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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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12-27-18 | Flyers +195 v. Lightning | 5-6 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 9 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Thursday 7* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - The Flyers coaching change and the call-up of goalie Carter Hart has them rejuvenated and playing their best hockey of the season. They won 3 of their last 4 games prior to Christmas. Also, they have outshot the Lighting in each of their last 4 meetings and certainly have deserved better than a 1-3 record in those games. In fact, Philadelphia has scored 5 or more goals in 3 of their last 4 meetings with Tampa Bay. The shots on goal in those 4 games combined tallies a 163 to 110 edge in favor of the Flyers! Yes that is an average of 13 extra shots on goal PER game for Philly. Couple that with the fact that Philadelphia has been getting better goaltending of late and you have the perfect set up for a massive upset here. Getting 2 to 1 odds considering all of the above is simply too strong of a value to pass up. 7* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-27-18 | Blue Jackets -134 v. Rangers | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 50 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Thursday 7* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets come out of the Christmas break having won 4 straight games. They are unlikely to slow down here. Plenty of motivation for head coach John Tortorella as he used to coach the Rangers and it wasn't exactly a pleasant exit when he left! Columbus also has revenge here for a 5-4 shootout loss to the Rangers in November. The Blue Jackets outshot the Blueshirts by a 38-19 count but gave up a late goal and then lost in the shootout. That left the Jackets fuming and now they get their chance to respond on enemy ice against a struggling Rangers team. They'll get payback here. 7* COLUMBUS |
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12-23-18 | Flyers +100 v. Rangers | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 7 h 17 m | Show | |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers are 4-0 in their last 4 games against the rival Rangers. Philadelphia outscored New York by a count of 20 to 7 in those 4 meetings. The Rangers have lost 7 of their last 9 games. The Flyers have won 2 of 3 since they made the coaching change and got a boost with Carter Hart being called up to the NHL to start between the pipes. The Rangers have lost 4 of 5 this season when playing the second game of a back to back and also have lost 5 of their 6 Sunday games. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-20-18 | Predators -105 v. Flyers | 1-2 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 46 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Thursday 8* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) @ Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:05 ET - Give young goalie Carter Hart credit, he got the win for the Flyers in his first game. However, though much was made of the 20-year old being calm considering the situation, I personally was not that impressed with his movement and positioning in the crease. I think Hart will be a great goalie long-term but he is still raw right now for sure. He may not even play tonight but, if he doesn't, you have a rusty Michal Neuvirth between the pipes for Philly. Either netminder is likely in trouble here as the Flyers are hosting an angry Predators team here. Yes, I know that Nashville has been dealing with some injury issues and that they're on a road losing streak too. However, I also know how hungry this Preds team is to get a road win and they swept the Flyers last season plus have won 10 of 11 this season in non-conference action. In other words, a big road win is likely tonight in my opinion as Philadelphia gets caught still celebrating Tuesday's hard-fought win. The Predators are a long-term 27-13 when off a game in which they were held to 1 goal or less. The Flyers have lost 10 of 15 when they enter a game on an under streak of 3 or more games. Also, Philly will find the scoring tough on Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, one of the best in the business. Philadelphia also has lost 11 of 16 games this season when facing a team with a winning record. 8* NASHVILLE |
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12-20-18 | Ducks +140 v. Bruins | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 29 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Thursday 8* Anaheim Ducks Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Anaheim is fired up here as they had been red hot but then allowed 3 third-period goals and lost to the Rangers in New York Tuesday. The Ducks had won 9 of their last 10 games overall plus they had won 6 straight road games. Speaking of success away from home, the Ducks have won each of their their last four visits to TD Garden. Overall, Anaheim is on a perfect 9-0 streak against Boston and those victories have come by a tally of 37-17. In other words, blowout wins more often than not and I am expecting a road rout Thursday as the Bruins are still missing some key players. Also, Boston is off a huge 4-0 shutout win over one of their biggest rivals, Montreal. The Bruins had lost 5 of their 8 prior games before the win over the Canadiens. Boston has lost 8 of 14 (-$5,000) after shutting out an opponent in their prior game. Anaheim is a perfect 3-0 this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. Look for the Ducks to make it 10 straight wins when facing Boston. 8* ANAHEIM |
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12-19-18 | Penguins +120 v. Capitals | 2-1 | Win | 120 | 10 h 52 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #83 Wednesday 8* Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Penguins are seeking revenge here. Not only were the Pens eliminated from the post-season by the Caps in May, Pittsburgh also suffered a 2-1 loss here in Washington in early November despite a 41 to 22 edge in shots on goal! Suffice to say payback is on order here! The Capitals have been very hot but the Penguins, of course, are still a high-quality team that is looking to make a statement here that they are still very much a factor in this division! Pittsburgh had won 5 of 7 before their home loss to Anaheim Monday - Pens clearly got caught looking past a non-conference opponent and looking ahead to this game. The Penguins have won 36 of 53 when they are off a loss by a multiple-goal margin in their prior game. The Capitals could be rusty here as they haven't played since Saturday. Washington has lost 14 of 24 (-$9,200) when they enter a game with 3 or more days of rest. 8* PITTSBURGH |
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12-17-18 | Bruins +125 v. Canadiens | Top | 4-0 | Win | 125 | 10 h 42 m | Show |
No Doubt Blowout Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Monday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (+) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - The Bruins are in a tough back to back spot here but, of course, the trip from Buffalo to Montreal is not a long one. Boston lost to the Sabres yesterday but, arguably, deserved better. Give credit to Buffalo but the Bruins did hold the edge in shots on goal and, in fact, now have an 88 to 55 edge in shots on goal the past two games even though both were losses by multiple-goal margins. The result is line value in this spot as Montreal will get some attention from the betting markets considering the Canadiens have won 5 of their last 6 games and have the rest edge. The problem for the Habs is that the Bruins have their number. In fact, Boston has won 4 of its last 5 games at Montreal. While the Canadiens are off a win, it came against Ottawa. Prior to that game the Habs allowed a total of 11 goals in their two prior games. Montreal is playing this game with home loss revenge but that is a situation that has seen them go 18-31 including 2-5 this season! Boston has won 10 of 14 this season when off a divisional game and the Bruins actually have won 5 of 6 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back! Grab the road dog value. 10* BOSTON |
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12-15-18 | Flyers +115 v. Canucks | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 55 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #35 Saturday NHL 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Vancouver Canucks @ 10:05 ET - The Flyers are playing for their season here. They need a win on the western leg of a lengthy road trip that saw them begin with a win at Buffalo but then lose 3 straight ever since heading deeper and deeper westward through Canada. After an unbelievable loss at Calgary where they gave up 2 goals in the final minute of regulation and lost just 30 seconds into OT on Wednesday, Philly was a bit shell-shocked and lost 4-1 last night at Edmonton. Truly playing for their future tonight and with two days off on deck, I expect the Flyers to play one of their best games of the season at Vancouver tonight. They are catching the Canucks at the right time as they are off a successful road trip and the last two games of the trip featured big late rallies for Vancouver. Off a Western Conference foe and with a divisional foe, Edmonton, on deck don't be surprised if the Canucks end up flat tonight as they overlook a Flyers club that everyone knows has been struggling. That is the danger of a match-up like this for Vancouver and that is why their money line is priced so low. The odds makers feels pretty certain too about what is going to take place tonight. Note that the Flyers are 10-3 their last 13 at Vancouver and the road team did win both meetings between these clubs last season. Also, the Canucks are 3-7 this season in games against teams with a winning record and also on a long-term 28-50 run in non-conference games! Look for the Flyers to improve to 4-2 on the season when they are on the road and entering a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-14-18 | Avalanche -113 v. Blues | 3-4 | Loss | -113 | 10 h 6 m | Show | |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Friday 8* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Blues are off a win and that certainly holds some significance here as they have not won back to back games in over a month. In fact, prior to that tight win over the Panthers, St Louis had lost 10 of 14 games dating back to November 11th. As for the Avalanche, they have lost back to back games and that also holds some significance here. That's because the Avs had previously won 10 of their 13 prior games dating back to November the 11th. The win that day for Colorado snapped the only losing streak of more than 2 games that the Avalanche have had this season thus far. As you can see from all of the above, the odds are certainly in favor of the Avs avoiding what would be just their 2nd losing streak of more than 2 games this entire season so far. Adding to the value here with Colorado as a small favorite on the road is that they are playing this game with revenge for a home loss to the Blues (in overtime) earlier this season. St Louis has lost 9 of 13 divisional games this season and also the Blues have lost 8 of 12 this season when off a game in which they scored 4 or more goals. 8* COLORADO |
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12-13-18 | Maple Leafs +124 v. Lightning | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 38 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #75 Thursday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - Toronto is trying to prove they can compete with the elite in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs have been trying to get to "next level" and this is their first opportunity against the Lightning this season. After losing both games at Tampa Bay last season, look for them to make this one count! The Bolts have actually won 7 straight games entering this contest and all have been without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Now the Lightning #1 netminder may make his return tonight. If he plays, he will be rusty. If he is still out, the Tampa Bay back-up between the pipes knows his time is up and he's looking over his shoulder. These are the types of situations that have yielded great "fade" results in the past and I am happy to fade Tampa in this spot. The Leafs are a quality team that wants this game badly and will be flying all over the ice truly "carrying the play" in this game in my opinion. Note that the Maple Leafs have been at their best against quality teams this season as they've won 10 of 13 games against teams with a winning record. The Lightning are 21-19 (DOWN $12,100!) when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. 8* TORONTO |
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12-13-18 | Hurricanes v. Canadiens -108 | 4-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 25 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #78 Thursday 8* Montreal Canadiens Money Line (-) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are off bad losses but the difference here is the Hurricanes have not been scoring goals, the Canadiens are on home ice, and Montreal has revenge. All those factors add up to mean great line value with the small home favorite in this match-up. The Habs lost to the Canes 2-1 a little over two weeks ago here in Montreal but the Canadiens outshot Carolina 49-22 in that unreal loss! Also, prior to getting drilled 7-1 at Minnesota on Tuesday, the Canadiens had scored an average of 3.8 goals per game in their233- 5 prior games. Conversely, the Hurricanes 4-1 home loss to Toronto was the 6th time in Carolina's last 7 games that they've been held to 2 or less goals. In fact, the Canes are averaging only 1.4 goals per game their last 7 games! The Canadiens are a perfect 5-0 this season after a game in which they were held to 1 goal or less. The Hurricanes are 23-36 long-term (including 2-4 this season) in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. 8* MONTREAL |
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12-13-18 | Coyotes +137 v. Sabres | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 17 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #71 Thursday 8* Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - The Sabres are off a win but had previously lost 5 straight games. The momentum from their recent surprising winning streak that ran through November 27th is long gone. Now Buffalo has to deal with a revenge-minded Arizona team that suffered a 3-0 home shutout to the Sabres on October 13th despite the Coyotes holding a 36-23 edge in shots on goal. Don't be surprised when Arizona gets their revenge tonight as the road team has won each of the last 3 meetings between these non-conference foes. The Coyotes are 4-2 this season when on the road and on a losing streak of 2 or more games. While Arizona now knows goalie Antti Raanta is likely out for the season, the Sabres Carter Hutton could be back tonight. That means if Linus Ullmark gets the start he'll still be looking over his shoulder knowing Hutton is coming back. If Hutton gets the start don't be surprised if he is rusty making his first start in a week and a half. While it is true the Sabres are on an extended homestand here, it is also true they have lost 15 of 20 when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on home ice. 8* ARIZONA |
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12-12-18 | Golden Knights v. Islanders +131 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 55 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #64 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Coaching is an important aspect in all sports but often gets overlooked by the betting markets. The Islanders current head coach is Barry Trotz. Yes that is the same head coach that less than 6 months ago was leading the Capitals to become Stanley Cup Champions as they took 4 out of 5 games from the Golden Knights. Washington scored an average of 4 goals per game in those 5 games and Marc-Andre Fleury was between the pipes for Vegas for all of those games. Not only does coach Trotz know a thing or two about beating Fleury and the Golden Knights, his players do as well. The Islanders won both meetings with Vegas last season and remain the only team in the league that the Golden Knights have yet to beat. Maybe that changes next week when these teams meet in Vegas but I don't see it changing tonight. The Golden Knights have lost 11 of their 18 road games this season. Also, Vegas has lost 7 of 11 this season when they're off a game in which they scored 4 or more goals. The Islanders have won 43 of 71 (+$23,200) when off a divisional game and the fact that divisional game was a 2-1 loss where they were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation will strengthen their resolve here. New York has allowed just 2 goals in 4 of their last 6 games. Vegas, prior to a 4-2 win Sunday, had allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of their last 6 games. I am fading the masses and grabbing the home dog here. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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12-11-18 | Oilers +127 v. Avalanche | 6-4 | Win | 127 | 10 h 18 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Tuesday 8* Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 9:05 ET - Yes the Oilers are off a win over their biggest rival, the Flames, on Sunday. However, they won't overlook the Avalanche here. That's because Colorado handed Edmonton one of their worst home losses of the season last month. The Avs crushed the Oilers 4-1 north of the border and now it is time for some payback. Edmonton has been getting excellent goaltending and has allowed 2 or less goals in 6 of their last 7 games! As you would expect with those types of numbers, the Oilers went 6-1 in those 7 games and they're likely to explode in this revenge game against an Avalanche hockey club that has allowed an average of 5 goals per game in their last 3 games. Colorado is 12-22 in their last 34 December games. The Oilers are 12-7 this season when playing with revenge and are offering great line value here as a road dog. 8* EDMONTON |
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12-11-18 | Panthers +100 v. Blues | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 36 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Tuesday 8* Florida Panthers Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - When a team is struggling a change of venue can actually be the best thing to cure what ails them. That said, the Panthers are coming off a very long homestand and they actually NEED this road trip. Florida now takes to the road for quick two-game road trip and, in fact, 6 of their next 7 games are on the road. The good news for the Panthers here is that they begin this road-heavy stretch with facing a struggling Blues team. St Louis has lost 10 of its last 14 games and is finding out that it is especially hard to win games when you don't score many goals! The Blues have totaled just 5 goals in their last 4 games. This is in stark contrast to a Florida team that has scored an average of 3.5 goals per game in its last 8 games. The Panthers didn't just beat St Louis in both games last season, they destroyed them by a margin of 3 goals in each game. Florida is 6-3 the last 9 times they've been off a game in which they scored 4 goals. St Louis is 3-6 in their 9 games this season versus teams with a losing record. 8* FLORIDA |
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12-11-18 | Maple Leafs -124 v. Hurricanes | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 57 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #43 Tuesday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Toronto is off B2B losses and they are 3-0 so far this season when off B2B losses. Also, the Maple Leafs are playing this game with revenge and they are 9-2 this season in revenge games. In road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals, the Leafs are 10-4 this season. The Hurricanes are 4-9 this season when off a non-conference game. Carolina is also 36-57 in games against teams with a winning record and that includes 3-6 this season. Look for the Maple Leafs to improve to 5-0 in Tuesday games this season as the Canes drop to 14-31 in their last 45 Tuesday games. 8* TORONTO |
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12-10-18 | Kings +105 v. Red Wings | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 3 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #39 Monday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+) @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7:35 ET - The Kings are undervalued at this point in the season as they have underachieved thus far. They now have Jonathan Quick back between the pipes and he has had just one bad start in 5 starts since he returned. In the 4 quality efforts from Quick, Los Angeles has allowed an average of just 1.5 goals per game! Even though the Kings are off a big win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Red Wings pay a visit to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Capitals tomorrow. In other words, Detroit is off an Eastern Conference foe (Islanders) and has another one (Washington) on deck. Coming into this season many experts expected the Kings to contend for a playoff spot in the West and the Red Wings to have to battle to stay out of the cellar in the East. The point is that you start to get value in spots like this. For example, the Kings are now a small dog here at Detroit whereas earlier this season (just two months ago) they were a 2 to 1 favorite on home ice over the Red Wings! That said, I love the road dog value here as Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty (played with LA his entire career) has been very vocal of late about it being time for this team to step up. Look for the win over the Golden Knights to spark a run for LA as the return of Quick from injury is also big and you can feel the momentum shifting with this hockey club right now. By the way, the Red Wings have lost 5 of their last 6 home games! The Kings have split their last 6 road games. Just like last season, look for the Kings to earn the sweep of the Red Wings. Detroit is only 7-13 this season when playing with revenge. 10* LOS ANGELES KINGS |
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12-08-18 | Maple Leafs -120 v. Bruins | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -120 | 8 h 27 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Saturday NHL 10* Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (-) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs were knocked out of the post-season in Game 7 of a series with the Bruins last spring. That game took place here in Boston...that is where the Leafs season ended. Though the Maple Leafs got some measure of revenge with a home win over the Bruins about two weeks ago, their only meeting at Boston this season was a loss. This is the perfect time for payback. While the Leafs are getting healthier the Bruins are still dealing with injury injuries as Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Kevan Miller are out right now. Boston has lost 3 straight games and they've been struggling to score goals for an extended stretch. Amazingly, the Bruins have managed to score more than 2 goals just ONCE in their last TEN games! That spells trouble against a Maple Leafs team that has scored at least 4 goals in 6 straight games! In their 5-4 OT loss to Detroit, the Leafs got caught looking ahead to this big game. The Maple Leafs had won 5 straight games before that defeat and they bounce right back here with a huge road win. Take advantage of the value with the small line here as the Bruins injury situation continues to plague them against a top tier (and much healthier) team! 10* TORONTO |
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12-08-18 | Golden Knights v. Kings +130 | 1-5 | Win | 130 | 6 h 2 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Saturday 8* Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 4:05 ET - Playoff revenge from last season as the Kings were swept out of the first round by the Golden Knights. Of course, early this season, Los Angeles has struggled while Vegas does seem to be back on track after some stumbles early this season. However, the Golden Knights road record is very nearly identical to the Kings home record. Also, there is the revenge factor. Additionally, Vegas has a home game with Dallas on deck for tomorrow so there is a chance that Marc-Andre Fleury will be rested this afternoon and the start will go to Malcolm Subban. Note that Subban is 0-4 this season with an ugly .859 save percentage. No matter whom gets the start though I feel the Kings are offering great line value here and I am grabbing the road dog. This is LA's final home game until the 18th of the month so they are going to make the most of this. Look for Vegas to drop to 5-9 this season in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. 8* LOS ANGELES |
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12-08-18 | Flyers +102 v. Sabres | 6-2 | Win | 102 | 3 h 26 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Saturday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 1:05 ET - The average Joe doesn't bet hockey. That said, when you see something that looks a little "off" you can generally bank on it being sharp money that is the root cause. In this particular case you have a Flyers team that has lost 7 of 9 facing a Sabres team that, despite a recent losing streak, has won 10 of its last 14. That said, why is Philadelphia attracting attention on the road at Buffalo in this one? It is some sharp action! While the Flyers are getting healthier the Sabres are getting more and more banged up right now. Philly has won 18 of 29 December games. Buffalo has lost 20 of 29 December games. Look for the Flyers to get revenge for a 5-2 loss at Buffalo last month as the Sabres #1 goalie Carter Hutton is questionable Saturday. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-07-18 | Sharks -120 v. Stars | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -120 | 11 h 45 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Friday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:05 ET - The Sharks are seeking revenge here as they lost at Dallas earlier this season plus the Stars beat them in San Jose in their final match-up last season. The fact this game is on the road is keeping the line at a very reasonable range and I'll gladly lay the short money line price with the Sharks as they seek payback in this one. Dallas has lost 8 of 12 this season when off a game in which they scored 4 or more goals. Also, the Stars have lost 33 of 50 when they're off a game they won by a margin of 2 or more goals. The Sharks have won 10 of 15 when off a non-conference game this season. San Jose has won 18 of their last 29 December games. The Sharks have been better on the power play than the Stars this season. Also, prior to the big win for Dallas Monday, they had been held to scoring 2 or less goals in 7 of their 10 previous games. The Sharks have scored 3 or more goals in 18 of their last 23 games! The small road favorite is also the much healthier team in this match-up. Lay it! 10* SAN JOSE |
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12-06-18 | Blue Jackets v. Flyers -105 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -105 | 9 h 24 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #6 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - This is the Flyers ONE AND ONLY home game in a span of 3 weeks (Nov 27th through Dec 18th). That said, Philly wants to make this one count and they also have extra motivation after all the changes going on. The changes at General Manager and in the assistant coaching ranks means that it is "put up or shut up" time for the Flyers. They already responded in positive fashion with a big win at Pittsburgh over the rival Penguins to get December off to a winning start. Though it may seem like a bad idea to grab Philly off a win over the rival Pens, keep in mind they have been off for 4 full days since that game and the home ice factor here is a big one here too given their schedule. The other key to the play is catching the Blue Jackets in a tough spot. Not only is Columbus off an embarrassing 9-6 loss that will be tough to regroup from due to blowing a 4-1 lead, the Blue Jackets have a huge game on deck. Columbus has a game with the Stanley Cup champion Capitals on deck. While it is true the Jackets already got some measure of revenge for losing to the Caps in the post-season by virtue of a win at Washington, this will be the first time since that spring series that Columbus will be hosting the Capitals. In other words, it is a clear lookahead spot for the Jackets. Conversely, there is no way the Flyers look past CBJ here as the Blue Jackets did defeat Philly earlier this season so this is a revenge game for a Philly team that is hell-bent on turning their season back around while it is still early enough in the season to do so! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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12-05-18 | Hurricanes +130 v. Sharks | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 19 m | Show |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Wednesday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes (+) @ San Jose Sharks @ 10:35 PM ET - The Sharks are in a tough situational spot. San Jose is off a road trip back east that wrapped up in Montreal. On deck they have another road trip - a quick 2-game trip that begins two time zones over in Dallas. This stand alone home game is a tough one as a result and, prior to defeating the Canadiens, San Jose had lost 4 straight games and allowed an average of 5 goals per game. The Hurricanes are off back to back losses but they previously had won 4 of their last 5. Also, unlike the Sharks, the Canes have been playing great in their own end. Carolina has allowed 2 or less goals in 6 of their last 7 games. In other words, this is great line value on the road dog! The Hurricanes are 3-0 the last 3 times they've been off a loss by a multiple goal margin. San Jose is 3-6 this season when playing with two days of rest between games and the Sharks are 5-10 in non-conference action this season. 10* CAROLINA |
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12-05-18 | Oilers +103 v. Blues | 3-2 | Win | 103 | 10 h 0 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Wednesday 8* Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Oilers are off a 4-1 loss but had been 3-0 in their 3 prior games. Also, Edmonton is a perfect 3-0 the last 3 times they are off a loss by a margin of 3 or more goals. The Blues are off a 6-1 loss that was their 8th loss in their last 11 games. The Oilers also have revenge here for a loss in their most recent visit to St Louis. Overall Edmonton has won 4 of the last 6 meetings between these teams and I expect them to get payback here. The Blues have lost 3 of their last 4 home games. St Louis has allowed an average of 5 goals per game their last 4 games. The Oilers have allowed just 1.7 goals per game their last 4 games. 8* EDMONTON |
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12-01-18 | Flyers +160 v. Penguins | Top | 4-2 | Win | 160 | 9 h 11 m | Show |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers blew a 3-1 third period lead against the Senators in a 4-3 loss hosting Ottawa Tuesday. This is likely rock bottom for Philly. They have fired their general manager (and others!) and have been cleaning house at the management level. Suffice to say, the players know it is time to respond. Getting goalie Michal Neuvirth back is a positive plus another positive is that #1 goalie Brian Elliott is likely to be back in the near future. The Penguins have goalie issues of their own here as Matt Murray is out with an injury. The Pens have been struggling too and that is what I like about the big dog value here with the more desperate and hungry team, the Flyers, on the road and looking to avenge the playoff ouster at the hands of the Penguins last season. The road team has won 5 straight meetings between these teams and 7 of the last 9. Also, Pittsburgh is 1-5 this season when off a loss by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. The Penguins are also 1-6 this season in games against teams with a losing record! The Flyers have won 17 of 27 December games the past two years. Look for them to get this December off to a positive start as well as they get a measure of revenge against their hated in-state rivals! 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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11-30-18 | Ducks +170 v. Hurricanes | Top | 2-1 | Win | 170 | 9 h 20 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Friday 10* Top Play Anaheim Ducks Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - Both teams have won 4 of their last 5 games but it is the Ducks whom are a huge dog here just because the game is being played at Carolina. Keep in mind, the Ducks have won 4 straight meetings with the Hurricanes and, also, Anaheim has won each of their last 4 visits to Carolina. In other words, this is phenomenal line value on the Ducks and I love this big dog opportunity because we also have a goal-tending edge here. Carolina is likely to go with Curtis McElhinney between the pipes. He has just an .854 save percentage against Western Conference teams this season. Anaheim is likely to go with John Gibson in the crease for this one. The Ducks have won 4 of his 6 starts against Eastern Conference teams this season and Gibson has a stellar .941 save percentage in those games. Carolina has lost 22 of 38 when playing with 2 days of rest between games. While the Canes are off two days of rest and playing what is just a standalone home game, Anaheim is in a rhythm right now and making the most of their season long 5-game road trip. The Ducks make it 5 in a row against the Canes! 10* ANAHEIM |
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11-29-18 | Wild +110 v. Blue Jackets | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 12 m | Show | |
Zig Zag Best Bet - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Thursday 8* Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Wild are off a 4-3 home loss as a 2 to 1 favorite. Suffice to say Minnesota can't wait to get back on the ice and I feel they are catching the Blue Jackets at the perfect time! Columbus is off a 7-5 win at Detroit. The fact that the Jackets won that high scoring game masks the fact that this team continues to struggle in their own zone and the Wild will take advantage. Columbus has allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of their last 4 games. Minnesota, prior to the loss to the Coyotes, had held 7 of their last 9 opponents to 3 or less goals. The road team won both meetings last season and carried the play as the away team combined for a 78-51 edge in shots on goal in the two games. I look for the road trend to continue here. The Blue Jackets are 4-6 the last 10 times they were off a game in which they scored 4 or more goals. The Wild are 30-14 against teams with a winning record when facing them in the first half of a season. Minnesota is also 38-22 (including 6-2 this season) when coming off a game in which they allowed 4 or more goals. Bounce back time here. 8* MINNESOTA |
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11-28-18 | Sharks +140 v. Maple Leafs | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 39 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Wednesday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - I am well aware of the fact that Auston Matthews may come back for Toronto tonight. However, the Maple Leafs are off back to back wins including a key divisional win over the Bruins in their most recent game. That said, look for San Jose to prove to be the hungrier team tonight. The Sharks are in a back to back spot here but are off a loss last night at Buffalo where they rallied from a 2-goal deficit in the 3rd period to earn one point before falling in OT against the Sabres. San Jose is fired up after it was too little too late last night and they also are playing with revenge here because the Maple Leafs beat the Sharks 5-3 out west two weeks ago. Now meeting again back east look for payback for San Jose. The Sharks are off back to back losses and that certainly holds significance here as they are a perfect 3-0 this season when off back to back losses. The combined score of those 3 victories was 12 to 5. Also, San Jose has won 8 of 11 games this season when off a non-conference game. The Maple Leafs are off back to back home wins but previously were just 5-5 in their last 10 home games. Truly they've been a better team away from home this season and I feel we've got great line value here with a Sharks team that has underachieved so far this season and is in the perfect spot for a bounce back. Yes, #2 goalie Aaron Dell struggled in his most recent start but this two prior starts saw him produce a shutout each time! 10* SAN JOSE |
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11-28-18 | Ducks +159 v. Panthers | 3-2 | Win | 159 | 9 h 46 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Wednesday 8* Anaheim Ducks Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Though the Ducks are in a back to back spot here they have now won 3 of their last 4 games after an upset win at Tampa Bay last night. While Anaheim is starting to turn the corner, Florida has been struggling badly and is off a VERY fortunate win Monday that burned me up. I had New Jersey as a dog at Florida Monday night but lost despite the Devils jumping out to a 2-0 lead and NEVER trailing the entire game. With just a minute and a half left, the Panthers got the tying goal to force OT and then Florida won it in overtime. It was a very lucky win for all Florida backers that night and has resulted in even better line value tonight because it was a bit of a "cover up" game that masked the fact that the Panthers are still not playing very well and easily could (and should) have lost their 4th straight game and what would have been their 6th defeat in their last 7 games. That said, I am happy to grab a revenge-minded dog tonight. Goalie John Gibson and the Ducks got thoroughly embarrassed 8-3 in their last visit to Florida despite the fact they outshot the Panthers 34-22. Look for Anaheim to avenge that defeat with a road win tonight. The Ducks have allowed just 2.7 goals per game in their last 6 games while the Panthers have allowed a ridiculous 5 goals per game in their last 7 games! 8* ANAHEIM |
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11-28-18 | Blues v. Red Wings +105 | 3-4 | Win | 105 | 8 h 29 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Wednesday 8* Detroit Red Wings Money Line (+) vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Blues are off an 8-4 loss and that was at home! In their last two road games they have given up 4 goals in each game! I am aware of their long-term success against the Red Wings, including games in Detroit, but St Louis is a bit dysfunctional at this point in time. Even since firing head coach Mike Yeo, the Blues are still struggling under new head coach Craig Berube. The Red Wings certainly have had their share of struggles too but, prior to their 7-5 home loss to Columbus, Detroit had gone 9 straight games without allowing more than 3 goals. In fact, during this entire 9-game stretch, the Red Wings allowed just 2.2 goals per game. Look for that to be the difference maker in this one. Look for St Louis to drop to 1-4 this season in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals while the Red Wings improve to 5-2 this season in games against teams with a losing record. 8* DETROIT |
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11-27-18 | Hurricanes v. Canadiens +103 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 57 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Game #56 Tuesday 10* Top Play Montreal Canadiens Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - The Canadiens have lost 4 straight games but they have faced a tough slate of games and I expect Montreal to bounce back strong here on home ice. Keep in mind the Hurricanes are an ugly 2-6 in their last 8 road games! As for the Habs, they were 6-3 in their last 9 home games prior to losing by a single goal to both the Stanley Cup Champion Capitals and tough division rival Bruins. Tuesday I look for Montreal to get sweet revenge for getting swept last season in their three games against Carolina. The Canadiens have won 6 of 8 games this season when off a divisional game. The Hurricanes have lost 34 of 56 road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Also, Carolina has lost 30 of their last 43 Tuesday games. More road struggles expected for the Canes tonight against a VERY hungry revenge-seeking Canadiens team. 10* MONTREAL |
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11-27-18 | Sharks v. Sabres +122 | 2-3 | Win | 122 | 9 h 42 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #52 Tuesday 8* Buffalo Sabres Money Line (+) vs San Jose Sharks @ 7 ET - The Sabres have won 9 straight games. It is understandable they are a home dog here as the Sharks are a solid team. However, this is offering great money line value on Buffalo and they've certainly been getting better goaltending than San Jose. In fact, Sharks goalie Martin Jones is only 3-3 with an .886 save percentage on the road this season. Sabres goalie Carter Hutton is 7-3 with a .923 save percentage in home games this season. San Jose is an ugly 1-5 this season in road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Buffalo is 6-3 this season in home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Also, the Sabres are a superb 13-4 when playing with revenge! 8* BUFFALO |
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11-26-18 | Devils +125 v. Panthers | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 53 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Monday 8* New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers are having major goaltending issues. Roberto Luongo is dealing with a back injury and James Reimer has struggled badly. Florida has allowed an average of 5.3 goals per game in their last 6 games! The Devils have had one bad start each from Keith Kincaid and Cory Schneider. However, prior to these two games the Devils had allowed just 1.8 goals per game in their last 5 games. The fact is that, even though this is a back to back spot for New Jersey, their goal-tending rates a huge edge over the Panthers right now. Even though Florida is playing with revenge, they've lost 7 of 11 this season when trying to avenge a defeat. The Panthers have also lost 7 of 11 when they're off a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The Devils are 17-9 the last 3 seasons (and a perfect 3-0 this season) when they enter a game on an over streak of 3 or more games. 8* NEW JERSEY |
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11-26-18 | Capitals v. Islanders +101 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 35 m | Show |
Rickenbach NHL Game #8 Monday 10* Top Play New York Islanders Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - I love this match-up with Coach Barry Trotz on home ice with the Islanders taking on the club that wouldn't reward him for his work leading the team to the Stanley Cup Championship last season. So Trotz ended up with the Islanders and is doing a great job there showing the value of his coaching. Though Washington is starting to turn the corner after a slow start, I feel this is a bad spot for them. The Capitals have lost 4 of 5 this season when off a divisional game plus they are likely without Evgeny Kuznetsov tonight as the center is listed as doubtful. The Islanders have won 9 of 10 divisional games this season and you know Trotz (and other coaching staff he also brought from the Caps) have had this particular divisional game circled in red! Also, the Isles have won 42 of 67 (including 6 of 9 this season) when they are off a divisional game. 10* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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11-25-18 | Flames -117 v. Coyotes | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 29 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Sunday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (-) @ Arizona Coyotes @ 3:05 ET - The Flames lost their last visit to Arizona by 3 goals. Calgary also lost their most recent game against the Coyotes and that was on home ice in April. The point is that the Flames have plenty of motivation here and I also like backing them off a shutout loss. Calgary lost at Vegas Friday and needs to bounce back here. The Flames will take advantage of facing a Coyotes team that has lost 3 straight games and 7 of their last 9. Calgary, prior to being shutout by the Golden Knights, had won 3 straight games and 8 of their last 11. Look for the Flames to improve to 6-2 this season when off a divisional game. As for the Coyotes, they have lost 60 of 89 games when they face a team with a winning record. Also, Arizona has lost 60 of 88 long-term when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. They Coyotes have scored an average of only 1.4 goals per game their last 5 games. The Flames, prior to the shutout loss in Sin City, had scored an average of 5.7 goals per game their last 3 games. This one has the makings of a road rout. 10* CALGARYÂ |
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11-21-18 | Flyers +100 v. Sabres | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 16 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7 ET - Oftentimes the first game back on home ice after a lengthy road trip is the toughest. That said, though Buffalo has won 6 straight games (including all 3 on a just-completed road trip), this is likely a tough spot for the Sabres. The Flyers are making a change at goalie to Alex Lyon and I like this move. Philly has been generating a lot of offense in recent games but troubles between the pipes have been a big issue for Philadelphia and I expect this move to pay immediate dividends. Many times a goalie change can spark a team and the Flyers need that change inside their own zone to complement how well they've been playing in the offensive zone. Philadelphia is 3-0-1 in their last 4 road games and they come into this game extra hungry off an OT loss to the Lightning on home ice. As for Buffalo, they just beat the Penguins in comeback fashion and that type of win over a perennial Stanley Cup contender could leave the Sabres flat here. All in all, a very nice set up for the Flyers. Philly has taken 2 of 3 games with Buffalo each of the past two seasons. The Sabres have lost 34 of 50 when off a game where they scored 4 or more goals. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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11-15-18 | Devils v. Flyers -140 | 3-0 | Loss | -140 | 7 h 18 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Thursday 6* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set-up here. Not only are the Devils off a big win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers are off a listless home loss to the Panthers where they didn't start skating until the 3rd period. By then it was a case of too little too late for Philadelphia and they lost 2-1 to Florida. So here you have a situation where the Flyers are going to take to the ice with a ton of energy as they hate the Devils with a passion. You also have a great spot because the Devils have lost 7 of their 8 road games this season. No NHL team has fewer road wins than New Jersey this season. In fact the home team has been the winner in 13 of the Devils 16 games this season. Also let us not forget that New Jersey has the fewest points in the standings in the Eastern Conference this season. In fact only 1 team (Los Angeles) out of the entire league has fewer points than the Devils. The "kicker" to this play is that the Flyers are also expected to have their prized off-season acquisition, James van Riemsdyk, back on the ice for this one. He has been out since he got hurt in the 2nd game of the season. All signs are pointing to Philly here and that is why, even though this line is moving up toward the moderate price range in the area of -150, this is a "must play" situation in my book. So we reduce the rating from my normal regular play level of 8* down to a 6* and we invest in what should be a solid home win! Look for the home team to win for the 4th time in the last 5 meetings between these teams. 6* PHILADELPHIA |
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11-13-18 | Panthers v. Flyers -110 | 2-1 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 26 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #2 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - Yes the Panthers are hot but so too are the Flyers. That said, there is excellent home ice line value with this play. The home team has won 6 of the last 7 meetings between these teams and the Flyers have won all 4 home ice games versus the Panthers since the start of the 2016-17 season. Florida has lost 89 of 148 road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. The Flyers have won 17 of 26 when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. Lay the small price with the Flyers at home as goalie Brian Elliott stays hot. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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11-13-18 | Penguins -114 v. Devils | 2-4 | Loss | -114 | 9 h 17 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Tuesday 8* Pittsburgh Panthers Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins have revenge on their minds here. I know both teams have been struggling but the fact Pittsburgh finally snapped their skid with a win Saturday while the Devils have lost 3 straight and 9 of their last 11 is a key factor in me backing the Pens here. Pittsburgh still remembers the ugly 5-1 home loss to New Jersey a week ago and it is time avenge that defeat. The Devils have lost 6 of 7 games this season when off a game where they allowed 4 or more goals. The Penguins have won 24 of their last 36 when playing with home loss revenge and the Pens offer exceptional line value here since they are on the road as that is keeping the money line very low. I'll take advantage! 8* PITTSBURGH |
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11-12-18 | Blue Jackets -105 v. Stars | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 52 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Monday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (-) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Blue Jackets lost to the Rangers on Saturday for two reasons. One was that they were off a huge Playoff Revenge win over the Stanley Cup Champion Capitals AT Washington. Secondly the Jackets had Joonas Korpisalo between the pipes. No disrespect intended toward the back-up netminder but, the fact is that Sergei Bobrovsky is the #1 goalie and the HOT goalie for Columbus right now. The Blue Jackets goaltender has held opponents to just 1 goal in 3 of his 4 starts since the calendar turned the page to November. While the Jackets are 3-1 in Bobrovsky's last 4 starts, note that the Stars are just 1-3 in their last 4 games and they've allowed an average of 4 goals per game their last 3 games. I know this is a revenge game for Dallas but the fact is that the Blue Jackets have had their number. They swept them two seasons ago, last season as well, and already got the W in the first match-up this season. Also, though the Stars may get Alexander Radulov back for tonight's game the issue for Dallas is not necessarily up front. The problem is the blue line has been impacted by a cluster of injuries impacting defensemen. The Blue Jackets are 3-0 this season against teams with a winning record. The Stars have lost 6 of 9 games against non-conference opponents this season. 8* COLUMBUS |
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11-12-18 | Canucks +120 v. Rangers | 1-2 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 54 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Monday 8* Vancouver Canucks Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Canucks can't wait to take the ice after giving up two very late goals and then losing in the shootout at Buffalo Saturday. The Rangers are off a hard-earned win but it had a lot to do with catching Columbus in a tough scheduling spot. The Blue Jackets were off a draining playoff revenge win on the ice of the Stanley Cup Champion Capitals. That said, this one sets up well for a play on the hungry road dog as Vancouver (4-0-2) has earned at least a point in 6 straight games but is fired up after the SO loss Saturday. The Rangers are off a win that also required extra time but New York should have blasted Columbus given the situation. The Canucks are 5-1 their last 6 when off a loss. The Rangers drop to 0-3 the last 3 times they were off a game where they scored 5 or more goals. 8* VANCOUVER |
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11-11-18 | Flames +160 v. Sharks | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 58 m | Show | |
Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Sunday 8* Calgary Flames Money Line (+) @ San Jose Sharks @ 9:05 ET - The Flames are in a back to back spot here BUT this is a game they've been waiting for and they'll be fully ready. They even "saved" #1 goalie Mike Smith for this match-up as David Rittich got the start - and first career shut-out - last night at Los Angeles. While the Flames missed the post-season last year, many pre-season prognosticators had Calgary challenging the Sharks for the top spot in the Pacific Division this season. Keep in mind the Flames are a MUCH different team from last season as they made some key personnel changes and, MOST importantly, made some key changes in terms of coaching. It has begun to pay off and, after losing all 4 match-ups with San Jose last season, it is time for payback here! The Flames are currently the hotter team and the fact they have won 5 of their last 6 is certainly no fluke. Calgary has outshot the opposition by a combined margin of 235 to 140 in those 6 games. This is complete domination folks and Mike Smith, though he has struggled some this season, has played better of late and he also has held the Sharks to two goals or less in EACH of his last 5 starts at San Jose. The Flames won't be denied here. Though this is a back-to-back it was preceded by two days off and will be followed by 3 days off. In fact, one could argue that the scheduling situation is worse for San Jose. Though they were off yesterday, they are returning from a road trip and will be playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. The Sharks have lost 4 of their last 6 games and 2 of the 4 losses were at home. Great underdog value here with a VERY hungry dog. 8* CALGARY |
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11-10-18 | Blackhawks v. Flyers -128 | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 4 h 9 m | Show | |
NHL Network Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Saturday 7* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 1:05 ET - The Blackhawks haven't won a regular season game at Philly in 22 years. The only win for Chicago in the Flyers barn during this long stretch was their infamous OT goal (the one that no one saw actually go in the net!) that won the Stanley Cup Championship in Game 6 in the 2010 Finals. The point of the above is we have a Blackhawks team trying to adjust to an abrupt coaching change and struggling to gain confidence and that has lost 6 straight games and now they have to try to win a game in a place they almost never win at! I'll gladly take the Flyers team that got their spirits buoyed by a very successful 3-0-1 West Coast road trip and now is playing with a lot of confidence. That is the type of confidence that allowed them to battle through a lot of adversity to find a way to top the Coyotes in OT in Philly on Thursday. This is a tight-knit group that also finally has goalie Brian Elliott back from injury plus their prized of-season acquisition, James VanRiemsdyk is also back in practice and will be returning to game action within the next week or so. This match-up early Saturday is simply a case of two teams currently going in opposite directions. I know the Hawks want this game but they're lacking structure in their game with all the coaching madness and the Flyers have been playing well for weeks now. When Chicago enters a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games, they've lost 18 of 26. The Flyers, including post-season games, have won 16 of last 18 home games against the Blackhawks. 7* PHILADELPHIAÂ |
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11-09-18 | Blue Jackets +115 v. Capitals | Top | 2-1 | Win | 115 | 9 h 2 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - Revenge game for Columbus as the Capitals eliminated from the post-season last year. The Blue Jackets actually had a 2-0 lead in the series before losing 4 straight games. The road team won 5 of the 6 games in the series and I am happy to grab the underdog money line value here with the road team in this first match-up of this season as well. Columbus catches the Capitals off a win over the Penguins and that is always a big game for the Caps. Washington won 2-1 thanks to a late goal but they were outplayed in the game and were outshot 42-22. The Blue Jackets are well-rested here and have won 29 of 44 when they enter a game having had two days of rest between games. The Capitals are off back to back wins for the first time this season but, as you can see from the shots on goal, they were fortunate to beat the Penguins. Also, prior to these back to back wins in Washington, the Caps had lost 3 of their last 4 on home ice and 6 of their last 9 overall. Fiery Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella will have his boys ready to go here and I don't see them being denied in this key revenge opportunity. 10* COLUMBUS |
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11-08-18 | Islanders +185 v. Lightning | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 50 m | Show | |
Thursday Thrasher - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Thursday 6* New York Islanders Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:35 ET - This is a fantastic value spot. The Islanders are in first place in the Metropolitan Division and have been a pleasant surprise early this season. They are off a loss that snapped a 5-game winning streak. The Islanders also have revenge in this one as they lost the most recent match-up (at home) versus the Lightning and the Isles also lost in their most recent to Tampa Bay. In other words, there is plenty of motivation here as the Islanders look to quickly begin another winning streak. The Lightning could be complacent here. The Bolts have been playing well early this season but they enter this one on a 3-game winning streak and are 0-2 this season in that role. Also, TB is fortunate to be on a 3-game win streak as they never should have won at Ottawa two games ago. The Lightning have less rest (just 1 day) than the Islanders do here and it is the road dog off a loss that is going to be the hungrier team and likely to be bearing down harder on the puck here. Coach Barry Trotz has had a great impact with the Isles early this season and they are looking forward to the challenge at Tampa tonight. Note my rating on this play as the beauty of the big dog line value is a 6* risk amount pays out at more than a 10* reward! The fact is this a great "risk versus reward" spot and I am grabbing an Islanders team that is being severely undervalued here. Keep in mind, Tampa Bay is still without Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman. 6* NEW YORK ISLANDERS |
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11-06-18 | Stars +140 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 13 m | Show |
Next Level - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Tuesday 10* Top Play Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Stars are off a tough loss at Boston last night where they allowed the game-winning goal late in overtime when the Bruins were on a two-man advantage. This will only strengthen the resolve of Dallas here as the Stars have been playing extremely well and they have revenge on their minds here. Columbus has held the upper hand in recent seasons against the Stars. However, the Blue Jackets just returned from a West Coast trip. The first game back east after a trip out west is often the toughest and Columbus wasn't overly impressive on their trip. In fact they were fortunate to salvage a point out of the final game of the trip and easily could have ended up 1-2 on the 3-game roadie. Dallas is 5-1-1 their last 7 games and is going to take advantage of a Blue Jackets team that has lost 5 of its last 8 games. So far this season the Stars power play has been much better than that of Columbus. Additionally, the Dallas penalty kill also rates the edge over that of the Blue Jackets. It has been over two weeks since the Stars have lost B2B games and I expect them to get right back on track tonight. 10* DALLAS |
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11-04-18 | Sabres +118 v. Rangers | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 26 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Sunday NHL 8* Buffalo Sabres Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7 ET - The Sabres are rolling and I don't expect them to slow down at Madison Square Garden tonight. While it is true that the Rangers are seeking revenge from a loss at Buffalo 4 weeks ago - a game in which New York DID outplay the Sabres - the fact is that Buffalo is the team currently playing the better hockey. The Rangers have managed to win 3 of their past 5 games but they've been outshot by a margin of 179 to 127! Also, Henrik Lundqvist is a veteran goalie who certainly has deservedly earned many accolades throughout his career. However, the Rangers netminder has not been at his best of late. In fact, in the past 5 games he has started New York has allowed an average of 3.8 goals per game! As for the Sabres, since Linus Ullmark started yesterday, Carter Hutton is likely to get the nod in the crease tonight. Hutton is 4-0 with a sparkling 1.35 GAA and .960 save percentage versus the Rangers in his career. Additionally, the Sabres enter this game having outshot their opponents by a tally of 269 to 206 their last 7 games. Of course Buffalo is in a back to back here but, keep in mind, yesterday's game was an early afternoon start. Also, the Sabres don't play again until Thursday so they're definitely going to go "all out" on the ice this evening. Also, the Rangers are playing their first game since a West Coast road trip. That first game back East after a trip out West always tends to be the toughest one. I am grabbing the road dog here! 8* BUFFALO |
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11-01-18 | Jets -122 v. Panthers | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 6 h 12 m | Show | |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Thursday 7* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 2 PM ET (Game location: Helsinki, Finland) - These teams split their series last season but the Jets got the sweep the prior season. Another sweep could be on tap in Helsinki, Finland with these two squaring off in a special two set across the pond. Of course, one game at a time as the saying goes and I won't make my determination on Friday's game until Thursday's is in the books (and I may not even be involved in that one) but, the fact is that the Jets are the vastly superior team at this point in the season. Florida has lost 7 of their 9 games as they continue to struggle in goal without the services of Roberto Luongo. As for the Jets, they have their #1 goalie available in the form of Connor Hellebuyck and he actually is even being out-played by their #2 netminder, Laurent Broissoit. Florida would probably like to have either one of those guys considering how their own goaltenders have been playing early this season. In addition to an edge in the crease in this match-up, Winnipeg also has a huge edge in special teams. Both the Jets power plays and their penalty kill has been far superior to the special teams play of Florida so far this season. Winnipeg is coming off a loss and they have yet to lose back to back games this season! The Jets also have won 44 of 72 games against teams with a losing record. The Panthers have been hurt by slow starts in recent seasons as they have lost 50 of their last 85 games played in the first half of a season. Florida is in trouble again here as the Jets are hungry off a loss. 7* WINNIPEG |
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10-30-18 | Bruins +115 v. Hurricanes | Top | 3-2 | Win | 115 | 9 h 5 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Tuesday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - This is the perfect spot for a big play on Boston. The Bruins are off a home shutout loss versus the Canadiens despite having a double digit edge in shots on goal. Boston has had two days of rest since then and this game is followed by 3 days of rest which precedes a game against a Western Conference foe. In other words, there is no doubt that the Bruins are fully focused on this game. That is bad news for the Hurricanes as Carolina lost all 3 games with Boston last season and the Canes allowed an average of 5.7 goals per game in those 3 contests. Carolina has lost 4 of its last 6 games and they have lost 53 of their last 88 against teams with a winning record. The Hurricanes also have lost 28 of 41 Tuesday night games. Boston is the much better team on special teams in comparison with the Canes as they have a strong edge early this season both on the power play and on the penalty kill. The Bruins also have won 20 of 27 when playing with two days of rest between games. Look for a road rout here. 10* BOSTON |
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10-28-18 | Sharks -135 v. Ducks | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Sunday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) @ Anaheim Ducks @ 8:05 ET - On the season it is a miracle that the Ducks even have the "decent" record they do. No team is putting fewer pucks on net and no team is allowing more shots on goal than Anaheim. That said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Ducks have lost 4 straight games and 6 of their last 8. Now they must face an angry bunch of Sharks on Sunday and I don't expect this to go well for Anaheim. San Jose is off a road loss at Carolina (in OT) where they had leads of 2-0 and 3-1 and yet only could earn a point with the regulation tie. Coming off a loss is not the only motivation of the Sharks here. San Jose lost 5-2 to the Ducks to ruin their home opener and that was despite a 33-15 edge in shots on goal. Of course Anaheim was seeking revenge for last season's playoff sweep at the hands of the Sharks and they got it even though they were outshot by a more than 2 to 1 ratio! The fact is San Jose deserved better in that game and they will get the better of the Ducks in "round two" of their regular season match-ups tonight! Prior to the early October loss to the Ducks, San Jose had won 6 straight games against them. Also, the Sharks are 5-1 in their last 6 games at Anaheim. Lay it! 10* SAN JOSE SHARKS |
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10-26-18 | Lightning -108 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 0 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 6:05 ET - This is a special early start game (3:05 PT) Friday in Vegas as it is Nevada Day which is a holiday celebrating Nevada's statehood anniversary. In any event the early start time only helps Tampa Bay as it is played at 6 PM on their body clocks (ET) and, the fact is, the Lightning didn't really need any help here! They are playing fantastic hockey and limiting opponents chances and have been superb on special teams. TB has a 97% penalty kill rate and a 25.8% power play conversion rate. The Golden Knights have been solid on the penalty kill at 84% but are only scoring on 10.9% of their power plays! Vegas also is in trouble here from a double revenge standpoints. The Golden Knights won both games with the Bolts last season including on a late goal with 3 seconds left in their lone meeting in Vegas. The point is that the Lightning have plenty of motivation and this is a very strong hockey club that many expect to challenge for the Stanley Cup this season! The Lightning have won 29 of 42 road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Vegas has lost 4 of their 6 games against Eastern Conference foes this season and are definitely in a "sophomore slump" in their 2nd season in the league. It will be tough for them to repeat last year's success as everyone is gunning for them this season and that includes these Bolts! 10* TAMPA BAY |
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10-24-18 | Panthers +101 v. Islanders | Top | 3-2 | Win | 101 | 10 h 53 m | Show |
NHL Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play Florida Panthers Money Line (+) @ New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers, last night notwithstanding, have played much better than their record so far this season indicates. Of course that is why the odds makers (much sharper than the public) opened up with Florida as the favorite in this one! Now the line, as of early game day morning, has swung around to the Islanders as the favorite. This comes as no surprise to me and I love the Panthers in this spot. Even though this is a back to back for Florida, the situation absolutely favors them. The Islanders have been complaining about too much time off between games and they enter this one having been off for 3 straight days. Too much rest can take away your "game legs" and you just tend to not skate as well and you don't adjust as quickly to the action on the ice. Look for the Panthers to get the early jump on the Isles here and then keep their foot on the gas on the way to a big road win. Florida is so hungry for a strong performance after the tough one against the Rangers last night. The Panthers outhshot the Rangers but came up on the wrong end of the scoreboard but look for a stronger effort between the pipes tonight. In home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals, the Islanders have lost 24 of 36 games! The road team has won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these teams and the Panthers won their two games here last year by a combined score of 7 to 1. Look for another road rout here. 10* FLORIDA |
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10-23-18 | Sharks +116 v. Predators | Top | 5-4 | Win | 116 | 10 h 23 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Tuesday NHL 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - Of course this money line will entice people to take Nashville on home ice laying a short price. After all, the Sharks have lost 11 of their last 12 games in this building and the one win came in the shootout. However, San Jose is a very strong hockey team that is catching Nashville at the perfect time. The Predators are off a great road trip where their head coach challenged them and they delivered. I suspect they may not have enough left in the tank here to get past the hungry Sharks. Keep in mind, Nashville's Juuse Saros has been playing great between the pipes as Pekka Rinne is out right now but there is a reason Saros is the back-up and not the starter. Also, the Preds have the best record in the NHL at 7-1 so far but Nashville has played only 2 playoff teams from last season. In fact the non-playoff teams they've faced all finished 11th or worse in their respective conference standings last season. Though the Predators have a great goal differential this season note that their shot differential is only +1.6 a game while the Sharks have dominated in shot differential as they've registered a +12.3 shots per game. This is a great value spot with the Sharks and they catch the Preds feeling over-confident after the great road trip they just had. Nashville has lost 12 of 20 (-7.9 units!) when off a shutout win. Sharks have won 23 of their last 34 Tuesday games. 10* SAN JOSE |
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10-22-18 | Hurricanes v. Red Wings +146 | 3-1 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 2 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Monday 8* Detroit Red Wings Money Line (+) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - Sometimes all it takes is one! The Red Wings are off their first win of the season and I expect them to build on the momentum generated from that victory. Keep in mind the Red Wings did play very well in a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday. They then followed that up by getting the big 4-3 win at Florida Saturday. Now Detroit is back home and they want to make the most of this opportunity because they don't play again until a tough home match-up with Winnipeg on Friday. The Red Wings are catching the Hurricanes at the right time. Carolina is winless in their last 3 games and a one-game road trip to Detroit is unlikely to bring out the best in the Hurricanes. The Canes actually have lost 28 of 45 when off a loss by a multiple-goal margin. Also, Carolina has lost 19 of 28 when they enter a game on a streak of 3 or more consecutive unders! When you're not scoring many goals it is tough to win. Grab the undervalued home dog as they improve to 3-0 in their last 3 match-ups with the Hurricanes. 8* DETROIT |
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10-21-18 | Flames -135 v. Rangers | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 11 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Sunday 7* Calgary Flames Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Flames are a much improved team this season and they enter this game off a loss. Also, Calgary owes the Rangers some payback because New York has swept them each of the past two seasons. Look for payback to come in a big way here as the Flames are already 2-0 this season when off a loss and I also like the fact that Calgary has won 48 of their last 81 games against teams with a losing record. The Rangers are likely to end up being one of the worst teams in the league this season as they are in "rebuild mode". New York has lost 5 of their first 7 games this season and also have lost 54 of their last 92 games against teams with a winning record. Take the better team, hungry off a loss, seeking revenge, and at a great price as a rather small road favorite. 7* CALGARY |
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10-21-18 | Lightning -140 v. Blackhawks | 6-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show | |
Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Sunday 7* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 7 ET - Situations don't get much better than this. Both teams are in a back to back spot but the better team is the one off a loss while the lesser team is off a big upset win. Indeed the Blackhawks got the 4-1 win at Columbus last night as a road dog. As for the Bolts, they blew a 2-goal lead in an eventual 5-4 OT loss at Minnesota. Blowing a 2-goal lead is unusual for a Stanley Cup contender like the Lightning and I expect an angry Tampa Bay team to take the ice in Chicago tonight and show no mercy. They have been sweeping the Blackhawks in recent seasons and I look for them to get this season's series off to a 1-0 edge with a dominating road effort in this one. Tampa Bay was 4-1 on the season prior to last night's loss while Chicago had lost 3 of 4 before upsetting the Blue Jackets last night. The Lightning have won 39 of 61 when off a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The Blackhawks have lost 3 of 4 this season when off a game where they scored 4 or more goals. Also, Chicago has lost 47 of their last 78 games against teams with a winning record. 7* TAMPA BAY |
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10-20-18 | Lightning -133 v. Wild | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -133 | 9 h 6 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #17 Saturday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8 ET - This is a back to back spot for Minnesota so that means back-up goalie Alex Stalock is likely to get the start. If the Wild do instead decide to go with Devan Dubnyk it would be a tough spot for him as he'll be going on back to back nights and with travel involved and with coming off a tough game at Dallas that definitely involved exerting a lot of effort. This is Tampa Bay's first road game of the season and they are one of the top teams in the NHL and ready to use this 5-game road trip to the north and then west as a proving ground that this team is ready for "next level". Truly the Bolts have been close in recent seasons and they are very healthy right now (also got Ryan Callahan back) and, unlike Minnesota, they are well rested here too. The Lightning are 0-5-1 in their last 6 trips here so it is time to prove themselves on the road against the Wild. They did beat Stalock when they hosted Minny early last season. The Wild have lost 27 of 45 Saturday games and also have lost 18 of their last 31 when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. The Lightning have won 47 of their last 78 games against teams with a losing record and they are priced very well here as a rather small favorite. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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10-19-18 | Wild v. Stars -155 | 3-1 | Loss | -155 | 10 h 5 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Friday 6* Dallas Stars Money Line (-) vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - As long-time followers know, I rarely lay much juice in money line sports. I don't play big favorites. But this one is in the "moderate" price range (currently -155 range at time of posting) and the situation is too good to pass up. The home team won all 4 meetings between these teams last season. Also, the average margin of victory was 3 goals and none of the games were decided by less than 2 goals. In other words, a home rout here would not surprise. Adding to the value here is the situational aspect. The Wild are off a tight win but that was at home and they are winless on the road this season. The Stars are off back to back losses but those were on the road. The home/road dichotomy here is truly powerful. Dallas has won 3 of 4 home games with the only loss to an uber-talented Maple Leafs club. The Wild had lost 4 of 5 before barely squeaking by a Coyotes team that has had trouble scoring goals this season. Minnesota has lost 20 of 32 road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Dallas have won 249 of 410 long-term when off a game they lost by a margin of 2 goals or more. The Starts are +$81,700 at a dime per game in those situations. More of the same here. 6* DALLAS |
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10-18-18 | Coyotes +135 v. Blackhawks | 4-1 | Win | 135 | 9 h 55 m | Show | |
Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Thursday 8* Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:35 ET - The Coyotes have played so much better than their record indicates and this looks like the perfect spot for a road upset. Arizona has outshot their opponents by an average of 11.4 shots per game! The Coyotes are allowing only 2.2 goals per game on the season while the Blackhawks are allowing 4.2 goals per game on the season! Chicago is off a huge divisional win over St Louis so they could be flat here plus they might be lethargic as they haven't played since Saturday! The Blackhawks have lost 14 of their last 19 when they enter a game with 3 or more days of rest between games. Look for the Coyotes to finally find the back of the net a few more times tonight as they've just been snakebit in terms of goals but Chicago's subpar goaltending and defense thusfar this season proves to be the difference here. 8* ARIZONA |
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10-16-18 | Panthers v. Flyers -108 | 5-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 47 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Tuesday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The home team has won 5 straight meetings between these clubs. Philadelphia is 5-0 the last 5 times they've hosted the Panthers. Florida has only played 3 games so far this season but that doesn't change the fact that they are winless on the season and goalie James Reimer has struggled. The Flyers played a great game versus the defending Western Conference Champion Golden Knights Saturday but lost 1-0. The fact that Philly played so well in the defensive end is a sign of good things to come. Flyers goalie Brian Elliott has been strong in two of his four starts this season. Philly was 22-13-6 in home games last season while the Panters won just 17 of their 41 road games. Considering that as well as the very favorable line here, the play is on the small home favorite. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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10-13-18 | Hurricanes +137 v. Wild | 5-4 | Win | 137 | 8 h 2 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Saturday 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 6:05 ET - The Hurricanes are offering superb underdog line value here. Carolina is on fire with 3 straight wins and also riding a red hot goalie with Curtis McElhinney. The Canes have been off since Tuesday and that is also an added value here as the Wild are in a divisional sandwich situation. Minnesota is off of a big win versus Chicago Thursday and they have a huge game at Nashville on deck. This is definitely a "flat spot" game for the Wild and they beat the Hurricanes here 6-2 last March so payback is on the minds of Carolina in this one. The Canes are averaging 5.3 goals per game their last 3 games. The Wild have been held to just 1 goal in 2 of their 3 games this season. Minnesota has lost 26 of their last 44 Saturday games (-$14,600). Look for the Hurricanes to continue their roll and make it 4 straight. 8* CAROLINAÂ |
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10-11-18 | Avalanche -104 v. Sabres | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 13 h 5 m | Show |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Thursday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-) @ Buffalo Sabres @ 7 ET - The Avalanche are in the pick'em price range here and that is offering great line value with the much better team. Of course we get the low line here because the Avs are on the road and I love this spot for a bounce back for Colorado. The Avalanche started Phillip Grubauer in Tuesday's loss at Columbus but Semyon Varlamov should be back between the pipes for this one. Colorado is 2-0 with him in the crease this season and the Avs have won those two games by a combined score of 9-3. The Sabres are off rare back to back wins but note that Buffalo was oushot by a combined tally of 81 to 46. In other words, give some credit to the Sabres but also note that they've been quite fortunate. Sure there have been some changes for both hockey clubs coming into this season but, keep in mind, Buffalo was dead last in the standings last season out of all 31 NHL teams while the Avalanche made the playoffs last year. This is a tremendous value spot for taking the Avs at a great price and I won't pass it up and, in fact, am raising this one to Top Play status due to the superb line value. Sabres off B2B wins and Avalanche off a bad loss where they know they played poorly combines for a great situational spot. 10* COLORADOÂ |
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10-10-18 | Coyotes +145 v. Ducks | 3-2 | Win | 145 | 16 h 7 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 8* Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Anaheim Ducks @ 10:05 ET - The Coyotes haven't played since their Saturday home opener. In that game Arizona hosted Anaheim and lost 1-0 despite a 41-20 edge in shots on goal. In other words, payback time has arrived. The Ducks have won 3 straight games to open up the season while the Coyotes are 0-2 but, from a situational standpoint, this is a great value spot for backing the dog. Arizona has outshot Anaheim by a combined 37 shots in the last 3 meetings and yet only has 1 win to show for it. Give credit to Ducks goaltending but the Coyotes have also been getting good goaltending and though both teams are banged up right now, the list of players missing / hurting for Anaheim includes Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry, and Patrick Eaves - all out. Also, Ryan Getzlaf is questionable with a lower body injury. Even if he plays the Ducks may limit him as they have big road games on deck at Dallas and St Louis and Anaheim may feel they can "get by" without Getzlaf against the lowly Coyotes here at home. Of course upsets happen though and that is what I am calling for here as Arizona gets revenge for the Ducks having put a damper on their home opener. Anaheim, when on a winning streak of 3 game or more has lost 14 of 25 (-$6,600) the past two seasons. Upset alert as the hungrier team, the road dog, gets the job done here. 8* ARIZONA |
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10-09-18 | Sharks v. Flyers -101 | Top | 8-2 | Loss | -101 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:05 ET - Even though James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers prized off-season acquisition, is out for this game there is still plenty of positive buzz around this team right now. This is Philadelphia's home opener and the Flyers are in a great scheduling spot here as they've been off since Saturday. Philly is hungry as that Saturday game was a loss at Colorado which followed a fantastic effort on the ice in Vegas on Thursday as they upset the Golden Knights in a very tough barn to play in! Now the Flyers are in bounce back mode and while it is true that the Sharks are also in bounce back mode. It is also true that San Jose is in a tough scheduling spot. This is a back to back spot for the Sharks after they lost 4-0 against the New York Islanders yesterday. The scheduling situation certainly favors the Flyers. Also, San Jose will likely go with back-up goalie Aaron Dell between the pipes in this one as Martin Jones was in goal last night. Though Dell has had success against the Flyers in the past there is certainly a reason he has always been the back-up to Jones in San Jose. Big scheduling edge and great line value here for the home team as the Flyers opened up as the dog in this match-up. Also note that, in terms of special teams, the Sharks have yet to score a power play goal in their 3 games while they've also allowed a 25% conversion rate for their opponents on the power play this season. 10* PHILADELPHIA |
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10-08-18 | Golden Knights v. Sabres +120 | 2-4 | Win | 120 | 6 h 52 m | Show | |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #56 Monday 8* Buffalo Sabres Money Line (+) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3:05 ET - On the surface with this match-up you have the Western Conference Champion from last season facing a team that is annually one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference in recent seasons. However, as per usual, there is more than meets the eye on the surface and that is the key behind my contrarian plays. In this case I am taking the home dog Sabres whom have the added confidence of coming off of a home win and are catching Vegas at the perfect time to get another home win. You see, the Golden Knights only get one shot in Washington DC this season (since it is an Eastern Conference foe) and that is the game that is on deck for Vegas. Yes indeed, up next for the Golden Knights is the Stanley Cup rematch against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals. That said, it is going to be tough for Vegas to maintain proper focus here while the Sabres are most certainly going to be focused on this game and a chance to exact revenge for losing both games to the Golden Knights by a single goal last season. 8* BUFFALO |
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10-04-18 | Flyers +140 v. Golden Knights | 5-2 | Win | 140 | 11 h 41 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #69 Thursday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 10:05 ET - The Flyers are the healthier team coming into this match-up. Yes, goalie Michal Neuvirth is out but Brian Elliott is not necessarily a drop off in between the pipes. As for the Golden Knights, after their miracle season last year, there is likely to be a drop off this season. Off-season roster changes did not help Vegas and in fact hurt them. Speaking of hurting, the Golden Knights are also missing 3 skaters for this one. Defenseman Nate Schmidt is dealing with a 20-game suspension and center Cody Eakin and right winger Alex Tuch are dealing with injuries. The Flyers are very familiar with Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from his many years with the division rival Penguins so they know his tendencies, his strengths, his weaknesses. They beat Fleury and the Knights here in Vegas 4-1 last year. Though they lost the home game to Vegas, Philadelphia did outshoot the Golden Knights 40-29 in this game. Per all of the above, you can absolutely see why I am happy to back the sizable dog in this match-up. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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10-03-18 | Bruins +115 v. Capitals | 0-7 | Loss | -100 | 23 h 59 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 8* Boston Bruins Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - This is a chance at a "statement game" for the Bruins and they won't miss out on this opportunity to send a message. Unbelievably Boston has lost 12 straight games to the Capitals. The Bruins missed out on an opportunity at playoff revenge last spring when, in the 2nd round they fell to the Lightning which prevented a showdown with the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Capitals. The Bruins are ready to make "another run at it" this season and to prove they are ready Boston certainly needs to handle their nemesis here. The reason this money line is priced so low is because the odds makers are expecting the same thing the sharp bettors are here. The Bruins will prove to be the much hungrier team tonight while the Capitals are still relishing the enjoyment of finally hosting the Cup in June. Give me the very talented road dog in this match-up as they finally get past their nemesis. Keep in mind, Washington won all 3 games last season but didn't outshoot the Bruins in any of the contests. Very hungry road dog here. 8* BOSTON |
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06-07-18 | Capitals +130 v. Golden Knights | Top | 4-3 | Win | 130 | 11 h 52 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:10 ET - This line was a low as -130 when it first came out and it has now moved to as high as a -150 as of game day morning. This has opened up great value with Washington. Yes, everyone expects Vegas to bounce back because they are on home ice but home ice truly hasn't been that critical in Capitals games this post-season. The fact is the Golden Knights have already had two chances to bounce back and they haven't done it. The result has now been 3 straight losses this season. Although Vegas has never lost 4 straight games this season, Washington is 3-0 in potential close-out games in this post-season and ALL 3 of those wins came on the road. Also, the last 7 times the Capitals have entered a game on a 3-game winning streak, they are a perfect 7-0. Washington hasn't just won the last 3 games against Vegas, they've dominated. The 3-2 win they led 3-0 and the final score didn't reflect how well the Capitals played throughout the game. Then the past two games the Caps have won by a combined score of 9 to 3. As I have said throughout this series, the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin are so hungry for the Cup that has eluded them throughout his great career with Washington. As great of a story as Vegas has been this season, the Capitals have another thing going for them that the Golden Knights absolutely don't and the markets have overlooked this throughout this series. The Caps have a key core group that has played together for many seasons (including post-seasons) in their quest for the Cup. Of course for the Knights this is their inaugural season so it is a much different situation for them. They simply can't match the cohesiveness that the Capitals have. The players on the Caps know each others tendencies so well from playing together for many seasons. That is why their passing and ability to look crisp on the ice and "make the plays" has been so much better than the Knights throughout this series. With how well that the Capitals have played on the road throughout these playoffs, it is only fitting that the series will indeed end tonight with yet another Caps victory on enemy ice. The Capitals have allowed 2 goals or less in 5 of their last 6 games. The Golden Knights have not held the Caps to less than 3 goals in any of these games as Vegas is allowing an average of 4 goals per game. More of the same in what proves to be the final game of this post-season. 10* WASHINGTON |
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05-30-18 | Capitals +135 v. Golden Knights | Top | 3-2 | Win | 135 | 10 h 4 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Capitals are 4-1 (80%) in this post-season when trailing in a playoff series. Washington is a long-term 71-37 when playing with revenge and that includes 28-14 (67%) this season. After a loss by 2 goals or more, the Caps are 34-18 the past 3 seasons combined. While credit must be given to the Golden Knights for certain, I have never seen a team have so much "puck luck" throughout a post-season. Vegas has had "lady luck" on their side to say the least and a critical missed penalty in the 3rd period directly resulted in the Golden Knights game-tying goal. They never should have won Game 1. They won't win Game 2. They were out-hit in Game 1 and the Capitals are going to again "lower the boom" in Wednesday's game and Vegas gets pummeled in this one because you can not even begin to imagine the hunger that Alex Ovechkin and Company have for this game. The Golden Knights literally "stole" Game 1 and "payback" comes in a big way Wednesday and I am thrilled to have the generous underdog payback on my side in this one. 10* WASHINGTON |
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05-28-18 | Capitals +130 v. Golden Knights | Top | 4-6 | Loss | -100 | 24 h 41 m | Show |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Monday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - One may think that the Golden Knights have a rest "edge" here since they certainly have had more rest than the Capitals heading into this game. However, as has been stated many times in the past, rest can lead to "rust" when it is excessive. In this case, Washington has had 3 days off which is a nice break and adequate to heal up. As for Vegas, they have had a full week off! This is the perfect amount of time off to lose your edge, lose crispness of passes, lose the "flow of the game" because no matter how much a team practices it is simply not the same as doing game time "battle" on the ice. Keep in mind the Golden Knights lost Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Winnipeg and it had a lot to do with a sluggish start to the series because Vegas had been off for nearly a full week. Also, note that Washington is off of back to back shutouts and they are now 16-4 in recent seasons (including 3-0 this season) when they enter a game off of a shutout win. Also, Caps games have recorded 3 straight unders and the Capitals are 16-6 in recent seasons (including 6-1 this season) when they enter a game on a totals streak of 3 or more consecutive unders. Since the calendar turned the page to 2018, the Golden Knights have had 10 games where they were playing with 2 or more days of rest between games. They've won only 4 and lost 6 of those games. Much has been made of the Capitals success on the road in these playoffs and the fact is that it is no fluke as Washington actually is on a 15-3 run in road games dating back to early March! Overall, in the Caps playoff games this post-season, the road team has prevailed in 13 of 19 games! That said, there is great line value here as the home ice "edge" always bears a "price" and yet in this case it certainly is not justifiable given the factors above. 10* WASHINGTON |
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05-23-18 | Capitals v. Lightning -140 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -140 | 27 h 37 m | Show |
THE Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Wednesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Yes I am going "big" here considering I do play many underdogs in money line sports. However, this situation is so strong in my opinion (with this line dropping from as high as a -155 now down to as low as a -140) as of Tuesday afternoon, that this one demands being played large. The Lightning didn't play all that poorly in Game 6 it was just that the Capitals played out of their minds and certainly a couple breaks went their way as well. Credit is absolutely due to Washington for playing very physical as the game went on and for fighting hard for the home fans and forcing this Game 7. But don't be surprised if that game leaves them spent here. Yes I know it is just "one more game" for each team but the Caps really laid it all on the ice in Game 6 whereas Tampa Bay certainly didn't seem to have that same energy or jump in their skates. Rest assured you will see that from the Lightning Wednesday in Game 7. Lets not forget that Game 6 was Braden Holtby's first shutout of the ENTIRE season not just post-season. As for Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the loss was certainly not on him as he continued to play great and lets not forget that the Bolts had won 3 straight in this series before that loss. Also, Tampa Bay has won 24 of 34 when playing with revenge this season. Additionally, the Lightning have won 15 of 21 this season when they are off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. Washington is 2-4 their last 6 when they are on the road following a game they won by a margin of 3 or more goals. The Capitals notched 34 shots on goal in Game 6 and the Bolts are a fantastic 6-1 the last 7 times they've allowed their opponent 33 or more shots on goal. The Lightning respond, as usual in this type of situation, and this time it means a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-21-18 | Lightning +115 v. Capitals | Top | 0-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 3 m | Show |
East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is playing extremely well now after struggling in the series. Certainly he has helped lead the way to 3 straight Tampa Bay wins and I expect his success to continue tonight. Prior to Tampa's Game 5 home win (much more dominant than the final score indicates by the way), the road team in Capitals games was on a 12-4 run! That said, even with Saturday's result included, there has been a strong trend toward no home ice edge in Washington's post-season games. Of course odds makers still give shading to the home team as long-term history supports that. However, that is where value comes into play and we have it again here as the Bolts are the better team, getting better goaltending, and playing with a ton of confidence right now. The Capitals are enduring another one of their famed post-season collapses in a series and that sets this one up well for a road rout. The Lightning are 10-4 (including 5-1 this season) when leading in a playoff series. Dating back to March 30th, the Capitals have lost 7 of their last 11 home games. Also, in their last 8 games the Capitals have scored only 5 power play goals but have allowed 10. The Bolts surge continues and the Caps season ends tonight. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-20-18 | Golden Knights v. Jets -133 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -133 | 15 h 45 m | Show |
Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #8 Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 3:05 ET - The very first money line that came out on this game was in the wee hours of the morning Saturday soon after Vegas had won Game 4 on Friday night. The opener was a 170 and this line is now down to as low as a 133 as of the wee hours of the morning on game day. This is offering insane value to the home team. Yes the Golden Knights have won 3 straight in this series but the Jets are known for responding on home ice. That said, while credit is certainly due to Vegas and particularly goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for his fantastic goaltending performance of late, the fact remains that Winnipeg has made mistakes that have led to easy goals for the Knights. I don't see those same mistakes continuing and that is particularly true on home ice where Winnipeg has been so dominant all season. In fact, when the Jets are playing on home ice following a loss, they have won 14 of 15 games this season. I just don't see them being eliminated north of the border. The Golden Knights are going to get the Jets "best" in this game and that means a result similar to the Game 1 blowout here in Winnipeg. The big drop on the price from the opener has allowed me to raise this play to my highest level. Tremendous value here. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-19-18 | Capitals v. Lightning -162 | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show | |
East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #6 Saturday 7* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:15 ET - As long-time followers I play mostly dogs and totals in money line sports (NHL and MLB). However, when it is playoff time and there aren't as many games on board I'll gladly lay a moderate price when I see the value. I still will never lay a big price. Not even in the post-season. In this case we have great value on the home fave Lightning as they opened up as high as a -185 on the money line but are now as a low as a -162 as of early game day morning. Note that my top play rating is a 10* and most of my other premium picks get assigned an 8* rating. In this case we'll drop to a 7* rating due to the moderate price and that means we're laying about 11* here which is the same lay amount we'd have on any 10* in the spread sports of basketball and football. I know that road teams have dominated in this series but this is the game that changes. After the Bolts got upset on home ice in EACH of the first two games they could have packed it in but they fought back and now have all the momentum on their side. The Capitals have a history of playoff collapses and you know this is weighing heavily on their minds right now. Long-term the Caps have lost 121 of 219 road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more while Tampa Bay has won 26 of 37 home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more this season! The Lightning are a perfect 4-0 this season (and won the games by a combined score of 17 to 7) when they are on home ice and have lost each of their prior 2 home games! In other words, the Bolts have never lost 3 straight home games this season! 7* TAMPA BAY |
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05-18-18 | Jets +107 v. Golden Knights | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 1 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - The Jets are 8-2 this season when they enter a game on a losing streak of 2 or more games. Winnipeg is going to carry momentum to Game 4 from their huge effort in the 3rd period of Game 3 on Wednesday. In that game the Golden Knights scored early on a bit of a "fluke" play that led to a turnover. Then Vegas was buoyed by some incredible saves by Marc-Andre Fleury as well as some help from the pipe making saves and there have been quite a few that have rung off the post or cross-bar in this series. The Jets have won 12 of 16 Friday games. They have won 32 of 46 when playing with revenge and also Winnipeg has won 13 of 19 when coming off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. Even with the win on Wednesday, Vegas is just 2-4 the last 6 times they've been off of a victory by a margin of 2 or more goals. The Jets are known as a high-scoring team and, prior to these past two games, Golden Knights goalie Fleury had allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of his last 6 games. The Jets are an incredible 10-1 this season when they enter a game having been held to 2 goals or less in 2 or more consecutive games. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-17-18 | Lightning +103 v. Capitals | Top | 4-2 | Win | 103 | 12 h 32 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Thursday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The road ice edge belongs to Tampa Bay in this one. All kidding aside, road teams continue to dominate in Washington's post-season games. The road team has won 11 of the Capitals 15 playoff games. As for the Lightning, they lost their first road game of the post-season but they certainly haven't looked back nor dwelled on it. The Bolts have since won 4 straight playoff games away from home! Long-term, Tampa Bay is 24-11 when trailing in a playoff series and the way they played in Game 3 has the Capitals feeling like "oh no...here we go again" as they've been known for playoff collapses in recent seasons. It is because of this key factor that all the pressure is on the Caps here. Washington knows they can ill afford to go back down to Tampa Bay with this series now tied. This is a lot of pressure to deal with and the Capitals are likely to be squeezing the sticks a little tight in this one! Conversely, the Lightning are feeling rejuvenated and alive with energy and confidence after getting back into the series with a resounding Game 3 win. The Bolts are 34-15 this season when off of a game where they scored at least 4 goals. Look for TB to stay hot here. Dating all the way back to December 1st there have been only two occurrences where the Lightning won only 1 game. In other words, they've been consistently building streaks over the past 5 and 1/2 months. When they win a game it is usually the beginning of at least a 2-game streak and I expect that to prove to be the case again here. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-16-18 | Jets +125 v. Golden Knights | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 20 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - The Jets are a perfect 3-0 in this post-season when tied up in a series. Also, Winnipeg is 32-13 this season when playing with revenge. When off of a loss by a multiple goal margin this season the Jets have responded by going 13-5 in their next game. The Golden Knights are off the big 3-1 road win Monday but previously were just 18-14 in their 32 prior games. The Jets have not lost back to back games since mid-March. Since then, Winnipeg is a perfect 6-0 when off of a loss. Also, the Jets were a long-term 20-5 their last 25 games before that poor result in Game 2 on home ice. Winnipeg responds big here. Yes Vegas is a tough venue to play in but the Jets are 7-2 in their last 9 road games and the Golden Knights have lost 6 of their last 15 home games. In other words, it is not like Vegas is unbeatable on home ice and I love getting the plus money value here with the team I absolutely expect to represent the Western Conference in the Finals. The Jets had more regular season points than any other team that still remains in the playoffs and, keep in mind, they won that huge Game 7 at Nashville (the #1 seeded team) to get to this point. The Jets will be ready here. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-15-18 | Lightning +107 v. Capitals | Top | 4-2 | Win | 107 | 21 h 39 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - Though the Capitals pleaded with the league front office to allow them to play Game 3 in Tampa Bay, NHL officials demanded that the game game take place in Washington. I jest of course but the fact is that the Capitals have been great on the road in these playoffs and certainly have not played well on home ice. The road team has won 10 of the Caps 14 post-season games thus far. The Lighting, embarrassed by the way they played on home ice thus far in this series, are certainly going to come to play tonight on the road at Washington! The Bolts are 22-9 this season when off of a loss. That includes 6-2 when Tampa Bay is entering a game off of 2 or more consecutive defeats. The Lightning went 23-10 this season when playing with revenge and that includes 11-4 when it is home loss revenge. After a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more the Lightning went 14-6 this season. When off of B2B losses by 2 or more goals (RARE!) the Bolts went 3-1 this season. When the Capitals enter a game on a winning streak of 4 or more games they went 2-6 this season! The Lightning are simply too strong of a hockey team to not "circle the wagons" and get back into this series with a win. I look for that win to come tonight in Game 3 and we're getting great line value since they are on the road. 10* TAMPA BAYÂ |
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05-12-18 | Golden Knights v. Jets -140 | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 34 h 46 m | Show | |
Best in West - Rickenbach NHL Game #22 Saturday 8* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:05 ET - Though the Jets just wrapped up a grueling 7-game series with the Predators, one could argue they might be in a better situation here than the Golden Knights. That is because Winnipeg stays in the "flow" and stays "sharp" because they just played on Thursday and now host Vegas on Saturday. Also, the Jets did have 2 days off before that Game 7 finale at Nashville. As for the Golden Knights, I am a believe in the saying that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. That is the case here with Vegas as too much rest can lead to some rust. Having not played since Sunday, the Golden Knights are unlikely to be as "game-ready" as the Jets here. Keep in mind too that Winnipeg has been fantastic at home this season while Vegas was only mediocre on the road the final couple months of the regular season. Also, the Golden Knights, since the calendar hit 2018 are 1-4 when they are on the road and off of a game they won by a margin of 3 goals or more. Winnipeg lost their most recent game against Vegas and that is noteworthy here as the Jets are 31-13 when playing with revenge this season. Winnipeg is off of a 5-1 blowout win over the Preds Thursday. The Jets, since the calendar turned to 2018, had allowed 1 goal or less in 16 games. Their result in the next game is a 13-3 winning record. Look for another big home win here! 8* WINNIPEG |
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05-10-18 | Jets +140 v. Predators | Top | 5-1 | Win | 140 | 10 h 19 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Thursday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The Jets are 30-13 this season when playing with revenge. After getting blasted 4-0 on home ice Monday, they've had two days in between games so there is plenty of aggression ready to be unleashed on the ice Thursday. That said, in this Game 7 I look for Winnipeg to come out flying. Keep in mind the Jets have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 7 visits to Nashville. There is certainly not a big home ice for the Predators here. The Jets have averaged 4 goals per game in their last 7 games here. The Preds have actually been held to 2 goals or less in 3 of their last 4 home games. In this series the road team has actually outshot the home team in 5 of the 6 games. I feel we're getting excellent line value here with the sizable road dog. The net edge in shots on goal in this series is 10 extra shots per game for the road team. On average every 10 shots usually equates to 1 goal. Give the road team the 1 goal edge here and look for Winnipeg to fire back strong after what happened in Game 6 north of the border. The Predators have lost 14 of 21 when tied in a playoff series. Also, Nashville has lost 14 of 24 (-$7,800) when off of a shutout win. The Jets are 12-5 this season when off of a loss by a margin of 2 or more goals this season and they bounce back strong here to advance to the Western Conference finals. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-07-18 | Predators v. Jets -145 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -145 | 14 h 25 m | Show |
Best Bet Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Monday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-) vs Nashville Predators @ 9:35 ET - Many books opened this one up in the -160 range and yet the markets had pushed this as low as a -140. As of game day morning there are still some books as low as a -145 on this one. The fact is that the markets are still grasping on to the fact that the Predators made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring. However, Nashville is not the hockey club they were last year and the Jets are on home ice where they've dominated. Winnipeg lost their most recent game on home ice (in Game 4) but the Jets had previously won 13 straight at home! What is amazing about this 13-1 run is that Winnipeg has allowed an average of just 2 goals per game! It is no wonder they've dominated on home ice with numbers like that because this is a Jets team that has averaged 4 goals per game on home ice this season! While Winnipeg is so tough on home ice, note that the Predators have now allowed 4 or more goals in 4 of the 5 games in this series! Pekka Rinne is struggling between the pipes and the Preds production on offense is also down as they've been held to 2 goals or less in 4 of their last 7 games. The home team has had more shots on goal in 4 of the 5 games in this series and the average margin has been 14 shots in those 4 games! With the Jets being the best team on home ice all season long (and yet losing their most recent game here), they are well worth laying the price here as they bring their top effort of the series in an effort close it out tonight at home. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-07-18 | Capitals +175 v. Penguins | 2-1 | Win | 175 | 12 h 3 m | Show | |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Monday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The markets continue to be enamored with the Penguins. Of course Pittsburgh is the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. However, the very first money lines that popped up on this "win or go home" game for the Pens were in the -165 range and now, as of early game day morning, the Penguins are as high as -200 faves here! The fact is that Pittsburgh certainly is not the dominant team they were in the past two post-seasons and the Capitals see "the blood in the water" here and are ready to finish them off. Home ice continues to be overvalued. Note that the Penguins have a losing record on home ice in this post-season and, before winning Game 2 of this series at home, the Pens had actually lost 3 straight games in Pittsburgh. As for the Capitals, they are a sparkling 4-1 in the post-season on enemy ice. You read that right...before the Game 2 loss at Pittsburgh, the Caps had won all 4 of their road playoff games in this post-season. The big key here is that the Penguins have allowed 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 post-season games. As for Washington, they have not allowed more than 3 goals in a playoff game in ANY of their last NINE games! The Capitals have allowed an average of only 2.4 goals per game during this 9-game stretch. Big upset expected here as all the pressure is on the Penguins and struggling goalie Matt Murray. 8* WASHINGTON |
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05-06-18 | Golden Knights v. Sharks -140 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -140 | 11 h 12 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #66 Sunday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (-) vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:35 ET - No team has won 2 straight games in this series and I look for that pattern to continue here. The Sharks are 21-9 this season when off of a game where they allowed 4 or more goals. Also, when on home ice in that situation, it has been a perfect 4-0 run the last 4 occurrences. The Golden Knights are 4-5 their last 9 road games. Vegas has been held to 1 goal or less in 5 of last 9 road games. The Golden Knights have allowed 3 or more goals in 5 of last 7 games away from home. In Game 5 on home ice Vegas won the shots on goal battle but that was the first time since Game 1 and that first game had an edge of only 1 shot for the Golden Knights. The Sharks actually had outshot Vegas by 27 shots on goal in Games 2 through 4 and they'll wrestle back the momentum here on home ice where San Jose has won 13 of their last 18 games. With a very fair price here (moderate favorite), the Sharks are well worth the investment in this elimination game situation. 10* SAN JOSE |
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05-05-18 | Jets +145 v. Predators | Top | 6-2 | Win | 145 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Saturday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 9:45 ET - The Jets won Game 1 in Nashville as Pekka Rinne had a bad game. Since then these teams have alternated wins and losses but Winnipeg has actually outshot the Predators in all 3 games. The Jets hold an edge of 128 to 100 in shots on goal over the Preds in the last 3 games. The road team has won 4 of the last 8 meetings between these teams and clearly there has been no home ice edge in recent match-ups between these teams. Keep in mind, in 2nd round games for all these series, the road team actually has won more than the home team. There continues to be value with road teams in the right spot and that is particularly true when they are the better team. I am convinced that Winnipeg is the better team in comparison with Nashville and we're getting a sizable plus money return here. Keep in mind, the Jets have held the Predators to 2 goals or less in 2 of the 4 games in this series. As for the Preds, prior to their Game 4 win, they had not held the Jets to less than 4 goals in any of the 4 prior games. In fact, Winnipeg averaged scoring 5 goals per game in those 4 games. Look for another offensive explosion from the Jets here as they come out firing on all cylinders after the 2-1 loss in Game 4 snapped a 13-game winning streak on home ice. The Jets are 29-13 this season when playing with revenge. Nashville is a long-term 7-13 when tied in a playoff series. 10* WINNIPEG |
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05-05-18 | Penguins v. Capitals -105 | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 10 h 49 m | Show | |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #60 Saturday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:15 ET - The Capitals are 42-20 in home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals and that includes 20-10 this season. The Penguins are 31-38 (-$14,000) in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals and that includes 7-9 this season. The Pens have also lost 12 of 21 Saturday games this season while the Caps have won 15 of 19 Saturday games this season! Washington is also an incredible 37-11 when off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less and that includes a stellar 14-3 this season. Look for the Capitals to bounce back strong on home ice in Game 5 after losing 3-1 Thursday. Keep in mind, the Caps had scored 4 goals in each of the prior two games in this series. In fact, the Capitals had averaged 3.5 goals per game in their 6 prior games versus Pittsburgh. The Penguins had scored an average of just 2 goals per game in their 4 prior games versus the Caps. 8* WASHINGTON |
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05-04-18 | Lightning +145 v. Bruins | Top | 4-3 | Win | 145 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #23 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The public is going to be all over the Bruins here. After all, they are on home ice and down 2-1 in this series. It is basically a must win for Boston. Here is the problem with that theory. The Lightning have proved throughout this series that they are the better and much deeper team. The only reason Tampa Bay lost Game 1 was because goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had a rare poor game between the pipes. He certainly has bounced back, as expected, since then and the Bolts have dominated play throughout this series. Not only have the Bolts outshot the Bruins in every game in this series, it has been a decided edge. Tampa Bay has a 104-73 edge in shots on goal and yes that averages an edge of 10 extra shots on goal per game compared to Boston. I look for more of the same here. The Lightning are 21-6 in second round playoff games and also 8-4 (including 3-1 this season) when leading in a playoff series. Look for the Bruins to drop to 1-3 when trailing in a playoff series. Also, Boston is only 29-34 (-$15,100) when playing with home loss revenge. 10* TAMPA BAYÂ |
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05-03-18 | Capitals +150 v. Penguins | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 30 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The public is going to be on Pittsburgh here. The Penguins are the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions and are in a 2-1 hole on home ice. Of course with the public backing Pittsburgh you know where my money is but it is not without good logic. The fact is that the Tom Wilson suspension for the Capitals could have an interesting impact here. Are the Penguins ready to battle back in this series or will they get caught playing too physical trying to retaliate for the Wilson hit that broke the jaw of Zach Aston-Reese? The fact is that this could actually prove to be a bit of a distraction for the Pens. As for the Caps, they've had so much playoff disappointment there is no way Alex Ovechkin and Company aren't coming out strong in this one. Washington knows they can not afford to take their foot off the gas and what I particularly love about the value in this play is that there is always significant shading toward the home team in hockey and yet it doesn't add up here! The road team has won 7 of the last 10 playoff games in this match-up. With their win in Game 3, Washington now has wins in 3 of their last 4 playoff games played at Pittsburgh. Remember last year's series went 7 games and the road team won 5 of those. The road team is 2-1 so far in his year's series and the Capitals Braden Holtby has been sharper than the Penguins Matt Murray so far in this series. 10* WASHINGTON |
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05-02-18 | Lightning +120 v. Bruins | Top | 4-1 | Win | 120 | 10 h 33 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bolts outshot the Bruins by a combined 67-44 in the two games in Tampa. However, they only have a 1-1 split to show for it and that means TB must get at least 1 win in Boston to wrestle back the home ice edge in this series. Look for that win to come tonight. The Lightning are 7 for 25 (28%) on the power play in road games dating back to late March. In their last 19 penalty kills on the road, the Bolts have conceded just 2 goals! The Bruins are on an overall 3 for 16 run on the power play their last 7 games. Very few chances and a conversion rated below 20%! Also, Boston has allowed 5 power play goals on their opponents last 15 chances with the man advantage. Allowing opponents to convert 33% of power play opportunities is bad news! The Bruins are 15-17 (-$10,600) when tied in a playoff series and I feel they are again over-priced in that role here at home. In second round playoff games, the Lightning are an incredible 20-6 (+$13,200) and I'll gladly grab the underdog value here with the team playing better overall hockey, getting better goaltending, and playing better on special teams as well. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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05-01-18 | Capitals +120 v. Penguins | Top | 4-3 | Win | 120 | 9 h 21 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Tuesday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:35 ET - The Capitals got the Game 2 win on home ice. However, road teams have dominated the post-season games involving BOTH the Caps and the Pens in these playoffs. Prior to the Game 2 result, the Penguins prior 6 post-season games had seen the road team go a perfect 6-0! As for Washington, the road team had won 6 of their 7 prior post-season games! Pittsburgh is the more banged up team entering this contest. While Washington's Tom Wilson is probable (no suspension), the Penguins have 3 players listed as questionable for tonight's game. Brian Dumoulin, Carl Hagelin, and Evgeni Malkin are all dealing with injuries. The Pens are just 1 for 15 on the power play their last 5 games. The Capitals have converted 10 of their last 31 power plays. Look for the road dominance involving both of these hockey clubs to continue here. 10* WASHINGTON |
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04-30-18 | Bruins v. Lightning -145 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 10 m | Show |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #16 Monday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning lost game one badly on home ice but actually outshot the Bruins 36 to 24. Off of a rare sub-par game, Andrei Vasilevskiy will bounce back between the pipes tonight for Tampa Bay. The Bolts are 10-3 this season when playing with home loss revenge. Also, the Lightning are 43-25 (including 13-5 this season) when off of a loss by a margin of two goals or more. The Bruins are a long-term 64-87 in road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Also, Boston is 2-4 when leading in a playoff series. The Lightning are 4-0 the last 4 times they've been held to two goals or less in a game. I just don't see TB going down 2 games to 0 on home ice to open up this series. That said, even though -145 is a moderate price range, I am fully comfortable elevating the rating on this one to my Top Play level. 10* TAMPA BAY |
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04-29-18 | Jets v. Predators -165 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 11 h 46 m | Show | |
Primetime Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #14 Sunday 7* Nashville Predators Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - It is rare for me to lay big juice and certainly I won't lay 2 to 1 prices. Come playoff time however there are cases where I will get into a higher price range like this one (-165) when the situation is very strong. I mitigate the risk of a little pricier fave by reducing the star rating. Note that most of my plays are 10* and most of my plays are 8* but on a play like this I will reduce my rating to 7*. The Predators outshot the Jets 48-19 in Game 1 but lost 4-1 on the scoreboard. Simply put it was "one of those games" as the saying goes. You can fully expect that Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck will come back down to earth after his amazing performance in Game 1 while certainly the Predators will get better netminding here! The Preds are 8-4 this season after being held to 1 goal or less in a game and Nashville also is 23-12 when playing with revenge. The Jets have a losing record the past 3 seasons combined in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Also, Winnipeg has a losing record this season when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. Just don't see the Predators losing both games on home ice to open up this series; especially after the played well in Game 1 but the results just didn't translate to the scoreboard. In Game 2, they will. 7* NASHVILLE |
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04-29-18 | Penguins v. Capitals -115 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 7 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Sunday 8* Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - The Capitals limited the Penguins to just 17 shots through 2 periods in Game 1 but then blew a 2-goal lead in the 3rd period and lost 3-2. Washington has now killed off 18 straight penalties and I look for their efforts to yield much better results in Game 2 after the puck was certainly bouncing the way of the Pens in Game 1. The Capitals outshot Pittsburgh 34-25 Thursday but ended up on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Caps will respond with resolve here and Pittsburgh's Carl Hagelin and Evgeni Malkin are still dealing with injuries. One or both may not play here and certainly neither is 100%. In road games with a posted total of 6 goals the Penguins have a losing record this season and the past 3 seasons combined. The Capitals have won 24 of 35 when playing with revenge this season and they get the job done in that role again here after having had 2 full days off to get fired up after losing a game they should have won on Thursday. 8* WASHINGTON |
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04-27-18 | Jets +136 v. Predators | Top | 4-1 | Win | 136 | 14 h 23 m | Show |
Top Play Special - Rickenbach NHL Game #83 Friday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line (+) @ Nashville Predators @ 8:05 ET - The home team will get plenty of love here from the markets but the Jets have won 4 of their last 5 road games and I was more impressed with the Minnesota club they beat then the Avalanche team the Predators got past in the first round. Yes the Avs have some talent but they didn't have their starting goalie and then they lost their #2 goalie during the series and yet the Predators still were taken to 6 games in that series. What the Jets did against the Wild was much more impressive as, keep in mind, Colorado barely even made it into the post-season and their goalie situation was troublesome. Both Winnipeg and Nashville enter this series off of shutout wins to end their prior respective series. The Predators have lost 13 of 23 (-$6,200) when off of a shutout win in recent seasons while the Jets have won 6 of 8 this season when off of a shutout victory. The Preds only 11-11 in Friday games in recent seasons while Winnipeg has won 11 of 15 Friday games this season. The Jets enters this series having converted 3 of last 12 power plays while the Predators are 0 for 9 with the man advantage in their last 3 games. Also, Pekka Rinne had a couple of rough games in the Avs series while Connor Hellebuyck has had only 1 bad start in his last 7 starts. I like the value with the underdog here. 10* WINNIPEG |
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04-26-18 | Penguins v. Capitals -120 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -120 | 10 h 29 m | Show |
Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #88 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (-) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins are without Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin for this game. The Capitals have playoff revenge from last year when they rallied back against the Penguins (after being down 3-1 in series) but lost Game 7 on home ice. The Caps will be ready here and they have plenty of momentum after the way they battled with Columbus. Sometimes it actually helps a team to keep playing and not have any extended time off. Right now Washington is in a good cycle with game day and off day basically alternating perfectly. The Capitals did get some extra rest with their clinching win coming Monday. The Penguins wrapped up their series even though as they wrapped up Sunday with the Flyers. The Pens also have extra rest but the losses of Malkin and Hagelin are definitely impacting. The Pens have lost 16 of 29 (-$7,900) this season in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Both teams have been strong on the penalty kill in this post-season but the Capitals have the edge on the power play. Pittsburgh has converted 6 of 31 with the advantage dating back to their regular season finale. The Capitals have scored on 9 of their last 27 power plays! 10* WASHINGTON |
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04-25-18 | Maple Leafs +155 v. Bruins | Top | 4-7 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 58 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #25 Wednesday 10* Top Play Toronto Maple Leafs Money Line (+) @ Boston Bruins @ 7:35 ET - The Maple Leafs are rolling with confidence right now. Yes the first two games of this series were ugly losses at Boston. However, they won Game 5 here and, overall, have now won 3 of the last 4 games in this series. In those games Toronto has outscored Boston 12-9. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Leafs have rallied back to force a Game 7. The confidence of this team, the way that goalie Frederik Andersen has responded after some tough times, the fact that the pressure is on Boston here to avoid another collapse in a playoff series...it all adds up to quite a lot of line value on the underdog Maple Leafs in this one. Toronto has won 8 of the last 12 match-ups between these teams. Andersen was in goal for all but one of those dozen games. Look for him to be a difference maker here. He has a .936 save percentage the last 4 games. As for the Bruins Tuukka Rask, he has an .894 save percentage in the last 4 games. Boston is just 1 for 9 on the power play in the last 4 games while the Maple Leafs are 3 for 10 on the power play in the last 5 games. Of course the Bruins have revenge here after dropping back to back games in this series but they have lost 66 of 119 (money burning -$34,800) when playing with revenge in recent seasons. 10* TORONTO |
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04-23-18 | Capitals v. Blue Jackets +100 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 44 m | Show |
Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #20 Monday 10* Top Play Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Blue Jackets outplayed the Capitals in Game 5 but lost. It happens. However, that doesn't change the fact that we're now getting great line value with Columbus on their home ice and their backs against the wall. The Jackets won the first two games and yet now have lost three straight games. However, no one could truly argue that the Capitals are the better team in this match-up. In fact, Columbus was the better team in Game 5 and now they are on home ice and yet they're not even favored. This is the true definition of line value and a spot that is a perfect one to step up big. When leading in a playoff series the Capitals have lost 25 off 44 (-$14,600). Washington, when on the road and on an overall streak of 3 or more consecutive wins, have lost 4 of 6 this season! The Blue Jackets have won 22 of 35 home games with posted total of 5.5 goals this season and they'll get another one here after the bounces of the puck (and the calls) really went against them in Game 5 Saturday. 10* COLUMBUS |
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04-23-18 | Bruins v. Maple Leafs +115 | 1-3 | Win | 115 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #18 Monday 8* Toronto Maple Leafs (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs got the big win at Boston in Game 5 to stay alive in the series. Toronto now has the added benefit of Game 6 on home ice tonight as they look to force Game 7. With that win on Saturday, the Leafs are now a fantastic 20-11 when trailing in a playoff series. The Maple Leafs are also 27-13 in home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. The Bruins are a long-term 63-86 in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Also, Boston has lost 15 of their last 26 April games. The Bruins are just 1 for 7 on their last 8 power plays while the Maple Leafs have converted 3 of their last 7 power play opportunities. Don't be surprised if special teams play proves to be a difference maker tonight and the Leafs will likely do better about getting more calls now that their back on home ice. They certainly were on the wrong end of the calls Saturday. That won't happen again Monday. 8* TORONTO |
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04-22-18 | Predators v. Avalanche +163 | Top | 5-0 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 34 m | Show |
Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #76 Sunday 10* Top Play Colorado Avalanche Money Line (+) vs Nashville Predators @ 7:05 ET - The Avalanche have received an incredible boost from the play of Andrew Hammond between the pipes. He came on in relief of Jonathan Bernier in Game 4 and then got his first start in Game 5 and all Hammond has done is save 52 of 53 shots! Playoff teams are known for riding hot goalies and Colorado is certainly "feeling it" right now. That said, and with this game also at home, the Avs are in a great spot for a huge upset win at a great comeback price. Keep in mind, these teams have alternated wins and losses in the last 4 games and the only win by a multiple goal margin in the last 4 games was when Colorado dominated the Predators in Game 3 on home ice. The Avalanche are an incredible 17-6 on home ice in games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Nashville has a losing record (13-14) long-term when leading in a playoff series and they are simply very over-priced here given that they are on the road, Hammond is red hot between the pipes, and the Avs are looking to stave off elimination in their own barn. 10* COLORADO |
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04-22-18 | Penguins v. Flyers +150 | 8-5 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 37 m | Show | |
PA Insider - Rickenbach NHL Game #74 Sunday 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3:05 ET - Even if Evgeni Malkin plays he will not be 100%. He did not practice yesterday. The Penguins have plenty of star power but he certainly is one of the biggest. I do expect him to play but I don't expect him to be full strength. This could be a key factor here and we all saw how much better the Flyers were when they got Sean Couterier back for a Game 5 that kept their season alive. Philadelphia is starting to believe and they've got this game on home ice. They've already beaten the Penguins twice as big dogs in this series and they are a rather sizable dog too here as well. Michal Neuvrith also made his first start of the post-season between the pipes and he was fantastic for the Flyers in Game 5. He is certainly another impact player here and Philly has won 8 of 13 home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. Surprisingly, the mighty Penguins haven't been so mighty in this particular scenario as they've lost 16 of 28 (-$8,900) road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals this season. The Flyers started out fantastic in Game 4 on home ice in the first period but were undeservedly down 1-0 and things unraveled from there. That is highly unlikely to happen again Sunday and I am grabbing the highly motivated and, arguably, healthier team in this one. 8* PHILADELPHIA |
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04-21-18 | Blue Jackets +150 v. Capitals | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 5 h 50 m | Show | |
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #69 Saturday 8* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 3:05 ET - The road team is a perfect 4-0 in this series. The Capitals certainly have a reputation of choking so don't think for a second that just because they tied up the series by winning two straight at Columbus that they actually have this locked up now. Look for the Blue Jackets to come out with a ton of fire in this one as fiery coach John Tortorella has them ready to go here. The Jackets won 16 of 23 this season when off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. The Capitals lost 15 of 29 this season when off of a game they won by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, Washington has lost 3 of their last 4 when tied in a playoff series. Upset time. 8* COLUMBUS |
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