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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-23-20 | Lightning -150 v. Stars | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 20 m | Show | |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Wednesday 8* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - The Lightning have swung momentum in a big way. The most impressive thing about their Game 2 win was that even when the Stars were trying to battle back in the 3rd period, Tampa Bay wouldn't let them. Over the last 14 and 1/2 minutes of the final period, Dallas still needed one more goal and yet the Bolts held them to just 2 shots. That is dominance. Now the Stars, already dealing with an injured Faksa also so Comeau exit with an injury. Even if those guys were able to play tonight they won't be 100%. I respect the Stars plenty but this is a tough situation for them. The Lightning have momentum and health on their side and, as good as Dallas goalie Khudobin is, Vasilevskiy has been even better at the other end for the Bolts. That is why I am willing to lay the price here (-150 range) but that price is keeping the rating from being a top play in this particular situation. All that said though, this is still a very favorable spot for the Lightning to grab the lead in this series in my opinion. Lay it! 8* TAMPA BAYÂ |
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09-21-20 | Stars v. Lightning -150 | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 11 m | Show | |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #24 Monday 8* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - The situation was ideal for the Stars entering this season and they took advantage of a tired Lightning team as a I predicted. Dallas had a good amount of rest but not too much. The Bolts were a little tired from having just finished off the Islanders and with each of the final two games of that series requiring OT (one was double overtime). That said, the value is now with Tampa Bay in this bounce back spot. The Lightning are 5-0 in the playoffs when coming off a loss and I don't see them being denied here. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been great for the Bolts throughout this postseason and I look for a huge response from here. But really he did not play that poorly in Game 1 either. It was a 2-1 game very late in the 2nd period when the Stars got a key late goal. The Dallas skaters simply outworked the Lightning in that game. In other words, Vasilevskiy will see better play from his teammates in front of him in this one. Also, the final goal for Dallas was an empty-netter. This price is very fair in the -150 range and I won't hesitate to step in here as the Lightning improve to 6-0 when off a loss in the post-season. 8* TAMPA BAYÂ |
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09-19-20 | Stars +135 v. Lightning | Top | 4-1 | Win | 135 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - While I certainly respect the Lightning the value is with the Stars in Game 1 of this series. Dallas has the rest edge as they have been off since Monday while the Lightning just wrapped up their series with the Islanders on Thursday and it took overtime to do it. That was the 2nd straight OT game for Tampa Bay and the prior one was a double overtime loss on Tuesday. Both those games (each requiring extra time) took place AFTER the Stars had dispatched of the Golden Knights with a win on Monday. The rest edge is big and Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin has been playing extremely well. That is not to say that Andrei Vasilevskiy has not also been playing well because he has. But with underdog value, a rested team, and getting strong goalie play - the variables favor the money line dog in this one as they have won 5 of their last 6 games. The fact that the Bolts are just 2-2 their last 4 with one of the wins requiring OT as well is a little bit of a dent in Tampa Bay's confidence level and also Brayden Point did not look 100 percent to me in the most recent game for the Lightning and they really need him to be healthy to be as strong as they can be. Advantage: Stars. 10* DALLAS |
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09-17-20 | Lightning -160 v. Islanders | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 54 m | Show | |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Thursday 8* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 8:10 ET - The Lightning are 4-0 in this post-season when coming off a loss. I am not wild about laying a big price but this money line is in the -160 range and is still well worth the investment as far as I am concerned. Expecting a tight game in Game 5 Tuesday I went with the puck line on the Islanders. Even though New York prevailed and won the game in double-OT, it was a game that could have gone either way and I was happier to relax having the +1.5 goals on my side then to have to sweat out a double-OT winner. Similarly, in this case I though about laying the -1.5 goals with the Lightning and getting plus money as I do expect a big win. However, if Tampa Bay is up by 2 goals late and then the Islanders pull their goalie that is one of those situations which, as you know, can go either way. So here we are with the money line and I am expecting the Bolts to play a much different style in Game 6 and prove to be too much for the Isles. Tampa Bay was back on their heels a bit in Game 5 and allowed the Islanders to dictate the pace and flow of the game. Look for the Lightning to be much more aggressive in Game 6 after essentially playing a "safe game" which played into the hands of New York Tuesday. I also am expecting Brayden Point to return for the Lightning tonight. I really believe him not playing in Game 5 was precautionary (and for rest reasons) more than anything else. The Bolts only losses in this series have been when he hasn't played. However, even if Point does not play I expect the rest of the Lightning to step up big-time off the loss here and look for Andrei Vasilevskiy to continue to be stellar between the pipes as well. The end result? This series ends tonight! 8* TAMPA BAY Money Line |
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09-14-20 | Stars +155 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-2 | Win | 155 | 10 h 60 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Monday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 PM ET - Not only is Vegas now down 3-1 in this series, they have lost 5 of their last 7 games. Once touted as a powerhouse that was on its way to a Stanley Cup title, the Golden Knights are struggling with running into red hot goalies. First it was Thatcher Demko with the Canucks and now it is Anton Khudobin with the Stars. Vegas has been held to just 1.4 goals per game in their last 7 games and some of those were empty netters too! They are generating shots on goal but it doesn't matter if you're not getting truly quality scoring chances and Dallas has been limiting those for sure plus getting strong play from their defensemen around and in front of the net as well. The Stars have all the momentum, a very experienced coaching staff, and the Golden Knights continue to be over-priced. Yes they are in a must-win situation but that actually puts even more pressure on them. While Vegas is squeezing the sticks a little too tight, the Stars are playing confident and with no pressure on them. That combination makes for a very dangerous underdog and I'll again take the generous comeback price being offered here. 10* DALLAS |
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09-13-20 | Lightning -139 v. Islanders | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 48 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 3:10 ET - The Islanders got the upset win in Game 4 but the Lightning were without both Brayden Point and Alex Killorn. At least the latter (suspension) will be back this afternoon but the former (injury) might also return. Either way I look for Tampa Bay to respond off the loss. Andrei Vasilevskiy had won 6 in a row prior to that defeat and I fully expect he and the Bolts to bounce back after falling short. Note that the Lightning are 3-0 in this post-season when off a loss. New York is certainly a strong hockey club but this is a TB team on a mission ever since getting swept out of the first round of the playoffs last year. That followed a phenomenal regular season for the Bolts and they're really locked in since the post-season began. We get some line value here as the money line is in the -140 range and I won't hesitate in raising this one to my top play rating as a result. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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09-12-20 | Golden Knights v. Stars +151 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 151 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
NBC Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - The Golden Knights, make no mistake about it, are a very good hockey club. However, they continue to be over-priced throughout this series. Dallas is already up 2 games to 1 but you would think based on pricing that Vegas has dominated the Stars and it is just not the case. Be careful looking at shots on goal as some of that is in relation to Dallas playing with the lead and not playing as aggressively as a result. Speaking of that, and here is the most important reason as to why there is no justification for Vegas to continually be in the -170 range in this season, but lets talk about playing with the lead in this series. Dallas scored early in Game 1 and won in a shutout. Then in Game 2 the Golden Knights erupted in the 2nd period and won in a shutout. Then in Game 3 the Stars never trailed the entire game. That means out of 9 periods of hockey Vegas has led for less than 2 periods. Does that sound like a team that should be so heavily favored? Another key thing I keep coming back to as well is that Vegas beat a 12th seeded Blackhawks team and a young Canucks team to get here. The Stars beat a tough Flames team and a highly-regarded Avalanche team to get here. This line is simply not priced right and with all the pressure on the Golden Knights now, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Stars be an extra dangerous foe in this one as they are playing without pressure now. In other words, upset alert...again! 10* DALLAS |
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09-11-20 | Lightning v. Islanders +139 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 139 | 11 h 25 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #4 Friday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:10 ET - The Islanders, in a very tough travel (and lack of rest) situation, got blown out in Game 1. New York was a much better team in Game 2 and should have won the game. Unfortunately for the Islanders, and us, they allowed a goal with under 10 seconds to go in the game and fell 2-1 to fall into a 2-0 series hole. Despite that loss, the Isles had a lot to like about their game in Game 2 and I expect them to play a similar style in Game 3 and this time they will be rewarded for their efforts! A real key here is that the Lightning were already without Stamkos and now will be without Killorn (suspended) for this game. Additionally, Point might be out as well as he got hurt in Game 2 and never returned to the ice. His loss would be a big one for the Bolts and, even if he plays tonight, I doubt Point would be 100%. That said, all signs point to the Islanders getting the win here and getting back into this series and I am happy to take the healthy underdog price again here just like we successfully did last night with the Stars over the Knights, a game in which Dallas never trailed. Look for this one to play out in similar fashion (never trailing) but with hopefully a win in regulation this time around. Give me the big dog in this one. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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09-10-20 | Golden Knights v. Stars +150 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 150 | 10 h 6 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Thursday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - After getting shutout in Game 2 the Stars will respond in Game 3. You saw last night how teams at this level of the post-season respond off a loss with how well the Islanders played against the Lightning though they ultimately lost on a goal with less than 10 seconds to go in the game. The point is that there was zero value on Tampa Bay as a huge favorite last night even though some folks got fortunate with the late goal. Same case here. The Stars are a huge underdog even though they just beat a fantastic Avs team in the prior series and the Golden Knights played two much weaker teams, Blackhawks and Canucks, to make it this far. Don't get me wrong, Vegas is a good team. But they are also a public team and for them to be priced this high in this situation is just not right at all. The Stars as a sizable underdog and off a shutout loss are the play here all day every day. 10* DALLAS |
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09-09-20 | Islanders +150 v. Lightning | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 29 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:10 ET - The Islanders got destroyed 8-2 in Game 1. I had the Lightning in that game as it was a very tough spot for the Isles and it paid off easily. Now, the markets are heavily favoring the Bolts in Game 2 but this situation actually favors New York. The Islanders are 4-1 in this post-season when off a loss. Not only that, those 4 wins came by a combined score of 16 to 2. Now I am not saying this will be a dominating win for the Islanders as I have a ton of respect for Tampa Bay and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. But, the fact is the Isles should respond off a very embarrassing loss in Game 1 and they are so well-coached. Yes, TB is well-coached too but after all the bounces went the way of the Lightning in Game 1, I expect a turn of events here in Game 2 and, without a shadow of a doubt, the money line value is clearly with the Islanders in this bounce back spot and being given a +150 payback opportunity. I'll take it! 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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09-08-20 | Stars +145 v. Golden Knights | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 0 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - Everyone will be lining up on Vegas here off a loss. I am quite sure of that. Yet, like I mentioned in my Game 1 write-up on Dallas, the Stars faced tougher competition to get here. I am not trying to totally knock Vancouver but the Canucks were a young team and not as well coached as the teams that the Stars faced to get here. The Golden Knights also were fortunate in their first round match-up as they faced a Blackhawks team that was the #12 seed and barely even made it into the qualifying round of this unique 2020 playoff set-up. The point is that the Knights have really had to take a step up in level of competition for this series. The Stars beat a solid Flames team and an Avalanche team that I had predicted would win it all this season. In other words, Dallas has earned my respect. I am not saying Vegas is not a good team. Of course they are a very good team or they would not be here but what I am saying is that the Stars are not getting nearly enough respect from the betting markets here. I'll take the big dog that knows they played a sloppy 3rd period and were lucky to hang on for the 1-0 win. Of course Vegas is likely to respond here but Dallas had a lot of scoring opportunities in Game 1 that they did not cash and that was even with playing a bit of a "protective game" after getting the early 1-0 lead. The Stars score plenty more here and keep the Golden Knights on their heels in this one. 10* DALLAS |
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09-07-20 | Islanders v. Lightning -147 | Top | 2-8 | Win | 100 | 12 h 12 m | Show |
NBCSN Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #34 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 8 ET - Huge edges for the Bolts here. They are much more rested as they had 6 days off while the Islanders just finished up an epic battle in a 7-game series with the Flyers that saw 3 games go to overtime. With the conference finals being played in Edmonton, the Isles had to immediately get in a plane and fly west as they had hardly any time to enjoy their big win over Philadelphia in Toronto on Saturday night. Not only is Tampa Bay more rested and holding the travel edge (they arrived to Alberta well before the Islanders did), I also like other edges here for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy has been fantastic between the pipes whereas New York's #1 netminder Semyon Varlamov has been shaky at times. I know Thomas Greiss got the shutout win over the Flyers in Game 7 for the Isles but he is the normal #2 guy for a reason. The point is that the Lightning have a significant goalie edge here and with the rest edge and the fact that the Bolts have won 4 straight games and beat a tough Boston team convincingly, I am willing to lay the price here. Rare for me to lay much of a price, especially for a top play, but just too many edges in this situation for Game One! 10* TAMPA BAYÂ |
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09-06-20 | Stars +148 v. Golden Knights | Top | 1-0 | Win | 148 | 13 h 57 m | Show |
NBC Blowout Rout - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Sunday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8 ET - Vegas faced two teams to reach this point - the Canucks and the Blackhawks. Dallas faced two teams to reach this point - the Avalanche and the Flames. What is noteworthy about this is that both teams that the Golden Knights faced finished with less points in the regular season than the two teams that the Stars faced. Not only that but the Blackhawks were a 12th seed so they were the lowest seed that ended up making the post-season out west. As for the Avalanche that was a team that many (including me) predicted would be playing for the Stanley Cup. So the point is that I feel the Stars have faced a tougher road here and the Golden Knights have been fortunate with their match-ups. Vegas faced a Chicago team coached by a 35-year old and a Canucks team coached by a 49-year old. Now they face a Stars staff with plenty of coaching experience including interim head coach Rick Bowness whom is 65 years old and has been coaching since 1989 which means, yes, the year 2020 marks the 5th decade in which he has coached. Dallas has shown a lot of firepower in the offensive zone in this post-season and will test the Knights in a way that Chicago and Vancouver simply weren't capable of. This is the best team by far that the Golden Knights have faced in the post-season while I am not sure the reverse is true at all. The Avalanche team, even with injuries, was a very high-powered team that the Stars just got past. I think all that experience serves them well immediately in Game 1 before Vegas can make some adjustments as this series on. I am happy to grab the big dog value here with the Stars. 10* DALLAS |
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09-05-20 | Islanders v. Flyers +115 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Islanders @ 7:30 ET - Seeing guys like Kevin Hayes, Claude Giroux, and Travis Konecny getting on the scoresheet in recent games is big news for the Flyers. Throughout this post-season Philadelphia has been winning on the strength of team depth and the goaltending of Carter Hart. However, along the way, much has been made of the lack of production for some of the big name guys for Philadelphia and that includes James van Riemsdyk whom also has gotten in on the scoring in recent games too. All of this has helped lead the way to a Flyers comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to tie the series at 3. With yesterday's losses for the Avalanche and the Canucks, neither of the other teams that did the same thing the Flyers have done were able to complete the comeback and advance to the conference finals. However, Philadelphia's head coach Alain Vigneault has already done this multiple times in his career and I look for him again help lead the way to a series comeback from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the next round. Yes the Flyers were heavily outshot in Game 6 but they played much better than what that lone stat (shots on goal) would lead you to believe. The Islanders haven't made it to the conference finals in 27 years. The Flyers rallied all the way back from a 3-0 series deficit to oust the Bruins in 2010. That was the same year Philly lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Blackhawks. History is on the side of the Flyers here but I also like the boost they have received from the return of Oskar Lindblom to the ice. He has a rare form of bone cancer (Ewing's sarcoma) and he and the Flyers go all out again here in Game 7. They could have Sean Couturier back from injury as well. I am actually expecting that but even if he does not return I still see all the value with the confident Flyers here who have proven throughout this series that they can win the tightest of games. Give me the underdog here! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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09-04-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -127 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -127 | 8 h 31 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #4 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 4 ET - When you let a team hang around in a playoff series, no matter the sport, it can sometimes come back to bite you! This is particularly true in the NHL. A hot goalie and momentum go a long way toward deciding hockey games and we have now seen that hold true in no less than 3 of the 4 series going on right now in the NHL. We're going to see three NHL Game 7's which is a beautiful thing to see. The Golden Knights have played well but ran into a red hot goalie (Thatcher Demko) and that series has gone from 3-1 to 3-3. The Islanders have played well but ran into a very resilient Flyers team playing with a ton of emotion and that series has gone from 3-1 to 3-3. Then you have this one where all you hear people talk about is the fact that the Avalanche were a cup favorite but now they have too many injuries. Looks like the Colorado players are having nothing to do with talk like that! They have rallied the troops and this is yet another series that has gone from 3-1 to 3-3. Michael Hutchinson has been a key between the pipes because of the injuries to the top two Avs goalies. I am aware of the Gabriel Landeskog injury for the Avs but his linemates on the top line including Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen and there has simply been no quit in this team no matter whom is on the ice. MacKinnon is having a post-season for the ages but is 0-2 in Game 7's and can't wait to change that here. Look for that to happen. The Avs advance as the Stars, still shaken from blowing a 3-1 series lead, fall short again this year just like they did last year in a similar situation against the Blues. The Avalanche simply look like the better team, even with injuries, as this series has gone on. The Avs are relentlless and have too much firepower for Dallas to put away. 10* COLORADO |
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09-03-20 | Flyers +105 v. Islanders | Top | 5-4 | Win | 105 | 11 h 43 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Islanders @ 7:00 ET - While there are question marks about whether or not Barzal will play for Islanders in this one and whether or not Couturier will play for the Flyers in this one, I want to get this play out early for everyone. The fact is I expect Barzal to play and Couturier not to play but I still like the Flyers in this one. If Barzal was announced as being out and Couturier being in than so much the better. But the fact is momentum and having your big guys going strong is a key in the hockey post-season and the Flyers check the boxes on both of those things heading into this game. In Game 5 they finally saw Giroux score a goal (he also picked up his 6th assist on the GW OT goal no less!) plus van Riemsdyk also scored a goal. Coach Vigneault is pushing all the right buttons with these Flyers and though Konecny has not scored a goal he picked up a pair of assists in the win. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7 is not easy but coach Vigneault has let teams to series wins multiple times after a 3-1 series hole. Also, if you don't believe momentum and getting the big guys going is key in a series you're not paying attention to the series out in Edmonton where Colorado got a 4-1 win last night to force a Game 7 after being down 3-1 in that series with Dallas. Look for the Flyers to also force a Game 7 by getting the big win tonight. The Islanders are a great team for sure and very well coached but Philly has the momentum here and unlike the Avalanche (down to a 3rd string goalie no less!) the Flyers have a true #1 netminder (Hart) healthy and ready to go here tonight. I love Game 7's in NHL and this series absolutely appears destined for a Game 7 after the way the Flyers responded twice in Game 5 to show how resilient they are. They gave up the first goal of the game just one minute into to the game to fall into a hole. They then allowed the final two goals of regulation to blow a 3-1 lead. They still win in OT. That is resilience with a capital R and this Flyers team is firing on all cylinders right now with or without Couturier. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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09-02-20 | Avalanche -123 v. Stars | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 25 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #19 Wednesday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 8 ET - What happens when a team has a chance to put a team away and then doesn't? We're about to find out. The Avalanche were down 3-1 in this series against the Stars but then absolutely blitzed Dallas and scored the first 5 goals of Game 5 and rolled to a 6-3 win. It will again be Michael Hutchinson between the pipes for Colorado tonight. Yes he is the #3 goalie but he is behind two solid netminders in Grubauer and Francouz - each of which are dealing with injuries. 2 of the 3 goals Hutchinson allowed were on power plays for Dallas and the reality is he played quite well. Also, dating back to the regular season, he has allowed just 4 goals on the last 55 shots he has faced. Keep in mind, Hutchinson is again likely to get plenty of goal support here too as the Avalanche have averaged 5 goals per game over the last 3 games. Also, the Avs finished off the Coyotes with identical 7-1 wins in each of the last two games of the series. I am not saying the same thing happens in this series but I am saying that the Avalanche are a very strong team and will force a Game 7 in my opinion. Give the Stars credit for getting the 3-1 series lead but now all the momentum is with Colorado and Dallas coach likely regrets making a goalie change at a crucial juncture in the series. He went to Ben Bishop in Game 5 as he was healthy enough to play again but he got absolutely blitzed and the Avs now have plenty of confidence against both of the Stars netminders. This Avalanche team is so dangerous in the offensive zone and I again don't see them being denied in this one. Just too much firepower and the confidence of Dallas is absolutely shaken now. I don't care what they say. They know they let a great chance slip away and have given the Avs plenty of hope! 10* COLORADO |
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08-31-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -113 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 37 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7 ET - Many will be looking the way of the Bruins here. After all, they have lost 3 straight games and are trying to avoid elimination and this is practically the same Boston roster that was one win away from winning it all last season! In typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side here. I look for Tampa Bay to make it 4 in a row and not even let the Bruins sniff the potential of getting back in this series. By the way, the Bolts are 7-0 in terms of winning a series when they hold a 3-1 lead. In this case, I look for them to get the close out victory tonight. The Lightning have won the last two games by a combined 10-2 score and a key has been Jaroslav Halak, rather than Tuukka Rask, being between the pipes for Boston. This is not a knock on Halak as normally he is a solid goalie but, the fact is, he is not playing that well right now and neither are his Bruins teammates in front of him! Conversely, Andrei Vasilevskiy has been playing exceptionally well between the pipes for TB at the other end and I fully expect that to continue tonight. This Tampa Bay team is so hungry this season after what happened last year when they had an absolutely stellar regular season but then got swept out of the post-season in the first round! This Lightning team absolutely looks like a team on a mission in these playoffs and we see that continued inspired effort again Monday! 10* TAMPA BAY |
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08-30-20 | Flyers +110 v. Islanders | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 41 m | Show |
Game of the Week (Eastern Conference) - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs New York Islanders @ 8 ET - The Flyers performance in Game 3 wasn't nearly as bad as the final score would lead one to believe. Philadelphia gave up a very late goal - 5 seconds left in second period - and that really hurt them as that is a killer for a team. The fact is the Islanders are a very tough team and this is likely to be a tight back and forth series. On that note, I really like the Flyers to respond off the loss with a huge effort here to get the win. They have not had a losing streak since early January! Dating back to the regular season and including this post-season, Philadelphia is 11-0 when coming off a loss. Look for the Flyers to improve on that mark here after being shut down in Game 3 where the second period did them in after they looked so sharp in the first period. This is a very good Philly team and they also hold the "back to back" edge in my opinion. In terms of the goalie match-up, if it is again Varlamov and Hart in this back to back note that Hart is 10 years younger than Varlamov and may respond better physically. If the teams go to the back-ups I like Elliott (12-5-2 away from Philly this season) over Greiss (7-6-2 away from home this season). Just a much better overall team effort expected in this one for the top-seeded team as they continue to show great resilience improving to 12-0 last dozen times they have been off a loss! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-30-20 | Avalanche -130 v. Stars | 4-5 | Loss | -130 | 10 h 49 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Sunday 8* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 6 ET - The Avalanche pattern so far in the bubble has been that they don't just win one game they string a couple together. They started 2-0 then lost one in OT. Won 2 more, lost one. Then won 2 more again, but then lost 2 straight. Now, after responding to the back to back losses with a key win in Game 3 of this series, I look for the pattern of following an initial win with another win to continue here. Look for the Avs to even this series up. Colorado entered the 3rd period with a 3-1 lead in Game 3 but "let up" and didn't play "their game" and it very nearly cost them as they ended up trailing 4-3 before firing back and scoring 3 straight to close the game out. As it was the Avs were only trailing for about a minute of that 3rd period but it was "lesson learned" for sure. Colorado has a ton of firepower and just needs to keep their foot on the gas. Anton Khudobin continues to start in goal for the Stars as Ben Bishop is out. He had been playing well but then was on the wrong end of the 6-4 result in Game 3 of this series. Pavel Francouz has been in between the pipes for the Avs ever since the Philipp Grubauer injury in Game 1 of this series. Off back to back starts where he allowed 4 goals in each, look for Francouz to come up big in Game 4. That was his pattern in the regular season if he entered a start off back to back outings in which he allowed 3 or more goals. He is a strong #2 goalie as he went 21-7-4 with a .923 save percentage in the regular season. 8* COLORADO |
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08-29-20 | Flyers +102 v. Islanders | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 33 h 52 m | Show |
PA Insider - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 7 ET - NOTE: This original write-up was based on the game being played Thursday evening. The game is now being played Saturday at 7 ET. I still am going with the same selection as a Top Play. Here is the original write-up: The Flyers built a 3-0 lead in yesterday's game and were still up 3-1 halfway through the final period and up 3-2 with about 2 minutes left. They then let the game slip away as Islanders tied it at 3 plus got a 2 minute power play to close out regulation. If the Isles had scored on that power play or been the club to score in overtime, the Flyers season would have likely been over. Coming back from a 2-0 deficit after a completely demoralizing loss is a lot to ask. Instead, the mood on this Philadelphia hockey club is very upbeat as they got the 4-3 OT win with a Myers goal just a couple minutes into OT. The Flyers, dating back to the regular season, have now won 17 of their past 21 games. They also hold a goalie edge for this back to back situation. It should be Varlamov and Hart in this one but lets talk about all 4 goalies because of the back to back. Greiss came in yesterday for the Islanders after Varlamov allowed 3 goals in 15 minutes. Greiss, 34 years old and having not played much at all since the spring, did play well but now this would be a back to back for a guy just coming back to live big game action. Varlamov, after his long playoff shutout streak, allowed 3 goals in 15 minutes and the Flyers are now "in his head" a little. As for Hart, he is only 22 years old and playing in a back to back wouldn't bother him in the least. If the Flyers call on their back-up, Elliott, he is a veteran player like Greiss. However, unlike Greiss, he is fresh because he did not play yesterday. Two evenly matched teams but the Flyers have momentum and goaltending on their side in this crucial swing game in this 1-1 series. Also, Philly coach Vigneault tweaked some of the lines yesterday and it paid immediate dividends. More of the same here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-26-20 | Avalanche -138 v. Stars | Top | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 16 m | Show |
Game of the Year - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #13 Wednesday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 10:30 ET - After receiving a wake-up call in Game 1 and losing badly to the Stars, the Avalanche needed to respond and they did. The problem however is the response only lasted half the game. The Avs were up 2-0 about midway through the game and then all of the sudden found themselves on the wrong end of a 2-man advantage. The last thing you want to do when you have a 2-goal lead and are looking to even a series up is to end up with two of your men in the penalty box! The rest is, as they say, history now. But the fact that the team I feel has a great shot at winning the cup this season is now in a 2-0 hole in this series makes this a fantastic spot for backing them. Yes the Stars have momentum as the puck continues to bounce their way. Give them credit but, again, Colorado let that game slip away and sometimes learning experiences come at a high price. In this case, the Avalanche let that game get away from them and it has put them in a 2-0 hole. That said, it is not too late to respond and I know the kind of effort we're going to get from this highly talented, exceptionally skilled Avalanche team in this one. Also, look for the Avs to be more grittier in this game. Even though this is not an elimination game, teams very rarely come back from a 3-0 deficit so this is about as close to a win or go home game as there is. Colorado needs more hitting and more blocked shots and, at the same time, I expect them to again heavily outshoot the Stars like they did in Game 2 (40-27 edge). Adding up all the factors and knowing that Pavel Francouz played a much better game in net than the final score would lead you to believe, I am willing to lay the moderate price (-140 range) on the Avalanche in this one and expect them to play their best game of the post-season. 10* COLORADO |
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08-26-20 | Islanders v. Flyers -106 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 51 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #10 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 3 ET - The Flyers performance in Game 1 wasn't nearly as bad as the final score would lead one to believe. Philadelphia did have a rough first period but they found their game after that but the puck didn't bounce their way. The fact is the Islanders are a very tough team and this is likely to be a tight back and forth series. On that note, I really like the Flyers to respond here. They have not had a losing streak since early January! Dating back to the regular season and including this post-season, Philadelphia is 10-0 when coming off a loss. Look for the Flyers to improve on that mark here after being shutout in Game 1. This is a very good Philly team and they just didn't cash in their opportunities in Monday's game including finding iron on a few shots as well. They'll get some past Varlamov in this one and it won't take much with Hart continuing to play well for the Flyers in goal. Just a much better overall team effort expected in this one for the top-seeded team! 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-25-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -104 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 34 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7 ET - The Lightning got down early against Boston in Game 1 but they fought their way through that and looked strong the rest of the way nearly rallying all the way back from a 3-0 deficit. After falling short 3-2, but infused with confidence, the Bolts will be ready to take it to the Bruins in Game 2. The Lightning are built more for the post-season than they were last year. They match up much better with Boston now and that was part of the reason that Tampa Bay took 3 of 4 regular season meetings. Game One of this series swung on a couple of big plays. One was the Bruins getting on the board with only a minute left to go in the first period. Then a power play early in the 2nd period led to their 2nd goal. This is not to take anything away from Boston but those key momentum swings were game changers. The Lightning looked much stronger and confident as the game went on and they'll carry that momentum into Game 2. I also still like Bolts goalie Vasilevskiy over Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak. Though Halak is solid there is a reason he is the #2 behind Tuukka Rask whom now has departed the bubble. The Lightning come out flying and even this one up. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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08-24-20 | Islanders v. Flyers -110 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 9 m | Show |
PA Insider - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 7 ET - This should be a fantastic series. It is always tough to gauge teams coming into a new series because the match-ups are different and you have to factor in the prior series. In this case, I feel that edge goes to the Flyers. The Islanders are a great team and I am expecting this to be a fierce battle in this series but Game 1 sets up well for the Isles to fall short. They are coached by Barry Trotz and he is the former Capitals coach that took Washington to the Stanley Cup title win over Vegas in 2018. Now just two years later he got a chance to meet his team in the post-season and his Islanders dominated them in the 4-1 series win and it ended up getting Caps coach (and his former assistant coach) Todd Reirden fired. That was an emotional series win not only for Trotz but also his players because the players know how bad Trotz wanted that. Can they immediately handle now facing a tough Flyers team in Game 1 of this series? I think this is the one game in this series that the Flyers should dominate. They get Niskanen back, they are confident after knocking off a scrappy Canadiens team that had upset the Penguins. Yes those Penguins that include star players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The point is that the Flyers got tested by the Habs and it was good for them to build up some playoff mettle as young goalie Carter Hart continues to play as a much more experienced player than you would expect with his young age. Philly got their power play going late in the series with Montreal and that also is a confidence boost heading into this tough post-season match-up. Yes, the Islanders won all 3 regular season meetings but those were a long long time ago when the Flyers were still adjusting to new coach Alain Vigneault way back in November! Keep in mind, dating back to regular season and including the round robin action under this bubble too, the Flyers have won 16 of their last 19 games! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-23-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -105 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #84 Sunday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - I'll take Lightning #1 goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy over Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak. Yes, I know Halak is more of a #1b option rather than a true #2 but Tuukka Rask is the normal starter in Boston for a reason. Halak let in a few soft goals against the Hurricanes and he is going to be tested even more here by Tampa Bay. The Bolts are a team on a mission after getting swept out of the playoffs in the first round last year. That followed a record-setting regular season for them and the Lightning enter this series a very focused team after knocking off a tough Columbus team. Yes the Bruins ultimately looked good in getting past Carolina but the monumental collapse of the Hurricanes in a game they led 3-0 was something they never bounced back from. The Canes were a disappointment in blowing that game which would have tied the series at 2 games apiece. Keep in mind, Carolina never should have lost Game 1 either as the Bruins had a goal count that never should have counted and that is why the game eventually went to OT instead of being a 3-2 Canes win. The point is that the Bruins won a double-OT game plus came back from a 3-0 third period deficit. Give them credit for that but they were facing a Carolina team that has some issues. Now they face a Lightning team with no real issues other than still waiting on Stamkos to come back but they have been (and are use to) playing without him. I also like the fact that the Bolts have experienced goaltending behind Vasilevskiy. Conversely, the Bruins back-up (because of Rask leaving the bubble) is a #3 goalie with zero NHL experience. If Halak gets hurt or struggles Boston has a significant issue. The Lightning now have the physicality to match up with the Bruins and they take Game 1 here to set the tone for this series. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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08-21-20 | Flyers -129 v. Canadiens | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 12 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7 ET - It has been feast or famine for the Canadiens so far in this series and I expect the latter to be the result in Friday's Game 6. Yes the Habs exploded for 5 goals in a wild one in Game 5 (and also in Game 2 when the Flyers didn't show up and Montreal was playing for their coach - heart surgery) but in the other 3 games the Canadiens not only lost but they scored a TOTAL of 1 goal in those 3 games! Flyers netminder Carter Hart has a knack for bouncing back off poor outings and he did not look good on Wednesday. That said, the young goalie is cool under pressure and had come up with back to back shutouts in Games 3 and 4 after that ugly Game 2 where his teammates hung him out to dry. Speaking of teammates and how they react around Hart, the fact that Montreal's Suzuki tapped Hart on the helmet after the Habs scored their 2nd goal to tie the game on Wednesday will be accounted for. I don't wish ill will upon anyone but Suzuki has a bullseye on his back for this game. Already the Flyers Niskanen (suspended for this game) broke the jaw of Gallagher (one of Montreal's best players) after the Suzuki incident. Gallagher is now out for the rest of the post-season (which I suspected the end would have been coming tonight anyway) and they will struggle to overcome his absence. He is a speedy player and an agitator on the ice. The Canadiens will miss him more than the Flyers will miss Niskanen although certainly the D-man is an important player for Philly. In terms of coaching the Flyers bench guys have the most combined experience of any coaching staff in the NHL. They hold a huge edge over Montreal with Claude Julien still recovering from heart surgery and with an assistant coach now handling coaching duties for the Canadiens. Philly also got their power play going in Wednesday's Game 5 and that is a key confidence boost for this team. They earned their #1 seed and, dating back to the regular season, had won 15 of their last 17 games prior to the Game 5 loss. Payback time here and don't be surprised if someone taps Suzuki on the head in the handshake line after this game is over as the Flyers send the Canadiens packing. Big mistake on Suzuki's part and he and his teammates will pay the price after lighting a fire under the Flyers for this game 6. Philly will be buzzing all over the ice for this one and will have their skating legs going at 110%! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-19-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers -135 | 5-3 | Loss | -135 | 12 h 49 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #76 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - The type of hockey being played may not be a thing of beauty but, the fact is, it is getting the job done for the Flyers and I expect that to continue here as they close out this series with the Canadiens. Philadelphia had its one wake up call in Game 2 of this series when they got blasted 5-0. The Flyers have outscored Montreal 5-1 in the other 3 games in this series. Also, Philadelphia earned the #1 seed by winning all 3 games of the round robin that preceded this and those 3 victories came by a combined score of 11 to 3. Keep in mind the Flyers were also one of the hottest teams in the league (winners in 9 of 10) when the league was shutdown in mid-March due to the covid-19 pandemic. So far in the bubble in Toronto the Flyers had that one ugly game against the Habs where they did not show up but they are 6-0 in the other 6 games and have won those by a combined score of 16 to 4. When you consider that as well as they fact that the Canadiens are using an interim coach who might have lost his players trust in Game 4, I see this series being close out Wednesday. Gallagher and Drouin sat on the bench for a lot of the 3rd period yesterday and you could see in the body language of the Habs after the game and from listening to the post-game interview, this team has internal strife right now. The Flyers are at the other end of the spectrum in that regard and head coach Alain Vigeneault will have his troops ready to close it out. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-18-20 | Flyers -128 v. Canadiens | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 7 h 38 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #61 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 3 ET - Playoff hockey includes plenty of physicality and a willingness to sacrifice the body. In Game 3, which was certainly a tight game that could have gone either way, the Flyers did lead in two very important categories come playoff time. Hits were 36-23 in favor of Philly. Blocked shots were 24-10 in favor of Philadelphia. The Flyers played a strong game and responded after the embarrassing Game 2 loss. That 5-0 defeat has made sure that Philly will not look past a Canadiens team that was the #12 seed in the qualifying round of the playoffs. Yes, Montreal may not have a good record on the season but they do have Carey Price between the pipes. However, Carter Hart was back to himself in Game 3 after Game 2's hiccup (and by the way his teammates really played poorly in that game). The Flyers have the coaching edge here with Montreal being coached by an assistant right now (Claude Julien underwent heart procedure). The Flyers are the better overall team and know they can not afford to let up. With another game tomorrow the team that wins today's game has huge momentum. That said momentum goes a long way and the Flyers know they can't give the Canadiens more life than they already did in Game 2. Philly seeks the 3-1 lead and can't let this series get knotted up and give new life to the Habs. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-17-20 | Bruins v. Hurricanes +113 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 29 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #58 Monday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - Look for a rally the troops game for Carolina as everyone will step up their game here after the Andrei Svechnikov injury in Game 3. He had a goal and assist in the Hurricanes Game 2 win. Now, after losing Game 3, it will be payback time for the Hurricanes. Keep in mind, Carolina should have won Game 1. The Bruins had a goal count in regulation that never should have counted. Had it not counted, the game would have never ended up in OT. Instead it would have been a 3-2 Canes win in regulation. The fact is these are 2 very evenly matched teams and I like getting the underdog value with a Hurricanes club looking to respond big off a loss and show a response after the Svechnikov injury. Additionally, I know that Jaroslav Halak is a solid netminder for the Bruins but he didn't have time to think too much when #1 goalie Tuukka Rask made his announcement that he was leaving the bubble just prior to Game 3. Now, with plenty of time for Halak to ponder everything and realize he is the #1 and Rask is gone, he might be more easily "rattled" by Hurricanes shots in this one and I am sure the Canes will be coming in waves in this must win game. They can't afford to go down 3-1 in this series. 10* CAROLINA |
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08-16-20 | Flyers -130 v. Canadiens | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 48 m | Show |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - The Canadiens gave a huge effort in Game 2 to even this series up as they played inspired hockey right from the first drop of the puck. Their head coach Claude Julien was in the hospital and is now recovering from heart surgery and you have to give Montreal credit for a great effort in Game 2. However, not only did the Habs win that game they "showed up" the Flyers a little bit as assistant coach Kirk Muller (filling in for Julien) put his top power play unit on the ice late in the game and with the Canadiens already up 5-0. This did not go unnoticed by the Flyers and I already would have expected a huge response from Philly in Game 3 but that fact only strengthens their resolve. Keep in mind Philly was one of the hottest teams down the stretch in the regular season and the Canadiens were quite cold late in the season. Yes the Habs have a great goalie in Carey Price but the Flyers goalie Carter Hart plays like he is much older than his young age and is certainly showing signs, Game 2 notwithstanding, that he is going to be a great goalie in this league. Look for Hart and the Flyers to bounce back strong in Game 2. We're getting great line value here as a line that was closer to the -160 range in prior games is now down in the -130 range. The Flyers didn't show up in Game 2. They will be there in Game 3 and anybody that looks up and down the roster of skaters on these teams knows that the Flyers are the better team in this series. Yes, Montreal having Price in goal is big but the Flyers Hart has been fantastic in key games this season and this is another key game. Philly beat Price in Game 1 and I don't see them going down 2-1 in this series against a 12 seed! Yes the Habs got past the Penguins but Malkin looked out of sorts in that series and the Pens just aren't what they use to be. Philly earned the #1 seed with a strong regular season and then fantastic play in the round robin. One game doesn't change all that. It is payback time here. Head coach Alain Vigneault and the Flyers can't wait for their chance at redemption and they'll make it count here. Look for some of Philly's top guys to get going in this series. It shows how deep that Philly is that they have played well (up until Friday) in this post-season and yet many of their big guns have been held off the scoresheet. I look for that to change here. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-16-20 | Stars -113 v. Flames | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 5 h 5 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Sunday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (-) vs Calgary Flames @ 2 ET - The Stars outplayed the Flames in Game 3 but lost as Cam Talbot had a huge game between the pipes for Calgary. The Flames were without Matthew Tkachuk as he got roughed up in Game 2. Even if he comes back in Game 4 (he is a game time decision) the Flames leading scorer in the regular season is a -2 so far in this series. Tkachuk is finding out that if you start to get a certain reputation it will eventually catch up with you. The Stars are doing what the Jets should have done to properly handle Tkachuk in the qualifying round series. That aside, I like the overall game of the Stars and the way they have turned the tide in this series by winning Game 2 to even the series up and then being the better team in Game 3 even though they lost the game 2-0. Given that, I just don't see the Stars being denied in Game 4 and I look for them to knot this series up at 2 games apiece with another strong effort just like that had in Game 3. They are determined and still have confidence and that is a key and they'll find the back of the net a few times in this one and hold the Flames in check. 8* DALLAS |
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08-15-20 | Bruins v. Hurricanes +105 | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 34 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Saturday 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ Noon ET - The "big bad Bruins" are a very small money line favorite in this Game 3 match-up for early Saturday even though they are off a very tight loss in Game 2. Keep in mind this is also after they swept the Hurricanes out of the playoffs last year plus almost won the Cup but fell just short against the Blues. The point is that this line may look "funny" but don't let it fool you. The Hurricanes have looked every bit as good as the Bruins so far in this series and are still very hungry for revenge from last season's ugly effort against Boston. The Bruins are a strong team but aren't quite what they use to be and the Canes should have won Game 1 too were it not for the Bruins being credited with a goal that never should have counted. Give me the underdog in this one! 8* CAROLINA |
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08-14-20 | Islanders v. Capitals -118 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -118 | 10 h 1 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #31 Friday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs New York Islanders @ 8 ET - Washington let game one slip away as they blew a 2-0 lead. It was good that the Capitals had John Carson back on the ice but now they've lost Nicklas Backstrom for game two courtesy of a big hit from the Islanders Anders Lee that certainly did not go unnoticed by Tom Wilson and the Caps. The point is that this is a highly emotional series right off the bat as former Washington head coach Barry Trotz is now the head coach of the Islanders. These teams don't like each other at all and what I like about the Capitals in this spot is that they have been there done that! This is a team that won the Stanley Cup two years ago and knows how to handle adversity. That said, though the Islanders are a very strong team in their own right and may end up winning this series, I see the Capitals responding in a big way here in Game 2 and getting the win. Yes the series is early but to go into an 0-2 hole would be tough to climb out of and the Caps respond in a big way here in Game 2 after what happened in Game 1. I am speaking about the 2-0 lead being blown in the 4-2 loss and I am talking about Backstrom getting knocked out of the game. You are going to see a very focused effort from Alex Ovechkin and company in this one and they will not be denied. Take advantage of the low price being offered on this one. 10* WASHINGTON |
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08-14-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers -153 | 5-0 | Loss | -153 | 7 h 19 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Friday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 3 PM ET - The Flyers didn't look that great in Game One. Carter Hart was great between the pipes and that is very important. But the point is that Philly didn't really play the high level game they had been playing throughout the round robin and yet they still won Wednesday's game. That says a lot about the disparity in terms of the levels of these two hockey clubs. The Flyers definitely earned their #1 seed for this post-season and Montreal is just fortunate to be there. Yes, the Canadiens beat the Penguins to get here but my point is that this is still a #12 seed that had quite a rough regular season. They have Carey Price between the pipes but in terms of skaters, they don't match up all that well with the Flyers. Also, Montreal will be without head coach Claude Julien as he went to the hospital with chest pains after Game 1. With the Flyers ready to play a much more focused and inspired effort after knowing they "got away with one" in Game 1, look for them to dominate in Game 2 on Friday afternoon and, based on this price, that makes them well worth a bet in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-13-20 | Hurricanes +129 v. Bruins | Top | 3-2 | Win | 129 | 11 h 43 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8 ET - After Carolina (and yours truly) got ripped off by the Bruins in Game 1 yesterday, we'll look for payback here in Game 2. Yesterday's game should have ended 3-2 in regulation time as a Hurricanes win. The Bruins were given a goal they never deserved on a play where the officials said there was no hand pass because the goalie then froze the puck after the hand pass. But if he froze the puck after the hand pass how is that the Bruins were allowed to play a frozen puck and score a key goal? This is not just a disgruntled Hurricanes bettor telling you this. I am telling you that all analysts who watched that play and spoke about it agreed. It was an egregious error by the officiating crew. Basically an impossible goal to allow to be counted in a situation like that. You can only imagine how fired up Carolina is here and they can't wait for this shot at quick redemption here in Game 2 and are happy this is a back to back spot so they can get right back on the ice. The Hurricanes welcomed back Dougie Hamilton in Game 1 and could get Justin Williams and Sami Vatanen both back for Game 2 on Thursday night. After the tough loss in the 2nd overtime yesterday, the Hurricanes will respond in a big way in Game 2. Yes, Boston is a strong team but they only won 4 of their last 8 regular season games in regulation time and still have not won a game in regulation in the bubble in Toronto. Look for that streak to continue here (4 straight games without a regulation win) and this time the Bruins are on the losing end. The Hurricanes are ultra hungry after getting swept out of the post-season by the Bruins last year and then after a frustrating result in game one. 10* CAROLINA |
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08-12-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers -155 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 13 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #14 Wednesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 8 ET - There are some very sharp "in the know" hockey folks who feel the Flyers have a great shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup this season. There are also many of those same people who feel the Canadiens are the worst hockey club in these NHL playoffs. Yes Carey Price is a fantastic goalie but the Flyers are a team that is heavy on producing shots. They produce a lot of shots and create great opportunities through head coach Alain Vigneault's systems. There has been a complete buy-in from the players and it is showing on the ice as they are a very tough team to play and again, as strong as Price is between the pipes, the Flyers are the much more talented team in terms of skaters. Also, you can't knock Flyers goalie Carter Hart as he shows amazing maturity for his young age and has appeared "in the zone" so far in these playoffs mentally and physically. He is certainly a big part of the reason that Philadelphia enters this game having won 12 of their past 13 games with 3 straight wins in the round robin and a 9-1 regular season ending run. The Habs certainly deserve some credit for getting past the Penguins in the qualifying round of this unusual post-season format. However, Evgeni Malkin did not look like himself in that series and the Pens just aren't what they use to be. Keep in mind, we're still talking about a Canadiens roster that lost 10 of 14 games to close out the regular season. They are lucky they even made it into this post-season format and, again, I give them (and in particular Price) credit for getting past Pittsburgh, but they face a much bigger challenge here and Vigneault and his Flyers know how important a Game 1 win is. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-09-20 | Blue Jackets +150 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 3-0 | Win | 150 | 10 h 41 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #21 Sunday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8 ET - The winner of this game takes on the Lightning. Wouldn't it be perfect if that team ended up being the Blue Jackets? The same Columbus team that swept Tampa Bay out of the first round of the playoffs last year after the Bolts had a regular season performance for the ages. I believe this is precisely what we'll see here. Yes I am aware of the injury situation with Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray of the Jackets but I am pulling the trigger on a huge bounce back performance from Columbus here. After the unreal loss to Maple Leafs Friday (Blue Jackets were up 3-0 with 6 minutes to go), Columbus will be right back to work here. Coach Tortorella would have it no other way and you're going to see one of the most physical and gritty performances from a wounded dog then you'll ever see in an NHL post-season. I just don't see the Blue Jackets being denied in this bounce back spot after the Maple Leafs miracle win on Friday night. To me the Jackets are the better playoff-built hockey team in this series. I know Toronto is very talented but I like the grit of this Blue Jackets team and feel we've got tremendous line value here with them as a sizable dog in a series where no team has managed to win back to back games. Look for that trend to continue here. 10* COLUMBUS |
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08-09-20 | Stars +120 v. Blues | 2-1 | Win | 120 | 5 h 25 m | Show | |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Sunday 8* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 3 ET - Will either team want to win this game? All kidding aside the winner gets Calgary and the loser gets Vancouver. While neither match-up is particularly appealing I would argue that facing the red hot Flames who dominated Winnipeg appears a little more daunting than facing a young Canucks team that squeaked by the Wild in tighter games. In any event the fact is that this adds even more value to simply playing the hungry dog in this one. Both teams are disappointed about the way they've played as each are 0-2 in the round robin and haven't played well. But the key to the value on Dallas here is twofold. For one thing the Stars are desperate for a win because they were on an 0-4-2 run before the March shutdown. Then they lost their exhibition game before going 0-2 in this round robin. Stars need a win! Secondly the Blues went 4-0-1 against Dallas in the regular season. The Stars want to atone for that should they meet up again in this post-season. It is time for a little payback and while Dallas may get Klingberg back for this game the Blues will be without Barbashev and plus Tarasenko has logged only 14 minutes of ice time so far (all in 1st game of round robin) as he continues to try and come back from injury which he certainly doesn't want to re-aggravate here in a bit of a meaningless game to be honest. All above factors considered, there is solid underdog value here. 8* DALLAS |
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08-08-20 | Flyers +117 v. Lightning | 4-1 | Win | 117 | 12 h 37 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8 ET - Both these teams have looked sharp in the round robin action but the Lightning are having trouble hanging onto leads and that is in the back of their minds here. The Bolts were outshot by the Capitals in their first game of the round robin and blew a 2-0 lead and had to win it in the shootout. Then against Boston the Lightning again blew a 2-0 lead and won the game on a late goal with under 2 minutes to go. Now they face a Flyers team that is firing well on all cylinders right now and that is even with using back-up goalie Brian Elliott in their most recent game just to get him a little work. Now they'll use Carter Hart in goal for this battle for the #1 seed in the East and he looked absolutely fantastic in his round robin action against Boston. Hart has looked extremely sharp especially in big games for the Flyers and dating back to March, Philadelphia has won 11 of their past 12 games. You have to like the value of having them dog when you consider that. Also, unlike TB and their tight wins, Philly has been dominant and won their two games by a combined score of 7 to 2. While Tampa Bay is certainly a strong team the Flyers have been playing better in their own zone in terms of protecting leads and overall protection in front of their goalie and that will prove to be the difference again here. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-08-20 | Golden Knights v. Avalanche -115 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -115 | 7 h 5 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Saturday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3 ET - The Avalanche are the best team in the NHL right now. They are healthier than they have been in a long, long time and it is amazing that MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen haven't scored yet in the first two round robin games and yet the Avs still have looked so good in winning the two games by a combined score of 6 to 1. In the regular season Colorado beat the Golden Knights by a combined score of 13 to 4 in their two meetings and those two games were at Vegas no less! Now these teams meet on neutral ice and the #1 seed for the upcoming NHL playoffs is on the line. I don't see the Avalanche being denied. They are the much better team. Yes, Vegas has also gone 2-0 in this round robin but they had a miracle rally against Dallas and then played a St Louis team that seemed surprisingly uninspired hockey. The Golden Knights, even with Blues seeming a bit sluggish, still had to rally from an early 2-0 hole and later still trailed 4-3 going to the 3rd period. Keep in mind they trailed the Stars by a count of 3-1 with about 10 minutes to go in that game before their miracle rally. The Vegas goaltending is suspect with Fleury struggling and Lehner now playing with his 4th club in 3 seasons! Lehner will get the start here and seems to have supplanted Fleury. The Avs have allowed just 1 goal so far in 2 games while the Golden Knights have allowed 7. Also, as shown in the regular season, the Avalanche have shown they pose some match-up problems for Vegas! 10* COLORADO |
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08-07-20 | Oilers -129 v. Blackhawks | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -129 | 11 h 34 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Friday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 6:45 ET - The Oilers lost on a very late goal in Game 3. It was no fault of the goalie on that play but one thing for certain is that neither team has been particularly sharp between the pipes as goals continue piling up through this series. I know that the Blackhawks have played very well in this series and have Edmonton on the edge of elimination. However, I just don't see it happening. After the Oilers got off the initial shock of an ugly 1st period stretch in Game 1 of this series, they have played well for long stretches and I like the coaching edge here in a crucial game as well. Edmonton is coached by Dave Tippett and Chicago is coached by Jeremy Colliton. Note that Tippett was playing in the NHL before Colliton was even born. Yes he is 24 years his senior and I look for Tippett to rally the troops here for the Oilers. Teams off a loss in this post-season have responded well for the most part with the lone exception being a flat Rangers team that was ousted by a Hurricanes team that was firing on all cylinders. So not including the Canes series or the round robin games, we're talking about only the 5-game series here, teams off a loss are 12-3 so far. That is an 80% cash in rate and I am more than willing to lay the fair price (-130 range) here with a desperate, more talented, and better coached Oilers team. 10* EDMONTON |
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08-07-20 | Penguins -154 v. Canadiens | 0-2 | Loss | -154 | 8 h 58 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Friday 7* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 4 ET - The Canadiens are up 2-1 in this series but the most dominating win belongs to the Penguins. Give Montreal credit for sure but it took OT to win Game 1 and then it took rallying from a 2-goal deficit in Game 3. Just like we saw after Game 1, look for the Penguins to rally the troops here. Pittsburgh is loaded with experienced veterans and they can play with pressure on their backs and in their heads. They raise the level of their games in this one and noticed my slightly reduced rating for this play since the money line is in the -155 range but I just can't pass up this opportunity. I see a lot of value here with the Penguins off a loss and having already shown in this series what they're capable of when fired up off a loss. Look for the Pens to come up with another huge effort like they did in Game 2 as they stave off elimination and force a game 5 winner takes all match-up for this weekend. 7* PITTSBURGH |
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08-07-20 | Predators -136 v. Coyotes | 3-4 | Loss | -136 | 7 h 36 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Friday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Arizona Coyotes @ 2:35 ET - The Predators are the better team in this match-up but sometimes crazy things happen. Nashville had about a dozen shots on goal before Arizona even got their first shot in Game 3 but none of the Preds shots found the back of the net while the Coyotes very first did. Then Nashville had apparently taken the lead in the third period of Game 3 only to have the goal over-turned. A deflating turn of events and, as a result, you're going to see a determined Predators team ready to take over in this game and force a winner takes all game 5. I respect the Coyotes but there is no doubt in my mind that the Preds are the better team and, of course, they're bringing their A game for this one. 8* NASHVILLE |
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08-06-20 | Maple Leafs v. Blue Jackets +135 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 135 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
NHL 10* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line +135 - The Maple Leafs loss of defenseman Jake Muzzin for the remainder of this series is a big loss. He is arguably their best blue liner and is a playoff-tested veteran. His absence will be felt and, though I have been impressed with Leafs goalie Anderson and how well he has played I am wondering when the cracks will start to show and losing Muzzin could be the beginning of it. The Blue Jackets aren't happy with the Game 2 result but have to be happy being tied 1-1 heading into this Game 3 and the fact that the games have been tight and low-scoring. That plays right into the hands of Columbus. Also, they have a big experience factor edge in coaching with Tortorella over Keefe. Keep in mind the Leafs were red hot when Keefe first took over for the fired Babcock early this season but they then faded the rest of the season. I am still not sold on this Toronto team. They are very talented and played a great game two but they are known for playoff failures and I expect a strong bounce back from a gritty Blue Jackets team that swept the league-best Lightning out of the post-season last year. Coach Torts and this Jackets team know a thing or two about playoff hockey and that experience edge as well as the Muzzin factor for this one means that this is way too much underdog value to pass up on. Great situation here with the Blue Jackets also picking up a little edge with being the designated home team for this one. Keep in mind that means they can match personnel the way they want because they get the "last change edge" on line changes. 10* COLUMBUS |
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08-06-20 | Golden Knights v. Blues -102 | 6-4 | Loss | -102 | 7 h 48 m | Show | |
NHL 8* St Louis Blues Money Line -105 - The Golden Knights are off a miracle win over Dallas. Give them credit for that for sure but it was a "perfect storm" of events that led to them rallying in the final half of the 3rd period. Yes, with about 10 minutes left, Vegas trailed Dallas 3 to 1 and it was a miracle comeback. In fact, even though only in their third season in the league, the fact that this was a franchise first - rallying from a 2-goal 3rd period deficit for the win - says a lot! The Blues are off a loss but were very impressive. They played the Avalanche, when healthy they are the best team in the league in my opinion, and they held them to just 1 goal until the Avs got the game winner with a tenth of a second left in the game. It was the tightest of losses and the defending champs will respond here and absolutely don't want to drop the first two games of their three in this round robin. Expect a highly motivated effort from the champs here. 8* ST LOUIS |
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08-05-20 | Avalanche -125 v. Stars | Top | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 7 h 21 m | Show |
NHL 10* Colorado -125 - The Stars are off the type of loss that is very tough to bounce back from. Dallas just allowed a very late lead against Vegas to slip away and a 3-1 edge turned into a 5-3 defeat in an inexcusable turn of events. The Stars have had the Avs number and that showed in the regular season meetings between these teams. But Colorado is healthy and hungry and has their eye on earning the #1 seed through this round-robin event after knocking off the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues in the opener. Colorado didn't even get much production on offense from their top guys and yet still beat St Louis and that says a lot about just how good this Avalanche team is. I look for much more from them in this game Wednesday as they are so hungry for the #1 seed and they want to prove to Dallas that they can top them in case these teams do meet up again in the post-season. I respect the Stars but the situational edges go to the Avs here and that is why this game is priced the way it is. Lay it! 10* COLORADO |
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08-05-20 | Lightning v. Bruins -110 | 3-2 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 53 m | Show | |
NHL 8* Boston -110 - The Bruins looked terrible against the Flyers and need to make up for that with a strong effort here. They also want to make a statement against the Lightning. Tampa Bay held the upper hand in their regular season series this season. Also, these teams could meet in the Eastern Conference post-season once we get past these round-robin seeing games. The Bolts got a tight hard-fought win over the Capitals and could be a little spent here. The Bruins need to make a statement, they have an extra day of rest compared to TB, and they don't want to go stumbling into the true post-season action. They also get Tuukka Rask back between the pipes for this game. All signs point to a much better effort here and they will prove to be the hungrier team. 8* BOSTON |
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08-05-20 | Predators -125 v. Coyotes | 1-4 | Loss | -125 | 3 h 25 m | Show | |
NHL 8* Nashville -125 - The Coyotes have a lot to be concerned about here. This series is 1-1 but the Coyotes went through a stretch of getting outscored 7 to 1 from the 1st game through the 2nd game until they scored two meaningless late goals in Game 2. A bad sign for Arizona is they were down 2-0 after one period in Game 1 and yet still got tremendously outshot the rest of the way. It is apparent that Nashville is starting to flex their muscles in this match-up and that should continue here. While the Predators have two very capable goalies (and this is a back to back spot by the way) the Coyotes only have one healthy netminder right now plus Ariziona has been without their leading scorer after he got hurt in their exhibition game. 8* NASHVILLEÂ |
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08-04-20 | Flames v. Jets +133 | Top | 6-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 23 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #36 Tuesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Calgary Flames @ 6:45 ET - I successfully used the Jets in Game 2 under the theory of "wounded dog bites the hardest" and that paid off then and I feel it will again in Game 3. Yes the Jets are hurting with the injury issues for Laine and Scheifele but they are a determined bunch and using the Tkachuck / Scheifele incident as a motivating factor for the rest of this series is going to carry them. Though it took a late goal to put away the Flames in Game 2 it never should have come to that. Both the Calgary goals were a bit fluky. First off a horrific turnover where the Jets suddenly (and mistakenly) let up and you could just see it that something stupid/bad was about to happen. Then the other Flames goal went in off a redirect off a Jets players skate! As for the Jets goals the 1st and 3rd were beauties and the 2nd one was a gritty goal in front where hard work right in front of the goalie and being willing to take a shot off yourself and then score off it was key. I have really liked the way the Jets Hellebuyck has been playing and neither goal was his fault in game two. That said, the Jets are offering superb underdog value and this highly motivated bunch gets it done in game 3 as a sizable dog again. 10* WINNIPEG |
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08-04-20 | Blue Jackets +130 v. Maple Leafs | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 49 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Tuesday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 4 ET - The Maple Leafs are coached by 39-year old Sheldon Keefe. I am not trying to knock the young coach too much and he did lead the AHL's Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup, but he is having trouble here matching wits with the far more experienced coach in the Blue Jackets John Tortorella whom is 23 years older. Toronto has some great talent up front with their forwards but Columbus is stifling that and frustrating them. Keep in mind this is the same Columbus team which swept the Lightning out of the first round of the playoffs last season. Tampa Bay, Tortorella's former team, had a fantastic regular season but it didn't matter. Similar thing here. The Maple Leafs are essentially playing on home ice since Toronto is a hub city and the Leafs had a better regular season record too. However, lets not forget that after Keefe first took over the Maple Leafs this season they won 15 of 20 games. However, they then wrapped up the season by losing 27 of 47. It is a lot of pressure on the Leafs here to win at home, even though no fans here in this unique situation, and the Blue Jackets are playing much more relaxed and poised and staying within themselves. The Leafs I suspect will continue to crack under the pressure. We have excellent underdog line value here as a result. 8* COLUMBUS |
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08-04-20 | Coyotes v. Predators -132 | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 4 h 24 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #46 Tuesday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Arizona Coyotes @ 2:30 ET - The Predators spotted the Coyotes a 3-0 lead and still almost came back to win the game as they fell just short in the 4-3 final. I feel we've got great line value here with a moderate money line price on Nashville to even the series up. Saros settled in nicely in goal as the game went on and Rinne is a playoff veteran who is also a great option in goal. The Predators generated plenty of shots on goal in game one so I am not worried about their production in the offensive zone here. The Coyotes had some fortunate bounces at the other end and give them credit but the puck luck is unlikely to be on their side again in game two. I don't see the higher seeded Preds being denied in terms of evening the series up. 8* NASHVILLE |
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08-03-20 | Stars +119 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 37 m | Show |
No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #29 Monday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:30 ET - Who is the Golden Knights goalie here? I don't know...your guess good as mine! All kidding aside folks, though Fleury played in the exhibition game it is expected to be Lehner that gets the nod here. However, I really believe that the goalie situation in Vegas is going to end up being an issue. I have seen this before with Fleury in the post-season when he is looking over his shoulder. Vegas, after the coaching change, certainly has improved and this has been particularly true on defense. However, Dallas is certainly no slouch either when it comes to defensive-minded hockey. That being said, I love the underdog value with the under-rated Stars in this one. Keep in mind, yesterday I had the Flyers in a #4 vs #1 match-up in the round-robin in the East and Philly got a solid 4-1 upset win over the Bruins. I strongly feel that the new playoff format for this strange season really favors the lower seeds. Philly gets a chance to move all the way up to the #1 seed in a span of just 3 games and the same holds true for the Stars as well. I see them being very hungry as a result and taking step one toward that goal with a win here. I am expecting a better effort from Vegas than we saw with Boston yesterday but I also expect the unsettled goalie situation for the Golden Knights to lead to an early goal for Dallas as that is a key to their success. The Stars get that early goal and then suffocate and frustrate teams. That is their game plan here and I like them to get the job done. It is with good reason that the Golden Knights were priced as such as a short favorite here and yet they are still attracting the bets in this one and the line has moved their way. i love spots like this and feel the markets are fooled on this one. Give me the very hungry dog! 10* DALLAS |
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08-03-20 | Jets +137 v. Flames | 3-2 | Win | 137 | 4 h 59 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #25 Monday 8* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Calgary Flames @ 2:30 ET - It doesn't even matter if the play had ill intent or not. All that matter is the Jets feel it did and that has them fired up beyond belief for game two of this series. Very early in game 1 the Flames Tkachuk rode the Jets Scheifele into the boards and seemed to lift one of his skates up and into Scheifele as they came into the boards. It was not a hard hit by any means and was a normal hockey play other than the raising of the skate. Scheifele got hurt, Winnipeg is fired up and then they lost start Patrik Laine to injury late in the 3rd period. Even if neither guy plays today (Scheifele in particular is doubtful), the old saying about the "wounded dog bites the hardest" is what holds true here. I don't see the Jets being denied no matter whom is on the ice for them after what happened in game 1's 4-1 loss. This is a "rally the troops" kind of game for Winnipeg and the Jets will bring their A game and have a tremendous passion burning for this game that will carry them for the full 60 minutes. This is going to be a very entertaining game and I look for the Jets to be aggressive, physical, and to refuse to be denied here. Because of the injury situation they are a sizable dog here and I'll take advantage of the added underdog line value as a result. 8* WINNIPEG |
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08-02-20 | Blues v. Avalanche -110 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 23 h 47 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #20 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) vs St Louis Blues @ 6:30 ET - The Blues did not look good in their 4-0 loss to the Blackhawks. Granted it was only an exhibition game but was not a good sign for a St Louis team that is certainly a very strong team (they are the defending champs after all) but that struggles against teams with good speed. That said, this is a really tough match-up for the Blues as the Avalanche are so dangerous with their top line of MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog. Colorado would have had an even better record to this point were it not for injuries but now, fully healthy, and with two very capable goalies too, the Avs are a real threat to win it all this season. They are fully focused on the top prize and know that earning a top seed for the post-season could go a long way toward securing that goal. The Avalanche are hungry and, for the Blues, lets just remind everyone how hard it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champs and to have a target on your back. Yes this is just one game as part of the round robin (the teams involved in the West are Vegas and Dallas) but this is a chance for the hungrier team to prove they are going to be a force to be reckoned with and, again, their team speed is going to be a problem for the Blues. This is the type of match-up that gives St Louis fits when they're firing on all cylinders and, of course, the Blues are not yet in that "mode" just yet after the long layoff. Speed kills. 10* COLORADO |
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08-02-20 | Flyers +116 v. Bruins | 4-1 | Win | 116 | 20 h 53 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 3 ET - The Bruins Tuukka Rask says he is fully recovered from a broken finger. However, the Boston goalie certainly did not look good in their exhibition game against the Blue Jackets leading into this one. That was the only bad news from the game for Bruins fans as Brad Marchand also went out with a lower body injury and is expected to miss this game. This one is part of the round robin series for seeding 1 through 4 for the upcoming playoffs. The Flyers are extra hungry as the #4 seed and are very welcoming of the fantastic opportunity to move up to the #1 seed with a good performance in this round robin event. The other two games will be against the Capitals and Lightning. Philly took 2 out of 3 regular season match-ups from the Bruins and enter this match-up as the healthier team. Also, the Flyers adjusted so well to their new head coach and new systems this season and were "feeling it" prior to the shutdown of the sports world due to the pandemic. That said, I look for Philadelphia to pick up right where they left off prior to the shutdown as the players have shown a complete "buy in" to the new systems this season and that makes them a dangerous dog in this spot. The value is clearly with the healthier team here as an underdog and with Carter Hart between the pipes. The young netminder showed a knack for stepping up in big games this season and I expect the same thing here. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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08-01-20 | Panthers v. Islanders -115 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 1 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Saturday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 4 ET - Why did this line open in the pick'em range? Well the Islanders were the coldest team in the NHL prior to the unexpected shutdown of sports back in mid-March. That said, the ugly 7-game losing streak is keeping this line lower than it should be. The Islanders, as much as any team in the NHL, really benefited from the break. Now they, of course, have had plenty of time to regroup and also they are much healthier and got some key players back they otherwise would not have had. I know the games weren't the ones that count but in action leading up to this game in the short summer camp that each team was afforded, the Panthers got blasted 5-0 by Tampa Bay while the Islanders are off a tight, morale-boosting win. Sergei Bobrovsky is the Panthers goalie and is a combined 1-5 the past 2 seasons in starts against the Islanders. His first season in Florida has been rough as he has posted the highest GAA of his 10-year career. I feel strongly that the Islanders have the edge in goal in this match-up and in a 5-game series, winning game one is so critical. I don't see the Isles being denied in this one and, just like the series 4 years ago when these teams met in the post-season, the Panthers will fall short in Game One. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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03-11-20 | Jets v. Oilers -135 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -135 | 8 h 15 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #64 Wednesday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 9:05 ET - The Jets have been hot on home ice but cold on enemy ice and I look for that trend to continue here. If you had just played the home team in each of Winnipeg's last 8 games you would be a perfect 8-0. I like backing Edmonton here as they should get Connor McDavid back. He missed Monday's game against Vegas with an illness. I am expecting him back tonight but, either way, I look for the Oilers to respond big off that tough OT loss Monday. Edmonton had won 8 of 12 on home ice prior to that tough loss to the Golden Knights in which they gave up the tying goal late in the 3rd period. The Oilers had won 4 of 5 prior to the loss to Vegas. Also, the Jets have had their number in recent meetings. Edmonton got a much needed win this series on the final day of February but there is still much payback to be delivered as Winnipeg has been a nemesis in recent seasons. Coming off a loss, the Oilers come in hungry and take advantage of a Jets team that has lost 4 straight road games. 10* EDMONTON |
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03-10-20 | Bruins v. Flyers -102 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -102 | 7 h 10 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #50 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers have defeated the Bruins 4 straight times. Philadelphia enters this game on a 9-game winning streak and has won 7 straight home games. The Flyers, on home ice this season, are a fantastic 25-5-4 this season. Boston has the best record in the NHL so of course Philly is available in a pick'em price range here even with consideration to their home ice dominance this season. The Flyers haven't missed a step even since James van Riemsdyk went down with injury. Also, the Bruins do have a few injury issues heading into this game. I expect Carter Hart to get the start for the Flyers here. The young phenom netminder is 20-2-2 with a 1.61 GAA on home ice this season! Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start for the Bruins here and he has been "hit or miss" in recent starts. Rask has allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of his last 5 starts. Boston has lost 3 of its past 7 games 3 of the 4 wins came by a single goal. 8 of the Flyers 9 wins during their current winning streak have come by a multiple goal margin. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-09-20 | Golden Knights v. Oilers -120 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -120 | 9 h 18 m | Show |
Pacific Division Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Monday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - Golden Knights blew a 3-0 lead at Calgary yesterday but managed to score late for a key divisional win over the Flames. Keep in mind this was with their hot goalie Robin Lehner between the pipes. Now Vegas is at Edmonton and the choices in the goal or Lehner in a back to back or, more likely, Marc-Andre Fleury getting the start. As I have written about in recent games involving the Knights, Fleury is struggling because of the Lehner addition. It is in his head and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his past two starts and this was even with facing a limited number of shots (an average of about 20 per game). Now Fleury faces an angry Oilers team as the Golden Knights are two points ahead of them for 1st in the division, plus shut them out at Vegas late last month, and it is payback time for Edmonton on home ice here. The only very impressive start Fleury has had in his last five starts was against the Oilers. Now Edmonton, in the rematch, has the home ice edge and the situational edge. The Oilers are at home and playing just their 2nd game in 4 days while the Golden Knights are playing their 2nd game in back to back nights and are on the road again. Vegas has done well in back to backs this season but Fleury has a capable back-up now in Lehner and this is effecting his psyche. I do expect Fleury to start (and struggle again) tonight but if Lehner does go I still like this play as he allowed 4 goals the last time he faced the Oilers and back to backs are not easy (nor typical) for goalies. 10* EDMONTON |
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03-08-20 | Golden Knights v. Flames +102 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 32 m | Show |
Money Line Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #26 Sunday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Great spot for the Flames here. They are at home and on a 3-game winning streak and they don't play again until Thursday! Conversely, the Golden Knights are off an ugly road loss and have another road game on deck tomorrow night at Edmonton. While Calgary can lay it all on the line here knowing rest is forthcoming, Vegas has a goalie decision to make tonight. Will it be Marc-Andre Fleury or Robin Lehner. Have the Golden Knights impacted Fleury's mindset by bringing in Lehner. Note that Lehner would be making his first road start as a Knight and he has allowed 4 goals per game in his 4 road starts since the calendar hit 2020. That included allowing 4 goals here in Calgary last month. As for Fleury, he has not looked the same since Vegas acquired Lehner. The Golden Knights have lost 2 of 3 and scored a total of just 4 goals in those 3 games. I really like the firepower we have seen with the Flames in recent weeks as Calgary has averaged 4 goals per game the past 4 weeks! They stay hot here and win a key divisional battle. 10* CALGARY |
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03-07-20 | Lightning +122 v. Bruins | Top | 5-3 | Win | 122 | 9 h 28 m | Show |
Atlantic Div Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning are one of the best teams in the league and, after hitting a recent rough patch (which followed a torrid winning streak) they are rounding back into form even without Steven Stamkos. That said, this is a rare (and fantastic) opportunity to back them as an underdog! Because this game is at Boston (#1 record in the NHL) we're able to get the Bolts at a dog price. The Lightning are playing with revenge after losing to the Bruins at home on Tuesday in a tight 2-1 loss. Prior to that defeat, Tampa Bay had won 4 straight meetings and remember they also knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs two years ago by winning 4 straight games after dropping the season opener. The point is that the Bolts have had Boston's number but now are off a rare loss in this series. That said, remember who was the #1 regular season team by a landslide last season? Yes, it was Tampa. Now Boston has that honor with about month of regular season hockey to go. Look for the Lightning to come out playing like a team that wants to show who is still the league's best team. They are gearing up for a much better post-season performance in this post-season and the Bolts will play with a tremendous amount of effort and energy in this game. The Bruins were fortunate to beat the Panthers Thursday and Boston's two recent losses came by a combined score of 14 to 5. One of those ugly losses was on home ice too and this is great spot for Lightning to hand them another one. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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03-06-20 | Golden Knights v. Jets +120 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 120 | 11 h 49 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #70 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Marc-Andre Fleury was having a great season for the Golden Knights and had been on a strong run and the Vegas management had to go and screw it all up. At least that is my opinion with the Knights acquisition of Robin Lehner. We've seen this story before with Fleury in Pittsburgh. He did great there until they brought in a quality back and then it as if he cracked under the pressure. So now, instead of a back-up like Malcolm Subban behind him, Fleury has Lehner in the rear-view mirror. Lehner already off back to back great starts with Vegas. As for Fleury he is off an ugly effort against the division rival Kings that saw him allow 4 goals on just 17 shots! Now Fleury and the Golden Knights have to go on the road and face a hungry Jets team that has a high-quality netminder in Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. Winnipeg is battling for their playoff lives and to get them as a home dog in a spot like this is truly a high value spot. The Jets have held the upper hand in recent meetings with Vegas and I fully expect that to continue here. The last two times Fleury was in the net against them, they won those games by a combined score of 10 to 4. Look for more dominance here as the situation is deal for a home rout. 10* WINNIPEG |
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03-06-20 | Blues v. Devils +165 | 2-4 | Win | 165 | 10 h 9 m | Show | |
GOALIE UPDATE: I should have noted in original write-up that Cory Schneider might get the nod tonight in between the pipes. Indeed that now appears to be the case but, keep in mind, it hasn't just been Mackenzie Blackwood playing well in goal for the Devils of late. New Jersey's Schneider has been fantastic since he returned from injury. Schneider has allowed a total of only 4 goals in his last 3 starts! The markets are disrespecting him because of his full season numbers but he is a veteran netminder that has returned with a vengeance and will continue his string of great starts here! ORIGINAL write-up: Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #66 Friday 8* New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Blues are red hot but if there ever was the ideal "bump in the road" spot this it it! St Louis has a divisional game on deck with Chicago and is off a 3-1 win at New York against the Rangers Tuesday. In that victory the Blues rallied with two late goals for the win so it was not nearly as easy of a win as it might look at first glance. Now the Blues take on a Devils team that is happy to be back on home ice and looking forward to redeeming themselves. New Jersey is off a 3-0 loss at Vegas that wrapped up a west coast road trip. Prior to that defeat the Devils had won 8 of 13 games. They've actually been playing some of their best hockey of the season and that has been thanks in large part to red goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. He did allow 3 goals to the Golden Knights but that was still as solid effort and he is coming off a February in which he compiled a phenomenal .967 save percentage. He allowed just 9 goals in 7 starts last month. Running into a hot goalie is the one thing that can absolutely shut down a hot team and I love having Blackwood and the Devils at a PLUS 165 home dog price in this one. Grab the big underdog. 8* NEW JERSEY |
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03-05-20 | Hurricanes v. Flyers -135 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 50 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #52 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - I fully understand the Flyers are off a big win last night as they won at Washington to close the gap with the first-place Capitals to just a single point. However, I don't expect Philadelphia to come out flat tonight and they are offering tremendous line value in this spot. The Flyers used Brian Elliott in goal last night and that means Carter Hart will be between the pipes tonight. Hart has absolutely dominated on home ice this season. For that matter, so too have the Flyers overall. Philadelphia offers great value here as they opened up in the -135 price range for this one. Philly has won 7 straight games. Also, the Flyers are 23-5-4 on home ice this season! While Philadelphia will have their #1 goalie in the crease tonight, the Hurricanes are still without BOTH of their top two goalies. Carolina's Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are currently out with injuries. Look for the home team Flyers to roll huge in this one and make it 8 in a row! Home ice edge and goalie edge are both huge in this match-up. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-05-20 | Bruins v. Panthers +136 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 42 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Thursday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Great home dog value here. The Bruins are off a huge win over rival Tampa Bay Tuesday. The Lightning have been a thorn in the side of Boston for a long time and, after that hard-fought 2-1 win and now playing on the road yet again, the Bruins fall flat here. Another divisional foe, Florida, has been lying in wait and goalie Chris Driedger is expected back for this one. Driedger has been great and the Panthers have revenge here after losing at home to the Bruins in their most recent meeting. That was preceded by Florida winning 6 of the last 9 meetings and I like this home underdog situation for the hungry Panthers. They enter this game off a home shutout versus Calgary Sunday. In other words, Florida has a rest edge and a motivational edge and a situational edge in comparison with Bruins here. Upset alert with the Panthers! 10* FLORIDA |
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03-04-20 | Flyers +136 v. Capitals | Top | 5-2 | Win | 136 | 9 h 17 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #37 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals have revenge from an ugly home loss the last time they faced the Flyers. However, one has to be careful just blindly playing revenge situations. Take a closer look at this game and realize that Philadelphia is on fire right now and has a chance to further close the gap on Washington for the top spot in the division by coming up with a win here. If the Flyers get a regulation win in this match-up they will be just a single point out of first place in the Metropolitan! The Capitals are off a road win at Minnesota but that was preceded by a 10-game stretch that saw Washington lose 7 games! As for the Flyers, they enter this game on a 6-game winning streak and have just 5 losses in their last 20 games! Great value with the solid road dog price and I'll back the team that has been the much better team of late as the Flyers continue to play with a ton of confidence. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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03-03-20 | Blues v. Rangers +127 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
Non-Conference Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #18 Tuesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set-up here. The Rangers had been surging but then ran into a red hot Flyers team and lost both games in a home and home set to wrap up last week. New York played better than the final score would indicate in Sunday's home loss to Philadelphia. Also, the Rangers will have Alexanadar Georgiev between the pipes for this one. He struggled against the Flyers Friday but had been red hot prior to that. Look for Georgiev to get right back on track and the Rangers are catching the Blues at the perfect time for a home dog upset. St Louis is off a key divisional win over Dallas on Saturday which saw the Blues win 4-3 in the shootout. The Rangers have revenge her as they lost at St Louis 5-2 in January. The Rangers had swept the Blues last season and won those games by a combined score of 6-3. Look for the home team to get payback here at an underdog price as St Louis is over-valued now because of their recent winning streak. The Blues had been ice cold prior to this 7-game run. The Rangers had won 9 of 10 prior the back to back losses to a red-hot Philly team. The value is clearly with the home dog here in a big way. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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03-01-20 | Canucks +131 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 16 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Sunday 10* Top Play Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - Count me in! I can get +130 and fade a team that has a muddled goal-tending situation and has lost 10 of its past 11 games. Not only is Columbus a mess right now with all their goalies suddenly struggling including normal #1 Joonas Korpisalo whom just got back, the Blue Jackets can't score. Perhaps the playoff pressure got to them and certainly they also got hurt by the recent losses of both Seth Jones and Cam Atkinsson to injury. Whatever the reason(s), the Jackets have scored an average of only 1.5 goals per game in their last 8 games. Also, the Canucks have revenge from a 5-0 home loss to Columbus late last season. The road team has dominated recent meetings between these teams and I look for to continue here. Not only have the Blue Jackets lost 10 of 11 games, the Canucks had won 18 of 27 games prior to suffering back to back road losses. That included a road loss yesterday at Toronto and Vancouver will be in full-on bounce back mode here. The Canucks are a solid 4-2-1 when playing on the road in the 2nd game of a back to back. With Demko getting the start yesterday we are likely to see Domingue between the pipes for Vancouver. A change of scenery can do a struggling goalie a lot of good and the Canucks picked him up specifically for the playoff push. That push resumes here while the Blue Jackets playoff fade continues. Upset time! 10* VANCOUVER |
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02-29-20 | Stars +129 v. Blues | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 34 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #79 Saturday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The road trip between St Louis and Dallas is not too tough. That said, maybe it should not come as a surprise that the road team is 10-5 in the last 15 games between these division rivals. The Blues just hammered the Stars 5-1 in Dallas last week and this is also a revenge game for the Stars because St Louis eliminated them from the post-season last year. The road team is 3-0 in the last 3 meetings between these teams and I look for Dallas to make it 4 in a row here. The Stars are off a loss at Boston but had won 7 of 9 prior to a tight loss to a tough Bruins team. St Louis is suddenly hot and has won 6 straight games but this was preceded by a stretch in which the Blue lost 10 of 12 and I feel they are over-priced in this key divisional rivalry. I am grabbing the revenge-minded road dog that is sure to bring their A game in this one and won't be denied. 10* DALLAS |
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02-28-20 | Avalanche -100 v. Hurricanes | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Friday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Huge goalie edge expected for the Avalanche here. Yes, Philipp Grubauer is still out with injury but Pavel Francouz has been fantastic between the pipes for Colorado. Francouz is 4-0 his last 4 starts and 8-3 in non-conference starts and 9-2 in road starts this season. He has a superb .927 save percentage on the season and has been particularly sharp in recent weeks. As for the Hurricanes, they recently lost both Petr Mrazek and James Reimer to injury. This has left their goaltending situation in shambles and, unsurprisingly, Carolina is off an ugly 4-1 home loss to the Stars. It won't get any easier here as the Canes now face an Avalanche team that, like Dallas, is one of the best teams in the league. Colorado has won 4 straight games and 12 of its last 16. The Avs have also won 6 straight road games! The Avalanche have allowed a TOTAL of 6 goals in those 6 road contests. Yes, an average of just ONE goal per game and now the Avs face a Canes team dealing with a disastrous goalie situation. The result is a road rout. 10* COLORADOÂ |
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02-27-20 | Capitals v. Jets +140 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 140 | 9 h 36 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #48 Thursday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Capitals opened up as a -135 favorite here and the line is all the way up to as high as a -160. While Washington certainly is a high-quality team, the Jets aren't exactly doormats and they are offering great value here as a sizable underdog on home ice. Winnipeg rallied from a 3-0 deficit to force OT in DC on Tuesday. They did end up on the wrong end of a 4-3 overtime result but the comeback gives the Jets a ton of confidence heading into this rematch. Keep in mind, Winnipeg is still very much alive in the post-season race and is fighting hard for a playoff spot. The Jets are now back on home ice where they have won two straight and 4 of their last 6. Overall, Winnipeg has had just 2 losses in regulation in its last 8 home games. While the Jets are starting #1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck here, the Capitals are expected to go with back-up Ilya Samsonov. The Caps back-up netminder is 0-3 in his last 3 starts and having a very rough February with an ugly .855 save percentage. Washington is a great team but very over-priced here and the situation is ideal for a home dog upset in this one. 10* WINNIPEG |
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02-25-20 | Stars +106 v. Hurricanes | Top | 4-1 | Win | 106 | 6 h 19 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #7 Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - In a very unlikely event, the Hurricanes lost both their goalies to injury and then used an emergency goalie in a 6-3 win at Toronto Saturday. Now a team without either of their two goalies is facing a team with two fantastic goalies. Dallas has Bishop as their #1 and also has a back-up delivering a great season as Khudobin has been fantastic. Additionally we're also getting great line value here since Dallas is on the road. Note that Carolina had lost 8 of 15 games prior to the win over the Maple Leafs which became the David Ayres story. Great story by the way with the emergency goaltender but now reality sets in and the Canes are truly hurting at the goalie position after losing both Mrazek and Reimer to injury. Dallas absolutely will take advantage. The Stars have won 9 of their last 13 road games and also are on overall 6-1-1 run their last 8 games! Grab the road dog in this one. 10* DALLAS |
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02-23-20 | Jets -105 v. Sabres | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -105 | 6 h 13 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #55 Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 3:05 ET - Perfect set up here. The Jets ran into a red hot Flyers team yesterday and lost 4-2 at Philly. The Sabres were also in Pennsylvania yesterday as they faced Pittsburgh. Buffalo caught the Penguins looking ahead to their big divisional match-up with the Capitals taking place today. The Sabres took full advantage and beat the Pens 5-2. Now, off an upset win and hosting an angry Winnipeg team, the Sabres are likely to get beat by the Jets. The road team should have the edge in goal. Since Buffalo used Carter Hutton yesterday and Winnipeg used Connor Hellebuyck yesterday, the likely goalie match-up here would be Jonas Johansson against Laurent Brossoit. The Sabres Johansson has very little NHL experience. The Jets Brossoit enters this start off 3 straight strong starts in which he has allowed 2 or less goals in each start. Winnipeg has the situational edge (off a loss while Buffalo off upset win) here and also has the edge between the pipes in my opinion. The Jets have gone 3-0-1 in their last 4 games against the Sabres including winning each of their last two visits to Buffalo. Look for another road team victory in this one! 10* WINNIPEG |
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02-22-20 | Canadiens v. Senators +128 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 24 m | Show |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Saturday 10* Top Play Ottawa Senators Money Line (+) vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - This is simply too much line value to pass up. The Canadiens still have playoff hopes but the division rival Senators would love to play the role of spoiler. The set-up here is ideal as the Sens are off a loss but this followed a stretch in which they won 3 of 4 games. Ottawa has NOT thrown in the towel on the season as evidenced by that stretch. As for the Habs they still have plenty to play for but a recent 5-game losing streak really hurt them. All the pressure is on Montreal in this game and they are off an OT win at Washington. That big road win was preceded by the 5-game winless streak and now the Canadiens face a division rival that would love to hurt their playoff hopes. The Senators have added motivation too because they have lost each of their last two games against the Habs and each defeat came in OT. Great home dog value here and I sense an upset as the Canadiens continue to squeeze the sticks too tight and the Sens are going to respond off a 5-1 home loss that was preceded by a solid stretch of play. 10* OTTAWA |
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02-21-20 | Blues +131 v. Stars | Top | 5-1 | Win | 131 | 8 h 7 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #23 Friday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (+) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Blues are in a back to back here but this is still a great value spot to grab the defending Stanley Cup champs. St Louis has revenge from a 3-2 loss in OT versus Dallas less than 2 weeks ago. Keep in mind, the Blues never trailed in that game. Also, St Louis has won 4 of its last 6 visits to Dallas including eliminating the Stars from the playoffs last year. The fact is that St Louis has had the Stars number and Dallas is expected to start Ben Bishop here. He was originally drafted by the Blues and not only got eliminated by the post-season by St Louis last season, he is also 0-2 against them this season. Overall, the Blues have gotten back on track after some recent struggles. They have won back to back games via shutout fashion and have allowed a total of only 2 goals in their last 3 games. Even though Dallas is off a win, they allowed a ton of shots on goal against Arizona. This line opened up with the Stars as low as a -125 and that was with good reason. The markets are giving Dallas far too much respect here as this line has been driven up to the 145 range. The Blues are 4-1 this season when playing on the road in the 2nd game of a back to back. Payback time for what happened two weeks ago. 10* ST LOUIS |
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02-20-20 | Penguins v. Maple Leafs -111 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 45 m | Show |
Early Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #8 Thursday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are looking for immediate payback after getting thoroughly embarrassed at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. In that 5-2 loss Toronto actually was down 5-0 before making the final score slightly more respectable. The Leafs are now 0-2 against the Penguins this season but this is the first time they'll be meeting north of the border. Look for Toronto to take advantage of home ice here. The home team has won 9 of the Penguins last 13 games and Pittsburgh has only split their last 6 home games. They certainly are a different team when away from home. The Maple Leafs have won 5 of 6 games this season when they enter a game off 3 or more consecutive road games. The Penguins enter this game on a 3-game winning streak but, when entering a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games, that has been a situation that has seen them lose 5 of their last 7. The Maple Leafs are off back to back ugly 5-2 losses and they have won 5 of 6 games the last 6 times they have entered a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. Bounce back time at a great price on home ice. 10* TORONTO |
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02-18-20 | Maple Leafs +125 v. Penguins | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #53 Tuesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - This is a contrarian play. Line looks funny doesn't it? Pittsburgh is 21-5-4 at home this season and the Maple Leafs have lost about half their road games and yet the Penguins are favored in the -135 range here. Don't be fooled folks. The set up here is perfect. The Pens are feeling a little too good about themselves because they are off back to back wins by a combined score of 9-2. However, they faced the slumping Canadiens and the league-worst Red Wings. Now Pittsburgh is in for a rude awakening here as the Maple Leafs come to town. Toronto is angry for multiple reasons. One is that they are off a 5-2 loss at Buffalo. Another reason is that they lost 6-1 at Pittsburgh earlier this season. Suffice to say the Leafs will be ready to go here and now Jack Campbell will be back between the pipes. He has played well as a change of scenery (recently acquired from Los Angeles) has done him well. Toronto is 3-0-1 in his 4 starts and he has allowed only 5 goals in regulation time of his last 3 starts. Look for another strong game from here and look for the high-powered Leafs to have the over-confident Penguins on their heels early and often in this game. The situational set-up here is perfect for an upset. Grab the plus money. 10* TORONTO |
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02-17-20 | Islanders +117 v. Coyotes | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 14 m | Show |
Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #43 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Arizona Coyotes @ 4:05 ET - You can't get a much better set up than this one. The Islanders are off back to back shutout losses. The Coyotes are off a big home win over the Capitals (2018 Stanley Cup Winners) on Saturday. Arizona feels good about themselves after returning from a road trip back east on Friday and then beating Washington on Saturday. The Isles certainly don't feel good, they feel angry. They lost 1-0 at Vegas Saturday after a 5-0 thrashing at Nashville Thursday. This followed a stretch where New York had picked up at least a point in the standings in 7 of 8 games. I expect them to get right back on track here. Look for the acquisition of veteran defenseman Andy Greene to pay immediate dividends and give the Isles a jolt of energy here. The Coyotes have scored a total of just 3 goals in the last 3 meetings between these teams. The Islanders swept Arizona last season and can do it again this season with another win Monday completing the sweep. I look for them to do just that as the Coyotes win Saturday was just their 4th in the past 16 games. The road team comes into this one very hungry and won't be denied. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-16-20 | Blues +105 v. Predators | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 48 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #35 Sunday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 6:05 ET - Blues seek payback for a 4-3 home loss to the Predators yesterday. In fact, St Louis has now lost all 3 meetings with Nashville this season. The Blue also enter this game on an overall losing streak and they are hungry to get a win and get back on track. The goalie match-up is the key to this game. With this being a back to back situation, we know the goalies are 99% likely to be Jordan Binnington for the Blues and Pekka Rinne for the Predators. The key to the value in that regard is that St Louis hung Binnington out to dry in his most recent start as he faced 52 shots on goal in a frustrating OT loss at Vegas. The Blues will play much better in front of this one for him. Note that Binnington entered the start against the Golden Knights having allowed just 3 goals in each of his 4 prior starts. It was an aberration for sure. As for Rinne, he allowed 4 goals in only about 20 minutes in his most recent appearance. That was the 5th time in his last 10 games that he has allowed 4 or more goals. In the first month of the season, the Predators had a 4-game winning streak. However, the Preds have NEVER won 3 straight games since then. Nov, Dec, Jan, half of Feb, NEVER won 3 straight games. They enter this game on a 2-game winning streak. This is a situation that has seen Nashville go 0-7 the last 7 times. As for the Blues, they enter this game on a 4-game losing streak and have NEVER lost 5 straight games this entire season. In fact, when on a losing streak of 3 or more games, the Blues were 5-0 the last 5 times before yesterday's loss dropped them to 5-1 the last 6 times in that situation. Payback time here. 10* ST LOUIS |
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02-15-20 | Oilers +140 v. Panthers | Top | 4-1 | Win | 140 | 8 h 1 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #5 Saturday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 4:05 ET - The Panthers are slumping badly. They have lost 6 of 8 games since the All Star break and got destroyed by the Flyers Thursday. Florida then held a players only meeting and they hope to turn things around. However, here's the problem. The issue for the Panthers is not as much the skaters as it is the goalies! Sergei Bobrovsky is slumping badly and he is known for being a very streaky goalie. In other words, until he snaps out of this he must be faded. Bobrovsky is 0-4 with a horrific .839 save percentage in his last 4 starts. With goalie Chris Driedger still on the shelf, the Panthers only other option is Samuel Montembeault. He has only made 6 starts this season and, overall, has been unimpressive. While the Panthers have been struggling between the pipes, the Oilers have been getting solid work from both Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. Edmonton has allowed 3 or less goals in 9 of its last 10 games. Comparatively, the Panthers have allowed an average of 4.6 goals per game in their last 5 games. Florida's penalty kill is one of the worst in the league while the Oilers have the top power play in the league this season. Yes I am of course aware of Connor McDavid being out but the other Oilers will step up after they fell short at Tampa Bay Thursday. It was 2-1 before an empty netter and there is no shame in losing to the Lightning in Tampa. Now watch Edmonton respond big here. Only once since the calendar turned to 2020 have the Oilers lost back to back games. Also, the Panthers have some injury issues with Brian Boyle out and Noel Acciari questionable for Saturday's afternoon match-up. 10* EDMONTON |
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02-13-20 | Flyers +110 v. Panthers | Top | 6-2 | Win | 110 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #59 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Ideal set up here. The Flyers are off a 5-3 road loss to the Islanders. Philadelphia is a perfect 5-0 the last 5 times they have entered a game off a loss. Philly has not had consecutive losses since an early January slump. That said, I expect them to bounce back strong here and we get underdog line value since this game is being played at Florida. The Panthers are off a win at New Jersey but the Devils did NOT start their red hot goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood in that game. That said, I still was not overly impressed with Florida and this is a team that entered that game having lost 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. The Panthers have allowed an average of 4.3 goals per game their last 4 games. In each of their last two home games Florida has been held to scoring just 2 goals in each game. In fact, in the 5 losses comprising the rough 6-game stretch that preceded the win over the Devils, the Panthers averaged scoring just ONE goal per game. The Flyers have been peppering goalies with shots and Sergei Bobrovsky, other than a good start against his former team in Columbus, has been struggling overall since he returned from injury. Happy to grab the road dog in this one. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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02-12-20 | Blackhawks +135 v. Canucks | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 11 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #49 Wednesday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (+) @ Vancouver Canucks @ 10:35 ET - The Blackhawks had been rolling but then fell apart late in a 5-2 loss at Winnipeg Sunday and fell short at Edmonton last night. Now Chicago is in the 2nd night of a back to back but fired up off a pair of consecutive regulation losses and they will respond big here at Vancouver. They remember their last visit to BC all too well as the Hawks allowed 7 goals in a loss here last month. It is payback time and the set-up is perfect. The Blackhawks are off a 5-2 road loss to the Jets and 5-3 road loss to the Oilers while the Canucks are off a huge 6-2 home win versus Nashville on Monday. Vancouver is expected to again be without one of their best players, Brock Boeser, for this one. Yes they beat the Predators without him Monday but the Canucks are in for a real war here with Chicago tonight. The Blackhawks had earned a point in 8 of 9 games prior to these consecutive losses. That was a solid 6-1-2 stretch for Chicago and they'll have Corey Crawford back between the pipes tonight. He had given up just 7 goals in regulation time of his 4 road starts preceding the tough night at Winnipeg Sunday where the wheels came off late for the Blackhawks. The Canucks have lost 24 of their last 34 games played in the month of February. They had already been slumping earlier this month and the win over Nashville was preceded by 4 straight losses. The Blackhawks have won 9 of 11 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back and get the job done in that role again here. Grab the big value with the road dog. 10* CHICAGO |
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02-11-20 | Lightning v. Penguins -115 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -115 | 7 h 5 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning are a great team and I have plenty of respect for the Bolts as well as Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. However, this is a very tough spot for them. Tampa is off a revenge win over the Blue Jackets last night. Make no mistake about it, that was not just a normal revenge game either! Columbus had swept the Lightning out of the playoffs last spring after Tampa Bay had just delivered one of the best regular season performances ever in NHL history. Suffice to say, last night's Bolts win was huge. That said, no matter how strong a team is in terms of mental strength and maintaining an even keel, the Lightning are going to struggle to match Pittsburgh's intensity here. The Penguins are hungry for revenge and looking to add to a 19-5-3 home record this season! The Pens have been off since a Saturday win at Florida while the Bolts will be playing their 3rd game since Saturday and in a different city for the 3rd time in 3 games (Saturday's game was in Tampa). Now on the road again in a back to back the Lightning also could still be without Steven Stamkos. Look for the Penguins to get their revenge in what is an ideal situation for it. The home team has won 4 straight in match-ups between these teams and the Penguins are happy to get their shot at hosting the Lightning as each of the last 3 meetings have been at Tampa Bay. The Pens are 4-0 this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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02-10-20 | Lightning -132 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 24 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #17 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:35 ET - The Blue Jackets Elvis Merzlikins has been red hot between the pipes. However, the Bolts Andrei Vasilevkiy also has been dominating and this match-up is about much more than just the goaltenders. Last season the Lightning finished the regular season as the #1 team in the league by a huge margin. They then proceeded to get swept out of the first round by the Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay, of course, has had this match-up circled in red (BLOOD red) ever since the schedule came out. If you want to see a full 60 minutes of intense hockey from a club, watch the Lightning tonight as there will be no let up in this game. While I certainly respect what Merzlikins has been doing in the crease for Columbus he is going to face a barrage of shots tonight and Tampa has been one of the hottest teams in the league. This one is all Lightning in a road rout. In regulation time of their last 3 games, the Blue Jackets have scored a total of only 3 goals. The Bolts, on the other hand, have scored at least 3 goals in EACH of their past 6 games and all were victories. Tonight the Lightning make it 7 in a row. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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02-09-20 | Blackhawks v. Jets -110 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #8 Sunday 10* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:05 ET - I know this is a back to back spot for the Jets but they saved their #1 goalie for this game and are off an easy 5-2 win versus Ottawa early yesterday. Winnipeg will have red hot Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes for this game. He and the Jets are hell bent on getting revenge here as they have lost the last two meetings against the Blackhawks by a combined score of 9-3. Keep in mind, Winnipeg comes into this game having won 3 of 4 games including twice knocking off the Stanley Cup Champion Blues. As for Chicago, they have lost 3 of 4 games as they have cooled off. Also, they expect to have Corey Crawford between the pipes for this one. I know he has produced some strong starts lately but he has struggled in divisional games this season. Crawford is 1-6 and has allowed 24 goals in 8 games (7 starts) in divisional action. By the way, that doesn't even include facing the Jets this season. He hasn't faced them since last season and all the recent results are ugly. Crawford has allowed 14 goals in his last 3 starts against Winnipeg and that includes allowing 4 or more goal in EACH of the 3 starts. The Blackhawks do have the rest edge here but I feel we're getting a tremendous bargain here with the Jets on home ice and holding the goalie edge in this match-up in my opinion. This is a key battle in the playoff race and Winnipeg is ready to avenge those two losses. Double revenge spot for the Jets and they get the job done in a key divisional match-up here. 10* WINNIPEG |
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02-06-20 | Canucks +114 v. Wild | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #45 Thursday 10* Top Play Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Canucks are 14-4-1 their last 19 games but are off a disappointing road loss at Boston. Vancouver lost to the Bruins 4-0 on Tuesday. Note that the Canucks are a perfect 3-0 this season when they are coming off a shutout loss. They catch the Wild off a key divisional win, 3-2, in overtime over the Blackhawks on Tuesday. That really helps the set up here as, keep in in mind, Minnesota had lost 8 of 12 games prior to that OT win versus Chicago. This is a classic case of two teams that are off disparate results and had been trending in opposite directions. It is the perfect spot for the Canucks to bounce back off a loss. The Wild have are in a divisional sandwich as they have another big game, at Dallas, on deck. Yes Minnesota has revenge here but they Wild are 5-10 this season when playing with home loss revenge! Also, when off a divisional game Minnesota is 4-10 this season! Canucks are 8-4 this season when off a game in which they were held to 1 goal or less and I expect them to add another W to their perfect season record in games that follow a shutout loss! 10* VANCOUVER |
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02-05-20 | Maple Leafs v. Rangers +121 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 121 | 8 h 12 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #28 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are off 5-3 losses Monday but the current goalie situation is much better for the Rangers than it is for the Leafs in my opinion. New York, prior to struggles Monday, had been getting great goaltending work from all 3 of their netminders. Now on Wednesday they go back to red hot rookie Igor Shesterkin. He is 3-1 with a 2.51 GAA and a .927 save percentage in his 4 appearances. Shesterkin has allowed only 2 goals in each of his last two starts. For the Leafs, they lost Frederik Andersen to injury in Monday's defeat. That means Michael Hutchinson gets the start here and he allowed 3 goals on just 13 shots in relief of Andersen Monday. Also, Hutchinson has been a complete disaster in road games this season. He is 1-6 with a 4.73 GAA in 7 games (6 starts) away from home this season. More of the same expected here and I am happy to grab the home dog in this one. Keep in mind, the Rangers had won 6 of 8 home games before the loss to Dallas Monday. The Maple Leafs have lost 6 of their past 10 games and are still licking their wounds from a key divisional loss to Florida on Monday. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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02-04-20 | Stars v. Islanders -121 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 17 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #6 Tuesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (-) vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - The situation here sets up perfectly for the Islanders. They have had two days off since a home loss to Vancouver on Saturday. Yes, New York lost that game but it was their first game back after the All Star break. The Islanders worked the rust off and lost in overtime despite a 37-24 edge in shots on goal for the game. While the Isles are rested, they catch the Stars in a tough back to back spot. Dallas is playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Yes, they defeated the Rangers last night but that was the Stars first win in regulation in nearly 4 weeks! Also, the Islanders have revenge on their minds here. They lost 3 to 1 at Dallas in the first meeting between these teams this season. Also, the most recent time they hosted the Stars they were embarrassed 6 to 2. It is payback time here and the timing/situation is ideal. On deck for the Islanders is another non-conference game against the worst team in the Western Conference, the Kings. The Isles will certainly be fully focused here. As for the Stars, they have a home game against a divisional foe, Minnesota, on deck and the Wild beat them 7-0 just a couple weeks ago. Definitely a possible lookahead for Dallas in this one. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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02-03-20 | Stars v. Rangers +124 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #68 Monday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Dallas Stars @ 7:05 ET - This one is all about the line value as the Stars road record is no better than the Rangers home record and yet overall market perception has Dallas price in the -140 range on this one. This is offering great home dog value to New York in this one. Keep in mind the Stars are on a 7-game streak in which they have NOT won a single game in regulation. The fact is that Dallas has won just 3 of its past 7 games and all 3 of those wins came AFTER regulation time. They have been far from dominant to say the least. Now the Stars are taking on a surging Rangers team whose confidence is building with each win. New York has won 6 of its past 9 games and their 6 wins have come by an average margin of 2.2 goals per game. None of those 6 Rangers wins have come in the overtime or shootout. In other words, unlike Dallas, New York has been taking care of business in regulation time of their games. Also, the Rangers are getting solid goalie play from 3 different netminders. All the different competition seems to be bringing out the best in all 3 goalies. Lundqvist, Georgiev, and Shesterkin have all been getting the job done between the pipes. Look for that to continue here and I'll go with the home dog in this one as they continue their push to get into the playoff race. The Rangers have won 6 of their past 8 home games and have scored an average of 5.2 goals per game in those 6 victories as a host! Dallas is 0 for 14 on the power play in their last 5 games. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS |
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02-02-20 | Blue Jackets +122 v. Canadiens | Top | 4-3 | Win | 122 | 5 h 10 m | Show |
Afternoon Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #63 Sunday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 2:05 ET - The Blue Jackets will have Elvis Merzlikins back between the pipes for this one. Merzlikins is 5-0 in his last 5 starts and has allowed a total of only 5 goals during this stretch. Overall, ever since Joonas Korpisalo got hurt, Merzlikins has been phenomenal between the pipes. The Blue Jackets used Matiss Kivlenieks in yesterday's OT loss at Buffalo. While Columbus will have a red hot goalie between the pipes for this one, the situation is expected to be much different for the Canadiens. Their red hot goalie is Carey Price and he was between the pipes in yesterday's 4-0 shutout win over Florida. That means Charlie Lindgren is likely to be in the crease tonight for Montreal. The Habs back-up netminder is 0-3 this season and has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. In his only start last season Lindgren allowed 5 goals. The season before that was the only season in which Lindgren saw significant NHL action. He lost 10 of 14 starts and compiled a 3.03 GAA. The point is that he is a significant step down from Price between the pipes. Should the Canadiens decide to use Price here it would be a tough back to back spot for him. That said, look for it to be Lindgren and look for Merzlikins to win this battle! The Canadiens are off back to back wins but they had lost 10 of 14 previously. Also, the Habs have not won 3 straight games since early December. Montreal is 0-3 the last 3 times they have entered a game off back to back wins. The Blue Jackets are off that OT loss yesterday and are 3-0 the last 3 times they entered a game off a defeat. Also, prior to that loss Columbus had won 15 of 19 games. This the perfect spot to get plus money with a red hot Blue Jackets team in bounce back mode. 10* COLUMBUS |
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02-01-20 | Blues v. Jets +140 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 140 | 8 h 7 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #40 Saturday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Both teams coming off a loss yesterday. The Jets are playing this game with big-time revenge. Not only did Winnipeg get knocked out of the playoffs by St Louis last year, the Blues also have won both meetings this season. That included an OT win here at Winnipeg too. The Jets are seeking payback and I like the goalie situation here. Connor Hellebuyck was saved for this start and the Winnipeg netminder has great numbers against the Blues in his career. Jordan Binnington gets the start for St Louis here and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his last 3 starts! One of those he was chased in the 2nd period and, overall, he has saved just 55 of the last 67 shots he has faced - an ugly .821 save percentage. I am aware that the Jets are on a losing streak but the Blues have won just 1 of their past 7 road games and I also liked what I saw from Winnipeg in their tight loss versus the Bruins last night. That said, the Jets are offering tremendous home dog line value here in this one Saturday. 10* WINNIPEG |
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01-30-20 | Predators -134 v. Devils | Top | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 45 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Thursday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:35 ET - First off, an excerpt from yesterday's write-up involving Nashville: "The media often sensationalizes things and I keep reading about Nashville being done for this season, etc. First off, those writing that nonsense need to check their math skills too. Even AFTER the loss to Toronto Monday (by the way Maple Leafs are a good team), the Predators are still only 6 points out of a wild card spot and there is a "kicker" to this too! Nashville has FOUR games in hand on the team currently in the final wild card spot. Those FOUR games are worth EIGHT points fellas. Anyway, enough of that but the point is that the Preds are far from done and will keep fighting." Sure enough, as expected, the Predators showed plenty of fight in battling back for a 5-4 win at Washington last night. Now, even though this is a back to back spot, I am expecting Pekka Rinne to be back between the pipes for the Preds since Juuse Saros started last night's game. Rinne is a fierce competitor and showed rust against the Maple Leafs Monday in his first start after the All Star break. He'll bounce back here and had allowed 2 or less goals in 3 of his 5 prior starts as he continues to alternate good and bad starts. I look for that pattern to continue here and another big key to this play is that Nashville is truly fighting hard and will ride the momentum of last night's win over the Capitals. New Jersey has announced Mackenzie Blackwood as the starter here. He allowed "only" 3 goals in his most recent start but that was against Ottawa. Blackwood faces a much tougher task here plus he entered that start against the Senators having allowed 4 or more goals in EACH of his 3 preceding starts. Nashville is the better team with the better goalie and they are fully focused on this road trip as a great opportunity to make a major move in the standings. Last night's win at Washington started it and they will continue it with a win at New Jersey (losers of 6 of 8 prior to win over Sens). Note that the Predators have won 7 of their past 11 road games. 10* NASHVILLE |
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01-29-20 | Maple Leafs +105 v. Stars | Top | 5-3 | Win | 105 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #1 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 7:35 ET - The Maple Leafs are off a dominating 5-2 win at Nashville Monday. The Stars are off a hard-fought OT home win over the Lightning Monday. The set up here is a good one for Toronto as they catch Dallas off an upset win over a Tampa Bay team that is absolutely one of the best teams in the NHL. Note that the Stars scored just two goals in regulation of that game and have averaged scoring just 1.6 goals per game their past 7 games! In fact, Dallas has been held to 2 or less goals in regulation time in each of their last 5 games! As for the Maple Leafs, they are one of the highest scoring teams in the league and they enter this game having scored an average of 4.3 goals per game their past 20 games! Incredibly, the Leafs have scored 4 or more goals in 15 of their last 20 games. You can see that these two teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of goal-scoring and that includes the recent downturn in that department for the Stars as well. That said, and given the fierce battle that Dallas just had with the Bolts, I look for the Leafs to complete the 2-0 road trip sweep as they pull away as this game goes on. 10* TORONTO |
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01-27-20 | Lightning -128 v. Stars | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -128 | 10 h 20 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #77 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - Both hockey clubs coming off extended breaks as they had the All Star break off plus a few days off prior to that. This situation sets up very well for the revenge-minded Bolts. Tampa Bay lost at home in overtime against Dallas last month despite a 48-20 edge in shots on goal. It was truly a "bad beat" loss for Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Lightning but they responded immediately and have never looked back! Tampa Bay entered the All Star break having won 12 of 14 games and Vasilevskiy has won 10 straight starts since the loss to the Stars. As for Dallas, they lost 3 of 4 games prior to the break and that included an embarrassing 7-0 loss at Minnesota. The Lightning are off an embarrassing game too but they were on the right end of it as it was a 7-1 win at Winnipeg! Tampa is a perfect 5-0 this season when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. Keep in mind the Bolts did win both meetings with Dallas last season and those victories came by a combined score of 8 to 0. The Stars enter this game having scored an average of 1.5 goals per game in regulation time their last 6 games. The Lightning have scored an average of 4 goals per game in regulation time their 14 games. These two teams have been trending opposite directions and the revenge angle as well as the fair price (since TB is on the road) has me elevating this play to my highest level - a top play rating. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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01-21-20 | Penguins v. Flyers +115 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 115 | 10 h 55 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #20 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - Penguins off huge comeback win over last season's Eastern Conference Champs, the Bruins. After rallying from a 3-0 deficit to knock off Boston, Pittsburgh may not have enough left in the tank to get by revenge-minded Philadelphia. The Flyers got embarrassed 7-1 early this season at Pittsburgh. Keep in mind Philly was still adjusting to their new head coach and they are a much different team since then and also a much different team on home ice where they are 16-4-4 this season. The Flyers bring plenty of momentum into this game off a dominating 4-1 win versus Los Angeles and have a rest edge too because that game was Saturday. Note that the Pens just had their battle with the Bruins on Sunday. Pittsburgh will be playing their 4th game in 6 nights and all 4 games have been in a different city. The Flyers, prior to the embarrassing October loss to the Penguins, had won 3 of 4 games. Pittsburgh has lost 9 of their past 15 road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The Flyers strong season-long play on home ice continues here. Grab the value with a hungry home dog that is getting their first shot on home ice this season against their hated in-state rivals. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-20-20 | Panthers v. Wild -102 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -102 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #12 Monday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 8:05 ET - The Panthers will be a popular choice here since they enter this game on a winning streak of 4 games. Also, Florida has won each of its last two road games. However, lets not forget that the Panthers had previously lost 5 of 7 road games and still have an overall losing record away from home this season. Not only is Minnesota 13-5-4 at home this season, the Wild also are 10-0-2 in their last dozen games against the Panthers. Like the Panthers, the Wild come into this game with plenty of momentum too. Minnesota is off back to back wins against two very strong teams - the Lightning and the Stars. We're getting line value here with the Wild available at a pick'em price at home. Minnesota has one more game before the All Star break but that one is coming up Wednesday. The Panthers situation is tougher as they have a game tomorrow night at red-hot Chicago. That said, Florida's goalie situation is tougher too as Chris Driedger got hurt and is out. That means Sergei Bobrovsky could rest tonight to be saved for tomorrow and that would mean Sam Montembeault would be between the pipes. I'll challenge Florida here either way as Bobrovsky had been struggling prior to his injury and I am not going to overemphasize just one quality start against the worst team in the NHL. So whether he gets the call or it is Montembeault in the crease, the Wild are going to do some damage here. At the same time, I expect the Minnesota netminders to remain hot. The Wild have allowed 2 or less goals in 4 of last 7 games. Look for the long-term home dominance in this series to continue. 10* MINNESOTA |
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01-19-20 | Bruins v. Penguins -120 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 6 h 50 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #2 Sunday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 12:35 ET - Revenge game for the Penguins after losing to Jaroslav Halak and the Bruins on Thursday. Entering that game Halak had allowed 11 goals in his last 3 starts against the Pens. Overall in recent seasons Halak has struggled against them and this will be a much tougher test for him since the rematch is at Pittsburgh. The Penguins Sidney Crosby has scored a goal in each of his 3 games since his return. I look for another strong game from here and the Pens got a boost of momentum after bouncing back from their loss at Boston to get a win at Detroit Friday. They played better in that game then the 2-1 OT win would lead you to believe and Pittsburgh will carry momentum from that game right into this one. Also, the Penguins have won 10 of their past 13 home games while the Bruins have lost 6 of their past 10 road games. Considering all of the above factors, a low price available on the Penguins at home is a great value in this spot. Prior to the loss at Boston Thursday, the Pens had scored 4 or more goals in 5 of their last 6 meetings with the Bruins. The Penguins have won 15 of 23 this season when playing with revenge and also have won 17 of their 25 home games this season. 10* PITTSBURGH |
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01-18-20 | Kings v. Flyers -152 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 7 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #68 Saturday 10* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - When do you lay -150 with a team? As you guys know, I do not do this frequently. But when I feel my team has a 75 percent chance of winning it certainly makes sense to lay a price in which you only have to win 60 percent of the time to break even. First off, the Flyers money line has dropped from as high as a -185 down to a -150. That is part of the value here. Yes, I know Philadelphia has in-state rival Pittsburgh on deck BUT that game is not until Tuesday. Also, after a big upset win over the Blues, the Flyers then were completely flat and got drilled by the Canadiens on Thursday night. That is noteworthy here as Philadelphia, when at home and off a loss, has won 5 straight games! This a perfect situation (5-0 L5) for Philly and the Kings have lost 20 of 27 road games this season. Also, goalie Brian Elliott will be back between the pipes for this one and he and the Flyers have revenge for a 5-3 loss at Los Angeles earlier this season. In that game Elliott was pulled after allowing 4 goals. He hasn't forgotten and it is payback time for him and for the Flyers. Also, Philly highly motivated after laying an egg against the Habs. Prior to that game the Flyers had scored 3 or more goals in 11 of 15 games. That is worthy of note here as the Kings often struggle to score goals. Before scoring late goals in a 4-3 loss at Florida Thursday, Los Angeles had been held to 2 or less goals in 9 of 12 games. I don't see the Flyers being denied and look for them to send the Kings to their 11th loss in their last 14 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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01-17-20 | Lightning -140 v. Jets | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 5 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #57 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - Though I rarely lay prices in money line sports, this is a fantastic situation that is worth the risk of laying a -140 price range for a top play. As of early game day morning, this line is in the -140 range on the Lightning and this is a fantastic spot for Tampa Bay. Yes, I know the Bolts are in a back to back spot but they saved #1 (and red hot) goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy for this game. Also, the fact they are off a loss last night strengthens their resolve here. Adding to their "hunger factor" here, Tampa Bay does not play again until the 27th as their All Star break starts a little bit early. This is the Bolts final game until after the break. Last, but certainly not least, this is also a revenge game for the Lightning as they lost at home to the Jets earlier this season. Note that Winnipeg hasn't been as dominant at home this season and actually they have more losses than wins on home ice thus far! As for Tampa Bay, they had won 13 of 22 road games prior to last night's disappointing loss at Minnesota. Look for the Lightning to bounce right back and make the most of this final opportunity before their break. The last thing the high-powered Bolts want to do is to go into the break on a losing streak. Look for a huge effort here and note that Winnipeg is off a shutout win over Vancouver but this was preceded by a stretch that saw the Jets lose 7 of 10 games! Remember Tampa Bay had won 11 of 12 games before their loss last night. The Lightning get one final win before their break. Lay it! 10* TAMPA BAY |
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