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Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Friday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 goals -110 vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7:35 ET - The Bruins loss last night at Florida kept the door open for Tampa Bay to have a shot at the #1 seed in the east. Boston has now lost 3 straight games and the Bolts can take advantage here with a late season push. The Lightning, surprisingly, are playing this game with double revenge against the lowly Sabres. TB lost when they most recent met in Tampa and also lost their most recent visit to Buffalo. That said they have payback on their minds and the Sabres are unlikely to be able to do much about it. Buffalo is very banged up and also has injuries at the goalie position. That should turn this into a home blowout as the Sabres last 8 losses have all come by at least 2 goals. In fact, 7 of those 8 Buffalo losses have come by 3 or more goals! As for the Lightning, 8 of their last 11 games have been decided by 2 or more goals. In other words, don't look for a 1 goal game here and of course I am not laying big money lines. Never have and never will. That said, the -110 price range available on the -1.5 goals here is offering great value. Buffalo has lost 27 of 38 games against teams with a winning record this season. The Lightning have won 9 of 12 this season when playing with home loss revenge. 10* TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING Puck Line -1.5 goals -110

Puck Line Game of the Year - Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +160) vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers still are not officially in the post-season. They're also coming off of an inexcusable game versus the Islanders where they fell behind 4-1. Philly rallied back to tie it at 4-4 in the 3rd period but then immediately allowed the game winning goal to the Isles and so the Flyers didn't even pick up a point in the standings. They are steamed about their performance and now, at home, they are poised to give one of their best efforts of the season. The Flyers are fired up and of course I am never fond of laying big prices so I am going with the puck line in a big way here. Philadelphia has a comeback price in the +160 range at -1.5 goals and I am forecasting a blowout win here. Carolina would love to play the role of spoiler here but they really wanted to play that role in their most recent game (versus Florida) and they couldn't get it done Tuesday. They've now lost 3 of their last 4 and the Flyers (though they recently won 4-2 at Carolina) still owe the Hurricanes for a 4-1 drubbing on home ice in early March. The Flyers didn't show up that night and this is their first opportunity to host the Canes since the ugly effort on home ice. Trust me, the Flyers are showing up tonight and with goalie Brian Elliott also poised to return Philly is filled with a lot of positive energy tonight whether Elliott is between the pipes or not. The Hurricanes have lost 9 of their last 11 April games. 14 of Carolina's last 21 losses have come by 2 or more goals. Another one here! 10* PHILADELPHIA FLYERS Puck Line -1.5 goals +160

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - The Blues know if they win out they're in the playoffs. That said, you know the long-time rival Blackhawks want nothing more than to spoil the post-season hopes of St Louis. As much as I would love to play Chicago as a big dog in the spoiler role here, the Hawks have a big issue in the crease. They already have without #1 goalie Corey Crawford for a long time but now they also lost Anton Forsberg for the season. That makes the goalie situation a tenuous one for the Blackhawks and Jean-Francois Berube the expected starter in this one. Berube's last 4 games (3 starts) have seen him compile an .877 save percentage and all 3 starts went over the total. On the road this season Berube has played in 6 games (3 starts) and compiled an .857 save percentage and all 3 starts went over the total. You can see why this is unlikely to go well for Berube. But I do know this, Chicago (even without Jonathan Toews) is going to push very hard in this game as they are relishing the opportunity to play the role of spoiler here. I expect this to lead to plenty of goals in this one. The Blackhawks have scored 17 goals in their last 5 meetings with Jake Allen and the Blues. The over is 6-2-1 in the Hawks last 9 games and 3-0 in the Blues last 3 games. Both Allen and Carter Hutton have struggled recently between the pipes for St Louis. The Blues also have been impacted by injuries to defensemen. Chicago is 17-9 to the over this season in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Tuesday 10* Top Play Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Calgary Flames @ 9:05 ET - Nice set up here. Arizona has been one of the hottest teams in the league even though they're not going to the playoffs. The Coyotes are 16-8-2 since February 8th and they're taking on a slumping Flames team that had lost 7 straight games before finally winning Saturday. Whom did Calgary beat? Only their biggest rivals in a hard-fought 3-2 victory. The point is that the Flames could definitely be flat here after knocking off their provincial rivals, Edmonton, on the final day of March. Calgary also has bigger games on deck as they play at Winnipeg and then host Vegas in their season finale. The Flames are not going to be fully focused here and the Coyotes are motivated by losing 3-0 in their last visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Arizona goalie Antti Raanta went 3-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .964 save percentage in his 3 most recent starts and he and the Coyotes are motivated to continue this strong finish to the season and continue building for next season. While Arizona has been getting great goaltending, the Flames have allowed 4.4 goals per game their last 8 games! Ignore the full season numbers as, while neither of these hockey clubs are going to the post-season, the Coyotes are playing like a playoff team and Calgary most certainly is not! 10* ARIZONA

Situational Smash - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in St Louis Blues vs Washington Capitals @ 8:05 ET - The Blues are off of an embarrassing 6-0 shutout at Arizona Saturday. The last 3 times that St Louis has been off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less, not only is the over a perfect 3-0, the games have averaged 9 goals each! Look for another high-scoring barn-burner here because the Capitals are off of a big win yesterday. They clinched the Metropolitan Division by knocking off the Penguins at Pittsburgh Sunday. That huge win could leave Washington lacking in energy in their own zone tonight after they used up a lot of energy to hold off the Pens last night. That, coupled with plenty of energy from the desperate Blues (fighting for a playoff spot) means that we should see plenty of goals from St Louis. The thing is I won't be surprised if the Capitals match them goal for goal. Washington has so many weapons on offense and they've scored 3 goals or more in 9 of their last 11 games. The Caps have averaged 4 goals per game in their last 6 road games. The over is 23-14 when Washington faces a team with a winning record this season. Look for that trend to continue tonight. 10* OVER the total in St Louis

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Sunday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Tampa Bay Lightning @ 6:05 ET - Beautiful set-up here as the Predators are off of an embarrassing home loss to Buffalo. The Preds were clearly looking ahead to this big game at Tampa Bay as these two teams battle it out for the Presidents Cup as they are both at the top of the standings. Nashville has won 10 of 11 this season when they enter a game off of 3 straight home games. Also, Tampa Bay is off of a big win at the Rangers but of course the Blueshirts are just playing out the string on a disappointing season. The Lightning are in for a much different challenge here and they truly haven't been playing all that well. The Bolts had lost 5 of 8 prior to the win over the Rangers. Also, TB's Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 3 or more goals in 15 of his last 21 starts. That pales in comparison to the way Pekka Rinne has been playing. The Predators #1 netminder is coming off of a rare disastrous start versus the Sabres and will certainly respond here. Rinne is on a 22-3-1 run in which he has compiled a 2.02 goals-against average and .934 save percentage those 26 starts. Rinne has an overall record of 41-11-4, with a sparkling 2.25 GAA, fantastic .929 save percentage and his eight shutouts lead the league. The Lightning have lost 9 of their last 17 games versus teams with a winning record. The Preds have won 14 of their last 20 versus teams with a winning record! Also, even though this is a back to back for the Predators, they have won 7 of 10 this season in the 2nd game of a back to back. 10* NASHVILLE

East Beast - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Rangers are playing youth and already in rebuilding mode for next season. This leads to mistakes which, in turn, leads to odd man rushes and players getting caught out of position. Their game against the Capitals Wednesday could (and should) of had a lot more goals. But puck luck was in favor of the iron that night as there were a few off the post and crossbar throughout the game. This match-up sets up well for a high-scoring game because the powerful Lightning are in desperate need of a win after dropping 3 straight and they are very potent in the offensive zone and will attack early and often. With last night's 4-2 loss at Boston, the Bolts are 25-10-2 to the over in their last 37 games. When they play the 2nd game of a back to back this season, Tampa Bay has gone 9-2 to the over. The Rangers are 7-1-2 to the over in their last 10 games. The over is 14-8-1 this season when New York is off of a divisional game. The Lighting are going to push hard and the Rangers typical late season defensive struggles will be evident again here but they have been playing fairly well in the offensive zone and creating good chances for themselves. As a result I am expecting at least a 4-3 type game. Tampa has allowed at least 3 goals in 25 of their last 35 games! 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Buffalo Sabres vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 ET - This is the type of late season match-up I look for in terms of finding games destined for a lot of scoring. The Red Wings and Sabres are both out of the post-season picture. They are each playing a lot of young guys to give them a look for next season. Younger players tend to lead to more mistakes on the ice which means turnovers, odd man rushes, defensemen out of position, and the list goes on with the point being more goals usually results. I also like the fact that Buffalo's Robin Lehner has allowed 8 goals in his last two starts. Detroit's Jimmy Johnson has lost 6 straight road starts while compiling a 3.60 GAA. Red Wings back-up Jared Coreau is 0-7-2 with a 4.57 GAA in his last 11 starts. The Sabres are off of a 3-2 win at Toronto but previously allowed an average of 4 goals per game in their 6 prior games. Detroit is off of a 5-2 win versus Pittsburgh but had allowed 4 goals or more in 11 of their 13 prior games! 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 10:05 ET - The Flyers are on a 6-game point streak. However, they continue to suffer some bad beats with losses in OT or the SO. Last night, despite completely outplaying the Stars, they lost in OT at Dallas. Philly was happy to earn at least a point (for the 6th straight game) but they are hungry to get a win and pick up two points in the standings. This is their final game this month and they have not been outshot in a game since their very first game of the month. Indeed, the Flyers have been playing very good hockey but some puck luck has gone against them of late. With this being their final game until Sunday's Easter match-up hosting the Bruins, Philadelphia is going to "leave it all on the ice" in this one. Yes, it is a back to back but with 3 off-days on deck (and desperate for points in the playoff race) look for the Flyers to go very hard at Colorado tonight. Like the Flyers, the Avalanche also need points in the playoff race but they're off of 3 straight huge divisional games (versus the Kings once and the Golden Knights twice). Against playoff caliber teams, the Avs have scored a total of only 5 goals in their last 3 home games. That won't get it done against a Flyers team that has averaged scoring 4 goals per game in its last 7 games. Philly, when in the 2nd game of a back to back where they allowed 3 goals or less in the 1st game, has gone 7-0, 100% the last 7 times. Also, 6 of those 7 wins came by a multiple-goal margin. Road rout here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach NHL Game #13 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Flyers earned a much-needed point at Pittsburgh Sunday but still left with a disappointing OT loss that has them hungry and fighting for more Tuesday at Dallas. Fighting for more is something the Stars would certainly love to be doing as well but their 8-game slide has left them on the brink of elimination. While they try to stay focused on the task at hand, the 8-game losing streak and the absence of goalie Ben Bishop (knee) has devastated the psyche of a Stars team that once had high hopes for this season. Kari Lehtonen continues to struggle between the pipes and Dallas has been outscored by an average score of 4-2 during this 8-game losing stretch. As for the Flyers, good news is on the horizon at the goalie position with Michal Neuvirth's return imminent. He is on this road trip with Philly so it is expected that he likely starts tonight at Dallas or tomorrow at Colorado. Either way, just the fact he's returning from his injury is a big boost for this Flyers team. Even without him, they've been getting better goaltending than Dallas of late. Philadelphia, before the loss to the Penguins, had allowed 3 goals or less in 6 of their last 8 games. The Stars have allowed 4 or more in 5 of their last 7. The Flyers have won 14 of their last 21 when they enter a game having scoring 4 or more goals in their prior game. The Stars, having dropped 8 straight and down emotionally and physically, are easy to fade given they are priced as a favorite here. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Rickenbach NHL Game #67 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Kings vs Calgary Flames @ 10:35 ET - The Kings have lost 6 of their last 11 so they truly haven't been overly sharp. In fact, LA has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in those 6 losses. When you look at Calgary you see a team that is struggling to score goals but the fact is they've had some bad puck luck. The Flames have outshot their opponent in 11 straight games. Calgary has averaged 40 shots on goal per game their last 11 games. They're going to put plenty of pressure on a division rival here as they look to play the role of spoiler against the struggling Kings. However, the issue for the Flames is that they have allowed 4 or more goals in 6 of their last 7 games. That is why I like the over. I don't expect Calgary, though dealing with some injuries, to lay down here. So the Flames are going to score a few in this one but they just won't be able to stop Los Angeles. The last 8 times LA has been off of a loss, they've scored an average of 4 goals per game in their next game. The over is 12-6 this season when the Flames are off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. Calgary is also 23-8 to the over (including 10-2 to the over this season) when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Sunday 10* Top Play Nashville Predators Money Line (+) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - This is a huge divisional match-up and, after losing last night at Minnesota, I don't see the Predators losing again here. The Preds enter this game off of back to back losses and that certainly holds significance here as they are 7-1 this season when they enter a game off of B2B losses. Only once this entire season have they lost 3 games in a row. Also, even though this is a back to back spot for Nashville, they are 7-2 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Predators coach Peter Laviolette was ejected from last night's game and Nashville is fired up after back to back losses and a poor effort as the game went on last night. You know they will respond here and I expect them to be the hungrier team here. Also, the Jets have won 4 straight games and are off of a dominating effort versus Anaheim. So often it is tough to duplicate an effort like that and the Preds are very determined here after what has happened. Side note about Winnipeg is a fistfight on the ice in practice yesterday. Sometimes that will help a team that is struggling but it is not necessarily a good sign when you've been going well and players are still having issues among themselves. The Jets have been great at home this season but have lost 9 of 12 games this season when on a winning streak of 3 or more games. Combining that with the Predators streaks noted above and you have a combined 23-6 edge favoring the road dog in this one. The odds makers price this one this way for a reason. Many will be fooled into grabbing the Jets on home ice. Not you and I as we go contrarian for the cash! The hungry road team gets this one. 10* NASHVILLE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #63 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Columbus Blue Jackets vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - The Blues used Jake Allen last night and Carter Hutton is dealing with a neck injury. That said, goaltending certainly could be an issues for St Louis tonight. Couple that with the fact that this is a match-up of two teams that are scoring a ton of goals and you have the perfect situation for an over where many aren't expecting it. That is why we can the over 5.5 goals at a +120 and that is a strong value. The Blue Jackets have scored an average of 4.2 goals per game their last 10 games. The Blues have scored an average of 4.5 goals per game in the 6 wins they have notched during their current run that has seen them post 6 victories in their last 7 games. In other words, it should not come as a total shock if each team ends up with at least 4 goals here. Sounds preposterous? The last time these clubs met in Columbus, the Blue Jackets won 8-4. I am not saying that will happen of course but I do expect 6 goals to come without too much trouble in this one. Both hockey clubs are hot right now and "feeling it" and this should lead to some nice crisp, clean scoring chances. The over is 3-0 in the Blues last 3 road games and the Blue Jackets were on a 9-3 run to the over before their shutout win versus Florida Thursday stayed under the total. 10* OVER the total in Columbus

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Divisional rivals but neither team going to the post-season. That is a key reason to like the over here as there is no reason for intense playoff-style hockey. Also, the Sabres are intent on opening things up and being aggressive here with an emphasis on offense as they know they must start scoring some goals again. Buffalo had been doing better with showing some glimpses of how they're capable of producing as they had scored 4 goals or more in 4 of 9 games but then they lost their last two games and managed only one goal. As for Montreal, they did get goalie Carey Price back but he is still a little rusty as he showed at Pittsburgh. The Canadiens have averaged allowing 4.1 goals per game their last 9 games. As for the Sabres, they've allowed an average of 3.7 goals per game their last 9 games. The over is a long-term 11-6 in Habs Friday games. The over is 3-0 in the Sabres last 3 divisional games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Washington Capitals @ 7:35 ET - The Red Wings are off of a win but they allowed 4 goals. Detroit has now given up an average of 4.3 goals per game their last 10 games. Couple their struggles in their own zone with the fact that they've got confidence up front after their 5-4 win over the Flyers and you have the perfect set-up for an over here. The Red Wings host a Capitals team that has allowed 3.8 goals per game in their last 4 games. The key for Caps current 5-1 run their last 6 games is offensive production that has produced 3 or more goals in 5 straight games. During this 5-game stretch Washington has averaged scoring 4.6 goals per game. You can see why this game certainly has the potential to result in 6 or more goals. The over is 4-0 in the Capitals last 4 games. Also, the over is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings between these teams and the average goals scored was 7.5 per game. More of the same here with 7 to 8 being expected! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

NBC Sports Network Rout NHL Game #6 Wednesday 10* Top Play St Louis Blues Money Line (-) vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - What is making big news here is that the Blues will probably be without leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko tonight. However, St Louis has shown a lot of resiliency of late as they've been able to rally in the 3rd period of back to back games for key wins and have now won 4 of their last 5 games. Also, the Blues are the healthier team even if Tarasenko is out tonight. The Bruins are very banged up right now. St Louis lost at Boston earlier this season and the Blues also lost the last time they hosted the Bruins. Double revenge spot and a key payback spot for St Louis as they're fighting to earn a playoff spot. Jake Allen (Blues) and Tuukka Rask (Bruins) are both struggling but the key here for each team is on the other end of the ice. St Louis has scored 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games while the Bruins had been held to 3 goals or less in 10 of their last 15 games prior to the 5-4 loss to Columbus. Also, now Boston is back on the road where they've averaged just 2.2 goals per game in their last 9 games. The Blues have won 26 of their last 35 March games and pick up a key 2 points here in the playoff race! 10* ST LOUIS

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:35 ET - At first glance, this looks like a great spot to back the Flyers since the Red Wings have lost 10 games in a row. However, Philadelphia is off of a big win versus Washington and they have a rivalry game at home versus the Rangers on deck. That said, this could be a bit of a flat spot for Philly and I expect this game to turn into a "barnburner" as a result. The Red Wings will score on a Flyers defense that could be a little flat-footed tonight but the problem for Detroit is they can't keep the puck out of their own net and that is why the play here is a big one on the over. The Red Wings have allowed 4.3 goals their last 9 games and, in fact, allowed at least 4 goals in 8 of those 9 contests! The Flyers have allowed 3.7 goals per game in their last 10 games and have given up 3 goals or more in 8 of those 10 games. You can see why I am expecting a 4-3 type game here! Philadelphia is 14-8 to the over this season when off of a divisional game. The Red Wings last 39 March games have resulted in only 14 unders! The last 4 times they were off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less they've gone 3-1 to the over. Another one here! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Monday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Wild opened up as a -135 home favorite here and of course the markets are falling all over themselves trying to get down on Minnesota at home here and the price is now all the way up to a 150 on Minny. The fact is that the Wild have a full 4 days off after this game and then they face the division leading Predators. This is a definite flat spot for Minnesota because they're also coming off of back to back wins on their 2-game road trip to the desert to face Vegas and Arizona. Now they take on a hungry Kings team that is off of a shutout loss versus New Jersey despite outshooting the Devils Saturday. Los Angeles entered that game having won 7 of their last 10 games and Jonathan Quick has allowed a total of only 4 goals in his last 3 starts. As for the Wild, goalie Devan Dubnyk is off of a solid start but previously had struggled badly in each of his two prior starts. Minnesota lost those games by a combined score of 9 to 2 and another bad loss could be on tap here with how hungry LA is. The Kings are 4-1 to the over in road games with a posted total of 5 goals or less this season. The Wild have won only 5 of 9 games this month and the road dog is going to prove to be the hungrier team here as Minny looks ahead to a nice layoff and then the big game versus Nashville. 10* LOS ANGELES

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings @ 3:05 ET - The Red Wings are relegated to the role of spoiler this season and they get a shot to damage the playoff hopes of an old Western Conference rival here. Back in the day, the Red Wings were in the Western Conference and they had some epic battles with the Avalanche. That said, this spoiler opportunity at Colorado does carry a little extra weight for Detroit. The problem for the Red Wings though is they can't keep the puck out of their own net and that is why my play here is the over. Detroit has allowed 4.3 goals per game their last 8 games. The Avalanche are off of a 4-2 loss but previously had scored at least 4 goals in 4 straight games and at least 3 goals in 8 of their prior 9 games. There has been only one under in the last 5 meetings between these teams and Colorado is 19-9 to the over in non-conference games this season. The Avalanche also are a perfect 6-0 to the over in Sunday games this season. More of the same here! 10* OVER the total in Colorado

Daytime Demolition - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Kings vs New Jersey Devils @ 4:05 ET - The Devils have been playing very aggressive and are a different team since focusing more on speed. New Jersey has won 3 of their last 4 games and average scoring 4.8 goals per game. The Devils have allowed 3 goals or more in 6 of their last 7 games. The Kings lost 5-1 at New Jersey earlier this season so they'll be seeking revenge here and I look for LA to pressure the Devils early and often. Los Angeles has scored 3 or more goals in 17 of their last 20 games. In fact, during this solid stretch dating back to early February, the Kings have averaged 3.3 goals per game. Jonathan Quick is generally very solid between the pipes but he struggled badly versus the Devils earlier this season. Also, the Kings have allowed 4 goals or more in 3 of their last 6 games. The over is 16-9 this season when Los Angeles is off of a win by a margin of 2 or more goals. Also, Kings Saturday games are 14-5 to the over this season. The Devils are 7-3 to the over this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. Also, New Jersey is 12-4 to the over when off of a win by a margin of 2 or more goals. 10* OVER the total in Los Angeles

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals crushed the Islanders 7-3 yesterday and the Isles are truly struggling so don't expect any turnaround here. The fact that coach Doug Weight was somewhat pleased with yesterday's effort from New York shows just how out of sorts this team is right now. They can score goals but they given up goals in bunches and no team in the NHL has allowed more goals than the Islanders this season. That said, I look for another high-scoring match-up here because the Capitals won't be stopped on home ice but goalie Braden Holtby has actually been struggling with losses in 3 of his last 4 starts and an ugly .862 save percentage. The Islanders will score their fair share here. The Isles, however, just can't stop anyone and the over is 16-5 this season when New York is off of a loss by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. As for the Capitals, the over is 14-7 in their divisional games this season. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - When these teams meet there are generally plenty of fireworks! The three meetings this season have all flown over the total. All 3 of those games totaled at least 8 goals. Also, each of the last four meetings between these teams in Nashville have gone over the total and they've averaged a total of 8 goals per contest. The Predators are off of a 3-2 loss versus New Jersey but had previously won 10 straight games and averaged 4.3 goals per game. The Jets are off of back to back low-scoring losses which is rare for them. Winnipeg had previously won 9 of their last 11 games and they averaged scoring 4.4 goals per game during this stretch. While it is true that this is a key late-season division battle, it is also true that both of these teams are loaded with firepower in the offensive end. The over is 20-12 when the Predators enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home and that includes an O/U mark of 6-3 this season with those parameters. Also, the Jets are having to go with Michael Hutchinson between the pipes since Connor Hellebuyck was in goal last night and Steve Mason is still out. As for the Winnipeg offense, they've generated 4.3 goals per game in their last 3 visits to Nashville and all 3 of those were with Pekka Rinne between the pipes for the Predators. 10* OVER the total in Nashville

Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - The Capitals struggled to score goals on their 3-game West Coast road swing but I expect their goal-scoring ways to return now that they're back on the East Coast. The Caps have scored 13 goals in their last 3 home games (including the outdoor game versus Toronto). The Jets Patrik Laine and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin are tied for the league lead in goals scored and I like looking at overs in non-conference match-ups. The total on this one is offering good value as it is a 5.5 and Winnipeg, prior to their 2-1 loss at Philly Saturday, had scored 3 or more goals in 11 straight games! The Jets averaged 4.4 goals per game in those 11 games and should get right back on track here. The over is 22-12 this season when the Capitals play a team with a winning record. The over is 29-13 the last 42 times the Caps have hosted the Winnipeg franchise. Again, in late season non-conference match-ups there is no concern about giving up a point to a team you're chasing in the standings so, if this game is 2-2 going to the 3rd period neither team will be sitting back playing to just get overtime. They'll be going all out for that 3rd goal right away and that's why games like this turn into 4-2 or even 4-3 finals when it is a non-conference match-up. I love the value of the 5.5 total on this one. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The Flames have their provincial rival, Edmonton, on deck so their defensive intensity may not be at its best for this non-conference match-up. That said, I am looking for plenty of goals in this one. The Islanders, coincidentally, are off of a 2-1 loss to the Oilers but that low-scoring defeat was an unusual one. The Isles had given up an average of nearly 4 goals per game in their 7 prior losses and their losing streak is now 8 games! The Flames are off of a low-scoring win but the over was 13-6-1 in their 20 prior games. Mike Smith is listed as probable for tonight's game but could be rusty as he hasn't started a game in a full month. Calgary finally was getting good goaltending from David Rittich and now here comes Smith. The over is 12-4 this season when the Islanders are playing with 2 days of rest between games. This total is a big one (at 6.5 goals) but don't let the big number fool you as 7 or more is very likely in this one. 10* OVER the total in Calgary

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Ottawa Senators vs Calgary Flames @ 7:35 ET - With last night's 4-3 home loss Ottawa has now scored 3 goals or more in 7 straight home games. The Senators have averaged 4 goals a game during this stretch of games on home ice. As for Calgary, they exploded for 5 goals in the first two periods at Buffalo Wednesday before settling in for a 5-1 win. The over is now 7-1 in the Flames last 8 road games. With this being a non-conference match-up that also generally leads to less defensive intensity and more open ice for plenty of scoring opportunities. 4 of the last 5 meetings between these clubs has gone over the total and I expect another high-scoring one here. 10* OVER the total in Ottawa 

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in New Jersey Devils vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - Even though the Jets Mark Scheifele may not play tonight, Winnipeg is loaded with scoring options and has some really hot lines that are firing on all cylinders at the moment. That said, there is great line value here as this total is available at 5.5 in a number of spots and it may stay there thanks to the Scheifele injury. One of the keys for the Devils to make a late season push was to make some acquisitions to infuse some speed and scoring options into the offense. It is already starting to pay dividends. New Jersey is off of a huge 6-4 win over Montreal and the Devils have averaged 35.3 shots on goal in their last 4 home games. As for the Jets, they've scored an average of 4.4 goals per game in their last 10 games and they'll take advantage of a New Jersey back-end that has surrendered at least 3 markers in 4 straight games! Both of the last two meetings between these teams has totaled 7 goals and I expect this one will get at least that as well. The over is 12-3 this season when the Devils are off of a win by a margin of 2 goals or more. The over is 5-1 this season when the Jets are off of a shutout win. Also, the over is a long-term 12-3 when Winnipeg enters a game on a wining streak of 3 or more games. 10* OVER the total in New Jersey

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Calgary Flames @ 7:35 ET - The Sabres continue to be a different team when on home ice. Buffalo scores much better at home than on the road and is off of a 5-3 win versus Toronto Monday. That marked the 5th time in their last 7 home games that the Sabres have scored 4 or more goals. Wednesday they host a Flames team that will be fired up after a 4-3 OT loss at Pittsburgh Monday. With goalie Mike Smith still out there continues to be some inconsistency between the pipes with Jon Gillies and David Rittich both struggling in their last couple starts each. When Calgary enters a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games the over has gone 21-7 and that includes a superb 8-1 this season! For the Sabres, the over is 10-5 in their last 15 home games. These trends continue here on Wednesday. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 8:05 ET - Non-conference match-ups do have a tendency to lean toward being higher-scoring. This is particularly true later in the season when teams don't have to worry about losing points to their opponent because they are in another conference. The point is that, as an example, the Hurricanes need more defensive intensity against recent divisional foes like the Flyers and Devils (allowed just 1 goal in each game) than they do against Western Conference foes like the Jets (lost 3-2 Sunday). The last two meetings between Minnesota and Carolina have each totaled at least 8 goals. The Hurricanes come into this game having allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of their last 10 games. The Wild, before holding the Red Wings to just 1 goal Sunday, had allowed an average of 3.4 goals per game in their 9 prior games. 6 of the 9 games totaled at least 6 goals and the 3 that didn't each totaled 5 goals. That said, I really like the value here with the 5.5 in this non-conference match-up. The Canes have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their last 4 versus Western Conference teams. The Wild have averaged scoring 4.3 goals per game in their last 4 games versus teams from the Eastern Conference. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - The Maple Leafs will be very hungry as they enter this game on a 3-game losing streak. However, they've struggled to keep the puck out of their own net as they've allowed 3.6 goals per game their last 5 games. That will hold significance here because the Sabres do tend to score better at home than on the road and this trend has been particularly strong of late. Buffalo has averaged 3.4 goals per game in their last 7 home games. The Sabres last two home games snuck under the total but they had been on a perfect 5-0 run to the over. Also, Buffalo's match-ups with Toronto have gone over the total in 3 of their last 4 meetings and this is their first of this season so I expect plenty of electricity in the building as these nearby divisional rivals square off for the first time in 11 months. The over is 8-3 in the Maple Leafs last 11 games and with both teams trending over of late (Sabres have been when at home like they are for tonight), I will gladly back the high side of this one while the markets have pushed the juice value in a good direction for me. This was a 5.5ov and is now a 5.5un with the early money coming in on the short side. Even more value for us and another contrarian play for me. 10* OVER the total in Buffalo

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Islanders @ 5:05 ET - The Islanders are going to start Christopher Robinson between the pipes and this is a bad spot for the rookie netminder. The Penguins are angry off of an 8-4 loss at Boston and, of course, the defensemen in front of Robinson aren't exactly having a stellar season. In fact, that is a big part of the reason the Isles have allowed 4 goals per game during their 5-game losing streak. The only hope for the Islanders here is to have a huge game offensively and the Penguins could be ripe for the picking here with goalie Matt Murray still out. Of course that is why my play here is the over. The Islanders have plenty of firepower offensively and the Penguins continue to give up a lot of goals. Pittsburgh has allowed 17 goals during their 3 game losing streak. The strength for the Pens, of course, is their offense. The Penguins have average 4.4 goals per game their last 15 games which is a big reason the over is on an 11-4 run. More of the same expected here! The Islanders are 16-4 to the over this season when off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. The Penguins are 19-9 to the over this season after scoring 4 or more goals in their prior game. Also, the Pens are 6-2 to the over when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games. 10* OVER the total in Pittsburgh

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - The Red Wings haven't given up many goals of late but that has had a lot to do with who they played. They face a much tougher situation now as they visit Winnipeg. The Jets have averaged scoring an insane 4.9 goals per game their last 7 games! It is not a complete fluke either as Winnipeg has been incredible at home this season where they've averaged 3.9 goals per game this season. That means we're getting incredible line value here with this line available as low as a 5.5 in some spots as of early morning. The Red Wings are off of a tough low-scoring loss at St Louis but previously had averaged 3.6 goals per game in their 5 prior road games. The past two seasons in March games, only 10 of Detroit's 30 games have stayed under the total! As for Winnipeg, they are 9-3 to the over this season when playing with two days of rest between games. Also, the over is 8-2 in the Jets last 10 games overall. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Boston Bruins vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 7:05 ET - The Penguins are looking to bounce back after back to back losses but they also are currently without the services of #1 goalie Matt Murray. That is why I am looking at the over in this one. The Bruins have allowed 11 goals in their last 3 games and I expect the hungry Pens to pressure Boston early and often. However, with Pittsburgh having an unsettled goalie situation, that also means that the Penguins can't be trusted to keep the Bruins from lighting the lamp early and often. Boston has won 4 of their last 5 home games and they've averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 4 wins. The Penguins have been road warriors of late as they've scored an average of 4.6 goals per game in their last 5 games away from home. In fact, Pittsburgh had scored 4 goals or more in 10 of their last 13 games prior to the 3-2 loss to the Devils Tuesday. The over was 10-3 in those 13 games and I expect that over hot streak to resume here. The over is 7-3 in the Bruins last 10 games. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Boston

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Wednesday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) @ Colorado Avalanche @ 9:35 ET - The Flames held the Stars to just 2 goals last night but the problem was they didn't score despite outshooting Dallas 38 to 26. It happens and it is frustrating but you can certainly expect a bounce back tonight. In fact, Calgary had won 9 of their 13 prior road games and they've been one of the top road teams in the league this season. The Flames also have won 11 of 16 this season when they are off of a loss by a multiple-goal margin. The Avalanche are off of win but they had previously lost 10 of their last 15 games as they've truly been in a slump the last 5 weeks. That is why this game is priced the way it is so though it may look enticing to take the Avs on home ice at such a small price, look for the "road warrior" Flames to bounce back big here and take out their frustrations in Colorado! The Avalanche are seeking to avenge a loss to Calgary in their most recent meeting but they actually have lost 75 of 130 when playing with revenge. In fact, the Flames have beaten them 5 straight times and this is a key game in the playoff race. 10* CALGARY

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #13 Tuesday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (+) @ Dallas Stars @ 8:35 ET - The Flames are without #1 goalie Mike Smith but actually have been getting fantastic goaltending in his absence and are off of back to back wins by a combined score of 10-3. They also owe the Stars some payback as they've lost both games with Dallas this season and the last one was a 6-4 loss in Texas. The Flames haven't forgotten that and they are riding the momentum here of two straight wins and two days off between games. By the way, Calgary has won 7 of 9 this season when they enter a game with 2 days of rest between games. The Stars are off of a loss but expecting a bounce back here could be asking a lot. Dallas is scuffling a bit and has lost 4 of its last 6 games! The Flames have scored 3 goals or more in 11 of their last 13 games. Dallas scored 3 goals in their home loss to Winnipeg Saturday but previously was held to 2 goals or less in 5 straight games. With the Stars scoring a total of just 9 goals in their last 6 games while the Flames have scored 10 goals just in their last 2 games alone (plus also have been bolstered by the addition of veteran Chris Stewart) I look for the road dog to maintain their momentum here. 10* CALGARY

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Monday 10* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) @ Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - The Flyers have won 9 of their last 10 games and have their sights set on the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Canadiens have lost 7 of their last 8 games and have their sights set on next season already! The fact is that Montreal has had an extremely disappointing season after entering the new campaign with plenty of promise. Making matters even worse for the Habs entering this one is the fact that goalie Carey Price is now out with a concussion. As for the Flyers, they've also dealt with goalie injury issues but that is why they acquired Petr Mrazek from the Red Wings and he has been solid in his first two games between the pipes for Philly. The Flyers have won 7 of their last 9 games against teams with a losing record while Montreal has lost 8 of their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. Two teams going opposite directions right now and I am well aware of the fact that the home team has dominated this series in recent seasons but that is helping to keep this line lower than it should be. I am happy to back the road fave Flyers and lay the small price as they are simply "in a zone" right now and believe they can win every game when they set foot on the ice. Montreal is certainly nowhere close to that type of feeling right now and the Canadiens are a very fragile team right now. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Sunday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Anaheim Ducks @ 8:05 ET - Both teams are in a back to back but while the Oilers were already in the Anaheim area (faced Kings in LA yesterday), the Ducks were actually in another state as they faced the Coyotes in Arizona. Certainly not a big travel difference but truly if there is any edge here it belongs to the Oilers. Edmonton will certainly be the hungrier team. The Ducks knocked the Oilers out of the post-season last May and Edmonton got some measure of revenge with a home win early this season but they then lost on the road at Anaheim two weeks ago. Southern California is where the Oilers season painfully ended last spring and also where they lost again two weeks ago. You can bet Edmonton wants this game badly and I like their chances to get it! The Ducks have averaged scoring just 1.9 goals per game their last 7 games. The Oilers have won 3 of their last 4 games thanks to offensive production equating to 3.3 goals per game. Anaheim goalie John Gibson just went on the IR and Ryan Miller was between the pipes yesterday at Arizona. That means a Ducks short-handed goalie situation is very tenuous here and 3rd string Reto Berra is likely to get the call between the pipes for Anaheim. The Oilers have won 11 of 18 divisional games this season and I love the big payback price offered on them here as the Ducks are in a bad spot goalie-wise and also not scoring many goals. 10* EDMONTON

Early Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:05 ET - Both teams are in a back to back spot here so we could see some tired legs on defense. That's particularly bad news for the Rangers as they are likely to again have 3 rookie defensemen as part of their rotation for tonight's game just like they did last night versus the Habs. New York's issues have led to a lot of open looks for opposing teams and they've taken advantage. That's a big part of the reason that Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist has lost four straight regulation games and is 2-8-1 with a 4.24 GAA and a .881 save percentage in his last 11 games. The veteran netminder is truly in one of the worst funks of his career and he'll be tested early and often by the Wild here. The key to the value here is that Minnesota will have goalie Devan Dubnyk between the pipes and he has not been nearly as strong on the road as he has been at home. That is part of the reason the over is 11-5 in Dubnyk's road starts. Also note that the over is 16-8 in Lundqvist's home starts this season. The Rangers, when on a losing streak of 3 or more games, are 13-2 to the over including 8-1 to the over this season! The Wild, in February games are a long-term 24-8 to the over. Also, Minnesota is 14-7 to the over in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. There are still some 5.5 totals out there early this AM and I recommend grabbing one now if you can but even at 6 goals this is still at top play for me. 10* OVER the total in New York Rangers

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #56 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-) vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets are off of a win but they were outshot 31 to 19 in the victory. That certainly holds significance here because this match-up is a classic case of hot versus not. Columbus, prior to that win, had lost 8 of their last 10 games and certainly the Jackets were not that impressive in the victory. As for the Flyers, they continue to find a way to win games and that resiliency is unlikely to go away in what is their final home game of February. Indeed, look for Philadelphia to leave it all on the ice tonight and give a strong effort as they wrap up the home portion of their February schedule. The red hot Flyers have won 7 of their last 8 games and long-term have won 23 of their last 34. Look for Philly to take advantage of a Blue Jackets team that is undergoing their typical late season fade. Columbus, in the 2nd half of a season, when facing a team with a winning record has lost 32 of their last 45 games! The Flyers have won 39 of 63 home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Philly, on the season, has the much better power play than Columbus. As for the penalty kill, though both teams have struggled this season, the Flyers have done a much better job of staying out of the box of late! The result, another home win here is in the forecast at a great price as Petr Mrazek makes his debut between the pipes for Philly after they acquired him from Detroit. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Early Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Ottawa Senators @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks are still without top goalie Corey Crawford and have lost 9 of their last 10 games. Chicago has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in those 9 defeats. As for Ottawa, this is the first game of a back to back and Mike Condon is expected to get the start tonight as Craig Anderson (the Senators top goalie) is likely to get the start versus division rival Tampa Bay tomorrow. That holds significance here as the Sens have lost 9 of Condon's 11 road starts this season and he has an unimpressive .898 save percentage away from home. The Senators have lost his last two road starts by a combined score of 10-4. In fact, Ottawa has allowed an average of 4 goals per games in their last 9 games. Based on the way both of these clubs have been giving up goals in bunches, you can see why the over is the way to go even though it is a 6 that is posted on this game. The over is 6-1 in the Sens last 7 games. The Blackhawks had recorded just 3 unders in their last 9 games prior to the low-scoring loss to the Kings Monday. The over is 13-8 this season when Ottawa is off of a non-conference game. The over is 20-8 in Chicago's February games. Also, in the 2nd half of a season, when facing a team with a losing record the Blackhawks have gone 25-9 to the over. More of the same here. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Early Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Tuesday 10* Columbus Blue Jackets Money Line (+) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets are hungry after 3 straight losses. The Devils might get caught feeling a little too good about themselves as they are on home ice and riding a 4-game winning streak. Though it is true that New Jersey is seeking revenge here, the fact is that the Blue Jackets have dominated this series of late with 5 wins in the last 6 meetings. By the way, the last 7 meetings have all been decided by a multiple goal margin with an average decision by 3.1 goals! In other words, don't be surprised if Columbus wins this one in another blowout just like their last 5 victories over the Devils. Keith Kincaid is expected to be in goal for the Devils and he has a save percentage of only .891 at home this season. The Blue Jackets will have Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes and he is coming off a poor start but had been red hot in his 3 prior starts. Columbus has won 13 of 19 this season when off of a loss by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. The Devils have lost 18 of 30 home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. Also, New Jersey has lost 11 of 18 (including 5 of 8 this season) when they enter a game on a winning streak of 3 or more games. The road team will prove to be the hungrier hockey club in this one and the Blue Jackets should win in a road rout. 10* COLUMBUS

Afternoon Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Monday 10* Boston Bruins Money Line (-) @ Calgary Flames @ 4:05 ET - Both teams off of bad losses and, even though the Flames have revenge here, the Bruins are the much more likely club to bounce back for multiple reasons. For one thing, Boston has their top two goalies available in Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin. As for the Flames, their top goalie Mike Smith is dealing with an injury and, if he plays today, may not be 100%. Another distraction for Calgary is that they have a trip to Vegas on deck. Now of course Vegas is Vegas and that means the players are looking forward to going there but adding to the intrigue for the Flames is the fact that the Golden Knights are at the top of their division, the Pacific Division. That said, it is a big game on deck for Calgary. So, while Boston is simply in the middle of a non-conference road trip out west, the Flames have a divisional road trip on deck. The Bruins have won 14 of 20 road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. The Flames have a losing record in home games on the season! Boston has won 9 of 13 this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. Calgary has lost 28 of 42 games the past 2+ seasons when they are facing a team with a winning record and the Flames are past the midway point of the season. The Bruins have been one of the hottest teams in the league and they bounce back here. 10* BOSTON

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Sunday 10* New Jersey Devils Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 5:05 ET - Most will be looking at the Hurricanes here since they are on home ice and playing with revenge and because the Devils are in a back to back spot. However, New Jersey beat Tampa Bay yesterday even though they played poorly and allowed far too many scoring chances. Still it was their 3rd straight and they'll shore those things (allowing too many shots to the Lightning) in today's match-up with the Canes. Keep in mind, for each of these teams it is their 3rd game in 4 days so the rest situation isn't too much different here for these clubs. Also, the big key is that the Devils used Eddie Lack between the pipes yesterday. They saved Keith Kinkaid for this game and he has dominated the Hurricanes throughout his career. He did it again in Thursday's home win and there is no reason to believe that he won't do it again here and stone the Canes in Carolina. New Jersey has won 3 straight and 6 of 10. The Hurricanes have lost 2 straight and 5 of 8. The Devils have scored 3 goals or more in 8 of 10. The Canes have been held to 2 goals or less in 7 of 10. NJ has won 5 of 6 this season when they are on an over streak of 3 or more games. Carolina has lost 11 of 17 divisional games this season and also has lost 20 of 32 when facing a team with a winning record. 10* NEW JERSEY

Afternoon Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach NHL 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Coyotes vs Edmonton Oilers @ 4:05 ET - The Oilers need a big bounce-back win but their goal-tending continues to fail them. Edmonton, after seemingly turning the corner last month, has reverted to poor form. The Oilers have allowed 4.3 goals per game in their last 9 games. That stretch of sub-par netminding has led to 7 Edmonton losses in their last 9 games. Look for the Coyotes to take advantage. Arizona is playing some of their best hockey of the season in the offensive zone and this has led to scoring an average of 4 goals per game in their last 5 games. Though their goal-tending has been better in their last 3 games, the Coyotes have still allowed an average of 3 goals per game in their last 8 games. That said, Arizona could have trouble stopping a hungry Oilers team that has lit the lamp early and often in recent match-ups with the Coyotes. Edmonton has averaged 3.6 goals per game in winning 5 straight versus Arizona. Also, the Oilers enter this game having averaged 3.7 goals per game in their 7 games prior to the ugly 4-1 loss at Vegas Thursday. Big response from Oilers here but they'll struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Over is 6-2 in Edmonton's last 8 games and the Coyotes are 6-1 to the over in their last 7 games. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Divisional Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Friday 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Colorado Avalanche @ 8:05 ET - The Avalanche are still a little banged up but their confidence has been bolstered by coming up with back to back wins and this included scoring 5 goals in their most recent road win. Also, further improving the Avs spirits is the fact that Blake Comeau could return tonight and Nathan MacKinnon might be back for Sunday's games. Look for Colorado to put plenty of pressure on the Jets netminder in this one. Winnipeg has allowed 3.5 goals per game in their last 4 games and Connor Hellebuyck is likely to continue to allow some to slip through tonight. However, the reason the play here is the over rather than the Avs is because the Jets are a very dangerous team at home. Winnipeg is averaging 3.7 goals per game at home this season and the return of No. 1 center Mark Scheifele has given the team a huge boost. His presence up front makes all the difference in the world with this team and Colorado has allowed an average of 3.8 goals per game in their last 8 road games. The over is 4-2 in the Avs last 6 road games. Also, the Avalanche are 22-13 to the over this season when playing with revenge. As for the Jets, they are 7-2 to the over this season when playing with 2 days of rest between games. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #11 Thursday 10* Top Play Washington Capitals Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - Bruce Boudreau is the coach of the Wild and his head coaching career began with the Capitals. However, more recently he was with the Ducks and Minnesota does have a game on deck with Anaheim. Whether or not the Wild are already peeking ahead to a Western Conference match-up or not, the fact is that Minnesota has struggled in recent meetings with Boudreau's former team. The Capitals swept the Wild last season and already won the first meeting this season. Washington enters this game having lost back to back games so they'll be ready to go. We are into the 5th month of the season already and only twice this entire season have the Caps lost 3 straight games. In other words, expect the bounce back here! As for Minny, they are are off of back to back wins but have only managed to win 3 or more consecutive games twice this season! In fact there have been 10 times this season that the Wild started a winning streak with consecutive wins, two of those extended to 4 wins in a row. The other EIGHT all ended as a 2-game winnings streak. The odds are in favor of the Capitals here and they have won 24 of 36 when they enter a game on an "over streak" of 3 or more games. The Wild have lost 5 of 7 this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. More of the same here! 10* WASHINGTON

Divisional Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Blues are still seeking revenge for a 4-2 series loss to the Predators last spring. Their first two chances came at home and they lost both games by a combined score of only 4 to 1. In other words, playing tight low-scoring match-ups hasn't paid off at all for the Blues. Now, on the road, I expect an entirely different type of game to be played. St Louis needs to open it up and try something different to get past a Preds team that is quickly becoming a nemesis. As for Nashville's style of play, they love to open up things at home where they are averaging scoring 3.5 goals per game. The Predators are very dangerous at home and, overall, they come into this game red hot in the offensive zone as they've averaged scoring 3.8 goals per game in their last 6 games. Overall, the Blues are currently in a 4-game stretch that has seen plenty of goals scored. The over is 3-1 during this stretch with an average of 6.8 total games per game during this run. When playing with home loss revenge, St Louis has had just 18 unders in the last 50 - a 36% under rate. When playing with 2 days of rest between games, the Predators have had just 19 unders in the last 51 - a 37% under rate. 10* OVER the total in Nashville

Earliest Cash Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning have gone over the total in 5 straight and 7 of their last 8. The Bolts have scored at least 4 goals in 6 of those 8 games! Also, Tampa Bay has allowed 3.8 goals per game in their last 4 road games! The Maple Leafs are not on an over streak like Tampa is but this is simply because the Leafs wrapped up January with some solid goal-tending. However, since then Toronto has given up 3.3 goals per game in their last 4 games. Also, the key to this over is that, like the Lightning, the Leafs have been red hot with their goal-scoring of late. The Maple Leafs have averaged 4.3 goals per game in their last 7 games. Big total, 6, is posted on this game but, based on the firepower of these two clubs, it is absolutely justified. Also, the Leafs got shutout at home in the only other meeting between these teams this season and that was early last month. That loss holds significance here because Toronto is 10-3 to the over this season when playing with home loss revenge. As for Tampa Bay, they are 18-9 to the over this season after a game in which they scored 4 goals or more. Both teams stay hot in the offensive zone here! 10* OVER the total in Toronto

Midday Mauling - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs New York Rangers @ 3:05 ET - The Jets are off of a 5-2 loss to St Louis Friday and have now seen each of their last two games total 7 goals and go over the total. The Rangers rallied for a 4-3 win versus Calgary Friday. Though they snuck out the victory by rallying in the 3rd period, New York continues to be troubled by allowing too many goals. They've allowed 4.2 goals per game in their last 13 games. Not surprisingly given numbers like that, the over is 10-3 in the Rangers last 13 games! Both these teams have injury issues in goal effecting their depth at the netminding position. The over is 12-4 in Winnipeg home games with a posted total of 6 or more goals. The Jets have allowed 3 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 games but they have averaged scoring 3.8 goals per game on the season in home games! Couple that home success with the fact that the Rangers offense got back on track and got some much needed confidence in the win over the Flames Friday and you have the perfect set-up for a non-conference game played with a rather wide-open style this afternoon. New York is 13-8 to the over in non-conference games this season and I expect another wild one here given the above. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #61 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Arizona Coyotes vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 8:05 ET - The Flyers have gone over the total in 5 of their last 6. games as they've allowed 3.67 goals per game in those 6 games. Philadelphia is off of a big 5-3 home win versus Montreal and they know they can't afford to overlook league-worst Arizona as points are critical at this time of year. However, the Coyotes will give the Flyers a run for their money here as Arizona has added confidence from scoring 7 goals on the last two games of their 3-game road trip. All 3 games went over the total. The Coyotes have allowed 4.3 goals per game in their last 4 games and this match-up has the makings of a barn-burner. Each of the last 3 meetings between these teams have not only gone over the total, they've also each totaled at least 7 goals. 10* OVER the total in Arizona

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Friday 10* Top Play Calgary Flames Money Line (-) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - Two teams going in opposite directions right now and, that is why, even though this is a back to back spot for the Flames, it is the perfect spot to back them. Calgary has won 3 straight games and is looking at this east coast road trip as an opportunity to make a move in the standings. As for the Rangers, they've lost 7 of their last 8 games and have allowed an average of 4.4 goals during this rough stretch. Showing just how poorly New York has been playing, their last 9 losses have come by an average margin of defeat of 3.1 goals! Now there is talk of major changes for the Rangers and a youth movement as they're on the cusp of throwing in the towel on this season and starting to rebuild for the future. Calgary has won 14 of 23 games this season when facing a team with a losing record. The Flames also have won 5 of 8 this season when playing the 2nd game of a back to back. The Rangers have lost 7 of their last 8 games when facing a team with a winning record. Also, on the season, New York has lost 8 of 10 games when they are off of a contest where they were held to 1 goal or less. 10* CALGARY FLAMES

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #51 Thursday 10* Calgary Flames Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - This is definitely a contrarian spot as most will see a "pick 'em" line on a home team playing with revenge and will jump all over it. The fact is that this game is priced this way with good reason. The Flames are starting to turn the corner and the Devils over-achieved early this season and are coming back to reality now. From a situational perspective, this is also a poor spot for New Jersey as they are off of a string of games against Eastern Conference foes including divisional rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Additionally, the Devils have another divisional game on deck with plenty of tough Eastern Conference battles to follow. As for the Flames this is merely the 2nd game of a 6-game road trip where this is the 1st of 4 against Eastern Conference foes. In other words, Calgary is certainly fully focused here. The Devils have scored an average of just 2 goals per game in their last 8 games and, not surprisingly, 5 of the 8 games resulted in a loss. The Flames are off of back to back wins and they've averaged scoring 3.7 goals per game in their last 3 games. In home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals New Jersey has lost 17 of 28. The Flames have won 11 of 19 and, more impressively earned 5.4 net units, in their road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. Look for them to get the job done again here. 10* CALGARY

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Wednesday 10* Top Play New York Rangers Money Line (+) vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - The fact that the Bruins have been so hot may make it seem tough to back them here. However, this is a tough back to back spot for them and the Rangers will have the edge between the pipes, the home ice edge, as well as the scheduling edge. The Rangers will have Henrik Lundqvist guarding the cage and he bounced back with a strong start in his most recent game even though New York still fell short 2-1. Also, he is 27-12-2 in his 41 games versus the Bruins. As for Boston, the netminder will be Anton Khubodin and his most recent start was also Boston's most recent loss (3-1 vs Anaheim). The Bruins have lost 5 of the last 8 starts he has made. Also, Khubodin has gone winless (0-2-2) in his 4 career starts versus the Rangers. Boston has lost 5 of 8 this season (and 21 of 33 long-term) when they are playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Even though the Bruins are playing this game with revenge, they've actually lost 13 of 21 this season and 63 of 109 the last 3 seasons combined when they are playing with revenge. The Rangers have lost 3 straight games but are happy to be back on home ice and the Blueshirts have won 10 of 12 the last 2+ seasons when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more games! This match-up is featuring home dog value at it's greatest. 10* NEW YORK RANGERS

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #65 Tuesday 10* Top Play Minnesota Wild Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - The Wild are expected to have Devan Dubnyk between the pipes and Minnesota has won 17 of his last 23 starts. Minny is off of an embarrassing loss at Dallas but likely got caught looking ahead to this game. The Wild were eliminated from the post-season by the Blues last spring. Even though Minnesota got some measure of revenge in their most recent game versus St Louis, they still "owe" the Blues as they lost their first regular season match-up there this season plus have the added motivation of losing April's playoff series 4 games to 1. The Blues have been held to just 1 goal in each of their last two games. Though the Wild are off of a 6-1 loss, they have won 6 of 8 this season when off of a game where they scored 1 goal or less. Also, Minnesota had won 6 of 8 prior to that loss and the Wild have not lost back to back games in 4 weeks and that one occurrence is the only time Minny has lost two consecutive games since prior to Christmas. St Louis, due to some troubles finding the back of the net, is on a 5-game under streak. That holds significance here as the Blues have lost 7 of 11 this season when they enter a game on an under streak of 3 or more games. The Wild had been playing very well prior to getting blasted by the Stars and I fully expect a big bounce back here. 10* MINNESOTA

Total Blowout Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Monday 10* OVER the total in Dallas Stars vs New York Rangers @ 8:35 ET - The Stars are expected to have Ben Bishop between the pipes for this one but, keep in mind, he is returning from injury and this will be his first start this month. His last two starts saw Dallas lose by a combined score of 7-1. However, the Stars offense has gotten back on track with back to back wins where Dallas scored an average of 5 goals per game. Even though they're facing Henrik Lunqvist of the Rangers here, he has been struggling with a poor .816 save percentage in his last 4 starts. Facing the red hot Stars in Dallas is unlikely to help matters for him. The over is 10-5 this season in his starts versus non-conference opponents. The Rangers have allowed 4.3 goals per game in their last 10 games and it is not just the goalies but also the way the defense has been playing in front of them. The Stars will take advantage but Bishop is also likely to face plenty of pressure early and often in this one as the Rangers are off of back to back losses where they were held to a total of just 2 goals. Prior to this, New York had averaged 3.5 goals per game in their last 6 games. The over is 12-6 this season when the Rangers are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The over is on a 19-9 run in Stars February games. 10* OVER the total in Dallas

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Sunday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ Carolina Hurricanes @ 1:05 ET - The Hurricanes are off of a loss and now have lost 9 of their last 15. Also, the Canes have been held to 2 goals or less in 6 of their last 8 games. San Jose has also had some recent struggles but it had a lot to do with poor overall play in their own end. Now, having allowed a total of just 3 goals in their last 2 games, the Sharks appear to have turned that around. San Jose is coming off of a big win Friday and they've averaged 3.6 goals per game in their last 11 games. The Sharks won 6 of those 11 games and they're offensive production will prove to be too much for this punch-less Carolina team early Sunday. The Hurricanes have lost 19 of 29 versus teams with a winning record this season and 14 of 21 in non-conference action. The Canes also are playing with revenge here (for a loss at San Jose in December) but they've lost 15 of 24 when playing with revenge this season. Grab the road dog Sharks here as Carolina's struggles in the offensive zone continue. 10* SAN JOSE

Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Saturday 10* OVER the total in Dallas Stars vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Stars are without #1 goalie Ben Bishop so Kari Lehtonen will get the start. His save percentage in home games this season is only .882 and Dallas is hosting a Minnesota team that has won 6 of its last 8 games. The Wild have averaged scoring 3.6 goals per game in their last 5 games. Also, Minnesota will be facing a Stars team that has scored 4 goals or more in 4 of its last 7 games. The Wild are also having to go with their back-up goalie here. Alex Stalock will get the call because this is a back to back spot (Minnesota hosted Vegas last night). That certainly holds significance here because Stalock has only an .896 save percentage in divisional games this season and certainly has not been performing at the level that Devan Dubnyk has. The Wild are 13-7 to the over in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals this season. Also, Minnesota is a long-term 19-5 to the over in February games! The Stars are on an 18-9 run to the over in February games. 10* OVER the total in Dallas

NBC Sports Network Smash - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:05 ET - Vegas was in action last night and got a 3-2 OT win at Winnipeg. The Golden Knights played well and it only went to OT due to a late goal from the Jets. However, Marc-Andre Fleury was between the pipes last night and it is unlikely he'll play back to back games. If he does it would surprise and certainly he would be unlikely to be at his best. The key here is that when Fleury is between the pipes, the Golden Knights have stayed under the total in 14 of 20 games. However, when he does not start Vegas has gone 21-7 to the over! The Golden Knights can score with anyone in the league but when Fleury is not between the pipes they've had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net. That said, there is great value with the over in this match-up. The Wild have averaged 3.3 goals per game in their last 6 games and are on a 5-2 run entering this match-up. Minnesota already beat the Golden Knights 4-2 earlier this season. The over is 18-5 in Wild games in February the past two years. Also, in Friday night games this season Vegas has gone 8-1 to the over. The Golden Knights are also 6-3 to the over in the 2nd night of a back to back. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Situational Slaughter Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #13 Thursday 10* Vegas Golden Knights Money Line (+) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - The Golden Knights are seeking revenge for an early December loss in their first-ever visit to Winnipeg. They are likely catching the Jets at the perfect time to get payback as Winnipeg is off of a big home win versus Tampa Bay Tuesday and they have a divisional game versus Colorado on deck. Additionally the Jets are a banged up team right now. Vegas is the healthier team and this is the first time they'll have #1 goalie Marc-Andre Fleury available to face the Jets. The veteran netminder has simply been spectacular for the Golden Knights this season. Vegas is off of a divisional win at Calgary but the revenge factor insures no letdown here. Also, the Golden Knights have won 10 of 13 this season when off of a divisional game. I am well aware of the Jets fantastic home record this season. However, in February games the past two years, Winnipeg has lost 15 of 23. Also, other than a recent 5-goal outburst at San Jose, the Jets have been held to an average of only 1.8 goals per game in their other 6 games the past 3 weeks. The Golden Knights have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their last 4 road games and they get their revenge at Winnipeg in this one! 10* VEGAS 

Game of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Tuesday 10* Top Play Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-) @ Winnipeg Jets @ 8:05 ET - While the Bolts will have #1 goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes, the Jets are without #1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck and #2 netminder Steve Mason. That means Michael Hutchinson, whom has spent this season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, will get the call in the crease for Winnipeg in this one. Of course the Jets have been great at home this season and I am well aware of that. However, the goalie situation as well as the fact that top defenseman Jacob Trouba is out with an injury really hurts Winnipeg here. The Jets are hosting one of the top teams in the league and the Lightning have won 16 of 21 in recent seasons when they enter a game with 3 or more days of rest between games. Also, Tampa Bay has won 18 of 23 this season when they are off of a game where they scored 4 or more goals. The Jets have lost 48 of 82 non-conference games including 10 of 18 this season. 10* TAMPA BAY

Rickenbach NHL Game #71 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames @ 9:05 ET - Both teams have unsettled goalie situation here as the "Battle of Alberta" resumes. The Flames were in action last night and #1 goalie Mike Smith got the start then and is already in Florida now for All-Star weekend. As for the Oilers, Cam Talbot continues to struggle between the pipes so a start from Al Montoya (4.45 GAA versus Flames in his career) would not be a total surprise here. The fact is that both teams will be charging the net hard in this one too! They are each coming off of disappointing losses and, of course, this provincial rivalry always brings out the best in both clubs. Not only is the over 7-4 in the last 11 meetings between these teams, the last 4 overs have averaged 10.25 goals per game and none of those games finished with a total less than 8. In other words, look for this one to fly over the total. The over is 6-2 this season when the Flames enter a game having played each of their three prior games at home. Also, the over is 15-7 when Calgary enters a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. When on a streak of 3 or more consecutive unders, the Flames have gone 15-7 to the over. Only 22 of the last 57 times that the Oilers have been held to 1 goal or less in a game has their next contest stayed under the total. After a 5-0 shutout loss in their last game, big response from the home team here. 10* OVER the total in Edmonton

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks are off of a 2-0 home loss to Tampa Bay. I know the goaltending work in that game was solid but Chicago's netminding still can't be trusted with Corey Crawford still on the shelf. Also, the Hawks are sure to bounce back with a strong effort offensively after being shutout by the Bolts Monday. As for Toronto, they are off of a 4-2 home loss to Colorado but they have averaged scoring 3.8 goals per game in their last 5 road games. Also, only one of the last 5 meetings between these teams has stayed under the total. When the Blackhawks are off of a game where they were held to 1 goal or less, they've had just 3 unders in 9 occurrences this season! Also, in Chicago's last 106 games played after the midway point of a season only 33 have stayed under the total! The Blackhawks are expected to start Jeff Glass between the pipes and he has only an .892 save percentage in non-conference action. Toronto has allowed 3 goals or more in 5 of the last 6 starts goalie Frederik Andersen has made. The Blackhawks have allowed 4.3 goals per game in their last 3 games. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #578 Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Colorado Avalanche @ 7:35 ET - The Avalanche are red hot right now and goalie Jonathan Bernier has certainly played a big role in that. However, this is a back to back spot and with Semyon Varlamov still out with a groin injury, this is a tough spot. Does Bernier go back to back? Will we see Andrew Hammond between the pipes? Either way the Avs are likely to be giving up some goals here. However, the key to the over is more than just the 5-2 mark to the over when Colorado is in the 2nd game of a back to back this season. The additional key is that the Avalanche are averaging 4.1 goals per game in their current 10-game winning streak! Montreal is off of a home loss in their most recent game but, prior to that, the Canadiens had averaged scoring 4 goals per game in their 3 prior home games. The Habs have allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of their last 5 games and Montreal is going to struggle to stop the red hot Avs in this one. The over is 16-7 in Colorado's non-conference games this season! The over is 3-1 in the Canadiens last 4 home games. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 8:35 ET - The Blackhawks continue to struggle without Corey Crawford between the pipes. He is currently on injured reserve and Chicago certainly has had some intermittent struggles in terms of keeping the puck out of their own net. The Blackhawks have allowed 11 goals in their last 2 games and both Forsberg and Glass have struggled in their most recent starts. That will prove to be trouble for Chicago tonight as they host a Lightning team that is a very dangerous hockey club in the offensive zone. Tampa Bay also will be fired up because they have lost 3 straight games and have not been scoring well. Like the Blackhawks, the Bolts are struggling to keep the puck out of their own net. Tampa Bay has allowed 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 6 games. The over is 5-1 in those 6 games. This is the first 3-game losing streak for the Lightning this season and, in the past two seasons, the over is 8-4 when TB enters a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. For the Blackhawks, the over is 5-0 in Forsberg's non-conference starts this season and the over is 4-2 in the 6 starts that Glass has made. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #21 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Islanders @ 8:35 ET - While it may seem "crazy" to see a total of 6.5 goals on this game don't be fooled by it. This one should easily get to 7 or more. The Blackhawks are still without Corey Crawford between the pipes and also are returning from their bye week. Teams tend to be a little "off" when they first come back from the bye and that means odd man rushes and extra scoring chances often result in games like this. The fact that Chicago is hosting the Islanders here is what is truly adding great line value in this spot. The Islanders are 10-2 to the over in road games with a posted total of 6 goals or more. Also, New York is 12-2 to the over this season when they are off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more in their prior game. The Isles have lost 24 of 47 games this season and the Blackhawks have lost 23 of 45 games this season. The significance in that is that Chicago is 20-8 to the over when, in the 2nd half of a season, they're facing a team with a losing record. The Islanders have gone 16-6 to the over in their games against teams with a losing record this season. The Isles have allowed 4 goals or more in 9 of their last 10 games but they are averaging 3.4 goals per game this season. Look for a wild one at the United Center tonight. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Friday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 7:35 ET - The Golden Knights are off of a huge 4-1 win at Tampa Bay last night which stayed under the total. That means that Vegas has now had 12 unders in the 15 starts that Marc-Andre Fleury has made this season. However, he is unlikely to start tonight considering this is a back to back spot and that certainly holds significance because Vegas is 20-7-2 to the over in the games Fleury has not started this season! As for Florida, James Reimer is expected to be between the pipes and the over is 8-4 in his home starts this season and 8-4 to the over in his starts in non-conference action on the season. The Panthers are playing for the first time off of their bye week and teams tend to be a little sloppy coming out of the break. This leads to odd man rushes and extra scoring opportunities as a general rule. As a result, even though this total may surprise many to be a full 6 goals, I am happy to go contrarian and play the over here as I expect plenty of goals. When these teams met in Vegas there were 7 goals scored and only 1 of the Panthers last 5 games has finished with less than a total of 6 goals scored. The Golden Knights are one of the highest scoring teams in the league as they are averaging 3.4 goals per game on the season. The over is 9-4 in Vegas' road games with a posted total of 6 or more goals and the over is 7-1 in Golden Knights Friday games! The over is 15-7 in Florida's games versus teams with a winning record this season. Also, the Panthers are 6-2 to the over in home games with a posted total of 6 goals or more and also 5-2 to the over in Friday games this season. 10* OVER the total in Florida 

Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #7 Thursday 10* Dallas Stars Money Line (-) @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - A lot of edges for Dallas here! The Stars will be playing their 4th game since their bye week while the Blue Jackets will be playing their 1st game since the bye week and certainly could be rusty as a result. Also, Columbus has lost 9 of its last 14 games. Dallas has won 8 of its last 11 games. The Blue Jackets have lost 25 of 35 games when, in the 2nd half of a season, they face a team with a winning record. The Stars lost both games to Columbus last season and also suffered a home loss to the Blue Jackets earlier this month. Time for payback here and Dallas has won 3 of 4 this season when playing with home loss revenge. The Stars have been much better on the power play than Columbus has this season and they've also been superior on the penalty kill. Additionally, the Blue Jackets are expected to have their #2 goalie Joonas Korpisalo between the pipes while the Stars have their #1, Ben Bishop, in the crease! 10* DALLAS

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #1 Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - The Flyers are red hot and on a 12-4-1 run their last 17 games. The Rangers are slumping badly and have just 3 wins in their last 10 games! Philadelphia has won 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. In those 5 victories the Flyers have scored an average of 5.2 goals per game and have scored at least 4 goals in all 5 wins! That certainly holds significance here because the Rangers have been struggling to find the back of the net. New York has been held to 3 goals or less in 10 straight games and have averaged scoring just 2 goals per game during this stretch. This is the 1st meeting between these rivals this season and it will be intense but the Flyers are the more confident team and the Rangers have allowed 12 goals in their last two games overall and 12 goals in their last two home games as well. Look for the road dog to stay hot in this one! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Monday 10* Top Play San Jose Sharks Money Line (+) @ Los Angeles Kings @ 4:05 ET - The Sharks have won 8 of their last 9 visits to Los Angeles. With both teams, of course, located in California, there is not a lot of home ice edge in this series. Also, San Jose got their 2nd half of the season off to the start they needed with a win over Arizona. It may not have played out exactly as they wanted but the Sharks got the much-needed W. As for the Kings, they'll still searching for their "game" as they have lost 3 straight and 8 of their last 12. LA has scored just 2.2 goals per game in their last 4 games. Los Angeles has allowed 4 goals in each of their last 3 games. Unlike the Kings, the Sharks have scored a solid 3.6 goals per game in their last 5 games. With their long-term success in LA, the Sharks are very confident when facing the Kings in southern California. Los Angeles has lost 13 of their 17 games against teams with a winning record this season. Also, when off of a loss by a multiple-goal margin, the Kings have lost 5 of 6 this season. While the Sharks have won 9 of 14 divisional games this season, Los Angeles has lost 9 of 14 divisional match-ups. Also, San Jose has won 11 of 15 this season (and 41 of 64 last 2+ seasons) when they are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. Look for the road dog to tighten things up in their own zone for this one and continue their road success at LA. 10* SAN JOSE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Vancouver Canucks @ 8:05 ET - The Wild are in the 2nd game of a back to back so they are going with back-up goalie Alex Stalock. The Canucks will have their top goalie, Jacob Markstrom, going in this one but he has an .899 save percentage on the road this season and has been better on home ice. Vancouver exploded for 5 goals in their win at Columbus Friday and the Canucks are now 11-4 to the over in their last 15 games. Vancouver is 15-10 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record and the over was 5-0 in their series with the Wild before a RARE 1-0 shutout win at Minnesota early this season. That victory is one that has the Wild thinking revenge here and I expect them to put up a ton of goals as a result. The over is 10-4 this season when Minny is off of a divisional game. After their big win versus the Jets yesterday, look for a back and forth shootout today. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - There is certainly no love lost between these two division rivals and the Devils have had the upper hand on the Flyers for many years. That makes this a big game for Philadelphia coming out of the break. Both teams have been off since the 7th and the Flyers entered the break rejuvenated with 3 straight wins while the Devils entered the break wondering what went wrong as they lost 5 straight games. Look for the momentum to carry over here as Philly get revenge for having lost 3 straight at New Jersey after winning their two prior visits to the hated Devils. This is their first meeting this season and the Flyers have been waiting for this for a long time after losing 1-0 in their final meeting last season. Philly has scored 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games. The Devils have allowed 4.2 goals per game in their last 5 games while the Flyers have allowed just 2.7 goals per game in their last 3 road games. New Jersey has lost 43 of their last 68 divisional games and the Flyers get some highly-motivated revenge here! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:05 ET - Only 3 of the last 9 meetings between these teams have resulted in an under. The Hurricanes always seem to struggle to stop the weapons of the Capitals. Washington has scored an average of 5 goals per game in the last 4 meetings. Also, the Caps enter this game on a red hot run as Washington has averaged 4.2 goals per game in their last 5 games - all wins. As for Carolina, they've scored 4 goals in 3 of their last 4 games. As you would expect, all 3 of those games went over the total. I expect another wild one here between these two division rivals. The over is on a 17-6 run in Capitals January games. The over is 13-8 in Carolina's games this season when playing with revenge. Just like the 5-4 Capitals win early last week, another wild one is on tap here! 10* OVER the total in Washington

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #4 Wednesday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (-) vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - This situation sets up very nicely for a Blackhawks team that got a great start out of Anton Forsberg in a 4-1 win versus Edmonton Sunday and Forsberg followed that up with another solid game in last night's 8-2 blowout at Ottawa. Also, Jeff Glass (expected to get the start here) has proved serviceable in between the pipes for Chicago while they continue to march forward without #1 goalie Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks are now 4-1-1 in their last 6 games and they are on a mission (as per the pre-game speech from Jonathan Toews before facing the Oilers) to win each game leading into their mid-season bye week coming up. They get two days off after this game before playing two more games before that bye week. That said, everyone is still "all in" with effort for tonight's game against a division rival. One of the most impressive things about last night's rout of the Senators was that the Blackhawks continued to pour it on even after they had a huge lead. They outshot the Sens in every single period. This Chicago team is proving they are heeding Toews words and are making a much needed mid-season move up the standings! The Wild have lost 7 of their last 12 games after a tough home loss last night and they'll struggle to regroup here. Minnesota has lost 5 of its last 6 road games. On the season, in road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals, the Wild have lost 11 of 17 games. In home games with a posted total of 5.5 goals, the Blackhawks have won 34 of 50 (including 9 of 13 this season). Ride the hot team on home ice. 10* CHICAGO

Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Tuesday 10* Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (-) @ Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - The Senators, between sickness and injuries, are likely to be short-handed tonight. Even if a few of the wounded and ailing players are able to go they won't be 100%. This situation sets up very nicely for a Blackhawks team that got a great start out of Anton Forsberg in a 4-1 win versus Edmonton Sunday. Also, Jeff Glass has proved serviceable in between the pipes for Chicago while they continue to march forward without #1 goalie Corey Crawford. The Blackhawks are 3-1-1 in their last 5 games and they are on a mission (as per the pre-game speech from Jonathan Toews before facing the Oilers) to win each game leading into their mid-season bye week coming up. Though the Hawks have a big game with the Wild on deck for tomorrow, one could certainly argue that the Sens have an equally big game on deck as they face the division rival Maple Leafs tomorrow night. The point is that both teams are in a bit of a precarious scheduling situation here but the key to the value is that the Senators are truly a wounded and ailing team at this point in time. Also, the road team did win both meetings last season and there is not a lot of home ice value in this one. The Sens have been held to 1 goal or less in 4 of their past 7 games. The Blackhawks have averaged 4 goals per game in their last 5 games. The Hawks have won 66 of 102 when facing a team with a losing record. The Senators have lost 9 of 12 this season when facing a team with a losing record. Blackhawks have lost 21 of 41 games this season while the Senators have lost 26 of 40 games. 10* CHICAGO 

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #65 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - Tampa Bay put a ton of shots on goal last night but ended up with an ugly 6-3 loss after digging an early 3-0 hole and leaving their goalie hung out to try early on. While I do expect the Bolts to respond here they are now likely to go with back-up goalie Louis Domingue since this is a back-to-back and I expect the red hot Red Wings to take advantage. The issue for Detroit though will also be between the pipes because red hot Jimmy Howard got hurt in the win over Florida Friday and now it will be back-up goalie Petr Mrazek getting the start. He has won just 3 of 8 decisions while compiling a 3.64 GAA and .892 save percentage on the season. Mrazek is unlikely to be any match for a determined Tampa Bay team that is ready to explode after last night's embarrassing loss. The Lightning will pressure him early and often but also will struggle to keep the puck out of their own net with Dominque between the pipes. The Red Wings have won 5 in row at home while averaging 3.2 goals per game. TB is averaging 3.7 goals per game on the season! The over is 5-1 this season when the Bolts are playing the 2nd game of a back to back. Also, the over is 6-1 this season when the Lightning enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. The over is 14-8 when Detroit enters a game having played each of their 3 previous games on home ice. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:05 ET - The Canucks have lost 10 of their last 12 games as defense and goaltending continue to be issues. Vancouver is off of a 5-0 loss and that was the 9th time in their last dozen games that the Canucks have allowed 4 goals or more! That home loss to Anaheim Tuesday stayed under the total but Vancouver's 10 prior games had gone 9-1 to the over! The Canucks had scored 3 goals or more in 4 of their 5 prior games before the poor effort versus the Ducks. Look for Vancouver to respond in terms of attacking in the offensive zone tonight but the problem for the Canucks will continue to be subpar play in their own end of the rink. Toronto is a dangerous team that can certainly take advantage. The Maple Leafs have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 8 games. The Leafs have allowed an average of 3.4 goals per game in their last 7 games. This will be Toronto's 12th Saturday game this season and, so far, only 3 have stayed under the total! Vancouver is 12-3 to the over this season when off of a game where they were outscored by 2 goals or more. Only 15 of the Canucks last 43 Saturday games have resulted in an under. Look for a wild one on Hockey Night in Canada! 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto

Annihilation Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Friday 10* OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 8:35 ET - I know Jeff Glass has played better than expected for the Blackhawks as he fills in for the injured Corey Crawford. However, there is a reason he is 32 years old and just made his NHL debut last week! No disrespect intended but you get my point. Also, as well as Glass has played, the fact is that he has allowed 3 goals per game so far in his first 3 starts and now makes his home debut. You can bet he feels extra pressure making this start at the United Center and wanting to perform well for the home fans. Facing one of the most dangerous offenses in the league off of their first loss in regulation in a month, Glass is going to be peppered with shots early and often in this one. The Golden Knights also have a goalie issue of their own here as Marc-Andre Fleury was in net last night. That means Malcolm Subban is likely to get the start here. I know he has decent numbers this season but the over is 4-1 in his last 5 starts and he is still young and getting adjusted to NHL play. Subban just turned 24 two weeks ago! On the season the Golden Knights are averaging 3.5 goals per game. The Blackhawks, in home games this season, are averaging 3.5 goals per game. The over is 6-1 in Friday games for Vegas this season. The over is 4-0 in the Blackhawks last 4 games and I look for another one here! 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto Maple Leafs vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:05 ET - This total opened up at a 6 and dropped down to a 5.5 and I am going contrarian here and pounding the over in this one. The Sharks are off of a 4-1 win but entered that game having allowed 4 goals or more in 8 of their last 12 games! San Jose has scored 3 goals or more in 9 of their last 11 games. Toronto is off of a shutout loss but they had scored an average of 4.3 goals per game in their 6 prior games. The Maple Leafs allowed only 2 goals in the home loss to the Lightning but they had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of their 5 prior games. Toronto was severely outplayed in a 3-2 loss at San Jose earlier this season. Couple that with coming off of a shutout loss and it is safe to say the Maple Leafs will be in attack mode in the offensive zone early and often in this one. However, Toronto is not going to stop a Sharks team that has been very strong this season including 4 wins in their last 5 games. That's why I expect this to fly over the total. San Jose has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in their last 4 road games. Only 10 of the Sharks last 27 January games have resulted in an under. Look for the over to improve to 4-1 in San Jose's last 5 road games. Before the Maple Leafs shutout versus the Bolts, they were 5-1 to the over in their last 6 games. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Toronto

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #53 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in New York Rangers vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - The Blackhawks are still without goalie Corey Crawford. That means journeyman Jeff Glass (who is 32 but is a rookie in the NHL) will continue to get the work. He has allowed 7 goals in his first two NHL starts and both games went over the total. Chicago showed heart in rallying back from a 3-0 deficit at Calgary to force OT in the eventual 4-3 loss to the Flames. The Blackhawks have scored 3 goals or more in 7 of their last 10 games and they could catch the Rangers a bit flat-footed in this one as New York just rallied from a 2-goal deficit for a 3-2 win over Buffalo in the outdoor Winter Classic on New Years Day. The only reason I am not fading the Rangers here off of that big win is because they'll take advantage of Glass being between the pipes for the Hawks. The value here is with the over because this hungry Chicago team is going to be peppering Henrik Lundqvist with shots but the Blackhawks won't be able to keep the puck out of their own net. Chicago has allowed an average of 4 goals per game over their past 5 games. Only 4 of the Rangers 12 non-conference game this season have resulted in an under. The road-weary Blackhawks are 3-0 to the over this season when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games on the road. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in New York Rangers

NBC Sports Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Game #19 Tuesday 10* Top Play Los Angeles Kings Money Line (+) @ Edmonton Oilers @ 9:35 ET - The Oilers have lost 3 straight games and have allowed 14 goals in those 3 games. Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot is on the fade again. Conversely, Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has been playing well. The Kings have only won 3 of his last 5 starts but Los Angeles has allowed an average of just 2 goals per game in those 5 starts. Quick has been solid between the pipes and certainly rates the edge here over the struggling Talbot. The Kings have won 7 of their last 10 meetings with the Oilers but those 3 losses have come in their last 3 games at Edmonton. In other words, LA is hungry to put an end to that nonsense with a big win in Edmonton Tuesday night. Note that the Oilers have lost 27 of their last 39 Tuesday games! Also, Edmonton has lost 10 of 16 (-$7,100) this season when they are off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. LA has won 9 of 14 this season when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Also, the Oilers have lost 22 of 39 games on the season overall. That said, it is certainly noteworthy that Los Angeles has taken care of business this season against the teams they are supposed to beat. The Kings are a stellar 15-4 this season against teams with a losing record. 10* LOS ANGELES

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Calgary Flames vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 9:05 ET - On the surface, at 6 goals, this posted total may seem high. However, keep in mind that Chicago is currently without goaltender Corey Crawford. While Jeff Glass was successful in his first start (only 3 goals allowed on 45 shots!) he is still a journeymen goaltender who has spent his entire hockey career just trying to get to the NHL level. No disrespect at all intended toward him but the 32 year old just made the first appearance of his NHL career after bouncing around for 15 years in the WHL/ECHL/KHL/AHL including this season with the Rockford Icehogs. Glass is going to face a desperate and hungry Flames team tonight that is angry after a poor effort in their loss at Anaheim Friday night. Calgary is going to pressure Glass early and often in this one as they look to take advantage of avoiding Crawford. As for the Blackhawks, they have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 9 games. Look for the over to improve to 7-4 this season when Chicago is off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. In the process the over will improve to 3-0 this season when the Hawks enter a game having played each of their three prior games on the road! The over is 9-5 this season when the Flames face a team with a losing record on the season. Also, Calgary is 14-7 to the over when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The over is 12-6 in Flames games when they are on an under streak of 3 games or more. 10* OVER the total in Calgary

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NHL Game #59 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - These teams met last night and the game snuck over the total on an empty net goal with about a minute to go in the game. However, I expect tonight's game to go over the total much more easily. The key is that both back-up goalies are likely to be in action in this rematch. The over is 3-1 in Alex Stalock's last 4 starts and the over is 6-2 in Juuse Saros starts this season. The fact is that last night's game featured a ton of shots on goal - 81 to be exact - and plenty of solid scoring chances. However, Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk were the difference makers between the pipes. With Nashville now at home and looking for revenge in this back to back home and home set with the Wild, I expect another game filled with solid scoring chances tonight. The over is 9-1 this season when Minnesota is off of a divisional game. The over is a long-term 32-20 when the Wild are off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more. Also, Minnesota is 12-6 to the over this season in their games against teams with a winning record. The over is 3-1 this season when Nashville is playing a back to back and only 9 of the last 28 long-term have resulted in an under. The over is also 10-5 this season when the Preds are playing with revenge. 10* OVER the total in Nashville

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 7:35 ET - This is a back to back for both teams and that could mean back-up goalies for each as well. The Flyers likely to have Michal Neuvirth between the pipes and he is just coming back from injury. The Lightning likely to have Peter Budaj between the pipes and he has an .878 save percentage on the season. Each of his last 4 starts have gone over the total and he has had just 1 under this season and that one totaled 5 goals. This one looks like it should work into a barn-burner. Also, defenseman Anton Stralman is out for the Bolts and that certainly hurts their blue line too. The over is 6-2 this season when the Flyers are on a losing streak of 3 games or more. The over is 4-1 in Tampa Bay's games when they are playing the 2nd of a back to back. Lightning are great on power play, Flyers awful on penalty kill. Bolts have averaged 4.2 goals per game their last 11 games. Flyers should enjoy success against Budaj tonight as well. Or if Vasilevskiy gets the call it is a tough spot (2nd night of back to back) so either way Philadelphia pots a few goals as well. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (+) @ Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Flyers, after being hot, lost 2 straight games and 3 of 4 before the Christmas break. They needed the break. The Panthers, after being cold, won 3 straight games before the Christmas break. The break was the worst thing that could have happened for Florida as it took away their momentum. Now the Panthers face a team that has beaten them 4 straight times by a combined score of 13 to 5. Of course we're getting line value here because this game is in Florida. Keep in mind the Flyers have a similar road record to their home record so it is nice to have the added value here with Philly being on the road. The Panthers have been nothing special at home this season. Also, Florida's Vincent Trocheck is dealing with a rib injury while the Flyers are expected to have Michal Neuvirth available tonight to back-up Brian Elliott between the pipes. So Philly is getting healthier while the Panthers have some question marks. The Flyers have won 5 of 8 this season after a game where they were held to 1 goal or less. The Panthers have lost 60 of 91 long-term when they were off of a shutout win. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Winnipeg Jets vs Edmonton Oilers @ 8:05 ET - The Oilers Connor McDavid is listed as probable for this game but both teams are dealing with some blue line injuries. Of course that helps an over and that is a lot of solid reasoning as to why this one should fly over the total. Edmonton is heating up again with 4 straight wins and they've scored an average of 5 goals per game in their last 7 victories! The Jets enter this match up off of back to back losses but those were on the road. Winnipeg averages 4.2 goals per game at home and, as you would expect with those types of numbers, the Jets are 10-5 to the over in home games this season! The Oilers have trended under this season but the way they've been scoring goals of late coupled with the way the Jets light the lamp at home has this one headed for a barn-burner. Winnipeg is 9-4 to the over when playing with 3 or more days of rest between games. The Jets are 11-3 to the over when off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Winnipeg

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Saturday 10* Top Play Chicago Blackhawks Money Line (-) @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - Perfect set up here. The Devils are off of a big divisional win over the Rangers Thursday and have won 3 straight games. The Blackhawks are off of an embarrassing 4-0 road loss at Dallas Thursday that ended a stretch in which Chicago had won 5 straight games by a combined score of 18 to 7. Also, the Blackhawks have revenge from a 7-5 home loss to the Devils last month! Remember that Chicago did sweep New Jersey last season and the Hawks were actually a 2 to 1 favorite in last month's embarrassing home loss. Payback is on order here and the Blackhawks have won 7 of 9 Saturday games this season and 24 of 36 the past 2+ seasons. Also, Chicago has won 19 of 26 when on a streak of 3 or more consecutive unders. That's because unders mean solid goaltending and certainly the Blackhawks were getting stellar play between the pipes prior to the loss to the Stars. Bounce back time here for the road team. As for the home team Devils, they are winless all 3 times they've entered a game on a winning streak of 3 games or more this season. Also, when off of a game where they scored 4 goals or more, New Jersey has lost 28 of 45. Great money line value price on the hungry road team here. 10* CHICAGO

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #3 Friday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Florida Panthers vs Minnesota Wild @ 7:35 ET - The Wild could be getting back goalie Devan Dubnyk but I would truly be surprised if he plays here because Minnesota also plays tomorrow night at Tampa Bay and Dubnyk is still trying to recover from a knee injury. I don't foresee him playing both nights of a back to back (especially with a sore knee) and, with that said, it makes sense to give his knee an extra day of rest and play him tomorrow against the Bolts. This means we should see Alex Stalock between the pipes for the Wild. Though the netminder has been solid of late, the fact is that he generally has not fared as well on the road this season and only 2 of his 7 road starts have resulted in an under. By the way, should Dubnyk get the call tonight, the same holds true for him and there have only been 3 unders in his 11 road starts this season! The Panthers also have goal-tending issues too as they continue to be without Roberto Luongo. James Reimer has been getting the call between the pipes and the over is 6-1 in his 7 home starts. Reimer has an ugly .870 save percentage in home games this season! 11 of Florida's 17 games against teams with a winning record this season have resulted in an over. The over is also 10-4 this season in Minnesota's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The last 39 times the Panthers have played a game with 2 days of rest between games, they have recorded only 13 unders. That's only a 33% conversion rate for the under and I look for a "wild" one in this non-conference match-up with the Wild on Friday night. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Florida

Rickenbach NHL Game #54 Thursday 10* Top Play Boston Bruins Money Line (-) vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:05 ET - The Jets have a solid record on the season and that is keeping this line on the Bruins lower than it should be. Boston is a great value on home ice at a low price here. Winnipeg is off of a huge win at Nashville that the Jets won late in dramatic fashion. That can't help but leave the Jets a little "spent" here after such a big road win against a division rival. Also, Winnipeg had lost 6 straight road games before that victory over the Predators. Also the Jets franchise (previously the Atlanta Thrashers) have lost 13 of their last 14 visits to Boston. The Bruins are expected to start Tuukka Rask between the pipes tonight and he is 6-0-1 in his last 7 starts overall. Additionally, versus the Jets/Thrashers franchise he has a stellar 1.99 GAA in his career. Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck is 0-2 in his career starts versus the Bruins. Boston enters this contest having won 11 of their last 15 games. The Jets have lost 8 of 13 non-conference games this season and 46 of 77 versus the East the last 2+ seasons combined. The Bruins last 6 wins have come by an average margin of 3 goals per game and their strong run continues here. 10* BOSTON

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Monday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Boston Bruins vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - Not only is the over a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 match-ups between these two clubs, all 4 games totaled at least 7 goals include one totaling 9 goals. The Blue Jackets are off of a 2-1 loss at Carolina. The last 4 times Columbus has been held to 1 goal or less in a game the over has gone 3-1 in their next game. The average goals scored in those games has been 7 and the one under did have 5 goals. In other words, look for the lamp to be lit early and often in this one after the low-scoring game with the Hurricanes. The under with the Canes was just the 2nd for Columbus in the past 8 games. The Bruins loss to the Rangers (3-2 Saturday) stayed under the total but Boston entered that game having gone 4-2 to the over in their 6 prior home games. Also, prior to being held to just 2 goals in that game, the Bruins had scored 3 goals or more in 10 of their 11 previous games! The Blue Jackets, prior to their 2-1 loss, had allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of their 6 prior games. This one shapes up to be a barn-burner and a 5th straight over in games between these clubs. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Boston

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #17 Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Arizona Coyotes vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 8:05 ET - Both teams, though in far different places in the standings of their respective conferences, are in situations that have put them on the offensive here. The Penguins are desperate to bring up their goal-scoring off of a disappointing 2-1 loss at Vegas that was the Pens 3rd straight loss and 2nd straight defeat scoring just 1 goal. The Coyotes have lost 5 straight games and have averaged scoring just 1 goal per game in those 5 losses. As you can see, more offense is the emphasis of both of these hockey clubs tonight. The over is 5-2 for Pittsburgh when they enter a game on a losing streak of 3 or more losses. The over is 9-6 in the last 15 meetings between these clubs in Arizona. The Pens had averaged 4 goals per game in their 7 games prior to back to back poor efforts. The Coyotes had averaged 3.3 goals per game in their last 3 home games previous to being held to just 1 goal by Tampa Bay. Both teams respond tonight and will be very aggressive in the offensive zone. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Arizona

Non-Conf Total of the Month - Rickenbach NHL Game #9 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Minnesota Wild vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Maple Leafs are still without Auston Matthews but there is plenty of firepower on this club. After losing at Philadelphia Tuesday and having scored a total of only 3 goals in their past two games, I expect an offensive explosion from Toronto here. The Leafs do have a divisional game on deck at Detroit tomorrow and the Wild are off of a Western Conference win versus Calgary and have another intra-conference match-up versus Edmonton on deck for Saturday. In other words, the defensive focus may not fully be there for either club in tonight's non-conference match-up. Minnesota is 10-4 to the over in games against teams with a winning record this season and has had only 5 unders in 14 non-conference match-ups this season. Look for the over to improve to 9-5 in Toronto's games against teams with a winning record this season. The Wild are off of an under in their most recent game but 7 of their 10 prior games had gone over the total and that trend resumes here. 10* OVER the total in Minnesota

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Game #55 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Boston Bruins @ 8:05 ET - Even though Tuukka Rask has been playing very well for the Bruins, the Red Wings have been getting a lot pressure on opposing goalies and I am sensing a break through game (finally) for Detroit here in terms of pucks finding the back of the net. The problem for the Red Wings is their goaltending has been a major weakness. Jimmy Howard, in his last 10 appearances (eight starts), has gone 1-5-4 with a 4.10 GAA and .857 save percentage. Detroit's Petr Mrazek hasn't done any better! The Red Wings #2 goalie, in his last five appearances (three starts) has gone 0-2-0 with a 5.50 GAA and .835 save percentage. Detroit is off of a low-scoring loss to Florida but the Red Wings 4 prior games all went over the total. The Bruins are off of a low-scoring win over the Islanders but 4 of their 6 prior games went over the total. Boston is 9-2 to the over this season in their games against teams with a losing record. The over is 16-8 in Detroit's December games. Also, the Red Wings are 12-6 to the over when they enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. Additionally, the Red Wings have gone over the total in 7 of 10 games this season when they are off of a divisional game. 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Game #15 Tuesday 10* OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Florida Panthers @ 8:35 ET - Perfect set-up for an over here. I know the Blackhawks are off of back to back wins and have been getting solid goaltending. However, this is the perfect spot for a bit of a letdown. Chicago can't help but look right past Florida here. The Blackhawks have dominated the Panthers in recent years and, on deck for Chicago after this game is 3 straight divisional games! These are big games coming up for the Blackhawks. Chicago will "let up" some in this game as it is the perfect spot for that and, in this non-conference match-up, you'll see a drop off in defensive intensity from the host. Sparking the over though is the fact that Florida has a significant goaltending issue here with Roberto Luongo still being out with an injury. James Reimer was in between the pipes last night and he either gets another start in an always-tough back to back or the Panthers are forced to see goalie Harri Sateri make his NHL debut. Neither option is good but Florida at least should continue to put the puck in the net. Their confidence is up after rallying last night for their 2nd win in 3 games. The Panthers have averaged 3.8 goals per game in their last 4 games but they won't be able to stop the Blackhawks from matching them goal for goal in this one. Florida is 12-6 to the over this season when playing with revenge. 10* OVER the total in Chicago

Total Annihilation - Rickenbach NHL Game #57 Monday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers @ 7:35 ET - The Red Wings have gone over the total in 4 straight games overall as well as 6 of their last 7 home games. They now host a Panthers team that also has been trending over with overs in each of their last 3 games. The fact that Roberto Luongo is currently out is certainly not helping the goal-tending situation for Florida. The Panthers have allowed 22 goals in the last 5 games that Luongo did not start. As for the Red Wings, they have allowed at least 4 goals in 7 of their last 9 games. Overall, it has been an average of 4.8 goals per game allowed during this rough 9-game stretch. Florida has gone over the total in 12 of 17 when they are playing with revenge. The Red Wings have had just 7 unders in their last 30 December games! 10* OVER the total in Detroit

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Game #5 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - A nice set up here as both teams are off of big wins yesterday with plenty of goals scored. Any time a team wins a high-scoring game and then has another game the very next night, the tendency is to rely on your offense to again pull you through. That said, with the goalies slated to start here it is also an added bonus and that is why you're seeing such a big total (6.5 goals) posted on this one. The Oilers are still without starting goalie Cam Talbot and that means Laurent Brossoit is slated to start back to back games here. Yes he got the win last night but, overall, he's been shaky at best between the pipes for Edmonton. As for the Maple Leafs, they are expected to start little-used Curtis McElhinney and he has an .887 save percentage in his two home starts this season. There is a lot of pressure when starting at the Air Canada Centre and McElhinney is facing a high-powered Oilers offense that has scored an average of 4.1 goals per game in their last 8 games. The Maple Leafs have scored 4 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 road games and I look for them to bring some of that success on offense back to home ice here as they take advantage of facing a goalie who has struggled often at the NHL level. 3 of 4 Maple Leafs games in the 2nd of a back to back have gone over the total. Edmonton has had just 5 unders in 14 games when playing with revenge this season. After losing 6-4 at home to the Maple Leafs last month, look for another wild one here! 10* OVER the total in Toronto 

Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Saturday 10* OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Edmonton Oilers @ 7:05 ET - Make no mistake about it, Carey Price is a fantastic goaltender for Montreal and they got hot right after he returned from injury. However, the Canadiens have now lost two straight games and Price also has an ominous stat that is concerning here. He is 0-7 in non-conference match-ups this season with an ugly .870 save percentage against teams from the West. Now he takes on an Oilers team that certainly has underachieved this season but that has plenty of scoring potential. Also, after Edmonton head coach Todd McLellan went on a rant against his players at practice yesterday, I am expecting a huge effort from the Oilers here. That said, why is my play on the OVER here and not Edmonton. That is very simple. Their goaltending situation is a mess right now with Cam Talbot out. The Oilers have been forced to go with Laurent Brossoit and the team has lost 5 of his 6 starts and he has an ugly .877 save percentage in his 9 appearances this season. This one should see plenty of goals! The over is 8-4 this season (and 40-24 the last 3 seasons combined) when Edmonton is off of a game where they allowed 4 goals or more. The over is 9-5 this season when the Habs are facing a team with a losing record. Also, the over is 36-21 when the Canadiens are off of a non-conference game. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Total Dominator Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Friday 10* OVER 5.5 goals (+) in Anaheim Ducks vs Minnesota Wild @ 10:05 ET - The Ducks generally do not score a lot of goals but hosting the Wild should absolutely help in that regard. Minnesota has lost 4 of its last 5 road games thanks to allowing 5 goals per game in those 5 contests! Indeed the Wild defense and netminding has been atrocious away from home. The good news for Minnesota fans is that this has been a fairly productive offense as the Wild are averaging 3 goals per game on the season. I see them hitting their average here and getting to at least 3 but, based on their struggles away from home, I also foresee them allowing at least 3 goals and that means we have, at the very minimum, a 4-3 type game here. With that said, I love the big line value on this total being at 5.5 goals but with odds as much as +125 available. This is a very attractive plus money price and I won't hesitate to get involved. The over is 8-2 this season in Minnesota's road games with a posted total of 5.5 goals. The Wild have had just 1 under in 7 games this season when they are off of a defeat by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. Coming off of a 5-2 loss at Los Angeles in their most recent game, look for the Wild to produce another "Wild" game Friday. 10* OVER the total in Anaheim

Contrarian Crusher Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Dallas Stars Money Line (+) @ St Louis Blues @ 8:05 ET - There is tremendous line value here because the Stars are on the road and going with Kari Lehtonen between the pipes. The fact is Lehtonen truly has NOT been a big drop off from #1 goalie Ben Bishop this season. Also, the Stars are fired up off of a loss where they outshot the Predators by a 45-32 margin. Prior to that defeat Dallas had won 7 of their 8 prior games! As for the Blues, they are off of a win at Montreal. However, St Louis previously had lost 3 straight games. The Stars detest the Blues. Not only are these guys division rivals, St Louis eliminated Dallas from the post-season in a testy 7-game series in May of 2016. This is a great spot to back the revenge-minded Stars. Dallas has won 6 of 8 this season (and 40 of 58 the last 2+ seasons) when they are off of a loss by a margin of 2 goals or more. St Louis has lost 18 of 33 (-$10,300) December games the past 2+ seasons. The Blues scored 4 goals Tuesday but had scored a TOTAL of only 4 goals in the 3 prior games. The Stars recent run of 7 wins in 8 games saw them average scoring 4.6 goals per game in the 7 victories. Give me the hotter offense, the hungrier club, and an underdog price all day every day! 10* DALLAS

TV Game Top Play - Rickenbach NHL Wednesday 10* OVER the total in Washington Capitals vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 8:05 ET - The Capitals Alexander Ovechkin is back on track this season and the way he is playing has the Washington club playing with a little more jump in their skates. Wednesday they'll take advantage of facing a Chicago team that will have goalie Anton Forsberg between the pipes as their #1 netminder continues to recover from a lower-body injury. The Capitals have won 5 of 6 and have averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 5 victories. The Blackhawks are looking for a spark and the extra time off since the loss to the Kings allowed them an opportunity to shuffle their lines (including their power play combo). Look for Chicago to be very aggressive in the offensive zone tonight and they'll finally start finding the back of the net again with more regularity as a results. Washington is in the midst of a solid stretch of home games and the over is 13-4 when the Capitals enter a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home. Only 4 of Chicago's last 12 visits to DC have resulted in an under. 10* OVER the total in Washington

Total Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Winnipeg Jets @ 7:35 ET - The dangerous Jets have won 9 of their last 12 games and have averaged scoring an insane 4.6 goals per game in those 9 games. The fading Red Wings have allowed 5.1 goals per game during their current 7-game losing streak. Based on those numbers you can absolutely see why I am expecting Winnipeg's high-powered offense to have a huge game here. However, I also expect Detroit to respond after an absolutely thoroughly embarrassing loss at Montreal Saturday night. The Red Wings should answer the call here at home but their weak defense and the surging Jets offense combine to mean that the only way Detroit has a shot here is if they score a ton of goals here. Look for the Wings to go very hard in that regard and don't be surprised if this game is 3-3 at some point! The over is 9-4 in Detroit's non-conference games this season. The over is 14-7 in the Red Wings December games the past 2+ seasons. The over is 6-3 this season when Winnipeg is off of a game in non-conference action and I look for another one here. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit

Rickenbach NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:35 ET - Maybe the Habs will go with #1 goalie Carey Price in this spot but he was in goal last night and that would make this a tough back to back spot for him. With goalie Al Montoya dealing with a concussion would it then be Antti Niemi getting the call here? Keep in mind he is already on his third different team this season and has not registered a single win. Niemi is 0-4-1 with a goals-against-average of 5.50 and a save percentage of .845 so for this season. The Red Wings are going to play with a sense of urgency tonight after a frustrating 4-1 home loss to the Kings Tuesday and Detroit had averaged 3.8 goals per game in their 5 prior home games. They're going to push here but they'll struggle to keep the puck out of their own net too. The Red Wings have allowed 4 goals or more in 4 of their last 5 games. The over is 4-2 in their last 6 home games. Only 18 of the last 52 games have stayed under when Detroit is off of a loss by a multiple goal margin. When Montreal enters a game having played each of their 3 prior games at home, only 9 of 26 have stayed under the total. 10* OVER 5.5 goals in Detroit