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NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 8:05 ET - The Maple Leafs 5-1 win was the 8th time last 11 games that either Toronto or the opponent scored 5 or more goals. Overall, the Leafs last 11 games have featured only 2 grinders and the other 9 have featured an average of 7 goals! With this being Leafs/Oilers - a non-conference match-up featuring another dangerous offense - we should see plenty of scoring here. Edmonton is off a low-scoring loss but, prior to this, 15 of last 19 games totaled at least 7 goals. Oilers saw those 15 games average 8.7 goals each! When you look at Edmonton's recent stats, certainly this game has the makings of one where it is simply VERY hard to not envision each club getting to at least 3 goals and that means at least a 4-3 final here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 -125 vs New York Rangers @ 7:35 ET - This is when professional pride kicks in for team. Philly just got embarrassed 7-0 by the Devils. Now they take on another rival as the Rangers are in town. Philadelphia actually has had a ton of 1-goal losses this season so the value of having the 1.5 goals on their side is big here. Rangers are off a win but New York lost 4 straight games before that. Hart is known for being stronger in goal at home and Shesterkin has not been as strong as usual between the pipes of late for New York. That said, this one has the makings of being a very tight battle. Flyers, before this recent 3-game skid of uglier losses, had only 8 multi-goal losses last 34 games! Yes, at +1.5 goals Philly was on a 26-8 run and they get back on track here with an ultra-competitive effort after getting embarrassed by New Jersey in most recent game. 10* PHILADELPHIA +1.5 -125

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Arizona Coyotes vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 9:05 ET - The Coyotes 6 of last 8 games have totaled at least 6 goals. In fact, those 6 games have averaged 8.8 goals apiece. We are going to see strong scoring here. Arizona is the rested team here but they continue to allow too many goals. Including OT or SO Coyotes opponents have reached the 6 goal mark 4 times in just the past two weeks. So the Blackhawks will get their share of scoring here for sure but look for Chicago to struggle in their own end in this back to back spot. The Blackhawks are off a 4-2 loss at Anaheim. They had their top goalie Mrazek in goal for that one too. That said, look for them to struggle in goal here and they have allowed 3.7 goals per game last dozen games. Chicago, yesterday notwithstanding, has been scoring better though. The Blackhawks had won 5 straight before yesterday's loss and the average score was 4-3 in those games. Overall, Chicago has seen 6 of last 7 games total at least 6 goals and this one will too! 10* OVER 6 in Arizona

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 ET - 6-2 final yesterday in favor of Ottawa in a makeup from a game that originally scheduled for 23 December but postponed by snowstorm. That sets up a unique B2B here as the teams meet again tonight. Detroit entered this 2-game series off a 3-0 home loss to the Lightning Saturday. However, this was preceded by the Red Wings having won 7 of 9 games and scoring an average of 4.5 goals in their last 6 victories! Considering that plus the fact that this is the back-end of a B2B spot at Ottawa for the Red Wings, I love the over in this situation. The Senators have allowed 3.2 goals per game last 10 games and Ottawa had averaged scoring 4.5 goals per game their last 8 games before running into a very stiff test with B2B games at Boston and Carolina. The Sens, as expected, were able to get back on track at Montreal Saturday in terms of scoring goals and they got the 5-2 win over the Canadiens and then got it rolling big again last night with the 6-2 win over the Red Wings. But here they are going to have trouble slowing down the Red Wings who will be angry off yesterday's loss. Detroit scores more than 2 here but Senators keep rolling hot with the goal-scoring too. I am looking for a 4-3 type game as I have confidence both teams reach at least the 3-goal mark in this one based on the situation. 10* OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 ET - Detroit is off a 3-0 home loss to the Lightning Saturday. However, this was preceded by the Red Wings having won 7 of 9 games and scoring an average of 4.5 goals in their last 6 victories! Considering that plus the fact that this is the front end of a B2B spot at Ottawa for the Red Wings, I love the over in this situation. The Senators have allowed 3.3 goals per game last 9 games and Ottawa had averaged scoring 4.5 goals per game their last 8 games before running into a very stiff test with B2B games at Boston and Carolina. The Sens, as expected, were able to get back on track at Montreal Saturday in terms of scoring goals and they got the 5-2 win over the Canadiens. But here they are going to have trouble slowing down the Red Wings who will be angry off a shutout loss. 10* OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Seattle Kraken vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - The Maple Leafs seek revenge here at Seattle after a 5-1 loss when these teams met in Toronto. While I do expect the Leafs to score well here I expect Kraken to do the same on home ice. Seattle is off a 6-5 loss and it was the 4th time in 6 games that the Kraken have scored at least 4 goals. Their last 7 games have averaged 7 goals apiece! Toronto is off a tight 2-1 win over Minnesota but, prior to this, the Maple Leafs last 8 games averaged 4 goals apiece! You can see why I am expecting both teams to have some success here in the offensive zone and this is one of those spots where it looks like solid shot at each club getting to the 3 goal mark and that would translate to nothing less than a 4-3 final. 10* OVER 6.5 in Seattle

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Captials @ 1:05 ET - Great set up here with Washington off the big 6-3 win over Rangers yesterday. Kuemper started yesterday so it probably will be Lindgren in goal today for Washington. He has allowed 3 goals in 3 straight straight starts. Of course if we get this game to 3-3 that means it has to get to at least 4-3 which cashes our ticket. Buffalo off a rare low-scoring win as they beat Florida 3-1. Prior to that, 7 straight Sabres games totaled at least 6 goals and those averaged 8 goals apiece! 3 of last 4 Buffalo home games have actually totaled 9 goals. Also, the Sabres have had a pair of recent road games reach double digits in goals! We'll see scoring here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Buffalo

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Carolina Hurricanes vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7 ET - The Hurricanes have a road trip on deck and it starts with a big game at Vegas. This is the type of trap situation where a team can let up a bit on defense as Carolina is wrapping up a long homestand and facing a bad team. Note that Anaheim is off a win and scored 4 goals and could surprise in the offensive zone here. However, prior to that the Ducks were on a long losing streak and consistently allowing a ton of goals. That is why Carolina, winners in 12 of 13 and averaging 4 goals per game during this stretch, will score a pile here. However, the point is that the Ducks will answer them with some scoring too given the situation. I feel we have good value here in a game that has 5-3 written all over it! 10* OVER 6.5 in Carolina 

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - Montreal off a 5-2 win at Philly last night. They have now had B2B 5-2 wins and 6 of their last 8 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Considering that plus the fact that this is a B2B and Montembeault likely to start in goal here for the Habs, I love the over in this spot. Montembeault is off a good start in his most recent one but this was preceded by him allowing 4 goals per game in his 4 prior starts. Also, the Senators have allowed 3.5 goals per game last 8 games but Ottawa had averaged scoring 4.5 goals per game their last 8 games before running into a very stiff test with B2B games at Boston and Carolina. The Sens will get back on track here at Montreal in terms of scoring goals but they are also going to have trouble slowing down the Canadiens. 10* OVER 6.5 in Montreal

NHL Friday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers -150 vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - While it may seem surprising to see the Flyers as a sizable money line favorite here, the fact is this is a great spot to back them. This match-up has a little extra spice to it because these teams had a memorable post-season series just a few years ago. The Flyers took that series but Montreal did take the first regular season meeting this season and it was a memorable one. The Canadiens tied the game with 2 seconds left and then won the game in overtime! Suffice to say the Flyers felt shell-shocked after that frustrating loss. Look for them to take advantage here as they finally get their shot at revenge from that early-season loss. The key here is Philly does tend to be quite solid at home while Montreal has been struggling on the road for months now. The Canadiens had lost 10 of last 11 road games before a big win at New Jersey Tuesday. I look for the losing ways away from home to resume here after that rare road win over the Devils. Revenge is a real motivator for the Flyers here and they want to get back on track after having some recent struggles of their own of late. 10* PHILADELPHIA -150

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Vegas Golden Knights vs Calgary Flames @ 9:05 ET - Vegas has had injury issues at the goalie position so they are again going with Laurent Brossoit here. I know he had a good first start but the goaltender has struggled frequently in recent seasons and is facing a Flames team that is 2nd in the league in terms of shots on goal. They fired a bunch again in last night's win at Arizona and while that is good news in terms of offensive production, this Flames team also has a tough goalie and defense situation with the back to back. I like the fact that Calgary's 9 of last 12 games have totaled at least 7 goals. In fact those dozen games have averaged 7 goals so I really like this one, given the situation, to certainly get to "average" at the very least. Vegas has won 5 of 6 games and had scored 4.8 goals per game before a low-scoring loss to the Blackhawks. The Knights should get back on track here off the loss in an entertaining high-scoring affair here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Vegas

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in St Louis Blues vs Vancouver Canucks @ 8:05 ET - Both teams known for high-scoring games. Vancouver's last 11 games and 17 of last 19 games have totaled 7 or more goals. St Louis has lost 8 of 11 games and allowed 4.3 goals per game during this stretch. Canucks consistently giving up big goal totals so the Blues are sure to score well on home ice here too. But St Louis can not stop anyone either. This turns into a high-scoring barnburner. 10* OVER 6.5 in St Louis

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Arizona Coyotes vs Calgary Flames @ 9:35 ET - The Flames are in a bit of a tricky spot here. They have a bigger game on deck at Vegas tomorrow night so they could overlook Arizona here. The Coyotes make for a dangerous home dog. However, I fully expect Calgary to respond off their home loss to the Flyers which was a tight 4-3 defeat. The issue for the Flames is they sometimes have struggled to slow down the opposition. Calgary has allowed about 3.5 goals per last 14 games. The Flames have scored about 3.5 goals per game last 11 games. The point is that this game has all the makings of one that will see each team get to the 3-goal mark. That guarantees us of nothing less than a 4-3 final of course if we do see that happen and I fully expect this. The Coyotes are off a tight 3-2 win in OT but prior to this they had seen 4 of 5 games total at least 6 goals and those 4 games actually averaged 9 goals apiece. Look for more of the same here in what should be a wild one. 10* OVER 6 in Arizona

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 goals +115 @ Edmonton Oilers @ 9:05 ET - The Flyers will likely start Carter Hart in goal here. I know he has struggled in recent starts but he did beat the Oilers not too long ago and he is a Sherwood Park native. Yes he was born in a suburb of Edmonton and facing the Oilers, especially here, is certainly special for him. Since he did not start the last game and it was a win with Ersson in goal, I look for Hart and the Flyers to build off that. Yes they had a couple of uglier losses with Hart in goal recently but those have truly been the exception rather than the norm for Hart and Philly in recent weeks. Philadelphia has won only 15 of last 34 games but a lot of one goal losses in this stretch! Flyers have only 8 multi-goal losses last 34 games! That means if you had played Philly at +1.5 goals in each of last 34 games you won 26 of them! I feel we have good value here with a rare "plus plus" situation as Philly is +1.5 goals and plus money in this one. Yes the Oilers are a good team but they have been getting shaky goaltending of late and are likely to struggle just to win this game let alone cover the spread here! Edmonton has lost 4 straight and 6 of last 9 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA +1.5 +115

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 -135 in Buffalo Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:35 ET - The Sabres are off a 4-2 win that stayed under the total but this was preceded by Buffalo allowing an average of 5 goals per game in their 4 games before that. Buffalo will struggle to stop the Maple Leafs here but this Sabres team has won 7 of 11 games and has scored an average of 3.5 goals per game last 10 games. Toronto is off a 5-3 loss but had won 8 of 12 games heading into that one and the Maple Leafs averaged 3.7 goals per game in those dozen games. This Leafs team will score well here but, like the Sabres, I just can not trust their goaltending. Their 5-3 loss at Chicago was the 4th time last 8 games in which Toronto has allowed 4 or more goals. More of the same on tap here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Buffalo

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 goals +110 in Boston Bruins vs Ottawa Senators @ 1:07 ET - The Senators are off a 7-2 win yesterday and playing with a lot of confidence right now. They have been winning games of late despite being down their top two goalies. Also, they have confidence here by virtue of having already beaten the Bruins twice this season including once by a count of 7-5. You can bet that Boston is going to be ready for revenge here and will take advantage of the Sens being in a B2B and essentially down to their #4 goalie as their option for starting today's game. Also, Bruins have scored an average of 4 goals per game in going 4-1 last 5 games. Senators have scored 4 goals per game in going 7-2 last 9 games. Though I respect the defense and netminding of the Bruins, Ottawa has given them some trouble this season and they can get to 3 goals here but, of course, Boston a heavy favorite for a reason here. Look for a 5-3 type game in this one. Love the plus money with the over in a game in which the Bruins should really look to pile it on against a divisional foe. 10* OVER 6.5 goals +110 in Boston

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 7 in Florida Panthers vs Anaheim Ducks @ 1:05 ET - I know it may seem tough to feel comfortable laying a total of 7 goals and, of course, we don't want a push with landing on 7 here but I do feel confident we are going to see 8 or more here. At the same time, there is value here in the fact that if we get to 3-3 we can not lose this play and honestly I feel very confident even the Ducks will get to 3 in this one. The problem for Anaheim is they can stop no one! The Ducks have allowed 6.5 goals in losing 4 straight games and all 4 of those games totaled at least 9 goals! In terms of scoring goals, Anaheim has averaged scoring 3.3 goals per game last 11 games. The Ducks porous defense is in trouble here against the high-powered Panthers. Note that Florida is on their home ice for this one and they have gone 9-7 overall last 16 games and scored an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch. The Panthers have also scored an impressive average of 4.5 goals per game in their last 10 on home ice! This Florida team is dangerous but they also have struggles in their own end of the ice at time. 3 times in last 5 games they have allowed 5 or more goals! They have allowed 4 goals per game last 11 games! 10* OVER 7 goals in Florida

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line +115 @ New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Jets have a huge situational edge here. They have been off since Thursday and that was a 3-1 loss at Columbus. They are fired up and rested and ready to bounce back here. Also, they could have Hellebuyck back between the pipes though, even if Rittich goes, I still like this play. Rittich has actually played quite well. However the same can not be said for Vanececk's back-up, Blackwood, in New Jersey. The Devils back-up netminder is likely to play tonight and he has allowed at least 4 goals in 3 of last 4 games! He is likely to play because Vanecek was in goal for yesterday's big win over division rival Penguins. In summary, New Jersey is in a B2B spot and off a big divisional win and is facing a rested Jets team having a solid season but coming off a loss. There is a reason this money line has been moving downward already. This is sharp hockey money seeing the same thing I am seeing here which is great underdog line value. 10* WINNIPEG +115

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 6 ET - The Maple Leafs off a huge 5-1 win versus Montreal yesterday so could be flat here defensively. Still they should have no trouble scoring goals against this Chicago club but don't be surprised if Toronto gives up plenty too given the situation. Toronto has scored 4 goals per game on average last 6 games. However, the Leafs also had allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of 5 games before the 5-2 win over this Blackhawks team that began their 2-game win streak. Now the Leafs are in Chicago and I am expecting the Hawks to score better at home as they seek revenge for the 5-2 loss at Toronto. However, this Blackhawks team has allowed 4 goals per game last 7 games. Chicago does have some positive momentum here though with 4-3 OT wins both in most recent game on the road and most recent game here at home. 10* OVER 6.5 in Chicago

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Calgary Flames vs New York Rangers @ 10:05 ET - The Rangers are off a thrilling comeback win over the Oilers in Edmonton last night as they rallied from a 4-1 deficit and ending up winning in a 5-4 shootout - literally and figuratively! New York has shown a knack for high-scoring games of late and, given this is a back to back and Flames can score well on home ice, I do not see that coming to an end here. The Rangers have won 7 straight games and 8 of 9. New York has scored an average of almost 5 goals per game during this 9-game stretch! The Flames enter this one having seen 7 of their last 9 games total at least 7 goals! Calgary has had trouble stopping the opposition of late but fully capable of putting up some goals on a Rangers team that could be a little fatigued defensively in the 2nd game of a B2B. Flames have averaged scoring about 3.5 goals per game last 9 games. More of the same here in a game that has all the makings of another 5-4 type game and should end up at nothing less than 4-3 the way I see it! 10* OVER 6.5 in Calgary

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens @ 7:05 ET - Double revenge spot for Toronto here as they has lost each of the first two meetings this season with the Habs and both of those defeats were in Montreal. Of course this is why the Maple Leafs are a huge favorite and expected to win this game by a multiple goal margin. In other words, look for plenty of goals here because the Canadiens actually have been scoring well of late with 4 goals on average in their last 5 games. The problem for Montreal comes with stopping the opposition. They have allowed 3.7 goals last 10 games. We should see a wild one here in a spirited match-up between division rivals. The Leafs have averaged scoring about 4 goals per game in last 9 games. However, the Maple Leafs, prior to a 5-2 win over Blackhawks, also had allowed 4 goals per game last 4 home games. Look for a 5-3 type game here the way I see it. Certainly we should get to at least the 7 goal mark but truly, based on all of the above, I am expecting 8 or more goals! 10* OVER 6.5 in Toronto

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs New York Rangers @ 9:05 ET - 11 of last 14 Oilers games have totaled at least 7 goals. Yes, we have to lay some juice to have the over 6.5 in this one but it should prove well worth it. Edmonton is a top scoring team and particularly tough on home ice. However, the Oilers also have allowed 3.2 goals per game this season. The Rangers have better goals allowed numbers on the season but they certainly have been a bit "leaky" in their own end of the ice in recent weeks. The Rangers have won 6 straight games but have allowed 3.2 goals per game last 5 games. The key to the 6-game winning streak is they are scoring an average of 5 goals per game. Considering that plus the way the Oilers have been scoring during their current winning stretch - 4.5 goals per game during 9-1-3 run - we should see an absolute barn-burner here. Look for end to end action with plenty of goals as another non-conference battle flies over the total. 10* OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7:05 ET - So the issue for the Blackhawks includes not scoring goals with much frequency but they are facing a Senators team that is down to their #3 and #4 netminders. So the point is Chicago should get it going in the goal-scoring department here. However, also note that Ottawa has been playing well and scoring well and here they take advantage of a Hawks club that has allowed an average of 4 goals per game in losing 5 of last 6 games. The Sens have won 6 of 7 games and scored an average of 4 goals in last 6 games. However, Ottawa has also allowed about 4 goals per game last 4 games and, again, I would have some concern here with the Senators in terms of the goaltender concern. Excellent value with the over available at a great price in this one too. 10* OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +180 @ Seattle Kraken @ 10:05 ET - Revenge game for Flyers. Philadelphia lost at home to Seattle 4-3 but should have Carter Hart back in net after Felix Sandstrom started that game. Note that Hart has been fantastic in goal of late. Also, the Flyers have gone 2-2-3 in last 7 games and I though about laying the juice and taking the 1.5 goals here since Philly does not have any multi-goal losses last 7 games. But the best value here is with the money line as I do feel the Kraken are vastly over-priced here. Hart has allowed just 1.4 goals in regulation time of his last 7 starts including just 1 goal per start in regulation time of his last 4 starts. The Flyers have won 2 of last 3 road games and the wins were by a combined score of 6 to 1 while the loss was in OT. If you look at the last dozen games for the Kraken, other than the tight win at Philly, they have won just 3 of 11 games! They are not a -200 favorite here or, at least, they do not merit such a price. While Philly is getting stellar goaltending from Hart, Seattle has allowed an average of 3.6 goals in regulation time of their last 5 games. 10* PHILADELPHIA +180

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Vegas Golden Knights vs San Jose Sharks @ 10:05 ET - The Golden Knights have won 3 straight games and scored at least 5 goals in all 3 wins. They also have revenge here for a 5-2 home loss to the Sharks earlier this season so they will not hold back in this one. They did score 4 in a win at San Jose earlier this season. The Sharks entered this game off of a dud at home as they scored just 1 goal but they did fire nearly 40 shots on goal in that one! Also, San Jose had scored 4 or more goals in 3 of 4 games before that 3-1 loss to the Penguins. Vegas has scored 17 goals last 3 games overall (2 of those were on the road!) and also 13 goals in last 2 home games! Sharks have seen 3 straight games total 5 or less goals but this followed a stretch in which 20 of last 26 games totaled at least 7 goals! 10* OVER 6.5 in Vegas

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Anaheim Ducks vs Buffalo Sabres @ 10:05 ET - The Sabres have allowed 5 or more goals in 3 straight games. Also, these teams recent met in Buffalo and that was a 6-3 Sabres win. Ducks will be out for revenge here but the best play here is the over in my opinion. Just like Buffalo's struggles to keep the puck out of their own net, Anaheim is having the game issue. The Ducks have allowed at least 6 goals in B2B games. Also, going further back, Anaheim has lost 9 of last 14 games and, in those 9 losses the Ducks have allowed 5.3 goals per game in regulation time! This game sets up to be another wild, high-scoring non-conference battle. 80% of Ducks last 15 games have totaled at least 7 goals and this one is set up nicely to do the same. 10* OVER 6.5 in Anaheim

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Vancouver Canucks vs New York Rangers @ 10:05 ET - I feel sure that the Canucks are going to put up a fight here at home. Of course the Rangers are a deserved pricey road favorite here but it would not surprise me if they start a bit sluggish here. Their most recent game was on the east coast in Carolina and that was a big win over a strong Hurricanes team. Now the Rangers have come all the way out to the Pacific Northwest and, off that big win, could start slow against a fired up Canucks team. Vancouver wants to bounce back off some recent ugly road losses. To their credit, the Canucks - prior to a 6-1 home ice loss - had won their prior two home games each by identical 5-2 scores. The issue for Vancouver though is they continue to struggle to keep the puck out of their own net and they are facing a Rangers club here that has been scoring a pile of goals. So the Canucks have allowed 4.3 goals per game last 20 games. The Rangers have scored an average of 5 goals per game last 5 games. Each of New York's last 4 games have totaled at least 7 goals and, again, given this situation we would see them continue to allow more goals than normal. They have allowed an average of 3 goals last 4 games and are off that big win over the Hurricanes so could be a little flat on defense here especially early. 10* OVER 6.5 in Vancouver

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 10:35 ET - The Penguins just allowed 6 goals for the 3rd time in 6 games. The Pens are definitely having some struggles defensively and in goal. However, prior to the 6-0 shutout loss, Pittsburgh had scored an average of about 4 goals per game last 9 games. This Penguins team will be hungry to bounce back here after the ugly loss but I also look for their troubles in terms of conceding too many goals to continue here. San Jose enters this game having averaged 3.6 goals per game last 5 games. The Sharks have scored well in 4 of their last 5 games but, prior to a 4-1 in most recent game, had allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 21 games! Given all of the above this one has the makings of a 4-3 type game. Non-conference games tend to be a little less intense defensively and, based on these teams recent results, that perfectly fits the bill tonight. 10* OVER 6.5 in San Jose

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - As mentioned yesterday, the Senators are currently without their top two goalies and are down to their #3 and #4 options. That exposes Ottawa here against an Islanders team that has been playing with confidence again of late. New York has won 4 of 6 games and scored an average of 4 goals in their last 3 games. However, the Islanders have allowed an average of 4.5 goals in regulation of last 2 games with each goalie struggling. The point is that it makes sense the Senators are going to do their fair share of scoring here even on enemy ice too. I am looking for this one to get to the 3-3 mark at some point which would get us to at least 4-3 of course. The Sens 4 of last 5 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Ottawa has scored nearly 5 goals per game last 5 games but also been allowing quite a few goals too. Now things even tougher with the goalie situation too. This one should fly over the total. The addition of Horvat to a club that already had the ever-dangerous Barzal makes this club ultra dangerous with the puck! 10* OVER 6 in New York Islanders

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6 or 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs Calgary Flames @ 7:35 ET - The Senators are currently without their top two goalies and are down to their #3 and #4 options. That exposes Ottawa here against a Flames team that has been playing with confidence again of late. Calgary has won 4 of 7 games and scored an average of 4 goals in those 7 games. However, the Flames have allowed an average of 3.3 goals last 8 games. The point is that it makes sense the Senators are going to do their fair share of scoring here on home ice too. I am looking for this one to get to the 3-3 mark at some point which would get us to at least 4-3 of course. The Sens 3 of last 4 games have totaled at least 8 goals. Ottawa has scored 5 goals per game last 4 games but also allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 7 home games. Now things even tougher with the goalie situation too. This one should fly over the total. 10* OVER 6 or 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Washington Capitals vs San Jose Sharks @ 1:35 ET - This is a great spot for an over. The Capitals off a huge win at Boston by a 2-1 count yesterday. A hard-fought win and Kuemper was between the pipes. That means it will likely be Lindgren here. He is off a good start but had been struggling his last 4 appearances prior to that one. Also, I just like the fact that Washington gave so much effort to beat one of the top teams in the East yesterday. Now they face a non-conference foe and could get caught "chasing the game" early on as a result of the situation. So don't be surprised if the Sharks have some early success here. However, San Jose just can not keep the puck out of their own net and so the Caps will come roaring back. That should mean a rather solid over here. The Capitals have been trending more toward unders but that is why we get line value as the key is the Caps situation plus the Sharks trending. Take a look at San Jose as this team is off a 4-1 loss at Florida that stayed under the total but, prior to this, was trending over big-time. San Jose's prior 21 games featured 17 that totaled at least 7 goals. Given their struggling defense and netminding but catching the Capitals in a scheduling spot that favors some Sharks scoring, I look for both teams to score plenty in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Washington

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Montreal Canadiens vs Edmonton Oilers @ 12:35 ET - The Oilers have won 9 of 11 games and scored an average of 5.4 goals per game in the 9 victories! You can see why I am expecting goals here as Edmonton is just relentless in terms of goal-scoring prowess. Here they face a Montreal club that has scored at least 3 goals in 3 of last 4 games and plus is on home ice here. The issue for the Canadiens is they have allowed 4 goals per game last 7 games. This one has the makings of a 4-3 type game. Both teams in a B2B spot which stresses the defense and the goaltending so the offense will again be free-flowing with both teams off high-scoring wins yesterday too. 10* OVER 6.5 in Montreal

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +120 vs Nashville Predators @ 12:35 ET - If you do not allow the opponent to score it is tough for them to beat you! Indeed the Flyers have been getting great goaltending and are not allowing many goals at all in recent games. The Predators have been winning lately but those games were at home and they are coming off a home loss to the Golden Knights. The key is that the Preds have only had one strong game in the last 5 in terms of goals conceded. In the other 4 games, Nashville has allowed an average of 4.3 goals. Also, the Predators have lost 3 straight road games and allowed 3.7 goals per game in those 3 games. Home ice and stronger goaltending make for solid upset potential here. 10* PHILADELPHIA +120

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs Vancouver Canucks @ 12:05 ET - Canucks have a new head coach in Rick Tocchet but things have remained the same in the goal-scoring department in Vancouver. The Canucks can not stop anybody but also do score very well! That is why each of their last 6 games have totaled at least 7 goals and those 6 have averaged 8 goals per game. But, not only that, 9 STRAIGHT ROAD GAMES for Vancouver have resulted in at least 7 goals scored! Those 9 games have averaged 8.6 goals per game! As for the Red Wings, they should score well at home here and I know that goalie Ville Husso can be strong at times but also he has had a few tougher outings from time to time too. With this being an early start and with the way things are going for Canucks of late, I just can not see this game ending with less than 7 goals. Look for Vancouver to again force the pace of play in this one and don't be surprised if power play goals continue to play a role in yet another over here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7 ET - The Maple Leafs just always seem to plagued by goaltending issues and that is the case again this season. Toronto's Matt Murray is out again so that is not helping matters in net. Ilya Samsonov has been quite inconsistent. He has allowed 5 or more goals in 2 of last 3 starts. The Leafs do continue to score well. Toronto, prior to a 5-2 loss to Boston, had averaged 3.8 goals scored per game last 25 games. As for Columbus, they do tend to score better at home but they also have been one of the worst teams in the league defensively and in goal. That is why 6 of last 7 Blue Jackets home games have totaled at least 7 goals. Also, Columbus has scored 3.7 goals per game last 3 games as a host. More of the same on tap here as I feel this is one of those back and forth match-ups that has a great shot to get to 3-3 which, of course, would mean nothing less than a 4-3 final. Either way, this one finds its way to at least 7 goals. 10* OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in New York Islanders vs Vancouver Canucks @ 7:35 ET - I know the Islanders have been trending under of late and getting solid goaltending. However, this is a very unique match-up. The Islanders just made the huge move to get Bo Harvat from Vancouver. Now the Canucks are in town for this game. The situation keeps getting bigger and bigger for Horvat and this will be an especially electric atmosphere for this game as a result. First it was Horvat's debut with the Isles and that was on enemy ice in a division rivalry game. Then it was his home ice debut and he scored a goal in that one too. Now in his 3rd game with his new team he is facing his old team and this game is again on Long Island. So the atmosphere will be great and the Isles are off of a 4-goal outburst in their most recent game. They certainly should score plenty here against the Canucks. Vancouver enters this one having allowed 4 goals per game on the season. However, the Canucks have been even worse of late on the road with 5 goals allowed per game in last 8 away from home. However, they also have scored at least 3 goals in 7 of last 8 road games. This one should end up at least a 4-3 final based on all of the above. 10* OVER 6 in New York Islanders

NHL Wednesday 10* OVER 6.5 in New York Rangers vs Vancouver Canucks @ 8:05 ET - The Canucks fired their head coach on the 22nd. Since then they have scored at least 4 goals in 3 of 4 games. However, Vancouver continues to have trouble keeping the puck out of their own net. The Canucks have lost 12 of 16 games and allowed 4 goals per game during this stretch. Shesterkin is a great goalie and likely to get the start here for Rangers but he could be rusty after the time off and he only played in the All Star game over the weekend. Other than this will be the first action for him tonight in two weeks. He could be a little rusty here and the Canucks only hope to steal a road win here is to outscore the Rangers because you know Vancouver is going to be giving up goals here. The Rangers have plenty of high-scoring capability and have scored at least 3 goals in 9 of last 13 games. Many of those games saw New York get to 4 goals and I fully expect at least that here in what should be a highly entertaining non-conference battle. 10* OVER 6.5 in New York Rangers

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks @ 8:35 ET - Like the fact that Ducks played last night but lost in shootout at Dallas. Anaheim shoot skate well here in the B2B but will have a rusty Stolarz between the net most likely since Gibson played last night. Speaking of rusty, the Blackhawks coming back from the All-Star break so I don't expect either of their goalies to be sharp here. The Ducks are off B2B lower-scoring games but this followed 10 straight games that totaled 7 goals or more and those 10 averaged 8 goals apiece! Chicago has averaged 3.5 goals scored per game last 10 games but also has a goalie issue here. Stalock has been out because of a concussion. Stauber is young and unproven so don't put too much stock into his first couple of NHL games. Mrazek likely to get most of the starts and he has allowed 11 goals in his last two starts. 10* OVER 6 in Chicago

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 5.5 in NY Islanders vs Seattle Kraken @ 7:35 ET - We get a very low total to work with here because the Islanders are involved. However, they are in a B2B spot here and Varlamov played last night which means it will likely be Sorokin in goal tonight. Sorokin played in the All Star game and did have a shutout in his most recent start prior to the break. However, prior to this he allowed an average of 4 goals per game over his 3 prior starts. He has not been as strong as Varlamov. Also, this will be the home ice debut for New York's big-name addition with Bo Harvat coming on board. The Isles have needed to have some offensive production and I am looking for a strong effort tonight after the divisional win at Philly last night. Islanders will see a higher-scoring game here as having a game under their belt after the break should allow them the early edge over the Kraken but I do expect Seattle to come roaring back in this one too. The Kraken have won 11 of 15 games and scored an average of 4 goals per game during this 15-game stretch. Seattle has allowed 5 goals in each of last two road games and also just allowed 5 goals in most recent home loss too! Take advantage of the low number here as this one has strong odds of getting to at least 6 goals. 10* OVER 5.5 in New York Islanders

NHL Monday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +120 vs New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - The Islanders are off B2B wins but had lost 10 of 11 games prior to that. Also, both those wins were on home ice. On the road, the Isles have lost 5 straight games and 10 of last 12. The home team is 2-0 in the two games between these divisional foes this season. The Flyers have been opposite of the Islanders this season. New York started hot than cooled. Philly had a very rough stretch earlier in the season for an extended period. However, they have since won 10 of 16 games. They did lose their most recent home game however in OT to the Kings. Philly either led or was tied with LA throughout the entirety of that game. They will make up for that home ice loss here and get back into the win column as they continue to exceed expectations of late while the Islanders have truly been mired in a long slump. Yes they acquired Bo Harvat from the Canucks and he is a great player but it could take him some time to "get on the same page" with his  teammates and they could be a bit sloppy on the ice coming out of the All Star break. Don't be surprised if the Flyers are the more cohesive group on home ice here and I look for a huge game from Carter Hart in goal as he has allowed a total of only 6 goals in regulation time of his last 4 starts. 10* PHILADELPHIA +120

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Buffalo Sabres vs Carolina Hurricanes @ 7:35 ET - As mentioned in yesterday's write-up on the Hurricanes OVER - a 5-4 winner - this Carolina team has been so strong in the offensive zone. The Canes, before the 4-1 win over Boston that preceded the win over the Kings last night, had seen 10 of their last 12 games total at least 7 goals! Incredibly, Carolina has averaged scoring 4 goals per game last 21 games! The Sabres also have been solid in the goal-scoring department on home ice with 3.8 goals scored per game in their 25 games as a host this season! Also, 15 of last 22 Buffalo home games have totaled at least 7 goals so excellent line value with this rather favorable posted total given the trending of these teams. The Hurricanes are in a back to back and used #1 goalie Andersen last night so it is likely to be Raanta tonight. Note that Raanta has allowed at least 3 goals in 3 of last 4 games. The Sabres have been struggling in the goaltending department so they are likely to give up at least 3 here too. This is one of those games - Canes offense so hot, Sabres strong on home ice - that has a great shot at both teams getting to at least 3 goals and of course that would allow this game to get to nothing less than a 4-3 final. 10* OVER 6.5 in Buffalo

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Carolina Hurricanes vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7 ET - I know the Hurricanes are a strong team that generally gets good goalie work and does not allow a lot of goals. However, this could be a bit of a flat spot for them off of the hard-fought win over the Bruins. That was a key 1-2 battle in the Eastern Conference and could leave the Canes perhaps still celebrating here. So don't be surprised if the Kings put Carolina on their heels a bit here early and get some goals but then the Hurricanes should come roaring back of course. This Carolina team has been so strong in the offensive zone. The Canes, before the 4-1 win over Boston, had seen 10 of their last 12 games total at least 7 goals! Incredibly, Carolina has averaged scoring 4 goals per game last 20 games! The Kings also have been solid in the goal-scoring department with 3.2 goals scored per game last 15 games! Also, 12 of last 15 Los Angeles games have totaled at least 6 goals so excellent line value with this rather favorable posted total given the recent trending. 10* OVER 6 in Carolina

NHL Monday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Puck Line -1.5 goals +130 vs St Louis Blues @ 8 ET - Blues have lost 4 straight games and 6 of last 8. St Louis allowed 4.5 goals per game in those 6 defeats. They are struggling on defense and in goal and all 6 of the losses by at least 2 goals! That is why I am comfortable laying the puck line here with the Jets at home. Look for a huge bounce back from Winnipeg who surely have the goalie edge here in addition to the home ice edge. Winnipeg already beat St Louis by a combined score of 9 to 2 in the first two meetings this season and another bloodbath is likely here. The Blues just can not get right. Even though the Jets are also off some recent losses, they have not lost 4 straight games all season. Also, prior to the 4-0 loss to the Flyers - a rare shutout loss for the Jets - Winnipeg had allowed average of just 2.3 goals per game last 9 games. They are the much better defensively and in goal in this match-up and they bounce back huge here in what is the final game for each club before the All Star break. Yes we must win this game by 2 or more goals to win our bet but we get plus money related to that PLUS 15 of the Jets last 19 victories have been by a multi-goal margin. 10* WINNIPEG -1.5 +130

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Carolina Hurricanes vs Boston Bruins @ 5 ET - Revenge game for the Hurricanes after they lost at Boston earlier this season. Carolina has scored an average of 4 goals per game in last 19 games! The Hurricanes have allowed an average of 3.5 goals last 6 homes games. Andersen dealing with upper body injury so this could be Raanta again here in goal. The Bruins, like the Canes, have been one of the top teams in the NHL so far this season. Boston off a 4-3 loss in OT at Florida last night and both Swayman and Ullmark off rather mediocre starts in goal as Bruins have lost 2 straight. But this Boston team can score like crazy and the Bruins have averaged 3.7 goals per game last 20 games. I feel we have strong odds of each team getting to 3 goals here and that means nothing less than a 4-3 final would result. 10* OVER 6 in Carolina

OVER 6.5 in Montreal vs Ottawa @ 7 ET - Tough spot for Senators. They are off a big 6-2 win at Toronto but this is 2nd game of a B2B and Talbot is out. That means Forsberg is expected to start again here in goal for the Sens even though it is 2nd night of a B2B. Montembeault expected to start for Canadiens and he has allowed 10 goals last 3 starts and has a 3.14 GAA on the season. Habs have scored an average of 3 goals last 6 home games but Ottawa comes rolling in with confidence off the 6-2 win last night. Look for plenty of goals here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Montreal 

OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh vs San Jose @ 7 ET -  I love the value here with the over 6.5 because the Sharks over trending resumed with a 5-4 loss in most recent game after they had a couple lower-scoring games. Remember those two RARE unders for SJ had followed 15 straight San Jose games totaling at least 6 goals. The Sharks are so bad defensively and in goal and note that the Penguins are fired up off a 3-2 loss at Washington Thursday. The Penguins had scored at least 4 goals in 6 of last 9 games before scoring just 2 in the loss to the Capitals. The Sharks have averaged scoring 3 goals per game last 18 games. San Jose should score well here because Pittsburgh is without top goalie Jarry. However, don't be surprised when the Penguins are lighting the lamp early and often against this porous Sharks defense as San Jose also continues to struggle to get good goaltending too. 10* OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - Ottawa is going to be without goalie Cam Talbot until after the All Star break most likely. Anton Forsberg came in for him versus the Islanders and played well in that game but in his last 4 starts he has allowed 18 goals and he is facing a tough Maple Leafs team here. Toronto should certainly score plenty here but the issue for the Leafs is they do have stretches where they do allow too many goals. This has been some case overall in some recent home games plus has been a prevailing trend in recent divisional games. Now they face another divisional foe and the Maple Leafs have allowed about 4 goals per game in last 4 divisional games. 10* OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Carolina Hurricanes vs San Jose Sharks @ 7 ET - Even if Frederik Andersen plays for the Hurricanes he may not be 100% here as he left his last start with an upper body injury. That game ended up being a 3-2 Carolina win that stayed under the total. But, prior to that, the Hurricanes 9 of last 10 games totaled at least 7 goals! I love the value here with the over 6 because the Sharks are off a couple lower-scoring games but this followed 15 straight San Jose games totaling at least 6 goals. The Sharks are so bad defensively and in goal and note that the Canes have scored an average of nearly 4 goals per game last 18 games. The Sharks have averaged 3 goals per game last 17 games. This one should be a 5-3 Canes win or at least 4-3 and I like the long-term scoring trending of each team that has taken place but the fact we get line value with SJ off B2B unders and the Canes off an under. 10* OVER 6 in Carolina

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Arizona Coyotes vs St Louis Blues @ 9:05 ET - Tarasenko is now back for the Blues but they are off a 5-3 loss as their defense and goaltending continues to be an issue. Ditto for the Coyotes as Arizona is off a 5-2 loss for the same reasons. Overall, I like Arizona when they are at their temporary home which is a small 5,000 seat arena. The Coyotes have averaged scoring 3 goals per game in their last 15 games here. The problem for Arizona is they have allowed an average of 4 goals per game in the 12 losses in their current 2-12 run. The good news for Coyotes fans tonight is they should see plenty of scoring tonight. Arizona will join the "goal party" here as the Blues have allowed 4.6 goals per game in last 9 losses! St Louis has scored an average of 4 goals per game in last 9 victories! No wonder 13 of last 19 Blues games have totaled at least 7 goals and all signs point to this one taking that run to 14 of 20 for St Louis. 10* OVER 6.5 in Arizona

Thursday NHL 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 -125 @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Wild have lost 6 of 9 games. Yes a lot of those games were on the road but the fact is Minnesota is only 2-2 last 4 games on home ice and one of those wins was by just a single goal. That said, there is a lot of value here with the Flyers at +1.5 goals. Philadelphia has won a modest 13 of last 27 games but the key within that is the value of the +1.5 goals here. The Flyers 14 losses in that stretch included 7 by a single goal. That means the Flyers, at +1.5 goals, would produce a 20-7 record last 27 games. Not bad, eh? The fact is Philly is a live dog in this spot as they are coming off a loss and have been playing better of late when off a loss. They enter this game off B2B losses but, prior to the OT loss to the Kings, they had gone 6-1 last 7 times when off a loss. The Wild just back from a long road trip and have a revenge game versus Sabres on deck too. Neither of those are key angles here but still worth noting. 10* PHILADELPHIA +1.5 -125

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 9:35 ET - The Blue Jackets re-assigned Tarasov to the minors last week. Their current goalies are Korpisalo and Merzlikins. In the last 10 Columbus games those guys have been in the crease, 8 of the 10 have totaled at least 7 goals! Those 8 games averaged about 8 goals. Overall, other than the only recent Tarasov made, the Blue Jackets have allowed an average of about 4 goals per game. Now they have to face a red hot Oilers team so this could get ugly. Edmonton has scored 5 goals per game during their current 6-game winning streak! Also, the Oilers conceded an average of 3 goals per game last 9 home games. So even on home ice Edmonton tends to give up goals but these guys can score like crazy. They are so dangerous and they face a very bad Blue Jackets defense and sub-par goaltending that also just gave a huge effort in Johnny Gaudreau's return to Calgary on Monday. Look for that to help turn this non-conference battle into a wide-open affair with plenty of open ice. 10* OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Ottawa Senators vs New York Islanders @ 7:05 ET - Both these teams allowing plenty of goals of late. The Senators have lost 6 of 8 games and allowed 4.5 goals per game in those 8 games. The Sens off a 5-1 home loss to the Jets but had scored at least 4 goals in 3 of last 4 homes games before that one. Look for Ottawa's trouble in terms of goals allowed to continue here but they should also resume their recent home ice goal-scoring success courtesy of facing a a struggling Isles team. New York has lost 10 of 12 gams and allowed 4 goals per game last 5 games. The Islanders did defeat the Senators earlier this season by a 4-2 count. They have scored an average of 4.3 goals per victory in their last 9 wins and they will be dangerous here but the Sens answer them goal for goal. This is one of those that should get to 3-3 at some point which means at least a 4-3 final would be the end result. 10* OVER 6 in Ottawa

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in St Louis Blues vs Buffalo Sabres @ 8 ET - The Blues Tarasenko is nearing his return. Even if he does not play tonight I still like the over here. The Sabres are in a tough back to back spot and off a 3-2 OT win. I could see this non-conference match-up in a back-to-back spot being played very wide open. St Louis continues to allow too many goals and Buffalo, in this situation, will likely prove susceptible in their own zone as well. Sabres allowing 3.5 goals per game last 11 games and St Louis has lost 8 of 15. The Blues have scored 4 goals a game in the 7 wins and allowed nearly 5 goals per game in the 8 losses. We'll see plenty of goals tonight given the situation for the Sabres and the current trending of St Louis. 22 of last 32 Blues games have totaled at least 7 goals. 10* OVER 6.5 in St Louis

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Penguins Money Line -140 vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Panthers are in a back to back spot here. Florida had Lyon in goal last night and he struggled as I expected (we had over in their match-up with the Rangers here yesterday). Now, with Bobrovsky still dealing with an injury, it is likely be Knight who gets the start in goal tonight. He has allowed 21 goals in his last 5 appearances and only lasted about 1 period in one of those. Knight is back up from being assigned to AHL and I look for his NHL-level struggles to quickly resume. As for the Penguins, they are off a tight 2-1 OT loss and will be fired up here. They have the rest edge over the Panthers and plus Tristan Jarry has looked great in goal since he came back. He has allowed just 1 goal in regulation time of each of his two starts since he came back. So the Penguins have the edges here with a rest edge, home ice edge, and the goalie edge. Florida has lost 17 of 28 games this season on the road. Pittsburgh is solid 13-5-4 on home ice this season. Jarry is 16-5-5 with a solid 2.65 GAA this season. In 15 home starts this season he has only 2 losses in regulation time! We get a bargain price here because Penguins had slumped the final week of December and first week of January but they are starting to turn the corner and could be getting Kris Letang back soon as well. All in all, a great set-up here for home dominance. 10* PITTSBURGH -140

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - I have plenty of respect for the Rangers and goalie Shesterkin. However, this is a dangerous Panthers offense and also Shesterkin has allowed at least 3 goals in 7 of his last 10 starts. If Halak gets the start, note that he has allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of his 12 starts this season. The Panthers are expected to start Alex Lyon between the pipes. I know he has been solid in his first two starts this season with his new team but this is still a netminder who has limited NHL experience. He has only 18 starts in his NHL career and still carries a 3.12 GAA in his career. So the Rangers should match Florida goal for goal here and I am expecting each club to get to 3 goals which would mean we would not do any worse than 4-3 final here. The Rangers beat the Panthers 5-3 at the start of the month and, prior to a 3-1 loss to a tough Bruins team in New York's most recent game, they had scored at least 3 goals in 6 of last 8 games. The Panthers have won 7 of 11 games and have scored about 4 goals per game last 11 games! This one should be highly entertaining with plenty of quality scoring chances. 10* OVER 6.5 in New York Rangers

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Boston Bruins vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:05 ET - Boston is a very strong team known for defense and netminding too but I still love the over. One of the keys is that the Bruins are off some very satisfying wins over other teams from the East plus they have their first match-up of the season with a huge rival, the Canadiens, on deck. So Boston might look ahead a little and not be so sharp in their own end of the rink and they will allow some goals. However, this is still a Bruins team that will ultimately push hard and has won 8 of 9 and scored n an average of 5 goals in last 7 wins! So look for goals here as the Sharks also do score quite well. The problem for San Jose is they can not stop anyone. The Sharks last 15 games ALL have totaled at least 6 goals. Those 15 games have seen SJ allow an average of 4 goals per game. The Sharks also have scored, other than a 7-1 loss to Edmonton, 3.5 goals per game in the other 12 games of their last 13 games in this 15-game run of high-scoring contests. San Jose can put up goals like I said but they just are so bad defensively and in goal. Boston will surely take advantage. As you can see, a lot of reasons to expect plenty of goals tonight. 10* OVER 6.5 in Boston

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Blackhawks were mired in a long-term slump and not scoring goals for much of this season. All that has changed now as they are heating up and scoring goals plus here they are taking on a Kings team that is seeing both their goalies struggle. So all the scoring should continue here because, as hot as the Chicago offense has been, they too continue to allow far too many goals. The Hawks have won 6 of 7 games and scored an average of 4 goals last 6 games. Chicago has allowed about 4 goals per game last 18 games! 5-4 anyone? Well we should see at least 4-3 here! Note that the Kings have allowed 3.7 goals per game last 10 games. Los Angeles has also scored 3.2 goals per game last 11 games. This is a non-conference match-up too so look for some lackadaisical defense and plenty of open ice. 10* OVER 6.5 in Chicago

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Money Line +125 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7 ET - What a fantastic set-up this is! The Red Wings are off a big upset win at Vegas but, prior to that, Detroit had lost 6 of 8 games and 13 of 18 games! Because they are hosting here they are laying a bit of a price in this spot as the Flyers overall record is not great this season. The key though is that Philly has been quite overall but is coming off a loss and that means even more value here. Before the 4 to 1 home loss to Chicago, as a big favorite mind you, the Flyers had won 8 of 10 games! Also, Philadelphia is 5-1 the last 6 times they were off a loss. 3 of those 5 wins were on the road too so there is not huge concern here as far as being on enemy ice and the fact is this is a great value spot on the Flyers. 10* PHILADELPHIA +125

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs San Jose Sharks @ 7:05 ET - Columbus is hungry for a win here and will push hard but the Sharks do score quite well. The problem for San Jose is they can not stop anyone. The Sharks last 14 games ALL have totaled at least 6 goals. Those 14 games have seen SJ allow an average of 4 goals per game. The Sharks also have scored, other than a 7-1 loss to Boston, 3.5 goals per game in the other 12 games their last 13 games. San Jose can put up goals like I said but they just are so bad defensively and in goal. Columbus will take advantage. The Blue Jackets have been involved in some lower-scoring games over the past week or so but their home games have totaled 7 or more goals in 4 of the last 5. Also, the Blue Jackets have scored an average of 4 goals in last 4 home games when facing a team with a losing record. The point is, against weaker teams, the Blue Jackets tend to be dangerous in the offensive zone on home ice and I am expecting more of the same here. As you can see, a lot of reasons to expect plenty of goals tonight. 10* OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - Sens found a way to get the 5-4 OT win at home versus the Pens on Wednesday but now Pittsburgh out for revenge. I can't trust the Penguins to stop the Senators though - plus vice versa too! - and the best bet here is on the over. The Senators have lost 4 of 6 and allowed 4.5 goals during this stretch. Pittsburgh has lost 9 of 12 and the Penguins have allowed 3.5 goals during this stretch. This has the makings of a game with great odds on each club getting to 3 goals or perhaps even 4 goals apiece like they did the night before last. The fact is Tristan Jarry might be back in goal here after missing time since early in the month but in his last 3 outings in which he went more than a period, he is has allowed an average of 4 goals. Both clubs struggling to keep the puck out of their own net and that continues here. Both teams struggling recently on the penalty kill as well. 10* OVER 6.5 in Pittsburgh

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line -1.5 goals +125 vs Chicago Blackhawks @ 7 ET - The Flyers bounced back big Tuesday with 5-2 win over Anaheim after an embarrassing road loss at Boston. The Bruins are one of the top teams in the league this season and if you look at Philly's only recent losses, they are all to stronger teams in the league like Boston, Carolina, Toronto. Now Philadelphia is back home and hosting a Blackhawks team that is one of the worst teams in the league this season. As you can see from the large money line on this game, the Flyers are expected to win and I fully concur with that assessment. The key to the value here is on the puck line. Philly has won 8 of 10 games and each of their last 7 wins (and 11 of their last 13 victories) have come by a margin of 2 or more goals! Hart and Ersson have both been playing quite well in goal. The Blackhawks have been playing better but that was at home. This team has been awful on the road with just 3 wins in 16 away games this season. Chicago's last 14 losses have all been 2 or more goals! You can see why I am liking the Flyers to win by at least 2 goals here given the above. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 goals +125

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7:05 ET - Ducks games continue to fly over the total and this is also a game where, on home ice, the Blue Jackets can get their offense flowing again. Yes, Columbus has not scored a lot lately but that had a lot to do with the tougher teams they were facing. Now the Blue Jackets take on a Ducks team that has allowed 5 goals per game last 6 games! As for Anaheim's offensive production, it has sagged lately but this is also a "get right" game for them against Columbus. The Blue Jackets got a strong start from Tarasov in their most recent game but he allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of his last 4 appearances before that. Also, Korpisalo has been out for personal reasons and he has allowed an average of 4 goals last 3 starts. As for Merzlikins, he has a 4.44 GAA on the season! So, as you can see, it is likely that we should see plenty of goals here as this is a non-conference battle featuring two teams that both struggle defensively in terms of allowing too many shots and too many high-quality scoring chances PLUS they each have had plenty of shoddy goaltending for most of the season! In fact, for goals allowed this season, the Blue Jackets have allowed more than any other team in the East and the Ducks have allowed more than any other team in the West! 10* OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in San Jose Sharks vs Dallas Stars @ 10:05 ET - The Sharks will start Reimer here in goal. He allowed 3 goals in his most recent start. That is actually his best start in his last 5 also! The fact is Reimer allowed at least 4 goals in 4 straight starts before that and has allowed an average of 4 goals in his last 7 starts. He is having a very rough season and now faces a Stars team that will pressure him constantly in this game. Dallas is hungry for a win here and will push hard but the Sharks do score quite well. The problem for San Jose is they can not stop anyone. The Sharks last 13 games ALL have totaled at least 6 goals. Those 13 games have seen SJ allow 4 goals per game. The Sharks also have scored, other than a 7-1 loss to Boston, 3.5 goals per game in the other 11 games their last dozen games. San Jose can put up goals like I said but they just are so bad defensively and in goal. Dallas will take advantage. The Stars have been involved in some lower-scoring games over the past week or so but their games with San Jose have totaled 7 and 9 goals respectively. Also, the Stars have scored at least 4 goals in 3 of last 5 games including each of the last two. Dallas is off their third shutout win of the season. After the first two their next games totaled 9 and 11 goals respectively. The point is you can see a lot of reasons to expect goals tonight. 10* OVER 6 in San Jose

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Chicago Blackhawks vs Buffalo Sabres @ 8:35 ET - The Blackhawks are off a loss in which they allowed 8 goals. The fact is it is hard to trust their goaltending. The good news for Chicago is they did score 5 goals in that game and their season-long trouble of scoring goals seems to be easing up some as they now have scored an average of 4 goals per game last 3 games. The Hawks picked up a few recent wins too so confidence is up a bit and they will score goals here but again struggle to stop the opposition. In this case that is a very focused Buffalo team which has allowed an average of 4 goals in their last 7 games. The key for the Sabres is getting their offense going again and they should do just that here. Buffalo is off an ugly 4-1 home loss to Florida but the Sabres have won 6 of last 7 on the road and have scored an average of 3.5 goals per game during this run! They will have their opportunities here against the Blackhawks and they actually have scored 4.7 goals in their last 11 road games so, going further back, their performances on enemy ice are even more impressive. I see each club getting to at least 3 goals given all of the above and that would guarantee us of attaining at least a 4-3 final here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Chicago

NHL Tuesday Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line -1.5 goals +145 vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7 ET - Yes the Flyers are off an embarrassing road loss yesterday but it was at Boston and the Bruins are one of the top teams in the league this season. Now Philadelphia is back home and hosting a Ducks team that is one of the worst teams in the league this season. As you can see from the large money line on this game, the Flyers are expected to win and I fully concur with that assessment. The key to the value here is on the puck line. Philly had won 7 of 8 games prior to yesterday's ugly loss. Also, each of their last 6 wins (and 10 of their last 12 victories) have come by a margin of 2 or more goals! Hart and Ersson had both been playing quite well in goal of late prior to yesterday. The Ducks are also in a B2B spot here but they lost a heartbreaker at Pittsburgh. That is the type of gut-wrenching loss that is difficult to bounce back from. Also, prior to that OT loss, Anaheim's last 12 losses had featured 11 by 3 or more goals! You can see why I am liking the Flyers to win by at least 2 goals here given the above. Also, note that Ducks are not getting good goaltending from anyone of late. Other than a shocking 2-0 win over Dallas awhile back, the Ducks other 7 recent games have seen them allow an average of 5 goals per game. With Flyers off a 6-0 road loss yesterday, you know Tortorella will have the previously hot (7 of 8 run!) Flyers ready to bounce back strong here. 10* PHILADELPHIA -1.5 goals +145

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Rangers @ 7:05 ET - I lost with the Rangers over yesterday. Shesterkin was huge in goal but will not be again in goal here after the 2-1 loss to Montreal. The Canadiens surprised in that Montembeault drew back to back starts and he was good yesterday. We should get it right back tonight though with the Rangers over. Note that Halak will very likely be the starter in goal for New York in this one and he has allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of his 11 starts this season. Also, he had allowed 10 goals in his last 3 starts before he came up with a rare good one in his most recent outing. Halak has been used sparingly so it makes sense he often struggles and I like Columbus to score well here at home. The problem for the Blue Jackets is they are giving up a ton of goals no matter who is guarding the cage and I look for that problem to continue here. Columbus had one low-scoring 1-0 loss to Washington but in their other 6 most recent games the Jackets have allowed 4.7 goals per game. Columbus has scored at least 3 goals in 3 of last 5 games and the Blue Jackets should have success as they catch the Rangers in a back to back. New York, the last 9 times when off a loss, has seen the next game total at least 7 goals 7 of 9 times. Those 7 games have averaged 8 goals scored and I look for a similar result here. Keep in mind, the Rangers 2-1 loss last night featured 70 shots on goal so there was plenty of action at both ends. More of the same here but this time there will be more goals! 10* OVER 6.5 in Columbus

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in San Jose Sharks vs New Jersey Devils @ 4:05 ET - I like non-conference match-ups like this where neither team has been getting overly impressive goaltending plus the goals seem to be free-flowing for both clubs in recent weeks. Note that the Sharks have seen 10 of last 12 games total at least 7 goals and the only two that did not did reach the 6-goal mark. If you like goals, tune into San Jose's games! As for the Devils, each of their last 5 games have totaled at least 7 goals. New Jersey has scored 4.5 goals per game last 8 games! The Devils have allowed 3 goals per game last 10 games. I am looking for each team to get to the 3-goal mark in this one and that means the game would not be able to end without at least a 4-3 final. 10* OVER 6.5 in San Jose

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play  OVER 6 in New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens vs @ 5:05 ET - Of course Shesterkin might be in goal for the Rangers here and he has been solid. But the the Canadiens have a huge mess at the goalie position in this spot. The Habs are off a hard-fought 2-1 loss yesterday against the Islanders and Montembeault started that game. He could get the call again here, which would be a challenge for sure in a B2B but it is because Allen is dealing with an upper body injury. It was significant enough that Primeau was called up from the AHL to back-up yesterday against the Isles. Primeau has struggled both at the NHL level in his career and also in the AHL this season. Allen has also struggled badly and is dealing with an injury. Montembeault would likely not fair well in this back to back spot either as that is a rarity for goalies. So I see Rangers having a strong day offensively but don't be surprised if the Canadiens fight back here and that is why I like the over. I feel the Rangers could overlook them since they have a sub-par record this season but Montreal had scored at least 4 goals in 2 of last 3 before getting shut down yesterday. The Habs, prior to yesterday, saw their last 3 road games all total 9 or more goals. The Rangers are off a hard-fought 2-1 OT loss in most recent game but their 5 games heading into that one saw them average 4 goals per game. More of the same on tap here and this total is a value at 6 goals rather than the 6.5 we see so often. 10* OVER 6 in New York Rangers

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Vegas Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers @ 10:05 ET - The Oilers have two choices here in this tough back to back spot. They have to stick with Campbell here in net because Skinner is back in Edmonton for birth of first child. Or it will be Pickard who has been recalled to the Oilers because of the current Skinner situation. Now I know Campbell is off a solid start (again) for the Oilers but he has generally struggled this season and particularly has had moments of struggles in his road starts and this would be a back to back. If it is Pickard that gets the call it will be his first NHL start in quite some time. The Golden Knights will put a lot of pressure on him here as they are on home ice and I expect them to have success in pressuring whichever goalie they face. However, the high-flying Oilers are of course one of the most dangerous teams in the league with all their scoring firepower. They will take advantage of a Vegas team that has had long stretches with a tendency to give up a lot of goals. That is a big reason that the Golden Knights had seen 5 of their last 6 home games total at least 7 goals before the last two fell just short at 6 goals. Vegas has allowed 4 or more goals in 4 of last 6 games versus Western Conference opponents. The Knights have scored a respectable 3.3 goals per game last 9 games. Oilers have given up 3.2 goals per game last 6 games and we should see a 4-3 or 5-3 type final in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Vegas

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 -130 @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - Dating back to November 30th, the Flyers have won "only" 10 of 20 games but only 4 of the 20 games were a Philly loss by more than 1 goal. Philly is a pretty confident team right now. They have won 6 of 7 and that includes a win over the Capitals in most recent game. That said, this is a lot of value to be giving the Flyers in this spot. Sure Washington wants revenge but Flyers have been playing hot and 80% of their games since late November have seen them either win the game or lose by just a single goal! That is 80% over a month and half period. Laying a -130 price to have the 1.5 goals here is a bargain. The Capitals have only 5 wins by more than 1 goal in last 13 games. Perhaps Washington gets their revenge here but I have a feeling the Flyers are going to give the Caps all they can handle here and this one goes down to the wire. Already without Hagelin, the Capitals have now lost Carlson to injury too. 10* Philadelphia +1.5 -130

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in San Jose Sharks vs Edmonton Oilers @ 10:35 ET - The Oilers have to sick with Campbell here in net because Skinner is back in Edmonton for birth of first child. In fact, Pickard has been recalled to back up here because of that. Now I know Campbell is off a solid start for the Oilers but he has generally struggled this season and particularly has moments of struggles in his road starts. The Sharks will put a lot of pressure on him here as they are on home ice and I expect them to have success in doing so. However, the high-flying Oilers are of course one of the most dangerous teams in the league with all their scoring firepower. They will take advantage of a San Jose team that continues to give up a lot of goals. That is a big reason that the Sharks have seen 13 of their last 17 games total at least 7 goals and this one sure should too! San Jose has allowed 4 or more goals in 8 of last 11 games. The Sharks have scored a respectable 3.3 goals per game last 10 games. Oilers have given up 3.4 goals per game last 5 games and we should see a 4-3 or 5-3 type final in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in San Jose

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - We know that the Maple Leafs are going to get theirs here. Toronto scored 4 last week when they met the Red Wings and Detroit enters this game having allowed 4 goals per game last 11 games. However, the positive for the Red Wings here is more than just the revenge angle. They are catching the Leafs in 2nd game of a B2B plus they get them on home ice in the rematch. Detroit has scored an average of 4 goals per game in their last 6 home games. Toronto has scored an average of 4 goals per game in going 7-3 last 10 games. Before a 2-1 win last night, the Maple Leafs had allowed 3.5 goals per game last 8 games. Also, since Murray played last night this will likely be Samsonov in between the pipes for the Leafs here. He shut down the Red Wings in his last start but he entered that one having allowed 4 goals per game last 4 games. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line -1.5 -120 @ Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Hurricanes are angry right now. They are on a rare losing streak. One of the 4 defeats in this rare tough stretch was against Columbus as the Canes fell short in the shootout despite outshooting them 42 to 18 in that game! That said, this is a payback spot and the Canes will not be denied. The Blue Jackets have just 2 wins last 13 games and one of them was the very fortunate win over Carolina despite being dominated and the other was a win over a punch-less Blackhawks team that just keeps on losing games. The Jackets, in their last 14 losses, have been outscored 60 to 22. That means they lost those games by an average margin of about 3 goals. Look for this to be another ugly one. 10* CAROLINA -1.5 -120

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Buffalo Sabres vs Seattle Kraken @ 7:05 ET - Great set up here as Kraken off a shutout win on the road and Sabres off a shutout loss at home! Those are very unique circumstances for BOTH clubs and then adding to the value of this situation is that this is a back to back spot for BOTH clubs. Jones has been hot in goal for Seattle but since this is a back to back it is unlikely he will play and that means it will be a struggling Grubauer (having tough season) between the pipes. Anderson was in goal for Buffalo last night so this would normally be Luukkonen in the crease tonight but he was sent to minors. Note that each of last 4 games not started by Anderson have resulted in games totaling at least 7 goals! In fact, those 4 games averaged 9 goals per game. Tonight it will likely be Eric Comrie getting the call and he is having a rough season too and is just now coming off injured reserve. Comrie, has not been in the NHL since November 16th and he has posted a 4-7 mark this season with an ugly 3.62 GAA and an unimpressive .887 save percentage in his 11 games. This one should fly over the total given all of the above. 10* OVER 6.5 in Buffalo

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Jets Money Line -130 @ Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 - The final home loss in regulation time that Winnipeg suffered last season came against this team. That is not a huge deal but it is still worth noting as it is the first time the Jets have faced Detroit since then. The big keys here are that this is a classic case of hot versus not. Also, not only are the Red Wings losers of 3 straight and off a loss to Toronto, Detroit again has the division rival Maple Leafs on deck. This is a classic "sandwich spot" as they have a non-conference battle right in the middle of big games versus a divisional foe that also has a revenge aspect to it. So, that said, this is a great spot to ride a Jets team that has won 5 straight games! Plus David Rittich got the last start in goal and with Winnipeg not in action again until Thursday, that means Connor Hellebuyck should get this start for sure. Hellebuyck is one of the best goalies in the league and having another big season and has been particularly red hot of late. The red hot road team should dominate in this one. 10* WINNIPEG JETS -130

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Montreal Canadiens vs Seattle Kraken @ 7:35 ET - The Canadiens have allowed 4 or more goals in 7 straight games. In fact they have allowed an average of 5.4 goals during this rough stretch. However, since Montreal is at home here they should score well too and that is why the play here is the over. The Habs will take advantage of a Kraken team that has a tendency to allow a lot of goals when on the road. Seattle has allowed 4 or more goals in 6 of last 10 road games. Those games have averaged 8.7 goals apiece and almost all of them have gotten to at least 7 goals in total. With Seattle averaging 5.5 goals scored last 4 games - and Kraken scored at least 4 in all 4 - this one should fly over the total. 10* OVER 6.5 in Montreal

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Minnesota Wild vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Both teams in a back to back spot and both off very high-scoring games and the same result is expected today. The Wild have a tough goaltending situation because Fleury struggled yesterday and is out for today and Gustavsson has been battling an illness and should go today but it is doubtful he will be 100%. That is why the Wild even called up Zane McIntyre from the AHL and he has not even played in an NHL game in 6 years. So look for St Louis to continue to be very aggressive in putting pressure on the opposing netminder but the problem for the Blues as they have had struggling goaltending too. It was Binnington in goal yesterday so now it likely will be Greiss and he could be rusty here after a long layoff without a start. The Wild should enjoy plenty of scoring success on home ice. Minnesota has scored 4 or more goals in 8 of last 10 games! The Wild will get their fair share of chances against a Blues team that has allowed 4 goals per game last 8 games. The key for St Louis however is their own offensive firepower as they have scored an average of 4 goals per game last 11 games. The Wild off a 6-5 game and the Blues off a 5-4 game and I am expecting something similar here and, at the very least, a 4-3 type game. 10* OVER 6.5 in Minnesota

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 5:05 ET - The Blue Jackets off 4-3 upset win yesterday over Carolina. Korpisalo was in goal so if he played here it would be a B2B. Anytime Korpisalo has not started Columbus has allowed 4 or more goals in 9 of last 11. They have allowed an average of 4.5 goals in those 11 games. At least Columbus now has won 2 of 4 and they are starting to score a bit again and that sets this one up well for a solid over. That is because the Capitals and a red-hot Ovechkin are off a game in which they got stifled in a 3-2 loss Thursday. Look for a big bounce back here as, prior to that loss, the Caps had won 12 of 15 games and scored an average of 4.3 goals per game during this stretch. This one has all the makings of at least a 4-3 game if not, much more, when you consider all the situational aspects. 10* OVER 6.5 in Washington

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Montreal Canadiens vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Granted the Habs have not been scoring a lot of goals in their recent losing streak but the Blues have been giving up piles of goals plus the Canadiens are on home ice for this one. Montreal will get their goals here but they can stop no one. The Canadiens have lost 10 of 11 games and in their last 10 games the 9 losses featured 8 in which Montreal allowed at least 4 goals. The Habs, incredibly, have allowed an average of 5 goals per game in their last 18 losses. As for St Louis, they are 3-2-2 last 7 games but have allowed 4 goals per game during this stretch. The Blues have scored 4 goals per game last 6 games. I like the recent trending of St Louis in the goal-scoring department plus the fact that Binnington is still shaky in almost all of his starts. When these teams met in St Louis earlier this season the game totaled 11 goals! Look for at least 7 in the rematch as the Blues will go hard for revenge here but will continue to have trouble in their own end of the ice as well. 10* OVER 6.5 in Montreal 

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Toronto Maple Leafs vs Detroit Red Wings @ 7:05 ET - After coming up just short of the over last night in Detroit, the Red Wings will help us out here. They fought hard for that 3rd goal last night but just could not quite manage it against Florida. They will enjoy better success here against a Toronto team that has been giving up a lot of goals. The key to the over is that the Maple Leafs will be facing a tough goaltending situation for the Red Wings. Since Detroit had Husso in action last night, he must either go again in a B2B or it will be Hellberg in the crease. Hellberg has struggled in recent road outings plus has not been playing much and could be rusty. That is part of the reason Nedeljkovic was sent to AHL is because there was not enough goalie work to go around. So the Leafs should score well here against a Wings club that has given up 4 goals per game in last 6 road games. Before B2B losses to Devils and Florida, the Red Wings had scored at least 3 goals in 6 straight games including each of last 3 road games. But the Maple Leafs are a huge favorite here for a reason and this one has the makings of a 5-3 final. Toronto has allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of last 5 games! The Maple Leafs are off a home loss in which they where held to 1 goal but this was on the heels of the Leafs scoring an average of 4.5 goals per game in 7 preceding home games and they bounce right back here. Trouble for the Maple Leafs is they have been giving up a lot of goals so this should be a barnburner here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Toronto

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers @ 7:05 ET - The Red Wings continue to give up a lot of goals no matter who has been between the pipes. However, Detroit has been, Wednesday notwithstanding, scoring goals well also. That is why each of the Red Wings last 7 games have totaled at least 6 goals (and 5 of the 7 have totaled at least 7) and these games have averaged about 8 goals apiece! As for Florida, they were able to get their goal-scoring going again thanks to 3 of last 4 games at home. In those home games the Panthers themselves scored an average of 5 goals per game! The problem for Florida continues to be at the other end of the ice! The Panthers enter this game having allowed 4.5 goals per game in their 22 losses this season but they have been scoring quite well too again as some home ice games got them rolling again! This is the type of game that should see each team reach the 3 goal threshold given all the variables and that means the game could finish with nothing less than a 4-3 final. The Red Wings continue to have goalie issues and that includes Husso allowing at least 4 goals in 5 straight starts. No matter who has been in goal for both Florida and Detroit, the goals conceded almost always has been an issue. I look for the Red Wings run to reach 6 of 8 games totaling 7 goals or more. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in New Jersey Devils vs St Louis Blues @ 7:05 ET - Long-time followers know I generally release one play per day in NHL. Tuesday I wanted to play the St Louis over but shied away due to injuries - Tarasenko, O'Reilly, plus Krug still out. Sure enough the Blues game, despite the absences, ended up a 6-5 St Louis win over the Maple Leafs in Toronto which, of course, easily flew over. Fortunately that night ended up okay for us because we had the Panthers over which was 5-3 by the end of the 2nd period. But this time I will not hesitate to back the Blues as their trend for high-scoring games can continue even with some absences on the ice. St Louis is not getting good goaltending because Binnington is struggling. The Devils got a solid start in goal last night from Vanecek but, since this is a back to back, that means it will likely be Blackwood in goal tonight and he'll face a barrage of shots from the Blues. Blackwood has allowed 4 goals in each of last two starts. Devils, prior to last night's win, had allowed 3 or more goals in 8 of last 11 games. Blues have allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of last 5 games. 7 of last 9 St Louis games have totaled at least 7 goals and this should be a high-scoring non-conference battle. 10* OVER 6.5 in New Jersey

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs New Jersey Devils @ 7:05 ET - The Red Wings continue to give up a lot of goals no matter who has been between the pipes. However, Detroit has been scoring goals well also. That is why each of the Red Wings last 6 games have totaled at least 6 goals (and 5 of the 6 have totaled at least 7) and these games have averaged about 8.5 goals apiece! As for New Jersey, the two times they have met the Red Wings this season the games have each totaled at least 7 goals! Also, the Devils enter this game having allowed 4 goals per game last 9 losses but they have been scoring quite well too again with at least 3 goals scored in 4 of last 5 games and they scored at least 4 in 3 of those 4 higher-scoring games! This is the type of game that should see each team reach the 3 goal threshold given all the variables and that means the game could finish with nothing less than a 4-3 final. The Red Wings continue to have goalie issues and that includes Husso allowing at least 4 goals in 4 straight starts. He could be back from illness here but you can see why I would expect him to struggle and no matter who has been in goal for Detroit, the goals conceded almost always has been an issue. Also, the Devils long-term losing run after a hot start to the season has had a lot to do with too many goals allowed. I look for the Red Wings run to reach 6 of 7 games totaling 7 goals or more. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Florida Panthers vs Arizona Coyotes @ 7:07 ET - Non-conference match-up should be free-flowing without a lot of defensive intensity and both these teams have been giving up a lot of goals and have had sub-par goaltending. 9 of Arizona's last 12 games have totaled at least 7 goals. The Coyotes have scored decently but also allowed plenty with giving up an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch. Likewise, the Panthers have been trending over as well. Florida has allowed 4 or more goals in 8 of last 11 games. Also, Florida does score well at home where they have averaged about 4 goals per game last 15 games. So all signs point to at least a 4-3 type game in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Florida

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Colorado Avalanche vs Vegas Golden Knights @ 9:05 ET - I feel we are getting a lower total to work with than we should here because the Avalanche have not been scoring a lot of goals. The key here is they are facing a Golden Knights team that has been giving up a lot of goals and Colorado is on home ice so they should be able to get back on track in terms of scoring well. As for the Avalanche goals allowed situation it has been a consistent issue now so I am happy to take the over here as Vegas should have a big day with plenty of goal-scoring production. The Avs have allowed an average of 5 goals in last 3 games and two of those were at home. Colorado did score an average of 3 goals per game but Georgiev has struggled between the pipes for the Avalanche. Vegas is also having goaltending issues with Thompson. Note that the Golden Knights have allowed 3.5 goals per game in regulation time of their last 4 games. You can see why I am expecting each to get to at least 3 goals here and that would lead us to a situation where the game must end at least 4-3 for a final. In 5 of last 9 games Vegas has allowed at least 4 goals! The Knights last two road games have finished with 5 and 6 goals respectively but this followed a stretch in which 9 of last 12 Vegas road games totaled at least 7 goals. 10* OVER 6 in Colorado

NHL Sunday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Ottawa Senators vs Buffalo Sabres @ 7:05 ET - A loss with Ottawa's total actually ended the streak of 12 straight winners for me in NHL but I won't hesitate to come right back with the over involving the Senators here on the very next day. Ottawa had a 2-0 lead after one period yesterday but did not score the rest of the way and the Sens paid the price for that in the eventual 4-2 loss. So tonight you know Ottawa will be focused on carrying some scoring all the way through this one. The Senators game also was unique last night in that it was 4-2 within the first 3 minutes of the 3rd period but then there was no more scoring over the final 16 minutes of the final period. Tough beat for us but we should get it back tonight. Since it is a back to back for both these teams note that Sens likely to go with Forsberg in goal and Sabres likely to go with Anderson in goal. Neither guy has started in about 2 weeks and both the Christmas and New Years Eve holidays have been a part of this time frame. Each goalie could be rusty for sure. That said, also note that the Sabres have scored 4.5 goals per game last 13 games! Look for at least a 4-3 type game here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Ottawa

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:05 ET - The Red Wings continue to give up a lot of goals no matter who has been between the pipes. However, Detroit has been scoring goals well also. That is why each of the Red Wings last 5 games have totaled at least 7 goals and these games have averaged 9 goals apiece! As for Ottawa, the last time they met the Red Wings the game totaled 9 goals! Also, the Senators enter this game having allowed 4 goals per game last 3 losses but they have been scoring quite well too with a 10-6 run seeing them produce an average of 3 goals scored per game. This is the type of game that should see each team reach the 3 goal threshold given all the variables and that means the game could finish with nothing less than a 4-3 final. The Red Wings continue to have goalie issues and that includes Husso allowing at least 4 goals in 4 straight starts. He could be back from illness here but you can see why I would expect him to struggle. Also, the Sens have allowed 3 goals per game last 6 games and I look for the Red Wings streak to reach 6 straight games totaling 7 or more. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers @ Seattle Kraken @ 10:05 ET - The Oilers off tight, hard-fought 2-1 win over rival Calgary. That sets this one up perfectly for an over and Edmonton had been trending over prior to that game. Not only that, they have been a solid over team all season long as the Oilers 35 games this season had featured 25 that totaled 7 or more goals. Now after a rare low-scoring grinder, but against their biggest rival, things will return to "normal" against Seattle and I am looking for 7 or more goals here. The Kraken, ironically, also are off a game against Calgary that was an under as they lost 3-2 to the Flames. Prior to that, Seattle was 8-6 last 14 games and those games averaged 8 goals apiece. Don't be surprised if this one gets in the 8 range as well and certainly all signs point to at least 7 in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in San Jose Sharks vs Philadelphia Flyers @ 10:35 ET - With goalie Carter Hart in concussion protocol, the Flyers are really in trouble here. Sandstrom is the normal back-up but has been dealing with an illness plus he his struggling this season anyway. That brings us to Ersson and he was very shaky in his NHL debut recently versus the Hurricanes. That said, look for plenty of goals here because the Sharks should enjoy plenty of success. The issue for San Jose is that they are also likely to surrender plenty of goals. The Sharks have allowed an average of 4 goals per game in going 3-8 last 11 games. San Jose has scored an average of 3.5 goals per game last 8 games. The Flyers last 4 games have averaged 9 goals apiece as they have scored well but can't stop anyone. The Sharks have had 8 of last 10 games total at least 7 goals and those games averaged 8 goals. More of the same here. 10* OVER 6 in San Jose

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 goals in Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks @ 10:07 ET - The Sharks and Canucks have already played a pair of high-scoring games this season. Overall, San Jose games continue to trend toward being higher scoring. The Sharks 7 of last 9 games have totaled at least 7 goals. The Canucks have allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 11 games. Vancouver, not including OT or SO of course, have averaged scoring 5 goals in last 5 wins. Canucks are favored here for a reason and truly plenty of reason to expect a lot of goals from both sides in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Vancouver

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks @ 9:05 ET - The Canucks off a 6-5 OT win yesterday. That was the 3rd straight game in which they have allowed at least 5 goals. Vancouver has actually allowed at least 5 goals in 7 of last 10 games. The Oilers have seen 19 of their last 25 games total at least 7 goals! That means this game, based on pure statistics for Edmonton, has a 76% chance of going over the total of 6.5 goals posted on this one. You can see why I like the over here quite a lot and also the Oilers have allowed at least 3 goals in 5 straight games. Edmonton also scores plenty though too and so if you think both they and their opponent each reach the 3-goal mark here, you know there is no way the game does not end with anything less than 7 goals! It has to be at least a 4-3 final in that case. Keep in mind here that another key is the Canucks are in a B2B spot here and Vancouver had Martin between the pipes yesterday plus Demko is still out with injury. That means they are down to a #3 goalie here or using Martin again in 2nd game of B2B. Neither option is a good one and this shapes up to be yet another high-scoring Canucks game. 10* OVER 6.5 in Edmonton

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in San Jose Sharks vs Minnesota Wild @ 10:35 ET - The Wild are on a winning streak and getting great goaltending but this is a back to back spot for Minnesota and I expect goals in this one. Yes, Gustavsson has been playing well - just as Fleury has and did again last night - but the Sharks already beat Gustavsson and the Sharks earlier this season. Plus the Wild are scoring plenty of goals as they have scored 4 in each of last 4 games in current 6-game winning streak. In fact, the Wild have scored at least 4 goals in 9 of last 11 wins. They are favored here for a reason so look for a road team win and at least 4 goals but the key to the over is the Sharks here. At over 6, San Jose would be 18-6-1 to the over last 25 games. 14 of the Sharks last 16 home games have totaled at least 6 goals. This one should too and 7 or more is likely! 10* OVER 6 in San Jose

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning @ 7:05 ET - The Lightning are off a loss and should bounce back here but are in a B2B spot. I would expect the Bolts to start Elliott here in goal since Vasilevskiy started last night's game. No matter who starts I like the over. I expect the Red Wings to score well on home ice in a divisional battle. Detroit beat them in a 4-2 win two weeks ago and now take another shot at the Lightning here. But Tampa Bay is off a 4-1 loss at Toronto last night and had been red hot winning big and then the Bolts lost to Maple Leafs. The Lightning had won 13 of 16 games and scored an average of 4 goals per game prior to that loss to the Leafs. Tampa Bay should score well here as Detroit, other than 1-0 loss to Carolina, allowed 4 goals per game in the other 5 games in their current 6-game winning streak. Looking at last 8 home games, one was the 1-0 loss to Hurricanes but the other 7 games averaged 7 goals apiece and this one should get there as well. At least 7 goals as Red Wings respond on home ice as they catch TB in 2nd game of B2B but Lightning also respond off a low-scoring loss. 10* OVER 6.5 in Detroit

NHL Monday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Vancouver Canucks vs St Louis Blues @ 10:35 ET - The Blues are off a 5-2 win over Calgary but allowed 43 shots on goal in that game. They were fortunate they only allowed 2 goals. I know they have not been allowing as many goals lately but St Louis is in trouble here and after allowing so many shots at goal like that against the Flames. The Canucks are off rare B2B efforts on home ice in which they struggled to score goals so the set up here is perfect to expect a lot of goals. Vancouver is fired up to get back on track on home ice. Problem for the Canucks is they can stop no one. That has been a big problem for the Blues this season too. St Louis allowing 4 goals per game on the season. Canucks allowing 4 goals per game last dozen games. 10* OVER 6 goals in Vancouver 

NHL Saturday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Arizona Coyotes vs Buffalo Sabres @ 9:05 ET - Great spot for an over here with Arizona off a high-scoring upset win over the Islanders last night plus Buffalo off a big win. The Sabres have actually won B2B games and by combined score of 10 to 2. Normally the Sabres give plenty of goals and there is no doubt they are scoring plenty of goals. That said, Arizona is going to get their goals at home too. They love playing at home in their current 5,000 seat arena but the Coyotes have had a road-heavy schedule so far this season. They will take advantage of home ice again in this one. The Sabres last 3 games have totaled 6 or less goals but this was after 16 of 21 games totaled at least 7 goals. Also, last 9 games have seen Buffalo average about 5 goals per game. The Sabres have allowed 3.3 goals per game last 9 games. The Coyotes last 5 games have averaged 8 goals per game. Arizona scores a ton on home ice but usually can not stop anyone. More of the same here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Arizona

NHL Friday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Calgary Flames vs St Louis Blues @ 9:05 ET - The Blues are in a B2B spot and off a 4-3 win in the shootout at Edmonton last night. St Louis had Binnington in goal last night. If he goes again this would be another back to back spot for him. Also, he has allowed at least 3 goals in 8 of last 9 games. In those 8 games he allowed an average of 4 goals per game. If he does not start due to back to back then it would be back-up Thomas Greiss and he has allowed at least 4 goals in each of his last 6 starts. In fact, in his 7 starts this season he is allowing 4 goals on average! So you can see why I am expecting the Flames to score plenty here on the Blues no matter what and, because Calgary is off 4 straight losses I know they will bring a big effort here. The issue for the Flames is they have given up at least 3 goals in 4 of last 5 games so you can see why I am expecting at least a 4-3 final here. Each team should get to at least 3 goals and that guarantees us at least a 4-3 final. Look for plenty of scoring in this one as the Blues have been piling up goals this season but also struggling to stop the opposition. 10* OVER 6 in Calgary 

NHL Thursday 10* Top Play OVER 6 in Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks @ 7:05 ET - The Ducks have big time goaltending issues as Gibson got hurt and normal #2 Stolarz was already hurt and that means it is #3 option Dostal likely to be in goal for this one. We get line value here with a total of only 6 goals posted on this one because of the fact neither one of these teams is known for scoring a lot of goals. The key here is Montreal is in a B2B spot and off a loss and the Ducks are off a 7-0 loss and have major goalie issues right now. The Canadiens have allowed 3.5 goals last 6 games. The Ducks have allowed 4.4 goals last 10 games. Look for a 4-3 type game here as you can see why each team should get to at least 3 goals. 10* OVER 6 in Montreal

NHL Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks @ 10:05 ET - The Canucks are off a 3-0 shutout loss versus Minnesota. Getting beaten at home and not scoring a goal, Vancouver will bounce back big here even though they are on the road. Trouble is they will not be able to stop the Flames though either. The Canucks have allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 7 games. Vancouver has scored an average of 4.4 goals per game last 5 games. Calgary is on a 3-game losing streak but those games were on the road. The Flames are a different team when at home. Calgary has scored an average of 4 goals per game last 8 home games! The Flames have allowed an average of 3 goals per game last 10 home games. This one, given the situation, simply has the look and feel of a game in which each team should score at least 3 goals and, of course, a game can not end 3-3 and I am looking for at least a 4-3 final here. 10* OVER 6.5 in Calgary

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Buffalo Sabres vs Los Angeles Kings @ 7:05 ET - The Sabres are off a 3-1 loss at Pittsburgh. Back home they will respond and score much better. Keep in mind, Buffalo's last 10 games before that one had seen 9 of them total at least 7 goals. Those 10 games averaged a crazy 9 goals apiece and we only need 7 to be a winner here. Speaking of crazy, LA is off a wild 6-5 loss in the shootout at Columbus. The last 10 Kings games have averaged 8 goals apiece. Given the high-scoring trending of each of these teams of late plus the fact that each team is hungry off a loss here, I am expecting plenty of goals in this one. 10* OVER 6.5 in Buffalo 

NHL Tuesday 10* Top Play OVER 6.5 in Florida Panthers vs Columbus Blue Jackets @ 7:05 ET - The Blue Jackets are Bobrovsky's former team and he has struggled against them at times when he faced them. That included earlier this season in a 5-3 loss. In that game the Panthers fired nearly 50 shots on goal and will be ready to dominate again in that department here. Florida has seen 15 of last 22 games total at least 7 goals. The Blue Jackets have allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of last 5 games. Columbus has allowed 4.6 goals last 5 games. So with Panthers likely to continue giving up a pile of goals when facing the Blue Jackets but Columbus also having major troubles keeping the puck out of their own net, this one should get crazy. 10* OVER 6.5 in Florida