losses this season and 9 of them have come in regulation. So what that means is that the Pens are 7-1 in games decided after regulation but just 5-9 in games decided in the first 60 minutes. That includes back to back blowout losses to the Flyers when these teams met in Philly earlier this season. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the league. What does that have to do with this play. Well, Philly has lost all 5 meetings with Boston but has won 12 of 15 against the rest of the league! Off back to back 3-0 shutout wins on the road, the Flyers entered this 2-game set loaded with confidence and that confidence is now boosted even further after their comeback win Thursday which was a great bounce back from Tuesday's loss to the Pens. Now look for the Flyers to continue a run of 12-3 dominance against divisional foes not named the Bruins! 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-05-21 | Capitals v. Bruins -132 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 10 h 53 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #62 Friday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - As I mentioned in my write-up on this match-up Wednesday, this is a huge battle between two of the top teams in the East Division standings. Even though the Caps are in the top spot they have played two more games than Boston. Also, the Capitals entered Wednesday's game having lost 4 of 9 road games. Note that the Bruins entered that game having lost just 1 of 6 home games so far this season. Even though the teams had split their first two games this season, Boston had outshot Washington by a combined margin of 76 to 49 in those two meetings and both those games were at DC. The Bruins, on home ice, are absolutely worth the price here as they now have revenge too. Give the Capitals credit for Wednesday's win as it was a deserved win and they outshot them but still that was a game that the Bruins never trailed in and then lost in the shootout. The home team came out a little sluggish in Wednesday's game and yet still never trailed the entire way and they certainly are unlikely to start slow in this one. Look for another physical, playoff-type game here but the determined Bruins will not be denied here. 10* BOSTON |
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03-04-21 | Panthers -130 v. Predators | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Thursday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (-) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The Predators are off an ugly loss vs Carolina. The Preds did not look good in that game and this is a team that is now 7-1 combined against Columbus and Chicago but has lost 11 of 14 against the rest of the division. This includes Nashville losing 7 of 8 against the upper tier teams in the division like Carolina, Florida, and Tampa Bay. Now the Panthers are in town and angry and this one, as a result, certainly does not set up well for the Predators. Florida is off back to back losses this season for the first time this season and one came in the shootout and one came in overtime. This was after the Panthers had gone a perfect 6-0 this season when off a loss. Also, Florida did lose their most recent road game but entered that contest 5-1 this season as travelers. All signs point to a very motivated Panthers team taking the ice in this one and I will gladly lay the short road price here. 10* FLORIDA |
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03-04-21 | Flyers -121 v. Penguins | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 51 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Though it didn't pan out for them Tuesday, the fact is that the Flyers are getting healthier again and getting back in a rhythm as guys have come back and now they even have Travis Konecny back too! The Penguins have a solid record this season but have arguably been the most fortunate team in the league. Pittsburgh has 12 wins this season but only 5 have come in regulation. The Penguins have 9 losses this season and 8 of them have come in regulation. So what that means is that the Pens are 7-1 in games decided after regulation but just 5-8 in games decided in the first 60 minutes. That includes back to back blowout losses to the Flyers when these teams met earlier this season. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the league. What does that have to do with this play. Well, Philly has lost all 5 meetings with Boston but has won 11 of 14 against the rest of the league! Off back to back 3-0 shutout wins on the road, the Flyers entered this 2-game set loaded with confidence and will bounce back from Tuesday's loss to the Pens as they resume a run of 11-3 dominance against divisional foes not named the Bruins! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-03-21 | Capitals v. Bruins -143 | 2-1 | Loss | -143 | 7 h 27 m | Show | |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Wednesday 8* Boston Bruins Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - This is a huge battle between two of the top teams in the East Division standings. Even though the Caps are in the top spot they have played two more games than Boston. Also, the Capitals have lost 4 of 9 road games. Note that the Bruins have lost just 1 of 6 home games so far this season. Even though the teams have split their two games this season, Boston outshot Washington by a combined margin of 76 to 49 in those two meetings and plus those games were at DC. The Bruins, on home ice, are absolutely worth the price here. 8* BOSTON |
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03-02-21 | Hurricanes v. Predators +108 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 41 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Tuesday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8:05 ET - The Predators have won 4 of their last 5 games and now are catching the Hurricanes in the 2nd night of a back to back plus off back to back huge wins over the rival Panthers which each took extra time! One win was in a shootout and then last night's was in OT after Carolina scored with under a minute and a half to go in the game to tie it. The Hurricanes had Nedeljkovic between the pipes last night which likely means it will be Reimer tonight because Mrazek is still out. The significance in this is that Reimer has not been as sharp as Nedeljkovic of late. He hasn't been bad but Reimer has allowed at least 3 goals in 9 of his last 10 starts and did allow 5 goals twice during this span as well. Nashville enters this game rested and plus has allowed an average of only 1 goal per game in their 4 wins during their current 4-1 run. Also, the Preds are 0-2 this season on home ice against defending Stanley Cup champs TB but have gone 7-2 in their other 9 home games. They again get it done tonight and, in doing so, exact some revenge against Carolina. The Hurricanes won the first meeting between these teams this season but this one sets up well for payback! 10* NASHVILLE |
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03-02-21 | Flyers +101 v. Penguins | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 14 m | Show | |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers are getting healthier again and getting back in a rhythm as guys have come back and now they might even get Travis Konecny back tonight too! The Penguins have a solid record this season but have arguably been the most fortunate team in the league. Pittsburgh has 11 wins this season but only 4 have come in regulation. The Penguins have 9 losses this season and 8 of them have come in regulation. So what that means is that the Pens are 7-1 in games decided after regulation but an ugly 4-8 in games decided in the first 60 minutes. That includes back to back blowout losses to the Flyers when these teams met earlier this season. The Bruins are one of the best teams in the league. What does that have to do with this play. Well, Philly has lost all 5 meetings with Boston but has won 11 of 13 against the rest of the league! Off back to back 3-0 shutout wins on the road, the Flyers are loaded with confidence right now and continue that run of 11-2 dominance against divisional foes not named the Bruins! 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-01-21 | Hurricanes v. Panthers +102 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 49 m | Show |
Top Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #72 Monday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers are so dangerous and so resilient. Florida rallied from a 2-0 third period deficit to beat the Stars 3-2 on Thursday. Then, on Saturday, the Panthers again rallied from a 2-0 third period deficit to tie the game before falling behind 3-2 and then again managing to knot the game late and force OT. That one ended up being decided in the shootout and the Hurricanes prevailed but this Panthers team continues to impress me. This is a great spot to back them now as Florida is a perfect 6-0 this season when off a loss! The Hurricanes are a very strong team but they had lost 3 in a row before the tight win Saturday and I know the Panthers are going to come out strong here on home ice after that loss. Two high quality teams meeting for the 2nd consecutive game and I give a large edge to the home dog as they look to improve to 7-0 on the season when in this situation. The absence of Canes #1 goalie Petr Mrazek is still an issue for Carolina. He should be back soon but I do not expect that to be tonight and, either way, like the Panthers a ton in this spot! 10* FLORIDA |
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02-28-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -104 | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 17 m | Show |
Top Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 5:05 ET - Yesterday the Islanders had a 2-0 lead against the Penguins but blew it before then taking another lead, 3-2, but then allowed the tying goal in the 3rd period and losing in overtime. Pittsburgh is a solid hockey club but they continue to be very fortunate and after again finding a way to win another one after regulation yesterday, the Penguins will fall short here in my opinion. The back to back favors the Islanders because Ilya Sorokin is likely to be between the pipes for the Isles and he is coming off a shutout win plus has allowed 2 or less goals in 2 of his last 3 starts. Since the Penguins used Tristan Jarry in the crease yesterday it is likely going to be Casey DeSmith getting the start here. The Pittsburgh backup goalie has allowed 3 or more goals in 4 of his last 5 appearances and has 4 wins this season but all came after regulation. He did beat the Islanders in a shootout win in his last start and that means it is payback time here. For DeSmith and the Penguins, their luck runs out here. You are going to see a very determined effort here from a revenge-minded Islanders team in this one. The Isles have yet to lose a game in regulation on home ice as they are 6-0-2 as a host and get payback here for yesterday's OT loss. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-28-21 | Flyers -158 v. Sabres | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 6 h 50 m | Show | |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 3:05 ET - As I have said before, I do not like to lay big prices and you won't ever find me laying -200 in a game no matter the situation. However, when we get a great situation and still have pricing in the 150 to 160 range then I will strongly consider getting involved and this is one I can not pass up on. The Sabres have issues right now. They are missing some guys and gave a listless performance against the Flyers yesterday and got waxed 3-0. That might have you expecting better from them today and certainly they can not be worse. But, keep in mind, this is a back to back situation. The Flyers hold a huge edge in goal because Carter Hart will get the start and he is Philly's #1 netminder plus can't wait to get back on the ice and make up for his poor effort in the outdoor game against the Bruins last weekend. As for the Sabres, they have a tough situation in the crease here. Linus Ullmark is out and that means they have to use Carter Hutton again in back to back games or they give the start to Jonas Johansson but he has made only 5 NHL starts in his career and has only 1 win in 5 decisions at the NHL level. With the Flyers finally getting guys back from covid protocol they are looking like the strong Philly team we saw in last year's post-season run as well as this year's early hot streaks. Indeed the Flyers are back! Lay it! 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-28-21 | Bruins -153 v. Rangers | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 3 h 8 m | Show | |
Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Sunday 8* Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 12:05 ET - As long-time followers know, I do not like to lay significant prices and it is only rare occasions that I will even consider the -150 range. That said, this is one of those rare occasions. I know the Rangers just blasted the Bruins 6-2 on Friday but the Rangers are not that great of a hockey club especially without Artemi Panarin. As for Boston, they have now lost back to back games by a combined score of 13 to 4 and they are a great hockey club. The Bruins are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Now I am not saying the Rangers are not a good team but I am just saying they truly are not on the level of the Bruins and they also really miss their top playmaker, Panarin, when he is out. That didn't show up on Friday but you will see that here early on Sunday as the Bruins are angry and now rested (Friday's game was a back to back for Boston). So, given the circumstances, this one turns into a road rout as the Bruins just will not let the Rangers get going in this one. I feel strongly that you are going to see a very determined and aggressive effort from one of the best teams in the league this afternoon. Look for the Bruins to improve to a perfect 3-0 this season when they enter a game off back to back losses. 8* BOSTON |
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02-27-21 | Hurricanes -115 v. Panthers | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 17 m | Show |
Top Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #41 Saturday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Why are the Hurricanes, 6-5 on the road and on a 3-game losing streak, favored AT Florida? There is only one team, Toronto, in the NHL that has more points in the standings than the Panthers. So, again, the point is why is Carolina favored in this game? As I have pointed out numerous times in the past, I am not a believer in the "odds maker mistake" theory. In other words, this is no mistake here either. The Canes are a road favorite because they are a very good team that has lost 3 straight games and is coming into this game hungry after 3 straight losses to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Lightning. I like the fact that the Panthers just rallied for 3 goals in the 3rd period of a 3-2 win over the Stars on Thursday. Look for the Hurricanes to prove to be the much hungrier team in this one and Florida falls flat after rallying for the big win versus Dallas. 10* CAROLINA |
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02-27-21 | Blue Jackets +113 v. Predators | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 38 m | Show | |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Saturday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 3:05 ET - This is a revenge game for the Blue Jackets. Surprisingly the Predators won the most recent meeting and have won 3 of 4 against Columbus this season. Why do I say this is a surprise? Well Nashville has won just 5 of their other 15 games this season! I know the Jackets have been struggling of late but they had been a perfect 4-0 this season when off back to back losses before they lost at Chicago Thursday. That marks the first 3-game losing streak for Columbus this season. It is also the first shutout loss for the Blue Jackets this season. Look for that to result in them playing one of their best games of the season today at Nashville and I will gladly grab the plus money in this one. 8* COLUMBUS |
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02-27-21 | Flyers -138 v. Sabres | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 3 h 54 m | Show | |
Earliest Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #85 Saturday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 1:05 ET - The Flyers are getting healthier now with a bunch of key guys returning for this game. They also catch Buffalo off a demoralizing home loss in overtime to the Devils. The Sabres now have just 2 wins in 9 home games this season. Not much of a home ice edge for sure and Philly has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and those 3 victories came by a combined score of 12 to 2. Look for another big win here as the Flyers recently welcomed back Giroux and now also are expected to today see the return of guys like Voracek, Lindblom, and Laughton. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-26-21 | Bruins -165 v. Rangers | Top | 2-6 | Loss | -165 | 10 h 38 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Friday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins are off an embarrassing 7-2 loss to the Islanders last night but that is a deceiving final score. Boston actually outshot the Isles by a substantial margin through two periods and the game was 2-2 heading to the third period. Then everything unraveled and that was the kind of ugly third period that a good team can not wait to respond to. That said, the Bruins are likely happy to have a game immediately the very next evening and that is bad news for a Rangers team that is not the same when they do not have Artemi Panarin on the ice. New York generally struggles to produce much offensively without Panarin and the fact they got 3 goals against the Flyers Wednesday was thanks in large part to two coming on the power play plus the fact Philadelphia is still missing quite a few guys due to covid protocol. In fact that is the same Flyers team the Bruins just blasted 7-3 in the outdoor game Sunday at Lake Tahoe. That said, Rangers lose to that team 4-3 and it is the same team Boston just crushed 7-3. The fact is there is a large disparity between the level of these two teams and that is why this is a rare exception for me as I am going with a top play even though this money line price is in the 155 to 165 range as of early game day morning. I just feel this one has road rout written all over it. The Bruins won all 3 meetings between these clubs last season and also has won both so far this season. Now they make it 6 in a row here. Also, the Rangers have lost 4 straight home games and are facing the wrong team at the wrong time. 10* BOSTON |
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02-25-21 | Hurricanes +125 v. Lightning | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 41 m | Show | |
8* CAROLINA - The Hurricanes lost 3-0 yesterday but will respond today. McElhinney is expected to be between the pipes for the Lightning here since it was Vasilevskiy yesterday. McElhinney allowed 6 goals in his most recent start. Last season he had a 2.89 GAA. He is a big drop off from Vasilevskiy. The Canes are expected to start Reimer here and, though unspectacular, he has been consistent. Reimer has allowed 3 or less in goals in 8 of his 10 appearances this season including each of his last 4. The Hurricanes are off back to back losses for the first time this season and had been 4-0 when off a defeat. They will respond here with a big effort at Tampa Bay and take advantage of the goaltending situation in this one. Great underdog value here. 8* CAROLINA |
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02-25-21 | Stars v. Panthers -122 | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 26 m | Show | |
8* FLORIDA - The Panthers outshot the Stars 43-25 yesterday but came out on the wrong end of a 3-0 final. Look for them to respond in a big way today as they should have a goaltending edge here. Since it is a back to back, Florida is likely going to have Bobrovsky between the pipes and he has allowed 2 or less goals in 3 of his last 4 starts. Dallas could have Oettinger between the pipes. I know he has respectable numbers but the sample size is small. This is still a guy who just turned 22 years old two months ago and will be making just his 6th NHL start. Also, Oettinger is likely to face a barrage of shots unlike any he has seen yet in his career as he has faced an average of 26.8 shots in his first 5 starts but Florida is known for generating a lot of shots and will build off yesterday's 43-shot performance determined to get back into the win column. The Panthers are 5-0 this season when off a loss. 8* FLORIDA |
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02-25-21 | Penguins v. Capitals -105 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 7 h 1 m | Show |
10* WASHINGTON - The Capitals got outplayed by the Penguins Tuesday. The game went to OT but the Caps were severely outshot by the Pens. I look for Washington to make up for that here. Keep in mind, 3 of the 4 wins that Pittsburgh has in these teams match-ups this season have come in OT or the SO. Also, the game prior to Tuesday's was a 3-1 Capitals win in which they outshot the Penguins by a 42 to 27 margin. Pittsburgh has been very strong on home ice this season but their win on Tuesday was just their 3rd win in 9 road games this season. Washington's players will be highly motivated and focused here on a strong effort after being unimpressive for too many stretches of Tuesday's game. The Capitals have just one regulation loss in last five games and get back on track here with their 4th win in 6 games. Look for the Penguins to drop to 0-3 this season when they are on the road and coming off a win. 10* WASHINGTON |
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02-24-21 | Rangers v. Flyers -117 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 58 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers got hammered by their newest nemesis, the Bruins, on Sunday in the outdoor game at Lake Tahoe. Philadelphia didn't play all that bad early on considering how short-handed they were because of covid but the game got away from them in the latter half of the 2nd period. The problem is goalie Carter Hart really struggled. That happens sometimes and he'll get a break here and Brian Elliott will get the start. He has been great this season and the Flyers will play extra strong here on home ice as they look to atone for the beating they took at the hands of Boston. Note that the Flyers also are expected to get a boost with the return of captain Claude Giroux from the health protocol list. At the same time the Flyers are getting a boost the Rangers are dealing with a major problem. New York has impressed this season with stronger defensive play and goaltending than expected. However, the Rangers often struggle to score goals. One of the keys to them generating a lot of offensive zone time and great scoring chances seems to be when Artemi Panarin is on the ice. However, he is now out after the big story broke in Russia about past allegations against him. Whether the story is true or fabricated, it has the Rangers missing their best playmaker on offense plus has created a distraction. The Flyers lost in the shootout the last time they faced the Rangers. That is one of only two losses they have this season against teams not named the Bruins as they have now won 8 of 10 games this season other than being winless against Boston. The home team gets their revenge here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-24-21 | Stars +123 v. Panthers | 3-0 | Win | 123 | 7 h 35 m | Show | |
Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #87 Wednesday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 5 ET - The Stars got embarrassed on Monday after a long layoff as the Panthers outshot them 52 to 25 in that game. It was only the strong play of Anton Khudobin that kept them in the game. It was a horrible 2nd period that did in Dallas as the shots were nearly equal in the 1st and 3rd periods. That said, and now that they have their skating legs back, the Stars will be much better in the rematch tonight and I look for them get revenge. Yes Florida is off to a strong start this season but lets not forget this Dallas team was battling with the Lightning for the Stanley Cup in September. This Stars team is a good team and will be ready to respond in a huge way here. 8* DALLAS |
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02-24-21 | Hurricanes +121 v. Lightning | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 19 m | Show | |
Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #85 Wednesday 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 5:05 ET - This is a rematch of a Monday game. In that one the Bolts came in determined to get a win as they lost the first two meetings with the Canes by a combined score of 5-0. So of course the defending Stanley Cup Champions really wanted that game. Ultimately the did prevail but it was not easy. The Hurricanes scored first, the game was tied 2-2 going to final period, and in that 3rd period the Canes outshot TB 17-10. So even though Tampa Bay got the deciding goal mid-3rd period and later added an empty netter, it was not an easy win to say the least. That said, I really like Carolina in this rematch at Tampa. The Hurricanes, overall, are the hungrier team this season. It is so hard to repeat as champs and the Bolts just hoisted the Stanley Cup less than 5 months ago. Don't get me wrong, the Lightning are still a great team and have a great goaltender but will the hunger level be there all season? I just don't see that and this looks like a great spot to back a strong team at an underdog price that is very hungry for a win here. I'll take it! 8* CAROLINA |
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02-23-21 | Sabres +124 v. Devils | Top | 4-1 | Win | 124 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #83 Tuesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Sabres Money Line (+) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - This is a back to back spot for the Sabres but it is not as if the odds makers were not aware of that when they posted the money line on this game. That said, it has continued to spike toward the Devils and I am happy to grab the additional value with the road dog in this one. Buffalo actually outshot a very stingy Islanders team last night by a solid margin and yet still fell just short on the scoreboard by a single goal. This will only strengthen the Sabres resolve in terms of tonight's game. Not only that they do have Carter Hutton to tend goal tonight after Linus Ullmark was between the pipes last night. Hutton has allowed just a single goal in each of his two road appearances this season and I look for him to get the job done here against a Devils team that is a big over-rated in my opinion. Also, the Sabres are a respectable 3-3-3 on the road this season while the Devils have lost 4 of 6 home games this season. In other words, the home ice "edge" is truly not even an "edge" in this early season match-up. I know it is a revenge game for New Jersey but the Sabres are just as hungry for this one after last night's loss which, again, was a quite impressive performance against an Islanders team that is generally tough to play against. I like what I am seeing from the Sabres right now and will back them as a dog here. 10* BUFFALO |
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02-22-21 | Stars +108 v. Panthers | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 47 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #75 Monday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play all the way but, think about it, how can a Panthers team that is 11-3-2 this season open up on home ice as only a pick'em against a Stars team that has lost 5 straight games and 7 of last 8 and also hasn't played a game in over a week? Something looks fishy here for sure, eh? Exactly! That is part of the reason I am playing ON Dallas here! Another reason is because remember their start to this season was also delayed. That was because of covid issues and one thought this would put the Stars at a severe disadvantage. However, they proceeded to open up the season with a 7-0 blowout win and that began a streak of 4 straight wins. Look for the Stars to again surprise the betting markets and also surprise the Panthers in this one. There is a reason this game was priced this way. 8* DALLAS |
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02-22-21 | Flames +129 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 3-0 | Win | 129 | 5 h 17 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Monday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - Great situational set up here as the Maple Leafs are off a big win over Montreal - which was also Toronto's 3rd straight overall - while the Flames are off an embarrassing loss (7-1) at Edmonton. This situation will bring out the best in Calgary and the road team is 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams. That includes the Leafs taking each of the first two meetings this season at Calgary even though the Flames did hold an edge on shots in each game. Both those match-ups were very close and Calgary is fired up for revenge after they fell just short. The Flames lost each of those games by a single goal and will prove to be the much hungrier team in this one tonight which means we are getting excellent line value with the road dog here. 10* CALGARY |
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02-21-21 | Flyers +160 v. Bruins | Top | 3-7 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 48 m | Show |
TV Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:35 in Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe - The Flyers are missing some players. But there is simply too much line value here to pass up. Keep in mind this is an outdoor game. It is a unique game in a unique setting and if you're going to offer a high-quality team with high-quality goaltending a +160 price in a neutral site setting it is something I will not pass up on. This is particularly true because the Bruins are also down a couple solid players and plus Boston hasn't exactly been piling up the goals of late. In fact, the Bruins have averaged only 1.8 goals per game in regulation time of their last 5 games. Also, Boston enters this game off back to back losses by a combined score of 7 to 4. It is simply hard to justify the Bruins being such a huge favorite in a neutral site game in which the Flyers have come up with some creative line combos too that are geared toward continuing to frustrate the Bruins attack. Too much line value to pass up here. This is a money line that was once as high as -200 and the fact it has come down substantially from that, despite the Flyers missing some key guys, tells you that there is some sharp money on the big dog in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-20-21 | Islanders +108 v. Penguins | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
TV Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Penguins got a rare dominating win, 4-1, over an Islanders team that had been playing very well. That happened on Thursday and now, on Saturday, the Isles get a chance at payback! New York had been on an 8-game points streak plus had won 5 of 6 games prior to that ugly loss to the Pens. In those 5 wins the Islanders allowed an average of only 1.2 goals per game and this is typical Isles hockey under head coach Barry Trotz. That is what I am expecting to see tonight as they bounce back from the loss and take advantage of this shot at immediate revenge. Not only are the Islanders the better team 5 on 5 in terms of limiting opponents chances, they also are the better team from a special teams perspective thus far this season. In comparison with the Penguins, the Isles have been the better team on the power play and on the penalty kill. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-20-21 | Golden Knights v. Avalanche -111 | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 5 h 14 m | Show | |
Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #4 Saturday 8* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3:05 ET - Two very strong teams. I still feeel that the Avalanche are the better team however and they are getting healthier now. Their first game back after a layoff was a 1-0 loss to the Knights but the Avs arguably deserved better and certainly got stronger as they game went on. They pulled strength from that effort and then beat Vegas 3-2 in the next game. Here is a big key about the Golden Knights though that many have not picked up on just yet. Vegas is struggling badly in terms of goal scoring in 5 on 5 hockey. Not including power play goals, Vegas has scored a TOTAL of only TWO goals their last FOUR games. The Avalanche are loaded with firepower and their ability to create high-quality scoring chances is going to be a key in this outdoor game. 5 on 5 hockey has high probability of determining the winner in this game and the Avs hold the edges in that regard. 8* COLORADO |
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02-20-21 | Rangers v. Capitals -135 | 4-1 | Loss | -135 | 3 h 10 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #10 Saturday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs New York Rangers @ 12:35 ET - Capitals have revenge from a 4-2 loss to the Rangers a few weeks ago. Since that New York win, the Rangers actually had lost every single game until a win over the Flyers Thursday. That came in the shootout and actually sets this one up perfectly. The Rangers have lost 3 of 4 this season when entering a game off a win. The Capitals enter this game off back to back wins and have allowed just 1 goal in each of those games. They are back on track and getting healthier after all the covid issues impacted them for awhile. Now it is payback time. 8* WASHINGTON |
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02-18-21 | Rangers v. Flyers -108 | 3-2 | Loss | -108 | 8 h 23 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #56 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - I am fully aware of the fact that the Flyers have guys still dealing with restrictions because of covid and that will miss tonight's game. I am also aware that Philadelphia will have some rust after not playing in awhile. However, that also means fresh skating legs for guys and they can get more ice time than they usually would tonight as they certainly have a lot left in the tank. Also, here is where it gets really interesting. Even though the Rangers get Panarin back tonight will he be 100%? I doubt it and the Flyers defense, other than Braun, is likely to be fully involved tonight. This is a key factor because the Rangers often struggle to score goals and I doubt they can match the Flyers tonight in terms of goal-scoring even with Philly down a few guys. Philadelphia has dominated this series in recent seasons and won all 3 meetings last season and outscored the Rangers 15 to 6 in the 3 games. The Rangers have lost 4 straight games entering this contest and have scored an average of just 1 goal per game during this losing streak! The Flyers have averaged scoring 3.4 goals per game this season not including overtime goals. Just too much value with the line drop when you consider all of the above and I am taking the home team at a pick'em price in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-18-21 | Islanders +105 v. Penguins | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 58 m | Show |
NHL Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - A lot of this below is taken from Tuesday's write-up going against Pittsburgh and then has been updated because I am fading them again here for the same reasons! The Penguins are 7-6-1 this season but are the most fortunate team in the league in my opinion. Only 2 of their 7 wins have come in regulation. Their other 5 wins have come in the shootout or overtime. Also, one of the two wins that was a victory in regulation was a game in which Pittsburgh trailed going to the 3rd period but then won it with a goal with just a minute and a half to go in the game. So the Penguins did not dominate a single game out of their first dozen games this season. That was until they pulled away late in Sunday's win versus Washington for a 'not as easy as it looked' 6-3 win over the Capitals. By the way, Pittsburgh has 5 losses this season by a multiple-goal margin with 3 of those coming by 3 goals apiece! In summation, this team is still very over-rated right now so we are getting line value with an Islanders team that comes into this game surging plus seeking revenge for a loss in their most recent meeting with the Penguins and, naturally, that Pittsburgh win came in extra time! That Pens win was in the shootout and now the Islanders are looking to avenge that here! The Isles have been the much better club early this season in terms of special teams play with their penalty kill ranking an edge and their power play ranking an edge over that of the Penguins. Big time payback expected here and plus we get the Islanders at a plus money price here since they are on the road. I will take it as New York enters this game on an 8 game points streak. That includes having won 5 of last 6 with the lone loss being the aforementioned shootout loss to the Penguins. Look for a big response here. 10* NY ISLANDERS |
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02-17-21 | Panthers v. Hurricanes -131 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -131 | 8 h 40 m | Show |
NHL Network Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #82 Wednesday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 5:05 ET - The Hurricanes were as much as a -170 favorite here but have now dropped to as low as a -130 as of game day morning. I know Florida deserves respect but there is a reason this money line was so big on Carolina and it is absolutely justified. The Panthers are off a huge win at Tampa Bay. Beating the defending Stanley Cup champs on their home ice was a big deal whether the arena was packed with fans or not. Florida had not beaten the Lightning there since 2016 and they are, of course, instate rivals. That said, this is a flat spot for the Panthers and I do not see the Hurricanes slowing down here. The Canes are off a huge 7-3 win at Columbus and continue to perform well with James Reimer filling in between the pipes while Petr Mrazek deals with a thumb injury. Carolina is 7-1 in Reimer's 8 appearances and, while his overall numbers may not be spectacular, he is 3-0 with a 2.31 GAA on home ice. The Hurricanes had been dominating the Panthers in recent meetings but lost the most recent game and that was in Carolina about 1 year ago and they lost despite having a 44-22 edge in shots on goal. It is payback time here and the situation is a fantastic one for Florida to get crushed. There are rumors that Alex Nedeljkovic will get the start for the Hurricanes here but, keep in mind, he has allowed just 3 goals in each of his first two appearances and the young goalie got a confidence boost with a shootout win over Dallas in his most recent start. So this is part of what is driving this line lower but, in reality, all it is doing is giving us even more line value with a low line now available on the Canes. I will take it! 10* CAROLINA |
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02-16-21 | Capitals +110 v. Penguins | Top | 3-1 | Win | 110 | 9 h 59 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Tuesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins are 7-5-1 this season but are the most fortunate team in the league in my opinion. Only 2 of their 7 wins has come in regulation. Their other 5 wins have come in the shootout or overtime. Also, one of the two wins that was a victory in regulation was a game in which Pittsburgh trailed going to the 3rd period but then won it with a goal with just a minute and a half to go in the game. So the Penguins did not dominate a single game out of their first dozen games this season. That was until they pulled away late in Sunday's win versus Washington for a 'not as easy as it looked' 6-3 win over the Capitals. By the way, Pittsburgh has 4 losses by a multiple-goal margin with 3 of those coming by 3 goals apiece! In summation, this team is still very over-rated right now so we are getting line value with a Capitals team that despises them. Yes it is Ovechkin versus Crobsy once again and the Penguins won the first three meetings this season and, naturally, the first two wins came in extra time! One win in the shootout and one in overtime. The only drawback against the Caps on Sunday was that it was their first game in a week but now, after getting their skating legs back in the defeat over the weekend, they are out for triple revenge and will be ready to go here now that they are game-tested again. Also, the Capitals have been the much better club in terms of special teams play with their penalty kill ranking an edge and their power play ranking a huge edge over that of the Penguins. Big time payback expected here and plus we get the Caps at a plus money price here since they are on the road. I will take it! 10* WASHINGTON |
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02-15-21 | Blues v. Coyotes +108 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 108 | 5 h 55 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Monday 10* Top Play Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 4:05 ET - After giving up the tying goal with less than 6 minutes to go in the game Saturday and then losing in overtime to these same Blues, the Coyotes are ready to execute payback Monday. This game is again on their home ice and Arizona has now lost back to back games at home to St Louis. This followed a stretch that saw the Coyotes win 4 of 5 games and that included 3 straight over the Blues. These teams are playing the rubber match of a set of 7 straight games due to quirky scheduling as a result of covid issues around the league and I look for a huge effort from the angry home side here. Arizona had allowed an average of only 1.5 goals per game their last 4 home games prior to now allowing 4 goals in regulation time of each of their last two games against the Blues. Now, after a day off Sunday to regroup, look for the Coyotes to return to their stingy ways on defense and in net and they will frustrate St Louis on their way to a home win here. 10* ARIZONA |
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02-14-21 | Capitals +114 v. Penguins | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -100 | 17 h 49 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Sunday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - The Penguins are 6-5-1 this season but are the most fortunate team in the league in my opinion. Only 1 of their 6 wins has come in regulation. Their other 5 wins have come in the shootout or overtime. Also, that lone victory was a game in which Pittsburgh trailed going to the 3rd period but then won it with a goal with just a minute and a half to go in the game. So the Penguins have not dominated a single game out of a dozen games this season. But, by the way, Pittsburgh has 4 losses by a multiple-goal margin with 3 of those coming by 3 goals apiece! In summation, this team is very over-rated right now so we are getting line value with a Capitals team that despises them. Yes it is Ovechkin versus Crobsy once again and the Penguins won the first two meetings this season and, naturally, both wins came in extra time! One win in the shootout and one in overtime. The only drawback against the Caps here is that this is their first game in a week but they are out for double revenge and will be ready to go here with fresh legs. Also, the Capitals have been the much better club in terms of special teams play with their penalty kill ranking an edge and their power play ranking a huge edge over that of the Penguins. Big time payback expected here and plus we get the Caps at a plus money price here since they are on the road. I will take it! 10* WASHINGTON |
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02-13-21 | Lightning -138 v. Panthers | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 31 m | Show | |
8* TAMPA BAY - Florida did not just beat Tampa on Thursday, the Panthers crushed the Lightning by a score of 5 to 2. That makes this a revenge situation that is stronger than a normal one. The defending Stanley Cup champs will come out flying in this one and get their revenge so this is a rare case where I am willing to lay the price. The Lightning entered that game having allowed 2 or less goal in 9 of 11 games this season including giving up just a single goal in 4 straight games. TB is the better team defensively and on the penalty kill and they bounce back here after the loss to these same Panthers Thursday. 8* TAMPA BAY |
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02-13-21 | Canadiens +122 v. Maple Leafs | 2-1 | Win | 122 | 7 h 28 m | Show | |
8* MONTREAL - The Candiens lost to the Maple Leafs Wednesday despite a 35-24 edge in shots on goal. Montreal has now lost both games with Toronto so far this season and that was after entering this season on a winning streak in their match-ups with the Leafs. I look for them to get some payback here after a pair of tight losses have begun their season series with Toronto this year. The Habs have won 5 of 7 road games this season and have yet to lose in regulation away from home. One defeat was in the shootout and the was the tight OT loss that opened up the season at Toronto. The Canadiens are outshooting foes by 6 shots per game while the Maple Leafs allow nearly as many as they take. Montreal had been a perfect 4-0 this season when off a loss but now are off back to back losses as they were shutout by Edmonton Thursday. Look for a huge response from the road team here and they get payback against the rival Leafs. 8* MONTREAL |
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02-13-21 | Bruins v. Islanders +119 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 119 | 7 h 22 m | Show |
10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS - The Bruins are certainly playing extremely well but they are also leading a bit of a charmed life so to speak. Boston has been fortunate in some tight wins lately and now plays the 2nd night of a back to back plus faces an Islanders team that has found their game again recently. Off a tough shootout loss to the Penguins which was preceded by back to back wins the Islanders are in solid bounce back mode here. The Isles never trailed in the game against Pittsburgh and gave up the tying goal with under 20 seconds to go. It was a truly bad beat as they had an opportunity (easy one) at the empty net too but the net was off its moorings and so they couldn't ice the game a little before that late Pens goal. All in all the Isles have been playing better of late and they now come in hungry off a tough loss while the Bruins in the 2nd game of a back to back and the win took a lot of effort as Boston had to fight like hell to hang on for a 1-0 win. This one goes to the home dog in my opinion as the Bruins struggle in the back to back and the Islanders come out fighting mad after that loss to the Pens. The Isles have not lost a game in regulation in over two weeks. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-12-21 | Bruins v. Rangers +150 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -100 | 21 h 16 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #56 Friday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Igor Shesterkin should be back between the pipes for the Rangers in this one and he was great last season and has continued his fantastic play right into this season. The Bruins are a great team but they were in a dog-fight with New York on Wednesday and now they meet again on Friday. Boston eked out the win but I like the Rangers now with having their top goalie again for this one. Also, New York has been playing quite well even in the defensive zone and this is different from Rangers teams of recent seasons. While it may seem tough to fade a strong team like the Bruins here, they are way over-priced if you have been paying attention to how well the Rangers have been playing of late and also the fact that Boston has certainly had some good fortune of late for sure. Bruins are strong solid team but no way should Rangers be a +150 dog here, especially after how their match-up played out on Wednesday night. It is time for some home dog payback here. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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02-11-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -102 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -102 | 21 h 38 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #30 Thursday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins have lost 6 of 7 road games this season plus will be playing just their 2nd game in the past 10 days! Rust could be a factor for sure for Pittsburgh whereas the Islanders have played twice in the past 5 days. Also, the home/road dichotomy of the Pens meshes well with that of the Isles here. Prior to their most recent game being a road win over the Rangers, the Islanders had 9 straight games in which the home team won every single game. Look for that strong home trending to continue here. Also, the Isles have held the upper hand in recent match-ups between these teams as they have taken 9 of 12 including 3 in a row. Look for the streak to reach 4 in a row here as the Pens Evgeni Malkin is listed as questionable for this one too and that could be an issue for Pittsburgh in this one as well. These teams have each played 11 games but the Penguins have allowed 3.7 goals per game this season while the Islanders have allowed only 2.5 goals per game this season. Pittsburgh also has some injury issues with some D-men heading into this game too in terms of injury concerns. Home ice and health make the difference here. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-10-21 | Maple Leafs v. Canadiens -105 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -105 | 24 h 60 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #26 Wednesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (-) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - The Canadiens never trailed the Maple Leafs on opening night and even had a two-goal lead during the game. However, Montreal ended up on the wrong end of an overtime loss and they have had to wait 4 weeks for this rematch and I expect them to make the most of it. This time they meet in Montreal and note that in the first hitting the Habs had 5 more blocked shots and also had 32 hits compared to just 14 for the Leafs. I like what this Montreal club is doing early this season and I expect them to again be very aggressive and hard-hitting here against the Maple Leafs. Montreal knows they are hosting the team that most project to be the top team in the Canadian Division and this match-up means a ton to the Canadiens. Montreal has allowed only 2.2 goals per game their last 8 games. Toronto is off back to back wins over a struggling Canucks team but that was preceded by a 4-game stretch in which the Maple Leafs allowed at least 3 goals in all 4 games. I look for the gritty, revenge-minded Habs to get a hard-fought home ice win here. 10* MONTREAL |
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02-08-21 | Islanders +102 v. Rangers | Top | 2-0 | Win | 102 | 21 h 47 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #67 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - These rivals faced off in their first two games this season and the Islanders won the first in a shutout but then the Rangers took the 2nd game in an embarrassing 5-0 loss for the Isles. That said, the payback is coming here. The road team had won 4 straight meetings prior to the Rangers taking that game back on the 16th of January. Look for the road team dominance in this series to resume here. The Islanders got back on track with a win versus the Penguins Saturday and I look for the Isles to now build on that. They were so close with back to back losses coming after regulation and now that they got the over the hump they won't look back. This is a hockey club much better than the 5-game losing streak would lead you to believe. They were right on the cusp of turning things around and, now that they have done it, they keep it going while getting some revenge here. The Isles catch the Rangers at the right time as the Blueshirts are off key back to back wins over the Penguins and Capitals. The Pens had beaten them 3 straight times so they really wanted that one badly and then got the win over the Caps despite being outshot. The Rangers are still young defensively and the Islanders have the better blue line in my opinion which should key this revenge win. In the Isles 5-0 loss to the Rangers in their most recent meeting the Islanders actually had 20 blocked shots compared to just 6 for the Rangers and they out-hit them 31-22. Look for a physical revenging road team to key the payback here as well after that whitewashing. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-07-21 | Flyers -112 v. Capitals | Top | 7-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 34 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Washington Capitals @ 12:05 ET - Flyers favored on the road after back to back losses? Must be some kind of mistake, right? In typical contrarian fashion I am backing the side many will not want here. Philadelphia actually has won 4 straight against the Capitals and the last 3 victories have come by a combined margin of 15 to 5. In other words, that is domination and here Philly comes in angry after back to back games they essentially gave away against the Bruins. This followed the Flyers winning 4 straight games and they should get right back on track here. Vitek Vanecek has allowed 7 goals in his last two starts and Ilya Samsonov is still out. Conversely the Flyers should have Carter Hart back in goal for this one plus key D-man Phillip Myers could be back and also center Sean Courturier is nearing a return. Road team rolls the Caps again here just as they have been doing in recent meetings. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-06-21 | Penguins v. Islanders -105 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 21 h 31 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - How can the Islanders open up as a pick'em here considering they have lost 5 straight games? Exactly! The odds maker knows that this team is much better than their record shows and they will be extra hungry here after back to back losses that each came in overtime against the Flyers. Note that part of the reason the Islanders have struggled out of the gates this season could be attributed to a road-heavy schedule as well. By the way, note that the home team is now a perfect 8-0 in the Islanders last 8 games so betting on home ice in Isles games early this season has been a big money maker. The Islanders have now had a layoff of nearly week but so too have the Penguins. By the way, Pittsburgh will attract market attention here because they had won 5 of 7 before a loss to the Rangers in their most recent game. However, the Penguins 5 wins have featured only 1 in regulation and that one was a bit fortunate by the way too! The other 4 victories have all come in overtime or the shootout. The Pens have been living dangerously without a single win by a multiple-goal margin while 4 of their 5 losses this season have been by 2 or more goals. There is some "sneaky value" here with the Islanders is the point I am making and I'll take it for a top play here! 10* ISLANDERS |
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02-05-21 | Bruins v. Flyers +117 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 21 h 18 m | Show |
NHL Network Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #24 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins completely outplayed the Flyers in the 1st period of Wednesday's game. However, the Flyers were the better team for the 2nd period and most of the 3rd period. For the game Philadelphia outscored Boston 3-1 in 5 on 5 hockey. The difference in the game? 3 power play goals for the Bruins after the Flyers had a 3-1 lead with about 8 minutes to go in the game. Boston got a power play goal after a "closing the hand on the puck" penalty which was really unintentional and no one one wanted to take a penalty at that point in the game for the Flyers. That got the Bruins back in it but the Flyers still hung on to the lead until the Bruins got the equalizer, also on the power play, with just seconds left in the game. Then Boston got the game winner in overtime on, you guessed it, the power play! The Flyers are extremely fired up heading into this revenge game. They are very strong on home ice. Carter Hart is very sharp on home ice throughout his career. They were the better team Wednesday and deserved a win and didn't get it. This will be payback big time as the Flyers also lost both games at Boston earlier this season and one of those was after regulation too. So Philly has tremendous motivation here and proved in the 2nd and most of the 3rd period (again before some nonsense started) that they absolutely are capable of outplaying the Bruins for very long stretches. After deserving a win and not getting it, you know what is coming here on home ice for the Flyers. This is a payback game where we get the money line at a payback price. I certainly will not pass up on this and certainly have no hesitation in going with a top play here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-04-21 | Capitals +100 v. Rangers | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 21 h 19 m | Show |
East Div Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - Great spot here. The Capitals are off their very first regulation loss of the season. Not only that it came by virtue of blowing a 3-0 lead against the Bruins and losing 5-3! Keep in mind that came against the January NHL rookie of the month - Caps goalie Vitek Vanecek. I fully expect he and the Capitals to bounce back huge here. Washington is catching the Rangers at the perfect time for a bounce back effort. New York is off a much-wanted win over the Penguins. The Rangers had lost each of their first three games against Pittsburgh this season before finally breaking through with a 3-1 win on Tuesday. That sets this one up perfectly. Also, the Rangers won each of the last two meetings with the Capitals last season so Washington certainly won't take them lightly. New York, prior to beating the Pens, had won just 2 of 8 games this season. Great value with the road team here. 10* WASHINGTON |
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02-03-21 | Bruins v. Flyers +120 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 22 h 29 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #76 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - The Bruins are off a huge win versus the Capitals where they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-3 at Washington. Boston has been playing very well but they now take on a Flyers team that is out for revenge after losing both games at Boston less than two weeks ago. Philadelphia lost the first game in a shootout but then got drilled 6-1 in the second game. The Flyers have since won 4 straight games and have allowed only 2.2 goals per game during this hot streak. Keep in mind, Boston had lost 3 straight road games prior to the break through game at Washington. That big rally after being down 3-0 could leave the Bruins a little "spent" here. That was a tremendous rally. The Flyers have big-time revenge on their mind here and while I certainly respect Boston and know they have played well recently, Philly is tough on home ice. Goalie Carter Hart has phenomenal numbers at home in his career and he and the Flyers offer great value here as a home dog. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-01-21 | Bruins -137 v. Capitals | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 34 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #43 Monday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ Washington Capitals @ 7 ET - The Bruins lost to the Capitals on an overtime goal but outshot Washington substantially in each of the 3 periods. Boston, for the game, had a 43-23 edge in shots on goal. I liked what I have been seeing from the Bruins recently and now they welcomed back Pastrnak as well. The Bruins, prior to the tough loss to the Caps, had won 4 straight games and scored an average of 4 goals per game during this streak. Boston allowed 2 or less goals in 6 of their first 7 games prior to the 4-3 OT loss Saturday. The Capitals, conversely, have allowed 3 or more goals in 7 of their 9 games this season. I know this is a bit of a price to lay but the revenge-minded Bruins are out for blood on Monday and they will avenge Saturday's loss. That shots on goal edge was no fluke. 10* BOSTON |
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01-31-21 | Islanders +108 v. Flyers | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 58 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - The Islanders, on Thursday, blew a 3-0 lead at Washington and lost 6-3. I was really unimpressed with New York and figured they would be flat Saturday and they were at first and got down 2-0 to the Flyers. Though we did win with Philadelphia 3-2 yesterday in overtime the fact is the Islanders were the much better team from the 2nd period on. The Isles outscored the Flyers 2-0 in the 2nd period and then dominated the play in the 3rd too even though it was a scoreless period. The Islanders did a great job of bottling up the Flyers attack and Philadelphia continues to be heavily outshot in games. That said, I fully expect a huge bounce back win for the Islanders here as they have now lost 4 straight games but yesterday, in the final two periods and overtime period, certainly looked nothing like a team that has gone winless in 4 straight. The Isles are ready to turn this around and that showed yesterday and I fully expect that today it will translate to a win. The Flyers will have Brian Elliott in goal here and he is solid but he doesn't have the phenomenal numbers that Carter Hart does when he is at home. Also, the Flyers are still really missing Sean Couturier's presence on the ice. He was the Selke Trophy winner last season. The Isles showed me a lot yesterday and I expect an even more determined effort from the road dog today after falling just short yesterday. This team is very hungry now and had won 7 of the last 10 meetings, including playoff meetings, in this series prior to yesterday. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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01-31-21 | Stars +120 v. Hurricanes | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 22 m | Show | |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #27 Sunday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 5 ET - The Stars entered yesterday's game 4-0 but then didn't just lose the game, they got obliterated. That said, Dallas is poised to bounce back big as they have numerous edges. One thing I want to mention is Carolina scored 3 power play goals yesterday and that definitely won't be repeated today. Also, the Hurricanes lost goalie Peter Mrazek to injury in yesterday's game. Additionally, from a conditioning standpoint, the Stars have a big rest edge considering the situation leading into this back to back spot. Dallas has played only 5 games this season and this is their first back to back and they have been on a consistent schedule of game day, rest day, game day, rest day since their season started after a delay. As for the Hurricanes, they just recently went about 10 days without a game because of covid. Now the Canes are being forced to play their 3rd game in 4 days after that long layoff. This situation favors the Stars in many ways including a solid underdog price. 8* DALLAS |
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01-30-21 | Penguins v. Rangers -106 | 5-4 | Loss | -106 | 8 h 28 m | Show | |
8* NY RANGERS -105 - Don't let this line fool you. It looks easy to take the team with the better record and the better long-term reputation but don't fall for it. The Penguins are dealing with a number of injuries and are very fortunate to have the record they have. Of their 4 wins this season, 3 have come after regulation and the only one that didn't was against these Rangers and was a fortunate win. Pittsburgh was outplayed and they never led the entire game. But then they managed to tie the game and then win it in the 3rd with just a minute and a half to go. The Rangers seek revenge here and are bolstered by getting a post-regulation win of their own in their most recent game. New York is the healthier team and is better than their record would indicate and I like them here at a pick'em price on home ice as I fully expect them to get revenge. The Rangers have allowed an average of only 2.3 goals per game in regulation time their last 6 games while the Penguins are allowing nearly 4 goals per game on the season. 8* NY RANGERS |
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01-30-21 | Islanders v. Flyers -120 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 40 m | Show |
10* PHILADELPHIA Money Line -120 - The Flyers have playoff revenge here. The Islanders eliminated from the post-season less than 5 months ago so Philly surely hasn't forgotten it. This season New York appears to have taken a step back while the Flyers still appear very solid. These teams have played almost the exact same number of games yet the Islanders have only scored half as many goals. Also, the Isles once vaunted defense and goaltending certainly doesn't look like it once did after a disappointing effort versus the short-handed Capitals saw the Islanders blow a 3-0 lead and lose 5-3. The Flyers are known for being very tough at home where goalie Carter Hart excels and Philly is off back to back wins entering this contest plus has won 3 of their 4 games on home ice this season. New York, on the other hand, has been slipping and has lost 3 straight games and has been outscored 11-5 in the process. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-28-21 | Islanders -116 v. Capitals | 3-6 | Loss | -116 | 6 h 29 m | Show | |
ISLANDERS - Revenge game from Tuesday's loss. Capitals are still without Orlov, Ovechkin, Samsonov, and Kuznetsov. Islanders coach Barry Trotz always up for these games and they gave up the game-deciding goal in the final minute of Tuesday's game. This after taking last year's playoff series 4 games to 1 and New York not happy about the way the game finished out on Tuesday and they deserved better certainly and get payback here. 8* ISLANDERS |
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01-28-21 | Lightning -139 v. Hurricanes | 0-1 | Loss | -139 | 6 h 15 m | Show | |
TAMPA BAY - The Hurricanes are dealing with major covid-19 issues. Out of the following 6 players - Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesper Fast, Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin - only Staal is expected back tonight. That means we have excellent line value with Tampa Bay on the road. As a result of the Lightning consistently playing and the Hurricanes having not played a game in about a week and a half, this situation strongly favors the defending Stanley Cup champs. Also, last season the road team took 2 of 3 games and the season before TB took all 3 games. Carolina has won 2 of 3 this season but two of those games were against a bad Red Wings team and the other one was against Nashville team that has not been overly impressive early this season with 3 of their last 5 games being losses by a combined score of 14-4 and the two victories both coming after regulation. In other words, the Hurricanes are taking a major step up in class in terms of level of opponent here and the Bolts will roll in my opinion. They just have too much firepower and the loss of Jaccob Slavin is a major impact to the Canes blue line. 8* TAMPA BAY |
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01-28-21 | Panthers v. Blue Jackets -109 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 6 h 53 m | Show |
COLUMBUS - The Blue Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 lead Tuesday and never trailed the entire game. In fact, a game-tying goal with just 3 seconds left in the game is the only reason it went to overtime. The Panthers then went on to win in the shootout and can you imagine how ticked off coach John Tortorella was in the locker room after this one? The fiery head coach will have the Jackets ready to respond here and Jack Roslovic, Columbus native acquired from Winnipeg, is expected to be available to go tonight. Looking at their last 5 games, the Blue Jackets have a pair of wins by a combined score of 8 to 4 and 3 losses ALL coming AFTER regulation. Look for Columbus to come out hungrier than ever tonight and improve to 3-1 the last 4 times they were off a loss. Florida is a perfect 3-0 this season but two of the wins came after regulation and 2 of of the victories came against a struggling Blackhawks team. The Blue Jackets are the better hockey club and we are getting line value here as a result of some early season unusual results that will NOT continue so lets grab the exceptional value with the home team here. 10* COLUMBUS |
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01-26-21 | Maple Leafs v. Flames +104 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 46 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #24 Tuesday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 9:05 ET - The Maple Leafs hung on for a tight win when these teams met at Calgary on Sunday. Now this is the Flames final home game until February 6th and I fully expect revenge-minded Calgary to make the most of it. Leafs goalie Jack Campbell got hurt late in the game and his status is uncertain for tonight. Frederik Andersen is the normal top netminder and so he might be between the pipes anyway here but note that he had a rough road game (5 goals allowed) in his only start away from home this season. Andersen also allowed 4 goals in his lone appearance at Calgary last season. I really like the way Jacob Markstrom has been playing between the pipes for the Flames early this season and expect him to win the goaltending battle tonight. Calgary's two wins this season have come by a combined score of 8 to 2 while their two defeats each came by the slimmest of margins. As a result, the Flames are still a little undervalued right now. Give Toronto credit as they did play a hard-fought game Sunday as they were outhit but dominated in terms of blocked shots. The Flames now come back strong as they were not happy with losing the game Sunday thanks to a very late power play goal in the 2nd period that shifted momentum. Payback time from a determined Flames team Tuesday. They raise their level of play here to again bounce back off a loss. 10* CALGARY |
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01-26-21 | Flyers -145 v. Devils | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 32 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Great spot a play on the Flyers. They are off back to back losses including an ugly 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Bruins. The only other time they got blasted this season it was also a 6-1 loss and Philadelphia responded with a 3-0 shutout win. The Flyers have had two days off to think about what went wrong against Boston and they're fired up and ready to respond well here. Keep in mind, the Flyers lost the first game of that two game set in a shootout as they were up 2-0 heading to the third period and let it slip away and then lost 5-4 to the Bruins. Philadelphia, prior to the ugly loss Saturday, had scored an average of 3.8 goals per game this season. The Devils are off a 2-0 shutout win over the Islanders so the set-up here is perfect. Additionally, New Jersey's low-scoring victory marked the 4th time in 5 games this season that they have been held to 2 or less goals. They won't be able to keep up with the revenge-minded Flyers here. Philly got embarrassed 5-0 on home ice despite a 46-19 edge in shots on goal the last time these teams met. Payback time! 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-25-21 | Senators v. Canucks -140 | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 12 h 54 m | Show | |
NHL Network Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #66 Monday 8* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (-) vs Ottawa Senators @ 10:05 ET - I rarely lay much juice in money line sports and certainly avoid big favorites like the plague. But when a moderately priced favorite comes up in a good situation I will not hesitate to step in. The Canucks have dropped down into the -140 price range for this one and that makes them well worthy of non-Top Play 8* pick in this spot. The home team won both meetings 5-2 last season. Not only are the Canucks at home for this one, they also swept the series with the Senators the season before last as well. I am well aware of the fact that Vancouver has struggled badly early this season but the Senators aren't exactly lighting the world on fire early this season either. Also, the Sens are playing just their 2nd road game of the season and they lost their first one 6-3 and, overall, have lost 4 straight games. I know the Canucks have struggled with costly turnovers resulting in odd man rushes going the other way and also have allowed far too many goals so far this season. However, they'll be ready here. For one thing, Vancouver just faced a Montreal team that has looked great early this season and has won 4 of 5 games. Now the Canucks faced a Senators team that is rebuilding and enters on a 4-game losing streak. Vancouver had a great practice session yesterday and addressed the areas of concern and I look for a revitalized and re-energized Canucks team to take the ice Monday ready to take advantage of a 3-game series hosting one of the worst teams in the NHL. This is Vancouver's chance to turn things around early this season and they know it. 3 games in 4 days against the rebuilding Senators. Lay it! 8* VANCOUVER |
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01-24-21 | Rangers +118 v. Penguins | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 32 m | Show |
Payback Smash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #51 Sunday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7 ET - The Rangers are hungry for payback here. The Penguins are dealing with some injuries to their defense and that was already an area of concern for Pittsburgh heading into this season. New York is fired up after blowing a 3-1 lead in this match-up Friday and going on to lose in overtime. The Rangers have been getting the better goaltending than the Pens so far this season and I look for New York to again build a solid lead in this one and this time they hold on! There is a reason the Penguins are priced so short here at home. In other words, don't let the line fool you. Many will be on Pittsburgh here but they have had some very fortunate wins of late and their luck runs out here as the Rangers come in fired up and won't stop until the final seconds run off the clock in what should be a solid road victory for this motivated bunch. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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01-24-21 | Sabres -116 v. Capitals | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 6 h 48 m | Show | |
Daytime Blowout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Sunday 8* Buffalo Sabres Money Line (-) @ Washington Capitals @ 3:05 ET - Already without Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Orlov, and Samsonov the Capitals also might be without Tom Wilson for this one. They managed to hang on and get a shootout win over the Sabres Friday but I expect Buffalo to get payback against the short-handed Caps in this one. Buffalo's Linus Ullmark was coming off a great game in goal and, after he struggled a little early with rebound control against Washington, he got stronger as the game got on. Look for him to carry momentum from that effort into this one and the Capitals still have an inexperienced netminder, Vanecek, in goal right now and he has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in his last two appearances. 8* BUFFALO |
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01-23-21 | Flyers +133 v. Bruins | 1-6 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 39 m | Show | |
NHL Network Crusher (EVE) - 8* PHILADELPHIA Flyers Money Line +135 @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers led the Bruins 2-0 entering the 3rd period of their game on Thursday. Up to that point, Boston had played nearly 4 full games of hockey and yet scored a total of only 4 goals. Inexplicably, the Bruins then went on to score 4 goals in the 3rd period alone! Give Boston credit for their rally but it means an angry Flyers team that is also a very talented team will be out for revenge on Saturday. Philly went on to lose the game Thursday in the shootout and they are fired up about letting the extra point slip away. The Bruins are still without Patrice Bergeron and the Flyers showed a lot of resilience in ultimately hanging tough in that 3rd period with a goal after Boston had tied it and then another goal to tie it after the Bruins briefly took the lead. It was a game that Boston won despite only holding a lead for 70 seconds out of the entire game. That said, the Bruins are over-priced here and I won't pass up the underdog price on a Flyers team that is hell-bent on getting revenge here on Saturday. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-23-21 | Lightning v. Blue Jackets +146 | 2-5 | Win | 146 | 5 h 55 m | Show | |
NHL Network Crusher (DAY) - 8* COLUMBUS Blue Jackets Money Line +145 vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 2:05 ET - The Lightning did defeat the Blue Jackets Thursday but only led the game for less than 3 minutes. Columbus held the lead in that game for nearly the entirety of the 1st and 2nd periods. Tampa Bay got the win in overtime and that was after the Jackets missed a glorious opportunity on a breakaway in OT. Tampa Bay is now 3-0 this season and they are the defending Stanley Cup Champions but their first two games were against a bad Blackhawks team and they were somewhat fortunate to beat these Blue Jackets on Thursday. That said, I am coming right back with Columbus in the rematch as a home dog. I don't see them being denied again as this is also the same Bolts team that knocked them out of the post-season last year. The Lightning will have a target on their backs all season and the Blue Jackets will prove to be the hungrier team in this one Saturday and will not be denied. 8* COLUMBUS |
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01-22-21 | Rangers +128 v. Penguins | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 31 m | Show | |
RANGERS +128 - The Penguins are off one of the most fortunate wins you will see this season. They were completely dominated by the Capitals Tuesday and were down 4-2 and also had just put Washington on a 2-man advantage. Inexplicably, the Penguins scored on a 3 on 5 which is something you will almost never see in hockey. It was the first for Pittsburgh in over a decade. The Pens then scored a power play goal to tie it and then won it in overtime. Now after huge back to back wins over a fierce rival, they take on a hungry Rangers team. The Penguins goaltending can not be trusted. They have allowed an average of 5.5 goals per game this season which is ridiculous. As for the Rangers, they got embarrassed in their season opener but then responded with a 5-0 win before falling just short against the Devils Tuesday. In that game, New York actually outshot New Jersey 50 to 28. They'll build off that tonight and have allowed an average of only 2 goals per game their last 2 games. They are getting better goaltending overall than the Pens are early this season and this is a great situation. 8* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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01-22-21 | Oilers +123 v. Maple Leafs | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 49 m | Show | |
8* EDMONTON - Don't you find it interesting that the Maple Leafs opened up priced exactly the same in this rematch game as they were in Wednesday's game? Yes, even though this is a revenge game for Toronto the odds makers simply are not high on the Leafs and I don't blame them and am happy to back the underdog Oilers here. Edmonton's players are starting to buy into coach Tippett's message. They have some grit and toughness that you just don't see a lot of from the Maple Leafs. The Oilers outhit the Leafs 26-20 in Wednesday's win but, even bigger than that, Edmonton blocked 19 shots compared to just 6 for Toronto! Grab the value with the underdog here and look for big games from Koskinen in goal and Draisaitl and McDavid at the other end of the ice. 8* EDMONTON |
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01-22-21 | Sabres -109 v. Capitals | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -109 | 7 h 18 m | Show |
10* BUFFALO - The guys that the Capitals lost are VERY significant. Due to a health protocol violation, this is expected to be the first of 4 games for the Caps without Ovechkin and Kuznetsov (two of their top forwards), Orlov (one of their top defensemen) and Samsonov (their #1 goalie). That is why the odds makers were correct in pricing this line at around a -135 on Buffalo and I saw it as high as a -145 earlier. Now it is down to where the Sabres are practically a pick'em and this is offering significant value on Buffalo in this spot. The Sabres have revenge from losing each of the first two games of the season against the Capitals in Buffalo. In that 2nd game they faced the goalie they will face again tonight and that is Vanecek. The young netminder is getting his first taste of the NHL and did beat the Sabres in their first meeting but Buffalo outshot the Caps 31 to 21 and I expect Vanecek won't fare nearly as well in the 2nd meeting. He is now "the guy" with Samsonov out and that puts a lot of pressure on the young netminder. Also, he certainly didn't look overly great against the Penguins when they hung 5 goals on him Tuesday. Situational value here is off the charts. 10* BUFFALO |
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01-21-21 | Flyers +121 v. Bruins | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 18 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - When a team is struggling to score goals they will often start to squeeze the sticks a little too tight until they can snap out of it. Essentially they start pressing until they can get back on track. That said, I don't see the bounce back happening for the Bruins tonight. They are facing a tough Flyers team that is playing with plenty of confidence thanks to being one of the highest scoring teams in league so far and coming off a 3-0 shutout win. Philadelphia is scoring an average of nearly 4 goals per game while, at the other end of the spectrum, the Bruins are averaging only about 1 goal per game thus far. In fact, the only team that has scored less than the 4 goals that Boston has on the season is Dallas and that is because they have yet to play a game because of health protocols relating to covid. Getting Philly at an underdog price here when you consider the current trending of the offensive production of these two teams is simply too good to pass up. Yes the Flyers have a couple injury issues but so too do the Bruins including David Pastrnak and that is a big absence for them. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-19-21 | Capitals +120 v. Penguins | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 5 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #69 Tuesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - Sometimes you get extra value from unlikely sources and that is what happened here and I am stepping in. You see, this was the perfect spot to back Washington and yet the line moved toward Pittsburgh. Why did that happen? It is because Kasperi Kapanen is expected to make his season debut for the Penguins. However, did all those betting the Pens watch the game on Sunday? The thing is Pittsburgh was in a great spot there and gave a rather solid effort and managed to eke out a shootout win. But the fact is the Capitals spent much of that game looking like the better team and they are the more physical team and Alex Ovechkin had own that hit both sides of the cross bar before ringing out and that was late in regulation and likely would have given the Caps the win. Now after losing their first game of the season and getting another crack at a bitter rival, Washington will not be denied tonight in my opinion. The Capitals look hungry early this season. I like what I saw from them in Buffalo to open the season and I also feel the Penguins are still looking a little "off" early this season and they certainly weren't too impressive in dropping their first two games at Philly to open the season. So, all in all, this one is all about the situational value and we even get some extra money line return here due to Kapanen's expected return. I'll take the extra value as his presence isn't going to completely change everything else going on the ice right now for the Pens and I feel the Caps are looking like the better team at this early point in the season. 10* WASHINGTON |
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01-18-21 | Hurricanes -120 v. Predators | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
No Doubt Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Monday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - Both of these hockey clubs are off games that were tied 2-2 in the 3rd period on Saturday. However, the difference is that the Hurricanes ended up on the wrong end of a 4-2 final and the Predators ended up on the right end of a 5-2 final. The fact is Carolina outshot the Red Wings by a double digit margin and could just as easily be 2-0 on the season and it would be Nashville (outshot by double digits by Blue Jackets) that would be 1-1. The fact that is not the case is what is helping to give us excellent line value here with the short road favorite. If Carolina was at home we would have a big price to lay. Instead, with them on the road, we get a good low price on the Hurricanes and I love this spot. The Canes came into the season expected to challenge Tampa Bay for the top spot in the Central Division while the Preds could very easily end up near the bottom of the division. Yes Nashville is better than Detroit and Chicago but not the rest of the division and the fact they managed to steal the game on Saturday from Columbus is merely serving to give us line value. Facing an undefeated team and coming off a loss, the Hurricanes know how important this game is and they will make the most of the opportunity. 10* CAROLINA |
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01-17-21 | Capitals v. Penguins -119 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 3 h 54 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #34 Sunday 8* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 12:05 ET - sets up do not get much better than this, the Penguins are 0-2 to start the season but faced a very strong Flyers team that is projected to challenge for the top spot in the division this season, the Capitals are 2-0 to start the season but faced a Sabres team that is projected to end up in the basement of this division this season, also the Penguins play this game with double revenge as they lost each of the last two meetings with the Capitals last season even though they were not outshot in any of the three meetings last season, a lot of value here with a small favorite playing their home opener and hungry to get that first win, lay the small price, 8* PITTSBURGH |
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01-16-21 | Blue Jackets +108 v. Predators | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 37 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Saturday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The Blue Jackets lost their opening game at Nashville Thursday by a 3-1 count but that game was 1-1 heading to the 3rd period. Now Columbus gets another shot at the Predators. I know these teams are considering roughly equal but I also like the Blue Jackets strong blue line with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. The Jackets had a solid start in the game Thursday but really looked a bit listless in the 3rd period. That said, you know fiery coach John Tortorella is going to have the Blue Jackets ready to go here. Columbus, prior to their season-ending loss in Game 5 of their series with Tampa Bay (whom went on to win the Stanley Cup), had been on a 3-0 run when off a loss in which they were held to 1 goal or less. After scoring just 1 goal against the Preds Thursday, the Blue Jackets respond big here and get into the win column. 10* COLUMBUS |
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01-15-21 | Blues v. Avalanche -137 | Top | 0-8 | Win | 100 | 13 h 31 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs St Louis Blues @ 9:05 ET - If you look at the final score of Wednesday's season opener (4-1) it looks like the Avalanche got blasted. Trust me, they did not. Did they get outplayed? Yes, they did. But this was still a 2-1 game in the 3rd period and I know the Avs will play much better tonight. They will respond on home ice coming off a loss in which too many players were guilty of expecting the win to come easily to them. That happens sometimes and teams need a wake up call and Colorado just got theirs. They are one of the top choices to win the Stanley Cup this season. Dating back to last season and including the playoffs, the Avalanche have won 6 of 7 (86%) when coming off a loss. The Blues are a high-quality team no doubt and they proved that again Wednesday. But the Avalanche got their wake up call and respond here and it won't be too many times this season that you can get the Avs in the -140 price range on home ice and coming off a loss. This is a value spot. Lay it. 10* COLORADO |
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01-14-21 | Capitals -119 v. Sabres | Top | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 19 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - This line has been steadily dropping this morning and I understand the move because Buffalo had a solid home record last season. However, all those home games were played in front of fans. Now the Sabres are playing for the first time since March as they did not play in the bubble games. For the Capitals, they played plenty of hockey right up until the latter half of August. That said, Washington is likely much more "game ready" and I also feel the Caps are very hungry entering this season. Alex Ovechkin certainly not getting any younger and they added Zdeno Chara from the Bruins who is turning 44 years old in March. These guys, among others, want to make one last push for a Stanley Cup. The Sabres, of course, don't have the normal fan support in the building so home ice will feel different plus lets not forget that the Capitals had one of the best road records in the NHL last season. Also, coming into this season the Caps (along with the Pens and Flyers) are expected to challenge the Bruins for the top spot in the East Division. As for the Sabres, they are projected to battle with the Devils to try and stay out of the basement. The point is that, particularly after the downward line move, we have excellent line value with the small road favorite in this one. 10* WASHINGTON |
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01-13-21 | Penguins v. Flyers -110 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
TV Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #42 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 5:35 ET - The home team won all 3 games last season by a combined score of 14 to 4. Pittsburgh continues to show signs of being on the fade while Philadelphia responded very well with a new head coach last season and is on their way up. The Penguins brought in some new blood to add to guys like Crosby and Malkin but an important addition, Kasperi Kapanen, is out for this game due to quarantine requirements. Kapanen was possibly going to be on the top line for the Pens and his absence is a key one for sure. Overall, I like the fact that the Penguins are getting a little long in the tooth while the Flyers are up and coming. The long-time gap in this rivalry is certainly closing and note that Philadelphia goalie Carter Hart is known for struggling on the road but has been fantastic on home ice. When the Flyers faced the Penguins early in the season they were still adjusting to the coaching change. As the season went on, Philly turned into a well-oiled machine and that continued into the post-season as well whereas the Penguins got bounced by, of all teams, the Canadiens! About how Philly turned things on as the season went on, they also outshot the Penguins by a 60-39 combined count over their final two meetings. Tristan Jarry is now the undisputed #1 goalie for Pittsburgh but he was better at home than on the road last season. In away games, Jarry went 7-7 with a 2.66 GAA. The Flyers Hart went 20-3-2 with a 1.63 GAA in games at Wells Fargo Center last season while compiling a .943 save percentage! The home team gets the season-opening win in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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09-28-20 | Lightning -160 v. Stars | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 25 h 53 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - This is RARE for me but I like this situation so much I am willing to go with a Top Play 10* rating even though the money line is in the -160 range for this one. The fact is that the Stars are VERY lucky there even is a Game 6 in this series. Tampa Bay is the superior team, the healthier team, and they have the better goaltender. Don't get me wrong, I do respect the Stars and goalie Anton Khudobin but the fact remains that the Lightning have skated circles around Dallas for much of the last 4 games. Now, after giving up a late goal in Game 5 that allowed the Stars to tie it and then losing in the 2nd OT (after being the MUCH better team in the 1st OT), the Lighting respond in a big way here! The Bolts are a perfect 6-0 in this post-season when off a loss. Yes they will be without Stamkos again but they have been without him for much of this post-season. Just his presence on the ice (he also scored a goal) in the Game 4 win was big for TB but they played just fine in Game 5 without him. Their fault was in letting up a little bit. This time they won't let up and they will push harder and I am look for them to have a multiple goal lead heading into the final minute of this one. Do they then push it to a 3-goal lead with an empty-netter or do the Stars make it interesting by scoring one late goal with their netminder pulled? That question I can not answer but that is also why I am more comfortable playing the money line here. I don't want to get burned on the puck line late in the game. I do look for a convincing win here as the Lightning are a very dangerous team when highly motivated and they also feel cheated on the OT goal because it came on a power play goal on a penalty call that was not a penalty as the review showed. That said, it is payback time here from a very determined Lighting team. Look for goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to have another big game for the Bolts here. He has been huge off a loss. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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09-26-20 | Stars v. Lightning -155 | 3-2 | Loss | -155 | 11 h 55 m | Show | |
NBC Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #30 Saturday 7* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 8 ET - That was an inexcusable loss for the Stars last night and, in my opinion, a defeat that is nearly impossible to bounce back from. When they took the 2-0 lead very late in the first period Dallas absolutely can not allow the Lightning to score there to get back in the game but that is exactly what they did. Then in the 2nd period, it was another stupid penalty on the part of Oleksiak (he has been doing this throughout the entire postseason) and that allowed TB to tie the game at 2. Then the Stars don't score on a power play early in OT and the rest is history. Dallas just does not play smart hockey and the Lightning are too good of a team to be making so many mistakes. Tampa Bay sees blood in the water now and does not want to let the Stars get back into this series. The Lightning have been the much better team on special teams throughout this series and that was the case again last night as their power play was the difference in the game. Dallas had their chance last night and blew it. The Bolts are too smart and too well-coached to give the Stars another chance here. Of course this price is a little higher than I would like but that is why I am dropping my rating to just 7* on this play in a game which I feel will be the final game of the 2019-20 NHL season. It has been another good one for me and, already, I can't wait for next season! Until then, lets close out the season the right way...with a win! 7* TAMPA BAY |
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09-25-20 | Lightning v. Stars +136 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -100 | 27 h 12 m | Show |
Scott “The Bulldog” Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Friday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8 ET – I certainly have all the respect in the world for this Tampa Bay team. However, I see Dallas stepping up big time in this key spot in this series. The Stars just got thrashed by the Lightning in Game 3 but they showed a lot of resilience in Game 2 after getting into a 3-0 hole. Then in Game 3 they outshot Dallas by a big margin in period one but ultimately made too many mistakes and took bad penalties. That allowed Tampa Bay to quickly garner momentum and then the Lightning came out and took it to the Stars in period two before they knew what hit them! Give the Lightning credit for sure but now look for Dallas to come out with a strong effort in this game just like they did in Game 1 of this series. The other two times the Stars lost back to back games in this post-season they have responded with a win each time. In fact, before getting hammered in Game 3 of this series after a Game 2 loss, the Stars had been 6-1 the last 7 times they entered a post-season game off a loss. In other words, don’t be surprised when they respond with a huge effort here. It won’t be easy, because Tampa Bay is a very strong team and playing very well, but I see the underdog getting it done in this one after being embarrassed in Game 3 Wednesday. 10* DALLAS |
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