Sports Picks & Predictions

#77 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Nashville Predators +115 over Vancouver Canucks, Tuesday at 10 PM ET - Demko is the #1 goalie for the Canucks and he made a stellar early save in the Game 1 win.  Also, Saros is the #1 goalie for the Predators and the Canucks first goal was a bit of a soft one that normally Saros would save. Even with all this, the Predators still led the game 2-1 mid-way through the final period!  Per the above, that score truly could have been 3-0 in favor of Nashville.  The fact it was not and the fact the game ended up a 4-2 Vancouver win (Canucks got empty net goal to seal it) has led to line value here.  But why did this line come down even more?  It is because Demko is out for tonight for the Canucks.  DeSmith will get the call instead as Demko is said to have a minor injury and will miss at least this game.  DeSmith is just not on the same level as Demko and, before allowing 1 goal in his final regular season start, DeSmith allowed 6 goals in B2B starts!  The Predators played very well in Game 1 yet ended up with nothing to show for it.  Now you have a superb situation with a highly motivated team down 1-0 in the series and looking to take advantage of a back-up goalie who has played only once in recent weeks.  Saros is a veteran who is likely to be even better in Game 2.  DeSmith has made only one post-season appearance in his career!  On the other hand, Saros has played in 18 post-season games and is playing in his 6th post-season!  Take advantage of the line value in this one and grab the small dog money line price with the road team here as the Predators take advantage of the goalie situation and bounce back off the tough game 1 loss. Nashville is the bet here.

#7/8 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Carolina Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - The Hurricanes no longer have to worry about winning the division as the Rangers wrapped that up last night.  That is part of the reason Spencer Martin is getting the start in goal tonight and he is sure to be rusty.  Even though Martin has had decent numbers since coming to the Hurricanes this season, he has not played since the final day of February!  Yes, it is more than a month and a half for Martin.  No matter how much one practices and prepares as a goalie, there is still nothing like live game action and Martin could struggle a bit in this one given the rust aspect.  Speaking of struggling, Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves is 2-6 with a 3.55 GAA this season!  He also has allowed 4 or more goals in 3 straight starts!  Columbus has been eliminated for quite some time from the post-season and their record is not impressive to say the least.  Part of the problem is they allow far too many goals as they are not strong defensively or in goal.  We capitalize on that here as Carolina will be looking for one final tune-up before the post-season.  The key here though is that the Blue Jackets are likely to give a strong effort in their home ice finale.  Generally speaking they do play better on home ice and they will want to go out with a bang to wrap up their season.  With nothing to lose there should be quite an emphasis on the offensive zone in this one and plenty of attacking.  We do not expect a tight, defensive-minded checking style of game here as this one just does not offer that incentive for either club.  The Jackets have allowed 4 goals per game on average over their last 14 games.  They have scored 3.5 goals per game in the last 6 games on their home ice  The Hurricanes have won 5 straight games and 7 of last 8.  Carolina scored an average of 3.5 goals in those 8 games.  In a rather loosely played affair, there will be plenty of scoring opportunities and both these goalies are unlikely to be sharp for the reasons we noted above.  Look for at least 7 goals in this one!  Over is the play here.

#35/36 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Ottawa Senators at Tampa Bay Lightning, Thursday at 7 PM ET - The Senators are off a shutout loss which is certainly a rarity for them, only their 2nd of the season. The other one was recent but was followed by a game that totaled 7 goals. We look for the Senators to again respond off a rare low-scoring loss as they entered that game with 7 of 9 games against Eastern Conference foes totaling at least 7 goals. Ottawa expected to start Anton Forsberg in goal and he has struggled in each of his last 2 appearances and got pulled from his most recent start. On the season Forsberg has an unimpressive 3.36 GAA. He has an .885 save percentage and Lightning goalie Matt Tomkins has a similar unimpressive .883 save percentage this season. Tomkins getting the start here because #1 guy Andrei Vasilevskiy needs a rest and #2 goalie Jonas Johansson has been dealing with a lower-body injury. So TB is using their #3 goalie here and we are sure that the Senators will respond off the shutout loss. Ottawa will struggle, however, on the defensive end as the Lightning continue to pile up goals. Tampa Bay wants to stay sharp offensively heading into the post-season. The Lightning have scored at least 4 goals in 4 straight games. Also, TB has scored an average of 4.4 goals in their current 11-3 run. Considering Tomkins has allowed at least 3 goals in all 4 NHL appearances this season and considering that Tampa is a heavy favorite for a reason, we have this one getting to at least 4-3 and 5-3 is even more likely. Look for at least 7 once again in this one! Over is the play here.

#67/68 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, Wednesday at 7 PM ET - The Rangers are still trying to hold off the Hurricanes for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and the Rangers still have a shot at finishing the regular season with the most points in the league and guaranteeing home ice for the entire post-season.  Also, the Devils are still mathematically alive for a post-season spot, though struggling in the last two games. Yet, even with these post-season implications a consistent factor for weeks now, both clubs continue to get involved in high-scoring games and we don't see that changing here.  The Rangers are starting Igor Shesterkin in goal and he has allowed at least 3 goals in 4 of last 5 starts.  The Devils will be starting Kaapo Kahkonen or Jake Allen in goal.  Kahkonen is off a strong start but those have been rare this season and he could be rusty if he gets the call here as he has not played in a week and a half.  Allen has been the designated #1 since being acquired in a trade last month (Kahkonen also was a recent trade acquisition).  All the transition in goal for New Jersey has not gone well as Allen is also struggling.  He has allowed an average of 4 goals in his last 4 starts.  8 of 10 Rangers games since mid-March have totaled 7 or more goals.  5 of 7 Devils games - including 3 in a row - have totaled 7 or more goals.  Look for at least 7 once again in this one!  Over is the play here.

#29/30 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - Huge game at the top of the Atlantic Division and the way these goalies are going coupled with some key players coming back for the Panthers has us liking the over here. Both Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling are coming back for Florida in this one. Forsling had contributed 7 points in his last 8 games for the Panthers before being ruled out recently and Barkov is 2nd on the team in the assists and also a solid goal-scorer. He'll be back on the top line tonight and the first power play unit. As for the goalies here, Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky is winless in 4 straight and has allowed at least 3 goals in all 4 outings. Boston's Jeremy Swayman has lost 2 of his last 3 and he has allowed at least 3 goals in all 3 of those! Both teams have plenty of solid offensive production and, given the above, we expect each team gets to the 3-goal mark here. Florida is off a 4-1 win but allowed 3.6 goals in their 5 games before that. The Panthers have scored at least 3 goals in 10 of the last 13 games. The Bruins have lost B2B games so they are hungry to respond here. Prior to the 3-2 loss to the Flyers, Boston had 5 of the last 6 games total at least 6 goals and we like this one to get there as well! The Bruins and Panthers both have been solid on the power play this season and this huge game could be a bit chippy resulting in even more power plays. Look for at least 7 in this one! Over is our play here.

#21/22 ASA TOP PLAY ON 6* OVER 5.5 Goals - Chicago Blackhawks at Los Angeles Kings, Tuesday at 10 PM ET - We had our eyes on this one since the Blackhawks got embarrassed on home ice by these Kings less than a week ago by a 5-0 count.  Chicago, though that game was a rare exception, has been scoring better of late.  The Blackhawks have averaged scoring 5 goals per game in their other 5 games the last two weeks!  Chicago took advantage of facing some weaker competition in some of those games but still it builds confidence for this team and now they are out for revenge and playing with more confidence in the offensive zone.  The issue for the Blackhawks is their defensive play and netminding leaves a lot to be desired.  If Soderblom is between the pipes, he is 4-19-1 with a 4.02 GAA this season!  If Mrazek is between the pipes he has been solid on home ice but has struggled badly away from home with a 3-15-1 record and a 3.70 GAA this season on the road!  So, even though we anticipate a solid effort from Chicago in the offensive zone tonight, we also look for them to continue to struggle in terms of goals conceded.  Los Angeles is off a low-scoring loss and the the last 4 times LA was off a defeat they responded with a win each time and scored an average of 4 goals in those victories.  The Kings do have an anticipated tougher game tomorrow versus Minnesota and, since they also beat the Blackhawks 5-0 last week, don't be surprised if the defensive intensity of LA is not at its best tonight.  That being said, we look for Chicago to score multiple goals but struggle badly to stop the Kings as Los Angeles has another big game on offense.  Look for at least 6 in this one!  Over is our play here. 

#24 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Calgary Flames -125 over Seattle Kraken, Monday at 9:30 PM ET - The Kraken are getting some attention here because they have been playing better of late and because goalie Grubauer has been playing well. However, the key with both those things is that the majority of this stretch has been on home ice for the Kraken. This is their first road game since mid-February.  That certainly holds some significance here as they have lost 6 of last 8 road games.  Also, we are assuming #1 goalie Grubauer plays here. Though he delivered a strong performance in his most recent road start, this followed him allowing at least 3 goals in 6 straight road starts.  If Daccord gets the call here in goal for Seattle, he has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts and was pulled early from his most recent start.  As for the Flames (winners of 5 straight including 4 over teams currently in playoff position!) they have announced Markstrom as the starter tonight. He has allowed an average of just 2 goals in his last 10 starts and has an 8-2 record in these games!  Calgary has won 9 of 12 games and allowed just 2 goals per game in the 9 victories.  Also, the Flames have won 4 straight on home ice.  Seattle's recent little mini run had a lot to do with home ice and now they are on the road and facing a surging Calgary team.  Take advantage of the line value in this one and lay the very reasonable money line price with the home favorite here as the Flames win their 6th game in a row and drop Seattle to 2-7 last 9 road games!  

#21/22 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Pittsburgh Penguins at Vancouver Canucks, Tuesday at 10 PM ET - The Penguins are coming off a crazy 7-6 win over the division rival Flyers.  This continued a high-scoring trend for the Pens as they have now scored at least 4 goals in 4 of their last 5 games.  Defensively, if you take out the results against two bottom-dwelling teams (Montreal and Chicago), Pittsburgh has allowed at least 4 goals in 3 of last 4 games against teams with a pulse!  Vancouver is a strong team and they will be able to score well here on the Penguins as that trend continues.  But right now Pittsburgh is scoring so well that this has the makings of a back and forth 4-3 type affair.  Vancouver is off a 3-2 OT win over the Bruins but prior to this they had allowed at least 3 goals in 4 straight games and actually allowed at least 4 goals in 3 of those.  Demko has not been at his best lately between the pipes and he is expected to get the call here as he was in the starters' crease at the morning skate.  Considering that as well as the Penguins recent knack for giving up too many goals when facing quality opposition and you have a barnburner likely in this one.  Each of the last 3 meetings between these teams have totaled at least 6 goals.  Both teams are rested here as well as neither was in action yesterday.  Fresh legs.  Look for at least 7 in this one!  Over is our play here. 

#77/78 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Columbus Blue Jackets at Anaheim Ducks, Wednesday at 10 PM ET - The Blue Jackets are in the 2nd night of a B2B which means, after losing 5-1 to the Kings with Merzlikins in goal for Columbus, Tarasov is likely to get the start tonight.  It is either Merzlikins in goal in a B2B (not easy to do) or Tarasov (likely) and both goalies have struggled of late.  Tarasov is the likely starter and he is allowing nearly 4 goals per game with a 3.91 GAA this season.  Columbus lost 5-1 to LA last night which was the 10th time in last 14 games that the Jackets have allowed at least 4 goals!  Columbus has scored an average of 3 goals per game on the season and will bounce back after scoring just 1 goal last night.  They face a Ducks team that will likely have John Gibson in goal for this one.  He has allowed 8 goals in his last two appearances even though those spanned just 5 periods of hockey.  In other words his GAA is above 4 goals per game his last two games.  Both these teams struggle on the penalty kill so that should help get the power plays going in this one.  On the season the Blue Jackets have allowed the most goals in the league!  As for Anaheim, in the Western Conference the Ducks rank 14th out of 16 teams in terms of goals allowed!  Anaheim has won 2 of 3 and scored at least 4 goals in each win.  They also are happy to be back home after a long road trip.  They will take advantage of hosting a team that is very susceptible defensively and in goal.  At the same time the Blue Jackets have done a great job in the scoring department this season when coming off a loss by a margin of at least 3 goals!  They have averaged scoring 4.3 goals the 13 times that has happened this season!  In other words, perfect spot for Columbus to respond in the offensive zone.  5-4 would not surprise us at all here and getting each team to 3-3 here (resulting in a 4-3 final) should not be a problem either!  Look for at least 7 in this one!  Over is our play here. 

ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line (-1.5 goals +120) over Arizona Coyotes, Friday at 9:05 PM ET - Carolina is in a great spot here which is why the odds on the Hurricanes have risen to as high as a -225 favorite on the money line. Where the value is here is with the puck line which is in the +120 range on this one. Regardless of the starting goalies here, we are strong on the Canes in this spot. However, we will mention that the expected starters are Karel Vejmelka for the Coyotes and Pyotr Kochetkov for the Hurricanes. Kochetkov allowed 3 goals in the loss to Dallas but had allowed 2 or less goals in each of his 7 road starts since mid-December - and an average of just 1.4 goals ruing this stretch! Arizona is without #1 goalie Connor Ingram as he was hurt in the 3-1 home loss to Minnesota Wednesday. Vejmelka has lost 14 of 20 decisions this season and has a 3.36 GAA on the season. He has allowed 26 goals in his last 6 starts including allowing at least 4 goals in 5 of those 6 starts! Vejmelka is struggling badly and faces a tall order here. The Hurricanes come to Arizona hungry for a win as they are off a 4-2 loss at Dallas. The Canes team is well-coached and is an especially tough team when off a loss. The Hurricanes had won 13 of 17 games prior to that loss. Unlike red hot Carolina, Arizona has been trending in the other direction. The Coyotes have lost 13 of 17 games and that includes 7 in a row! 16 of last 21 Arizona losses have been by a margin of 2 or more goals. The Coyotes are struggling to score goals so another loss by a multi-goal margin appears likely here. Arizona's has averaged just 1.9 goals scored in last 18 losses. Carolina has averaged 4.2 goals scored in last 14 wins. We look for at least a 4-2 final in this one and the rested Hurricanes off a loss coupled with the Coyotes goalie situation makes a win by a 3-goal margin quite possible here. Road team in a blowout has high probability here per our computer math model. Laying the 1.5 goals with road favorite Carolina is the value play here.

#25/26 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - New Jersey Devils at Nashville Predators, Tuesday at / PM ET - We like this over even if these goalies do not go but, barring something unforeseen prior to drop of the puck, the expected goalie match-up here is also great news for an over. Because of Nico Daws starting last night coupled with #1 goalie Vitek Vanecek currently out with an injury, the Devils options tonight are Daws again in the 2nd night of a B2B (always tough on a goalie) or go with the #3 guy Akira Schmid (3.38 GAA in 11 night game starts this season) who has been down in the American Hockey League until being called up because of the Vanecek injury. New Jersey expected to go with their third choice, Schmid, and he is expected to be matched up with Juuse Saros of the Predators. Note that Saros is struggling right now. Saros has a modest 2.97 GAA this season but has allowed 11 in his last 3 starts! Saros will face a Devils team that scored 3 early goals in their win last night and could have scored 5 or 6 goals in that game were it not for some great saves from the Kraken goalie. New Jersey looked great on the attack last night and they have scored at least 3 goals in 4 of last 5 games. We expect each team to get to 3 goals here and force this one to get to at least a 4-3 final in Nashville. The Predators have allowed at least 4 goals in 5 of last 6 games. The Predators have scored at least 3 goals in 5 of last 7 home games! The Devils, prior to the 3-1 win over Seattle, had seen 5 of last 7 games total at least 8 goals! Based on all of the above, this is the perfect set-up for a back and forth 4-3 type affair.  We expect at least 7 goals in this one and like the added value here of working with a posted total of 6.5 at low juice across the board in this one!  Over is our play here

ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Florida Panthers Puck Line (-1.5 goals -100) over Washington Capitals, Thursday at 7:05 PM ET - Florida is in a great spot here which is why they are a -270 favorite on the money line. Where the value is here is with the puck line which is in the even money range on this one. Regardless of the starting goalies here, we love the Panthers in this spot. However, we will mention that the expected starters are Darcy Kuemper for the Capitals and Sergei Bobrovsky for the Panthers. Kuemper lost his starting job to Charlie Lindgren because of performance but now Lindgren is off a rough start so here comes Kuemper again. He has had a very rough season with his performance away from home being particularly bad. Kuemper has lost 8 of 12 road decisions and has a 3.77 GAA away from home this season! Bobrovsky was in the All-Star game so he was given a break in Tuesday's loss to the Flyers. Now he is back for this start and he is having a fantastic season. This is the perfect situation for a big play on the Panthers as they are off a home loss and now can take advantage of a struggling Capitals team. Washington has lost 13 of 18 games and 9 of their last 12 losses have been by 2 or more goals. Already without Backstrom since late October now they are without Kuznetsov and this Capitals team is just not at the same level as the Caps teams of recent seasons. Florida has been trending the opposite direction of Washington as they had won 13 of 17 games prior to the 2-1 loss to the Flyers Tuesday. The Panthers had scored an average of 4 goals per game last 17 games prior to the loss to Philly. The Capitals have had trouble scoring goals for much of this season and enter this game having scored just 19 goals in last 11 road games! Home team in a blowout per our computer math model. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Florida is the value play here.

#69/70 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks, Wednesday at 10:30 PM ET - We like this over even if these goalies do not go but, barring something unforeseen prior to drop of the puck, the expected goalie match-up here is also great news for an over. Because of Mackenzie Blackwood starting last night, the Sharks options tonight were Blackwood again in the 2nd night of a B2B (always tough on a goalie) or go with the struggling Kaapo Kahkonen. San Jose expected to go with Kahkonen and he is expected to be matched up with John Gibson of the Ducks. Note that Gibson has a 3.09 GAA this season and if they go with Lukas Dostal he has a 3.50 GAA this season. Gibson is slated to start and he has allowed 30 goals in his last 8 starts! Also, he just allowed 4 goals in most recent start and gave up 4 goals to the Sharks in a recent 5-3 loss. As for San Jose goalie Kahkonen, he had a 3.85 GAA last season and is having another rough season including a 3.86 GAA this month! Both these clubs allow a lot of shots on goal and have struggled on the penalty kill this season. San Jose is off a 2-0 win and has won 4 of 5 games! The low-scoring win was a rarity and was the first shutout for Blackwood this season but prior to that, 3 of last 4 Sharks games totaled 7 or more goals! The Ducks are off a 3-2 win but this followed Anaheim allowing 4 goals per game on average over their last 8 games. Anaheim, prior to the 3-2 win, was on a stretch in which 8 of 9 games totaled 6 or more goals. Those 8 games that did had an average of 7.5 goals and, based on all of the above, this is the perfect set-up for a back and forth 4-3 type affair. We expect at least 7 goals in this one and like the added value here of working with a posted total of 6 across the board in this one! Over is our play here

#69/70 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals -120 - Arizona Coyotes at Florida Panthers, Wednesday at 7:07 PM ET - We like this over even if these goalies do not go but, barring something unforeseen prior to drop of the puck, the expected goalie match-up here is also great news for an over. Sergei Bobrovsky expected to get the call for the Panthers and his last 3 appearances  have only lasted about 2 and 1/2 games as he was pulled mid-way in one of the starts. In this 2 and 1/2 game stretch he has allowed 10 goals.  He has a GAA in the 4.00 range over his last 6 appearances! The Coyotes, because this is the front end of a back to back and they have Tampa Bay tomorrow, are expected to rest Connor Ingram and go with Karel Vejmelka instead.  Vejmelka has not played in over a week and in that one he allowed 4 goals in just 14 minutes!  Prior to this he allowed an average of 4 goals over his last 3 games so his form has not been good.  The Panthers will take advantage here and are off of a 4-1 victory and that was the 9th time in 12 games that Florida has scored at least 4 goals!  The Coyotes enter this one off a 5-2 win and 6 of their last 9 games have totaled 6 or more goals.  Arizona has scored 3.4 goals per game in their last 5 games and this one, based on all of the above, is the perfect set-up for a back and forth 4-3 type affair.  We expect at least 7 goals in this one!  Over is our play here

#37/38 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Arizona Coyotes at Calgary Flames, Tuesday at 9:07 PM ET - Great set-up for an over here. The Coyotes head to Calgary with plenty of confidence off a 6-0 win. However, Arizona also just got hammered 6-2 at home by these Flames. Something has to give here and we fully expect the Coyotes to be aggressive on the attack as they are out for revenge but they will again struggle to slow down Calgary. The Flames have consistently been involved in high-scoring games of late. Calgary is off a 3-1 win at Vegas but, prior to this, 6 of the last 9 Flames games had totaled at least 6 goals. Those 6 games averaged 8 goals each! The Coyotes have had 5 straight games (and 8 of last 11) total at least 6 goals! Prior to their 6-0 shellacking of the Wild at Minnesota, Arizona had allowed an average of 5 goals per game in their 5 most recent games. The goals should fly here with a strong effort from the revenge-minded Coyotes coupled with Arizona's struggles in keeping the puck out of their own net! The Coyotes are strong on the power play but weak on the penalty kill. Of course this helps lead to some extra scoring overall in Arizona's games. In terms of special teams play, the Flames lead the league in short-handed goals. Don't be surprised if special teams play helps the cause in this one as well as Arizona is one of the most penalized teams in the league. Calgary has scored 26 goals in 6 games and they come out strong here at home but the revenge-minded Coyotes keep this one interesting in what should be a back and forth high-scoring battle. Based on the recent trending for each club, we can't see either team finishing with less than 3 goals in this one given the above and this would translate to at least a 4-3 final. Over is our play here

#18 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Calgary Flames (-130) over Ottawa Senators, Tuesday at 9 PM ET - The Senators are struggling overall and have struggled on the road this season.  Ottawa enters this game having lost 10 of 13 games.  They also have lost 11 of 15 games on the road this season.  The Flames, on the other hand, have turned things around since goalie Jacob Markstrom came back.  He was excellent in a recent road loss at Philadelphia and that tight loss was preceded by a stretch in which Calgary won 6 of 8 games.  The Flames enter this game on a 3-1 run last 4 home games and they are certainly happy to be back home in Alberta after their road trip ended with a couple tight losses.  This is the perfect spot for a Calgary bounce back against a team that is struggling and has proven to be road-adverse this season.  The Flames have allowed just 2.4 goals per game in their last 10 games.  The Senators have allowed 4.3 goals in the last 14 games!  Also, Calgary is one of the top teams in the NHL for short-handed goals and their penalty kill is much stronger than that of the Santors. In fact, Ottawa is dead last on the penalty kill in the NHL this season.  Special teams play and the home/road dichotomy plus the goalie and defensive edges all belong to the host in this one.  Looks like a home blowout is on the way in this one!  Home team's money line is our play here.

#53/54 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets, Wednesday at 7:07 PM ET - Great set-up for an over here.  Washington is coming off a 3-2 win in the shootout last night and the back to back is going to stress the goalie situation for the Capitals.  The Blue Jackets are a high-scoring team and the Capitals defense and netminding will be pushed to the limit here.  Columbus has seen 7 straight games total at least 7 goals.  The Blue Jackets have become a more wide-open free-flowing team and the goal-scoring has picked up as a result.  Columbus has played .500 hockey for many weeks now and won 7 of 14 games and averaged scoring 4 goals per game in those 14 games.  The issue for the Blue Jackets is that the goal-tending work has really tailed off of late.  Columbus has allowed at least 3 goals in 7 of last 8 games.  The Capitals also have a goal-tending concern here as their option would be Kuemper playing a 2nd straight game in a B2B which would not be good.  The Caps other option (and the expected option) is that Lindgen will get the start tonight.  He has allowed at least 3 goals in 6 of his last 8 games.  In those 6 games, Lindgren allowed an average of 3.5 goals.  The goals should be flying here as the Caps are facing a high-scoring Jackets team that is surging right now but, at the same time, Washington's confidence is surging with B2B wins and victories in 4 of last 6 games.  Based on the above, we can't see either team finishing with less than 3 goals in this one given the above and this would translate to at least a 4-3 final.  Over is our play here

#53/54 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Ottawa Senators at Dallas Stars, Friday at 8:07 PM ET - Great set-up for an over here.  Ottawa is coming off a 4-2 loss at St Louis last night and the back to back is going to stress the goalie situation for the Senators.  The Stars are a high-scoring team and the Senators defense and netminding will be pushed to the limit here.  Dallas has seen 11 of the last 14 games total at least 7 goals.  This is not like the Dallas teams of old that played tight defensive-minded hockey.  Instead, the Stars have become a more wide-open free-flowing team and the goal-scoring has picked up as a result.  Dallas has averaged scoring 4 goals per game in the last 14 games.  The issue for the Stars is that the goal-tending work of Jake Oettinger has really tailed off since he had a strong start to the season.  Oettinger has allowed at least 3 goals in each of his last 4 games.  The Senators are a solid scoring club and will be ready to go strong here after the disappointing result at St Louis last night in which the Blues were ready to respond after firing their head coach.  The Senators had averaged 4 goals scored per game in their 4 games prior to the tough result at St Louis last night.  They should enjoy success against a Stars club that has allowed 22 goals in the last 5 matches!  This is not only a non-divisional but also non-conference match-up and that also lends itself to a more free-flowing affair.  Based on the recent trending for each club, we can't see either team finishing with less than 3 goals in this one given the above and this would translate to at least a 4-3 final.  Over is our play here

NHL game rotation #7: ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Toronto Maple Leafs (-130) over Ottawa Senators, Thursday at 7 PM ET - The Senators are off a huge upset win over the Rangers on Tuesday!  Speaking of upsets, Ottawa also beat the Maple Leafs in Toronto earlier this season.  This is a divisional game and the Leafs are set for revenge here.  Toronto enters this game well rested as their last game was a home loss in overtime against the Bruins over the weekend.  The Maple Leafs hold the rest edge here and have revenge plus the Senators are dead last in the division even though they have only played 5 true road games out of 20 games this season!  No team in the NHL has fewer road games than Ottawa.  The Senators are home for this game but the point is we are not convinced the Sens are even as strong as their 10-10 record on the season considering they have had a home-heavy schedule.  The Sens only have 5 wins in regulation time in their last 16 games and they are yet to lose in OT or the shootout this season.  The point is the Senators have been fortunate in terms of scheduling and in terms of good breaks in tight games.  This is a great value spot to back one of the stronger teams in the league at a fair price because the Maple Leafs are on the road for this revenge match-up so the price is held to a reasonable level.  Toronto goalie Joseph Woll has allowed 3 or less goals in regulation time of each of his last 5 starts and he is also seeking payback here as his worst start of the season was the game against Ottawa.  The Senators won the game 6-3 but it was 3-3 in the 3rd period.  The road team has won each of the last 4 meetings between these teams.  Toronto had won 6 of last 7 meetings before that loss earlier this season and those 6 wins were by a score of 24-11 for an average score of 4-2.  We look for the Leafs to resume their long-term dominance here.  Great situation with revenge, rest, and also the better special teams.  Toronto has been better on the power play and on the penalty kill this season in comparison with the Senators.  Road team money line is our play here.

#40 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Edmonton Oilers (-130) over Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday at 9 PM ET - We have been waiting for this one since the start of the season and the way it has been set up here is perfect.  Vegas is in a B2B spot.  The Golden Knights used their top goalie, Hill, last night.  That means Thompson will be patrolling the crease tonight.  Though Thompson has been okay this season, Hill has been the top guy and the Knights have lost each of Thompson's last 4 starts.  This is a huge revenge game for the Oilers as they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals by Vegas in May and the Golden Knights went on to win the Stanley Cup!  What has made this situation even stronger (again we had this spot circled BEFORE the season started) is that the Golden Knights have now lost 7 of last 10 games and have been struggling to score goals of late.  Now couple that with the fact that Edmonton seems to have turned the corner after a slow start this season.  The Oilers just wrapped up a road trip with a much-needed 5-0 blowout win.  For an encore, they came home and delivered an 8-2 thrashing to get warmed up for this huge revenge game.  Remember it was right here in Edmonton that the Golden Knights ended the Oilers season last May!  Now it is time for payback for the home team here.  Since Kris Knoblauch took over in Edmonton for the fired Jay Woodcroft two weeks ago, the Oilers have gone a perfect 3-0 here on home ice!  Edmonton is well-rested here as they have played only once since Friday while this will be the 3rd game in 4 nights for Vegas and it is a back to back spot.  In this stretch of 7 losses in 10 games, Vegas has scored an average of only 1 goal in the 7 defeats!  Also, they scored just one goal in regulation time of their most recent win (in OT over Dallas).  The Golden Knights have not won a game in regulation time in a week and half!  We like the goal-scoring confidence the Oilers have displayed in their last two games and they are getting their swagger back and the set up for this game is perfect.  Looks like a solid home win is on the way in this one!  Home team money line is our play here.

#36 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Dallas Stars (-135) over Vegas Golden Knights, Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET - The Stars have been waiting for this game and are off to a fantastic start this season.  The Golden Knights are the defending champs but have been slumping badly.  Dallas is hungry for this one in particular because they lost a hard-fought playoff series with Vegas in May.  Then, in their first shot at revenge this season the Stars actually never trailed against the Knights in Vegas but they lost in the shootout.  The Golden Knights scored the equalizer with just 3 minutes left in regulation or there would have been no shootout in a game that the Stars know they should have taken!  Now, entering this game, the set-up is perfect for revenge and the odds makers know that as well.  That is why the Stars are priced as a solid -135 favorite here against the defending champs.  There is no mistake with this line.  The Golden Knights have lost 5 of 7 games and scored a total of just 6 goals in those 5 defeats!  The Stars enter this one having won 11 of 15 games.  Also, unlike Vegas, Dallas is having no trouble in the goal-scoring department of late.  The Stars have scored at least 3 goals in 6 straight games and have averaged scoring 4.7 goals per game in those 6 games.   Keep in mind the Knights were rolling until early November but, since then, the only two wins they have the past few weeks have been against Montreal and San Jose.  Those teams have combined for just 10 wins in 36 games this season.  The Golden Knights are just not right at the moment and the Stars are rolling with confidence and on home ice here and highly motivated.  Looks like a home blowout is on the way in this one!  Home team money line is our play here.

#17 ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Florida Panthers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +100) over San Jose Sharks, Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET - The Sharks are, by far, the worst team in the league so far this season. San Jose is 2-12-1 but what is particularly alarming about the record is the shots on goal stats in the two wins!  The Sharks could easily be winless on the season as their 2-1 win over the Flyers saw the Sharks outshot by a 39-19 margin.  The 3-2 win over Edmonton saw San Jose outshot by a 41-18 margin!  Also, their 12 losses in regulation have all come by a multi-goal margin! In fact, the average margin of defeat for the Sharks in those dozen losses is 4 goals per game!  The Sharks are being outshot 38.4 to 24.1 on the season!  This is incredible how they are being outplayed night after night and now they must deal with a red hot Panthers team that has won 4 straight games and 9 of 12.  Of course this is why Florida is priced as a heavy money line favorite on the road here but we get the value on the puck line.  Remember, San Jose has 13 losses this season and all 12 of the losses that were in regulation were all by at least 2 goals!  Florida is scoring 3.14 goals per game this season while the Sharks are averaging just 1.20 goals per game on the season!  San Jose has been held to 2 or less goals in 11 of 12 games and Florida is averaging 4 goals per game during their 4-game winning streak.  4 to 2 or 4 to 1 sounds about right here and all signs point to the Panthers handing the Sharks another defeat by a multi-goal margin. Laying the 1.5 goals with road favorite Florida at an even money price in this one is the value play here.

#61/62 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Philadelphia Flyers at San Jose Sharks, Tuesday at 10:37 PM ET - Great set-up for an over here.  Two teams very hungry for a win and with fresh skating legs (both off since Saturday) and ready to push hard here but both clubs having major issues in goal.  The Flyers will still be without top goalie Carter Hart here.  That means Cal Petersen or Samuel Ersson will get the call.  Petersen was struggling in the AHL so far this season and then he struggled against the Kings Saturday in his first game after being called up.  Ersson is off a good start but this was a shock that can not be expected to be repeated here as he allowed 14 goals on just 59 shots in his first three appearances!  The Sharks top guy is Kappo Kahkonen but even if he is back now from his upper body injury, he has a 4.30 GAA so far this season.  Mackenzie Blackwood has a 4.77 GAA so far this season.  Magnus Chrona is a rookie who allowed 4 goals on only 17 shots in relief of Blackwood Saturday in a 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh.  Yes, the Sharks lost 10-2 and this was after losing 10-1 to Vancouver! San Jose has tied an NHL record with 11 straight losses to start the season!  However, they showed effort early in the loss to the Penguins and then things unraveled.  They badly want to win and will keep pushing hard but their defense and goaltending will hold them back.  The same can be said of the Flyers who are off their worst game of the season as they just lost 5-0 at LA Saturday.  Philly had not only not been shutout this season, they had never been held to less than 2 goals in a game this season and were averaging 3.4 goals scored per game in their first 11 games this season.  So Philly can be expected to bounce back here and their power play did look much better but just could not get the finishes.  Those will come against this bad Sharks team but, again, San Jose is going to bring it at the other end of the ice.  They do not want to set NHL history with a 12th straight loss so SJ pushes hard here but can not stop Philly either.  5-4 would not surprise us in the least but certainly we should see this one get to at least a 4-3 final.  4 of the 5 games not started with Hart in goal for Philly have seen the Flyers allow at least 5 goals each time!  The Sharks are allowing 5 goals per game this season!  Based on the above, don't be surprised if one of these teams reaches the 5 goal mark here and we can't see either team finishing with less than 3 goals here given the above.  Over is our play here.

#32 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Philadelphia Flyers (-105) over Buffalo Sabres, Wednesday at 7 PM ET - The Flyers are off a tight 3-2 loss but that came against a strong Hurricanes team and, overall, Philadelphia again looked solid in that match-up. Philadelphia has been a bit of an early season surprise but the fact is they have a good mix of young talent and veteran presence and also the management and hockey operations changes that were made entering this season are paying immediate dividends.  The Flyers right now have looked just as good, if not better, than the Sabres so far this season and also have the home ice edge in this match-up.  That being said, the set up here is perfect because Buffalo is off a shocking win over a strong Avalanche team.  The Sabres won that game 4-0 behind a shutout performance from Lukkonen between the pipes.  However, he had struggled prior to that and Buffalo has been dealing with injuries to goalies Levi and Comrie.  The point being, Lukkonen was their #3 choice at goalie!  His first two outings were unimpressive so don't be surprised if he quickly regresses after the shocking win over Colorado.  As for the Flyers, their #1 goalie is Carter Hart and he is expected between the pipes here and has played very well particularly on home ice.  Hart has allowed a total of just 6 goals in his 4 home starts this season!  Overall, the Flyers are the deeper team as they are getting more out of their 2nd and 3rd lines than Buffalo has this season.  The Sabres have struggled other than their top line.  Also, prior to the 4-0 win, Buffalo had lost 5 of 8 games and other than a 3-1 win over the Islanders they were allowing about 4 goals per game in the other 7 games in that stretch.  Philly is now off B2B home losses but Hart was in goal for only one of them and this followed the Flyers going a perfect 3-0 in their first 3 home games and winning those games by a combined score of 12 to 3.  The Sabres have lost 2 of 3 on the road this season.  Home team money line is our play here.

#42 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Boston Bruins Puck Line (-1.5 goals -115) over Anaheim Ducks, Thursday at 7:07 PM ET -The Bruins are 6-0 this season and only one of the 6 victories was by less than 2 goals. Boston's average margin of victory this season is exactly 2 goals and they are allowing just 1 goal per game. Conversely, the Ducks are 2-4 this season but, other than 1 high-scoring win, Anaheim has been held to scoring just 1.4 goals per game in their other 5 games. We simply can not envision the Ducks being able to do much in the offensive zone in this one given those numbers plus the way the Bruins have been playing. That said, this one is likely another dominating Boston win and we look for the Bruins to improve to 7-0 with another victory by a multi-goal margin. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Boston at a small money price in this one is the value play here.

#7/8 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals (-110) - Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - The Lightning simply are not the same team without goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. He is currently on long-term injured reserve after having back surgery last month. Without Vasilevskiy, the Lightning have already shown a strong trend toward overs this season. It makes sense as their goalie options without him are Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. The Bolts have a goals against average of 4.00 on the season and the Lightning have just 2 wins in 6 games so far. Tampa Bay has scored quite well though and this is particularly true on home ice where they are averaging 4 goals scored per game this season. Overall, 5 of 6 Tampa Bay games have totaled at least 7 goals and the only one that did not was against a Sabres team that has now seen 5 of its 6 games finish under the total this season. Now the Lightning take on a goal-happy Hurricanes team. Indeed Carolina is scoring at a high rate this season as well. The problem for the Canes is they are also conceding goals at a high rate too. This is why all 6 of the Hurricanes games this season have gone over the total! The crazy thing is that Carolina's games are not just going over the total, they are truly flying over the total with authority! Their 6 games have averaged 9.5 goals in regulation time and there is certainly nothing "average" about NHL games averaging 9.5 goals apiece! Look for the high-scoring trend to continue here. We are aware of the Hurricanes having some injury issues but one of those is goalie Frederik Andersen and, even if he plays, he would be rusty here and not 100%! Also, just like the other two Canes goalies this season, Andersen has not been impressive between the pipes. Over is our play here.

#16 ASA PLAY ON 8* Winnipeg Jets (+100) over Vegas Golden Knights, Thursday at 8 PM ET - Why is this line a pick'em? Exactly! The 4-0 Golden Knights are facing a 1-2 Jets team and the casual observer might view this as a gift line for Vegas. Of course we all know the sports books are not in the habit of giveaways! In other words, this is no gift and actually functions as a trap line.  People will be enticed to back the undefeated Knights here but they are fortunate to be 4-0 as they just barely snuck by Dallas in a game that looked like it belonged to the Stars! Vegas scored very late to tie the game and than managed to eke out the win in the shootout. Even in the shootout their goalie did not make a single stop but had puck line as 2 of the 3 shots struck iron while the other one went right between his legs with ease. The point is that the Golden Knights undefeated season should have already come to an end but did not and we now take advantage of the hidden value here.  The Jets are not off to a great start this season but it is early and this is a solid team and they also have playoff revenge just like the Stars did Tuesday.  Unlike Dallas, the Jets will get the job done in regulation here and get their revenge. They waited many months for this shot and they get this opportunity at home. Home team's money line is our play here. 

#75 ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Carolina Hurricanes Puck Line (-1.5 goals -115) over San Jose Sharks, Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET - The Hurricanes are highly motivated after their first loss of the season and we knew we were going to come with a strong play here after that Canes loss. This Carolina team is again loaded this season while it looks like San Jose will be one of the weakest teams in the league again this season. Last season the Sharks finished with the fewest wins (22 out of 82 games) in the entire league while the Hurricanes were 2nd to only the Bruins in terms of best record in the entire league as the latter had a historical regular season. So far this season the Sharks are 0-1-1 but they should be 0-2-0 with two blowout losses as they lost their opener 4 to 1 and then lost their 2nd game by only 2-1 in the shootout but they were outshot in the game 52 to 21. Complete dominance! Speaking of dominance, a key to this play is that Carolina has already scored an average of 4.3 games in regulation time of their 3 games. This is a dangerous Hurricanes offensive attack once again. The Sharks, on the other hand, have scored just 1 goal in each of their first two games this season! Carolina is sure to respond off the Saturday loss and San Jose had seen 8 of their last 9 losses (dating back to last season) come by 2 or more goals before they were fortunate to hang around in the 2-1 loss to Colorado Saturday. They will not be so fortunate here against a determined and highly motivated road team. The Canes are a massive money line favorite (-300 on the road!) for a reason here and you can also see why the odds suggest a good probability that the winner of this game in San Jose will win it by 2 or more goals. Laying the 1.5 goals with road favorite Carolina at a very reasonable low price in this one is the value play here.

#9 ASA PLAY ON 8* Seattle Kraken (+100) over Nashville Predators, Thursday at 8 PM ET - Nashville is likely to struggle this season and they were fortunate to not allow a lot more early scoring in their loss at Tampa Bay Tuesday.  The Predators looked quite sloppy and were very susceptible at the back.  Seattle is the better team defensively and all over the ice.  That is why this line is basically a pick'em even though the Kraken are on the road.  Seattle was great on the road last season and made the post-season.  The Predators fell short of the playoffs last season and if it were not for Juuse Saros they would have given up a lot more early goals in their loss at Tampa Bay Tuesday.  The Kraken also lost Tuesday but it was against the defending champion Golden Knights in Vegas.  The bottom line is Seattle outshot Vegas in that game and they looked a lot stronger than Nashville did Tuesday.  Today on Thursday we take advantage here with the stronger team. Road team money line is our play here.

#70 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Puck Line (-1.5 goals -120) over Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday at 7 PM ET - The Maple Leafs are highly motivated after another tough exit from the post-season last spring. This Toronto team is again loaded this season while it looks like Montreal will be one of the weaker teams in the league again this season. Last season the Canadiens finished dead last in the division while the Leafs were 2nd to only the Bruins as the latter had a historical regular season. Montreal lost 27 of 41 road games last season while the Maple Leafs won 27 of 41 home games last season. 10 of the Canadiens last 12 losses last season were by 2 or more goals. The last 11 meetings between these clubs has seen the home team win all 11 games and last season Toronto's two home wins over Montreal were by a combined score of 12 to 2. The Maple Leafs are a big money line favorite for a reason here and you can also see why the odds suggest a good probability that the winner of this game in Toronto will win it by 2 or more goals. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Toronto at a very reasonable low price in this one is the value play here.

#51/52 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6 Goals - Vegas Golden Knights vs Florida Panthers, Tuesday at 8:20 PM ET - Florida must fight hard to stay alive on enemy ice. To do so, the Panthers need to turn to their defensive play and goaltending. They lost the first two games of this series by a combined score of 12 to 4. However, after back to back 3-2 games in Florida, the Panthers have now seen 9 of last 12 games total 5 or less goals.  As for the Golden Knights and their defensive play, they are on home ice with a a chance to close out the Stanley Cup Finals and we fully expect them to make the most of it. The fact is that Vegas is also proving fully capable of turning up the heat on defense and also displaying solid netminding. The Golden Knights have allowed an average of only 2 goals per game in regulation time of their last 12 games. Under is our play here.

#49 ASA PLAY ON 8* Florida Panthers -110 over Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday at 8:20 PM ET - The home team is a perfect 3-0 in this series. The home teams has prevailed in each of the Panthers last 5 games. Florida is on a 13-3 run last 16 games overall and they will now build off the victory they just delivered in Game 3. The Panthers have allowed an average of only 1.8 goals in their last 5 home games and the Golden Knights have been piling up power play goals but struggled at times in 5 on 5. Given these factors we would not be surprised to see the Panthers come up big again on home ice in Game 4. We are laying the money line with the home team in this one. 

#47/48 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6 Goals - Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers, Thursday at 8:20 PM ET - Florida must bounce back on home ice.  To do so, the Panthers need to turn to their defensive play and goaltending.  They lost the first two games of this series by a combined score of 12 to 4.  However, Florida is now back at home where they have given up a total of only 7 goals in 4 games in the last two rounds of the post-season. Now it is the Panthers first home game of the Stanley Cup Finals and we fully expect them to make the most of it.  The problem for Florida is that Vegas is also proving fully capable of turning up the heat on defense and also displaying solid netminding. The Golden Knights have allowed only 2 goals per game in regulation time of their last 10 games.  Under is our play here.

#45 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Florida Panthers +120 over Vegas Golden Knights, Monday at 8 PM ET - If you watched Game 1 you know that there were some fortunate bounces of the puck that favored Vegas. The Golden Knights got some breaks and, overall, we liked what we saw from Florida in that one even though they came up short in game with a deceiving final score of 5-2 as it was certainly much closer than that score would lead you to believe. Florida is now in a strong play on position as they have been so strong off losses including 3-1 in this post-season. Dating back to the regular season, the Panthers went 6-2 last 8 times in the regular season games when on the road and coming off a loss in their prior game. This is a well-coached team with plenty of veteran personnel on its roster too. They will be ready to respond here and we don't expect so much "puck luck" for the Golden Knights in this one as they certainly had some good fortune in Game One. Note that Florida wanted to establish physicality in game one and they did but they took it a little too far and they know they will not win many games when allowing 7 power play opportunities. The Golden Knights converted 2 of them and the Panthers had 0 power plays goals in the game. Certainly this was a big difference in the game. 5 on 5 Florida played very well and Vegas also got some huge saves from goalie Adin Hill. Give him credit as he has been strong in this post-season in a big surprise after other goalies got hurt. However, why was he not the #1 goalie in Vegas before the injuries? Exactly and this is why we feel a breakdown could soon be forthcoming and things start to unravel. All of the above factors are leading to value here. Also, because the Panthers are, of course, on the road for this Game 2 revenge spot in this series we get a great price. Grab the small underdog comeback price with the road underdog here.

#43/44 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals (-110) - Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday at 8 PM ET - Even eliminating OT goals, the Panthers have averaged scoring 3.2 goals per game in regulation time of their 12 post-season wins. The Golden Knights, again excluding OT, have averaged 4.3 goals in their dozen playoff victories required to reach this point. Look for the aggressive Panthers to try and get the jump on Vegas early. However, on home ice, Vegas is sure to bounce back strong. We are not sure Florida can hang on to an early lead but we look for a quick jump on enemy ice to lead a rather high-scoring game 1. Given the above, would not be surprised to see each club get to the 3-goal mark in regulation time. This total set at 5.5 goals makes good sense for sure but also is offering us excellent line value. Over is our play here.

#29/30 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars, Monday at 8:05 PM ET - As mentioned heading into Saturday's game that snuck over the total, in the East and West finals combined, there had been 8 games so far and only 2 of the 8 had totaled more than 5 goals. The Hurricanes/Panthers series is wrapped up and only the final game of that went over the total. As for series the only one that went over the total, before Saturday's surprising Game 5 result, was Game 1 of this series which was 1-1 going to the 3rd and then got crazy including a late goal tie the game at 3-3 and force a 4-3 final in OT. The point is that, entering Saturday, we could have easily been talking about all unders in these West finals and even in the East Finals it took a late goal to send that one to OT and going over the total. We think we'll see another tight battle here. Down 3-2 and back on home ice, the Stars will turn to defense and staunch netminding to look to even up the series at 3 games apiece. Dallas has allowed only 18 goals in their 10 wins this post-season. Vegas has allowed 24 goals in their 11 wins this season. So you can see why a 2-1 type game or 3-2 type game at the most should be in the offing here. Under is our play here.

#21/22 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - Vegas Golden Knights versus Dallas Stars, Saturday at 8:05 PM ET - In the East and West finals combined, there have been 8 games so far and only 2 of the 8 have totaled more than 5 goals. The Hurricanes/Panthers series is wrapped up and only the final game of that went over the total. As for series the only one that went over the total was Game 1 of this series which was 1-1 going to the 3rd and then got crazy including a late goal tie the game at 3-3 and force a 4-3 final in OT. The point is that we could easily be talking about all unders in these West finals and even in the East Finals it took a late goal to send that one to OT and going over the total. We think we'll see another tight battle here. Down 3-1 and on enemy ice, the Stars will turn to defense and staunch netminding to look to get back into this series. Dallas has allowed only 16 goals in their 9 wins this post-season. Vegas has allowed 24 goals in their 11 wins this season. So you can see why a 2-1 type game or 3-2 type game at the most should be in the offing here. Under is our play here.

#15 ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (-105) over Florida Panthers, Wednesday at 8 PM ET - The Panthers 1-0 win over Carolina Monday was their first shutout victory of the post-season and the first-ever playoff shutout for Sergei Bobrovsky in his career. The Panthers had only 2 home ice shutouts in the entirety of the regular season. Each time they lost their next game and those defeats were by identical 4-2 scores. All 3 wins in this series for Florida have been by 1 goal and the first two were OT victories. Carolina outshot Florida 32 to 17 in the Game 3 loss. A key player, Barkov, for the Panthers was knocked out of that game early and never returned. He could be back tonight but will not be 100%. The Hurricanes are a determined group with a determined hard-nosed head coach that knows how to get the best out of his players. This series has been tight all the way through and the Panthers are very fortunate to be up 3 games to 0 in this one. The Canes will not quit and have largely avoided losing streaks of more than 2 games this season. This is their first 3-gamer of the post-season and it is the perfect spot to back them for a bounce back. Carolina also won the shots on goal battle in Games 1 and 2 of this series and has had a 70 to 43 edge in shots on goal in games 2 and 3 combined. This has simply been a crazy series as it seems unfathomable that Florida could be up 3 to 0 when you see how this one has played out on the ice. The Hurricanes have to be happy with their level of play yet they have fallen just short of the victory in all 3 games. The determination level and relentlessness of the Canes will be off the charts in this one. Coach Rod Brind'Amour has had his team ready and is one of the best in the business when it comes to preparing his team in the toughest of situations. Down 0-3 but knowing they just need 1 win here and then this series could "turn on a dime", we have no doubt the Hurricanes will be getting some high quality shots and screened shots plus will take advantage of power play chances (likely to get more opportunities tonight), and the result will be a solid road win. Carolina Hurricanes Money Line is the play in this one!

#13/14 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars, Tuesday at 8:05 PM ET - In the East and West finals combined, there have been 5 games so far and only 1 of the 5 have totaled more than 5 goals. That was in Game 1 of this series which was 1-1 going to the 3rd and then got crazy including a late goal tie the game at 3-3 and force a 4-3 final in OT. The point is that we could easily be talking about all unders in the East and West finals and we think we'll see another tight battle here. Down 2-0 but on home ice, the Stars will turn to defense and staunch netminding to look to get back into this series. Dallas has allowed only 14 goals in their 8 wins this post-season. Vegas has allowed 24 goals in their 10 wins this season. So you can see why a 2-1 type game or 3-2 type game at the most should be in the offing here. Under is our play here.

#11/12 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals (-102) - Florida Panthers vs Carolina Hurricanes, Monday at 8:05 PM ET - The Hurricanes, in the series with New Jersey, the Canes averaged 4.6 goals scored per game! After coming up just short in each of the first two games of this series, look for Carolina to come up with a huge effort on the road at Florida in Game 3. The Panthers, are a very confident bunch here at home as they score particularly well on home ice. They also have built plenty of momentum with back to back wins at Carolina. However, the Hurricanes are proven road warriors plus have their backs against the wall now in this series and we could see this one turning into a back and forth high-scoring affair in which a 4-3 type of final would not be a surprise at all. The Hurricanes must respond after the Game 1 and 2 losses on home ice. But also there is going to be tired legs defensively on both teams as the defensemen get more extra work than the forwards in long multi-OT games like the one that played out in Game 1 of this series and though Game 2's OT was a short one, the accumulation of ice takes a toll simply because there are fewer defensemen on an NHL roster. Over is our play here.

#9 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* Dallas Stars +105 over Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday at 3 PM ET - If you watched Game 1 you know that there were some fortunate bounces of the puck that favored Vegas. The Golden Knights got some breaks and, overall, we liked what we saw from Dallas in that one even though they came up just short in the 4-3 OT loss. Dallas is now in a strong play on position as they have been so strong off a loss. 22-11 is the combined score of the 5 victories that the Stars have in this post-season when they enter a game off a loss. 18-9 is the combined score of the 4 victories that Dallas had following each of their last 4 regular season losses. We are now moving into the latter third of May and you have to go all the way back to mid-March to find the last time the Stars were dealt B2B losses. We like the Stars to play a very tight-checking game here and be a little more physical than they were in Game 1. The last 9 times they were off a loss they allowed an average of only 2 goals per game while they scored 4.4 goals per game. This is a well-coached team with plenty of veteran personnel on its roster too. They will be ready to respond here and we don't expect so much "puck luck" for the Golden Knights in this one as they certainly had some good fortune in Game One. A key goal also happened for Vegas in the 3rd period on a play when the Stars goalie got bowled over and had no chance on the play. All of these factors are leading to value here. Also, because the Stars are on the road for this Game 2 revenge spot we get a great price. Grab the small underdog price with the road underdog here

#7/8 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals (-115) - Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday at 8:05 PM ET - The Hurricanes, not including OT scoring of course, have scored 20 goals in their last 6 home games. Overall, in the series with New Jersey, the Canes averaged 4.6 goals scored per game! The Panthers, not including OT scoring of course, have averaged scoring 3.3 goals per game last 7 road games - all 7 of them wins! Florida is very confident bunch here based on all their road successes in this post-season including the dramatic 3-2 quadruple-OT win in game 1 of this series. However, Carolina also very confident on home ice and we could see this one turning into a back and forth high-scoring affair in which a 4-3 type of final would not be a surprise at all. The Hurricanes must respond after the Game 1 loss but also there is going to be tired legs defensively on both teams as the defensemen get more extra work than the forwards in long multi-OT games like that simply because there are fewer defensemen on the roster. Over is our play here.

#1/2 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals (-120) - Florida Panthers at Carolina Hurricanes, Thursday at 8:05 PM ET - The Hurricanes, not including OT scoring of course, have scored 18 goals in their last 5 home games. Overall, in the series with New Jersey, the Canes averaged 4.6 goals scored per game! The Panthers, not including OT scoring of course, have averaged scoring 3.5 goals per game last 6 road games - all 6 of them wins! Florida is very confident bunch here based on all their road successes in this post-season. However, Carolina also very confident on home ice and we could see this one turning into a back and forth high-scoring affair in which a 4-3 type of final would not be a surprise at all. Over is our play here.

#49/50 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals - Seattle Kraken versus Dallas Stars, Monday at 8:10 PM ET - We have seen a big change from each club in this series. After each showed an ability to win tight low-scoring games in their respective first round series victories over the Avalanche and the Wild, both the Kraken and the Stars have turned this one into a shootout. All 6 games in this series have totaled 6 or more goals. In fact, the 6 games have averaged 8 goals apiece. We are seeing some 5.5 on this one out there and we will not hesitate to get involved as another game totaling 6 or more is very likely per our computer math modeling for this one. Over is our play here.

#44 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Edmonton Oilers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +130) over Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday at 10 PM ET - We know Edmonton is going to bring it on home ice here after the tough Game 5 loss.  We like the Oilers no matter who is in goal here as the Knights injured Brossoit did not even travel with the team. The Knights choices are the P/O inexperienced Hill or rusty Jonathan Quick here.  The Oilers, when off a loss, are a perfect 8-0 the last 8.  As for laying the 1.5 goals here, the Oilers wins in this series was by a 5-1 final at Vegas and all 3 of their home wins in this post-season (including 2 against the Kings) were by multi-goal margins - 14 to 6 aggregate on those three games.  The Oilers, dating back to their red-hot close to the regular season as well, were 20-5 last 25 games before that Game 5 loss. This is bounce back time and we expect Edmonton to improve to 9-0 last 9 times when off a loss.  Of course the Oilers are a huge money line favorite for a reason and, that being said, we see a lot of value with the puck line in this one. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Edmonton for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#37/38 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals - Seattle Kraken versus Dallas Stars, Saturday at 7:10 PM ET - We have seen a big change from each club in this series. After each showed an ability to win tight low-scoring games in their respective first round series victories over the Avalanche and the Wild, both the Kraken and the Stars have turned this one into a shootout. All 5 games in this series have totaled 6 or more goals. In fact, the 5 games have averaged 8 goals apiece. We are seeing some 5.5 on this one out there and we will not hesitate to get involved as another game totaling 6 or more is very likely per our computer math modeling for this one. Over is our play here.

#30 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Toronto Maple Leafs Puck Line (-1.5 goals +140) over  Florida Panthers, Friday at 7:10 PM ET - The Maple Leafs are back in this thing.  That win at Florida in Game 4 was huge.  Yes, Toronto is down 3-1 in this series but sometimes all it takes is one.  Not only do the Leafs finally have a little momentum, they also have home ice on their side in this Game 5.  Yes it is still a tough situation that Toronto has put themselves in but they also know they only have to win one more game at Florida to win this series as long as they defend home ice.  That being said, defending home ice is exactly what we expect the Maple Leafs will do here.  4 of 5 Toronto home games in this post-season have been decided by a multi-goal margin.  The Maple Leafs are a big money line favorite for a reason here and you can also see why the odds suggest good probability that the winner of this game in Toronto will win it by 2 or more goals.  Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Toronto for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#26 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Dallas Stars Puck Line (-1.5 goals +135) over Seattle Kraken, Thursday at 9:40 PM ET - Dallas has won 6 of 9 games since a double-OT loss to open up this post-season. Not only that, the Stars 5 of 6 wins have been by at least a 2-goal margin. We feel they have swung momentum in this series with the 6-3 Game 4 win at Seattle and can now build on that at home and be even stronger here. They will not be denied and have won 3 of last 4 on home ice with the only loss in overtime and all 3 wins by at least a 2-goal margin. Each of Seattle's last four losses have come by a multi-goal margin. Look for this one to be as well. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Dallas for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#22 ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Edmonton Oilers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +130) over Vegas Golden Knights, Wednesday at 10 PM ET - The Golden Knights lost goalie Laurent Brossoit to injury in Game 3 of this series.  Vegas then brought in Adin Hill and he was great in relief but the Knights' skaters really came out flying in that game and something seemed amiss with the Oilers all night long even though they were on home ice.  That said, now a still-recovering Brossoit (he also had hip surgery recently) will be getting the start for Vegas or Hill will be making the first post-season start of his NHL career.  There is a big difference between coming on in relief in a game in which your team also gets a big lead for you versus getting the start.  Hill would be entering this game with a 0-0 score of course and having plenty of time to think about making his first-ever playoff start, etc.  That is a much different "animal" per se and we know Edmonton is going to bring it on home ice here after the embarrassing Game 3 loss.  We like the Oilers no matter who is in goal here as the Knights have the injured Brossoit, first P/O start Hill, or rusty Jonathan Quick as their choices here.  The Oilers, when off a loss, are a perfect 7-0 the last 7.  As for laying the 1.5 goals here, the Oilers win in this series was by a 5-1 final at Vegas and BOTH their home wins in this post-season (against the Kings) were by multi-goal margins - 10 to 5 aggregate on those two games.  The Oilers, dating back to their red-hot close to the regular season as well, were 19-4 last 23 games before that Game 3 loss. This is bounce back time and we expect Edmonton to improve to 8-0 last 8 times when off a loss.  Of course the Oilers are a huge money line favorite for a reason and, that being said, we see a lot of value with the puck line in this one. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Edmonton for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

ASA play on 8* Dallas Stars over Seattle Kraken, Tuesday 9:40 PM ET - The Stars are 7-0 the last 7 times they have been off a loss. Dallas should have Heiskanen back for this one as he is not in concussion protocol so adds are looking positive for him being back after taking a puck to the face in Game 3. All of the Stars seemed to get hit in the face in an ugly Game 3 loss and that is part of the reason we like Dallas so much here. They have shown a knack for bouncing back off losses and Tuesday's defeat was an ugly one. They will be ready to go here and we get a very fair price because they are on the road again for this Game 4 match-up at Seattle. Lay it!

#11/12 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals (-135) - Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights, Monday at 8:40 PM ET - The Oilers last 4 games had all totaled more than 8 goals before Saturday's game landed on 6 in the 5-1 Oilers win! Edmonton is scoring an average of 4 goals per game in the post-season and there certainly is nothing average about that! They did the same in the regular season too as they were the top scoring team in the league and averaged 4 goals per game. The thing is Vegas was very quietly also nearly as big of an offensive juggernaut in the regular season too and now, Game 2 of this series notwithstanding, they have turned things up a notch in the post-season too. The Golden Knights, prior to the Game 2 loss, had scored an average of 4.8 goals per game last 5 games - all wins. You know the Oilers are going to bring forth a very strong effort on home ice but Vegas must answer them goal for goal after the ugly loss at home Saturday. That being said, it should be a back and forth high-scoring barnburner. Over is our play here.

#9 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Dallas Stars (-140) over Seattle Kraken, Sunday at 9:40 PM ET - Pretty sizable road favorite here but that is for a reason. This series is tied at 1 game apiece and the Stars are not happy about having dropped a game on home ice. They will get back home ice edge in this series by notching a Game 3 victory. The post-season is a new experience for the Kraken. As we mentioned earlier in the playoffs, they of course have players with play-off experience but as a group this is the first go at it. While Dallas is on an 11-3 run dating back to the regular season, Seattle has 4 losses in just their last 8 games alone! Also, all 4 of the Kraken wins in this 4-4 eight-game stretch were by just a 1-goal margin and 2 of those victories were in OT. Conversely, each of last 3 losses for the Kraken have come by a multi-goal margin. As you can see, Seattle has been a bit fortunate thus far in the post-season. Dallas is the more cohesive club with their post-season experiences together and we will not pass up on the situational line value with the road team here. Dallas Money Line is the play in this one!

#57/58 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals (-135) - Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday at 7:10 PM ET - The Oilers last 4 games have all totaled more than 8 goals! Edmonton is scoring an average of 4 goals per game in the post-season and there certainly is nothing average about that! They did the same in the regular season too as they were the top scoring team in the league and averaged 4 goals per game. The thing is Vegas was very quietly also a big of an offensive juggernaut in the regular season too and now they have turned things up a notch in the post-season too. The Golden Knights have scored an average of 4.8 goals per game last 5 games all wins. You know the Oilers are going to thrown everything including the kitchen sink at them in this game and it should be a back and forth high-scoring barnburner. Over is our play here.

#59/60 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals (+120) - New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes, Friday at 8:10 PM ET - The Hurricanes won Game One by a count of 5 to 1 and could have scored even more.  The Devils are sure to respond in Game Two but also have a goalie concern as Vanecek has struggled in the post-season and so they had been red-hot goalie Schmid so far.  However, he was exposed by this strong Hurricanes team in Game One of this series and more is likely on the way in Game Two.  This Canes team really brings it when on home ice and we expect a lot of scoring here because it is the only ways the Devils will answer now.  They are unlikely to win a low-scoring grinder with the Hurricanes so they have to push and get more out of their attack.  The Hurricanes have scored 11 goals in their last 3 home games.  The Devils had averaged 3 goals per game last 5 games - 4 of them wins - before getting shellshocked in Game One.  They will be better here but look for a back and forth game in which 4-3 would not be a surprise at all.  Over is our play here.

#51/22 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes, Wednesday at 7:10 PM ET - The Devils have a red hot goalie as Akira Schmid has been red hot between the pipes for New Jersey. Ever since he took over in the Rangers series with his team down 2 games to 0, that series turned on its head and he was the catalyst. He can continue to dominate here. The Hurricanes are rested and are off a 2-1 OT win at New York Islanders close that series out. Now, off that low-scoring gem, Carolina is back on home ice where 6 of last 7 games have totaled 5 or less goals. We see a lot of value in this one in what should be a tense, tight affair in Game 1. Under is our play here.

#49/50 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - Seattle Kraken at Dallas Stars, Tuesday at 9:40 PM ET - The Kraken are off a series with Colorado in which only one of the 7 games was high-scoring. In the other 6 games, Seattle averaged only 2 goals scored per game and allowed only 2 goals per game. As for Dallas, they got very strong defensively as their series went on with the Wild. The Stars had only one ugly loss in the series with Minnesota and in the other 5 games allowed only 1.6 goals per game in regulation time of those games. Each of their last 3 games have totaled 5 or less goals. 6 of 7 games in the Seattle series totaled 5 or less goals. Under is our play here.

#33/34 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 5.5 Goals - New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils, Monday at 8:10 PM ET - The 5-2 Rangers win in Game 6 was the first time in this series that the losing team scored more than 1 goal and still only 2 goals were scored by the team on the wrong end of the final.  That said, this will be a game all about protecting leads and playing a safe and measured game. That means a 2-1 type game seems very likely here when you consider the output of the losing team in the first 6 games is an average of just 1 goal.  This will be a typical tight low-scoring game seven.  This total could very well start dropping to a 5 in most (if not all) books as the day goes on so grab the 5.5 while you can.  Under is our play here.

#23 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Florida Panthers Puck Line (+1.5 goals -125) over Boston Bruins, Sunday at 6:38 PM ET - The Panthers have won the last two games in this series after staring a 3-1 series deficit square in the face. Florida has also won each of the last two games played at Boston so the Bruins home ice edge may not matter much here. In fact, prior to Florida's 7-5 home win in Game 6 to force this Game 7, the road team had won each of last 4 games in this series between these teams. We are not necessarily predicting the upset though here. We simply feel that this will be a very tight game because the Panthers have really turned the tide in this series. We still respect Boston at home but the Bruins are really feeling the pressure now and will likely win this game by just a 1-goal margin...if they even win the game at all. Either way, we love the value here with an underdog playing with much less pressure plus plenty of confidence after what they have accomplished in the last two games. Grabbing the 1.5 goals with road dog Florida is the play here.

#11/12 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* UNDER 6.5 Goals - Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, Saturday at 7 PM ET - The Maple Leafs have lost 10 straight times when they have a chance to eliminate an opponent in the post-season.  The run continued now in this series with the Game 5 loss to the Lightning which has extended this series to Game 6 down in Tampa Bay.  However, though that may seem like it would warrant a play on the Bolts here, we like the total so much more.  In fact, we love this total.  That's because this season's Toronto team was different.  They won a lot of tight low-scoring games in the regular season.  As for this veteran Lighting team with multiple championships, they certainly know plenty about winning tight low-scoring games.  So this one absolutely has the look and feel of a tight low-scoring game.  Keep in mind that Game 5 was the first potential elimination game in this series and it was just a 2-1 game in the 3rd period before a Leafs player bumped into his own netminder and that led to the Lightning goal that gave them a 3-1 lead.  Then, if not for an empty netter, the game would have ended at a 3-2 final.  Of course the 4-2 final we saw Thursday suits our purposes here just fine but the point is that the game could have easily been a 2-1 or 3-2 type final and we are looking for a real grinder here.  If Tampa Bay was able to get the kind of game they wanted in Toronto's barn in Game 5 you know they certainly are going to be able to the same down in their own arena tonight.  That said, this will be a game all about protecting leads and playing a safe and measured game.  It is an elimination game and we saw a real change in the way Game 5 flowed compared to the earlier games in the series.  The Lightning eliminated Toronto from the post-season last year so they know how to slow them down and create the game flow they want.  That is not to say that it is easy but this Lightning team has proven more than capable on more than one occasion.  Tampa is so well coached too.  Also, the Maple Leafs are playing with so much pressure to end their playoff series' losing streak.  They'll be squeezing the sticks a little too tight again tonight as a result and this one should be quite the low-scoring battle.  Because of the current trending of this series, prior to Game 5, the number is just too big here and so we love the value with the total of 6.5 set on this game as that is also based on long-term reputation rather than the current way these teams are playing!  Under is our play here.

#6 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Minnesota Wild Money Line (-110) over Dallas Stars, Friday at 9:35 PM ET - The Wild are off consecutive losses and now fighting for their playoff lives.  Home ice should help here as Minnesota is 5-1 L6 times they entered a game on a losing streak of at least 2 games and were on home ice.  They will be ready here at home in this same situation.  Dallas is off a shutout win in Game 5 but is actually 1-5 last 6 times when off a shutout win!  It is now or never for the Wild and before that loss they had looked solid in most of the action against the Stars since this one got underway.  Down 3-2 in this series but having played very competitive hockey thus far in the series, we will not pass up on the situational line value with the home team here. Minnesota Wild Money Line is the play in this one!

ASA PLAY ON 8* New York Rangers +105 over New Jersey Devils at 7:38 ET, Thursday - The road team has won all 4 games in this series. The game was a 1-1 tie in the 3rd period of Game 4 before the Devils got a key goal and then later added an empty netter for the 3-1 win. At that point though in Game 4 in the 3rd period when it was 1-1, the Rangers had outscored the Devils in regulation time by a combined 12 to 4. So even though this series is now 2-2, the Devils won Game 3 in OT and won Game 4 late.  The Rangers actually won the first two games of this series in blowout fashion.  When you consider all of the above plus the fact the road team has won all 4 games so far in this series, this seems like excellent underdog line value on the visitors in this one. We will grab the road dog in this one. 

#41/42 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5 Goals - New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - The Hurricanes and Islanders have totaled 6 or more goals in 3 straight games in this series. Now the Islanders season is on the line. At the same time, you know the Canes are going to push hard to end this thing on home ice. Considering those factors, we will not pass up this opportunity to get an over 5 in this one. The Isles scored 4 goals per game in their final 4 games of the regular season. As we noted above also, this series has been trending to overs. The Hurricanes, dating back to final 2 games of regular season as well, have won 5 of 6 games and scored an average of 4 goals in the 5 games. This total at 5 goals is absolutely a bargain. Over is our play here.

#36 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line (-105) over Toronto Maple Leafs, Monday at 7:38 PM ET - The Lightning gave up the tying goal with just a minute to go against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 and then lost the game in overtime. That gave Toronto the 2-1 series lead and makes this one critical for the Lightning. They can ill afford to go down 3-1 in this series with then heading to Toronto for Game 5. That being said, we liked the way Tampa Bay played in the Game 3 loss as it looked like their game until the final minute of regulation. We feel confident they will get the much needed win in Game 4. This Lightning club has so much post-season big-game experience and this series really has the feel of one that is going to go 7 games. Look for the Bolts to come up big here to even this one up at 2 games apiece.  Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line is the play in this one!

#25 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Carolina Hurricanes Money Line (+110) over New York Islanders, Sunday at 1 PM ET - The Hurricanes are up 2-1 in this series and were already without Svechnikov and now lost Teravainen to injury as well. The Canes, with the series shifting to New York, did drop Game 3 but are in perfect bounce back spot in Game 4. Carolina a solid road team this season and we rode with the Islanders - an equally strong club when on home ice - Friday and got a winner but now the Canes will be hungry to respond after that 1-1 game turned into a crazy 5-1 loss in the latter minutes of the third period of what had been a 1-1 game! Payback time and the Hurricanes are so well-coached and will respond here. Ugly score in Game 3 but that is deceiving and the Canes are still up in this series and have played very competitive hockey thus far in the series. That being said, we will not pass up on the situational line value with the road team here. All 4 road teams won Saturday and we are not bucking that trend in the first game Sunday either. Carolina Hurricanes Money Line is the play in this one!

#23 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Colorado Avalanche (-155) over Seattle Kraken, Saturday at 10 PM ET - Pretty sizable road favorite here but that is for a reason.  This series is tied at 1 game apiece and the defending champs are not happy about having dropped a game on home ice.  They will get back home ice edge in this series by notching a Game 3 victory.  The post-season is a new experience for the Kraken.  They of course have players with play-off experience but as a group this is the first go at it.  Seattle also is hosting its first-ever post-season affair.  The Kraken will be fired up but the Avalanche are the team that has been there done that!  Indeed Colorado is the more cohesive club with their post-season experiences together and we will not pass up on the situational line value with the road team here. Colorado Money Line is the play in this one!

#10 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* New York Islanders Money Line (-115) over Carolina Hurricanes, Friday at 7 PM ET - The Hurricanes are up 2-0 in this series but were already without Svechnikov and now lost Teravainen to injury as well. The Canes barely got by the Islanders in each of the first two games. Now, with the series shifting to New York, the Isles are well worth the low price here as a short home favorite. Carolina a solid road team this season but the Islanders and equally strong club when on home ice! The Hurricanes lost 4 of last 6 road games. The Islanders won 7 of last 9 home games! Down 2-0 in this series but having played very competitive hockey thus far in the series, we will not pass up on the situational line value with the home team here. New York Islanders Money Line is the play in this one!

#1/2 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6 Goals - Tampa Bay Lightning at Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday at 7 PM ET - Toronto needs to respond on home ice here to avoid an 0-2 hole in this series. Certainly the Maple Leafs have the firepower on offense to do just that. The problem is that their goaltending just can not be trusted. Matt Murray is still out (concussion recovery) which means little-used Joseph Woll is the only option behind Ilya Samsonov right now for Toronto. That said, Samsonov is getting the start again tonight but he allowed 6 goals in the Game 1 loss to the high-powered Lightning. This is why we like the over so much here. We are confident that the Leafs are going to come out strong in this critical Game 2 match-up but how can anyone trust their goaltending? Year after year it is a problem for Toronto and ends up being their downfall in the post-season. That said, let's not forget that game one was a 3-2 game with 6 minutes to go in the 2nd period before the Leafs fell apart. The point is they can come out and compete hard here but they are going to have to score plenty to top the Lightning here. Don't be surprised if each club scores at least 3 goals here as this one flies over the total. Tampa Bay has scored an average of 4 goals in last 9 games dating back to late March. 13 of the Maple Leafs last 16 home games have totaled at least 6 goals and those games have averaged 7 goals! Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy is a great goalie but he was not as dominant this season and also has allowed 13 goals in his last 3 starts. Over is our play here.

#62 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Edmonton Oilers Puck Line (-1.5 goals +125) over Los Angeles Kings, Wednesday at 10 PM ET - The Oilers had a 2-goal lead for the majority of game one. They were up 2-0 for much of the game. Then when the Kings cut the deficit to 1 in the 3rd period the Oilers seemingly restored order with their next goal making it a 2-goal lead again at 3-1. Inexplicably, up by 2 goals with 9 minutes to go in the game, not only did Edmonton fail to cover the puck line they did not even win the game. That one slipped away for the Oilers as Kings tied it late on a power play with about 15 seconds to go in regulation and then won it in OT - also on a power play goal. Suffice to say, the home team is out for revenge in a big way here. Edmonton has so much firepower, they will come out firing away in this game and it has the makings of a bloodbath for the road dog. Oilers will be relentless here. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Edmonton for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#58 ASA NHL TOP PLAY ON 10* Colorado Avalanche Puck Line (-1.5 goals +140) over Seattle Kraken, Tuesday at 10 PM ET - Every single game between these teams in the regular season was won by the road team as the visitors won all 3. Also, all 3 were decided by just a single goal. So why this play? It is because now the post-season has arrived and the cream rises to the top and we look for Avalanche and their post-season experience plus home ice edge to help lead the way to a big win here over a Seattle club in the post-season for the first time. The Kraken lost their final two games of the regular season each by a multi-goal margin. There were tight games in yesterday's first day of playoff action but the Kraken have had 11 straight games decided by a multi-goal margin and we like Colorado here. The Avalanche have won 8 of last 10 playoff games on home ice.  Home team in a blowout per our computer math model as the Avalanche carry their post-season confidence and dominance from last year right into the post-season. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Colorado for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#44 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Boston Bruins Puck Line (-1.5 goals +125) over Florida Panthers, Monday at 7:30 PM ET - The Panthers Alex Lyon got hot in goal late in the season while Sergei Bobrovsky was recovering from injury.  However, he then allowed 4 goals in the season finale versus the Hurricanes.  If he plays here that will have shaken his confidence.  The more likely scenario though is that Bobrovsky is in goal and he will be rusty after the time away due to injury.  That said, the home team is the play here.  The Bruins were so dominant in the regular season plus they are at home here and they will have the goalie edge no matter who is in goal.  Of course all of these factors are the reason that Boston is a 2 to 1 favorite on the money line here. The value with this one is on the puck line where you can get a plus money return by laying the 1.5 goals with the Bruins.  The home team won all 4 meetings between these teams in the regular season and each of the first three were decided by a multi-goal margin.  Bruins have won 15 of 16 games and the Panthers have lost B2B games entering this one.  Home team in a blowout per our computer math model as the Bruins carry their regular season dominance right into the post-season. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Boston for a plus money return in this one is the value play here.

#13/14 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* UNDER 6.5 Goals - Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers, Thursday at 7 PM ET - This is a huge game in the playoff standings.  Carolina needs a win to capture the Metropolitan Division.  They control their own destiny since they have one more point than the New Jersey Devils.  Florida needs a win to avoid finishing as the 2nd wild card and facing the Boston Bruins in the first round.  Like the Hurricanes, the Panthers control their own destiny since they are only one point behind the Islanders and New York played their final game of the regular season last night.  So if the Panthers win they avoid facing a Bruins team that had a record-breaking NHL season.  That said, this game tonight absolutely should play out as a tight defensive playoff-like battle.  The Hurricanes were the 2nd best team this season in terms of goals allowed and have two great goalies in Andersen and Raanta.  The Panthers could soon get their top goalie Bobrovsky back but with the way Lyon has been playing, how can Bobrovsky even be re-inserted as the #1?  Lyon is a stellar 6-0-1 with a 1.55 GAA and .952 save percentage in his last 7 starts for Florida!  The Panthers have allowed just 1.4 goals per game in regulation time of their last 7 games!  The Hurricanes 8 of last 9 games have totaled 5 or less goals!  Carolina has allowed an average of only 2 goals per game last 7 games!  These teams are both already playing play-off hockey!  Low-scoring battle should be on tap here as these teams both have been getting strong goaltending and stellar defense of late.  We look for 5 goals here at most but certainly 6 seems like would be the maximum given the importance of this game in the standings and the current trending of these two clubs and so we love the value with the big total set on this game based on Florida's long-term reputation rather than the current way they are playing!  Under is our play here.

#2 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* New York Islanders Puck Line (-1.5 goals -130) over Montreal Canadiens, Wednesday at 7:05 PM ET - Short write-up here.  The Islanders win this game and they are going to the post-season.  If they fail to win this game it opens the door for the Penguins as this is the season finale for New York and Pittsburgh also has just one game remaining and these clubs are separated by only 1 point in the standings!  The Islanders control their own destiny and here they are hosting a Canadiens club that would like to play the role of spoiler but it is no accident that Montreal finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings.  The Habs have lost 5 of 6 and each of last 4 losses have been by a multi-goal margin.  The Islanders are off a loss at Washington but had won 7 of 11 games heading into that one and 6 of the 7 victories were by a multi-goal margin.  This sets up well to be another blowout victory as the Islanders punch their ticket to the post-season. Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite New York is the play here.

#71/72 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6.5 Goals - Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche, Tuesday at 9:35 PM ET - This is a key battle in the playoff race and this one will likely be played out as if it is a playoff game. It will have that type of intensity and a defensive mindset. When you look at the scoring capabilities of these two clubs you would think over here with this total a solid 6.5 across the board. The key here, however, is the fact that there should be playoff intensity here.  Colorado has won 5 straight games and allowed an average of only 2 goals per game in last 10 victories.  Edmonton has won 7 straight games and, incredibly the Oilers have allowed a TOTAL of only 3 goals in last 5 victories.  This one should be quite the playoff-level battle as both these clubs in key situations where they need maximum points. Sure shapes up to be a 3-2 type final and our computer math model concurs with that type of game here.  As a final result then, look for no more than 6 goals in this one! Under is our play here.

#54 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Arizona Coyotes Puck Line (+1.5 goals -120) over Seattle Kraken, Monday at 10:05 PM ET - The Coyotes are 21-14-4 in home games this season.  Some of those 14 regulation losses have come by just one goal too.  That being said, this is excellent line value here with +1.5 goals at a fair price in the -120 range.  Arizona is a scrappy home dog that should play hard here and Seattle could let up here after clinching a post-season spot.  The Kraken have been hot lately but most of those wins at home.  On the road their most recent win was a big one but this was preceded by just 1 win by a multi-goal margin in the last 6 games on the road.  The Coyotes will be tough to dominate here as only 2 of last 12 home games for Arizona have been a loss by a multi-goal margin.  Grabbing the 1.5 goals with home dog Arizona is the play here.

#35/36 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals - Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks, Sunday at 8:30 PM ET - We like the over here regardless of the starting goalies. The Ducks have been struggling to stop anyone no matter who they have in goal. The Avalanche are expected to start Pavel Francouz between the pipes for this one. It will be his first time in the crease since early February.  It could take awhile for Francouz to get back to his typical form and the Ducks will look to jump on him early like they did when they scored 4 goals against him in early February. The trouble for Anaheim is this Avalanche team is rolling right now and the Ducks continue to allow huge goal totals.  This one, per our computer math model, is projected to finish with 7 or 8 goals in most of the simulations run for this match-up. It looks like a back and forth entertaining match-up very likely here in Anaheim Sunday.  Over is our play here.

#47/48 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 5.5 Goals - Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders, Thursday at 7:35 PM ET - Lightning in a B2B so back-up goalie Brian Elliott likely to start here.  That means the Islanders, not known for high-scoring games, should actually score very well here.  Elliott is no Vasilevskiy.  At the same time though, the Tampa Bay attack should push hard off of the 6-3 loss at the Rangers last night.  That said, we are looking for plenty of goals here.  Look for a surprise for an Islanders game as the setup here is ideal for goals and we take advantage of this low total posted at just 5.5 goals.  Over is our play here

#31/32 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6 Goals - Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets, Wednesday at 7:35 PM ET - This is a key battle in the playoff race and this one will likely be played out as if it is a playoff game. It will have that type of intensity and a defensive mindset. When you look at the scoring capabilities of these two clubs you would think over here with this total a solid 6 across the board. The key here, however, is the fact that there should be playoff intensity here. Since Markstrom played last night for the Flames, Vladar is likely to get the start here. He has been solid for Calgary this season and this includes on the road. Winnipeg is likely to start Hellebuyck and he has been fantastic between the pipes of late as per usual. He is a big part of the reason the Jets have allowed just 2.3 goals per game last 9 games. The Flames have been involved in some higher-scoring games of late but this followed a stretch of 4 games in which they allowed an average of only 2 goals per game. Look for a bounce back defensive effort from Calgary here in a must-win spot and coming off a 4-3 home loss to Chicago. As a final result then, look for no more than 5 goals in this one! Under is our play here.

#13/14 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 7 Goals - Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers, Tuesday at 7:05 PM ET - This is a key battle in the playoff race and the Sabres also have a 2-game in hand advantage compared to the Panthers. Florida is just ahead of Buffalo in the standings but the Sabres can pick up valuable ground here in the race and this one will likely be played out as if it is a playoff game. It will have that type of intensity and a defensive mindset. When you look at the scoring capabilities of these two clubs you would think over here and this total is a solid 7 across the board. The key here, however, is the fact that there should be playoff intensity here.  Also, the Panthers have been getting strong goaltending from Alex Lyon and he is expected to start again here.  Florida has allowed a total of just 4 goals during their current 3-game winning streak.  Buffalo has won 4 of 5 games and allowed on average of only 2 goals in regulation time of its last 4 games.  As a final result then, look for no more than 6 goals in this one! Under is our play here.

#69/70 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals - Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs, Sunday at 7:05 PM ET - The Maple Leafs are expected to start Matt Murray between the pipes for this one. He has allowed 4 goals in 7 of his last 8 starts. We expect Toronto to be very strong at home here but we also do not trust Murray to stop a scrappy Red Wings team. Detroit has averaged scoring 4 goals per game last 3 games. However, the Wings struggle to slow teams down and have allowed an average of 4 goals per game last 8 games! This one has all the makings of a back and forth barnburner with good odds, as you can see above, that each team gets to 4 goals.  Over is our play here

#47/48 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6 Goals - Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche, Saturday at 9:05 PM ET - This is a key battle in the Central Division playoff race and the Avalanche also have a game in hand advantage compared to the Stars. Dallas is just ahead of Colorado in the standings but the Avs can pick up valuable ground here in the race and this one will likely be played out as if it is a playoff game. It will have that type of intensity and a defensive mindset. The Stars are off a 5-2 win last night and have allowed an average of only 2 goals in last 4 games. Colorado off a 4-2 loss to Minnesota but allowed 2 or less goals in 13 of 21 games prior to that one. The Avs have allowed an average of only 1 goal the last 3 times they entered a game off a loss. As a final result then, look for no more than 5 goals in this one! Under is our play here.

#23 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* New York Rangers Money Line (-135) over Buffalo Sabres, Friday at 7:05 PM ET - The Rangers are off a loss and this followed wins in 9 of 11 games and New York is 3-0 last 3 times off a loss.  Buffalo is still fighting hard to keep slim playoff hopes alive but the Sabres have now lost 9 of 12 and the Rangers still have motivation to move up in their playoff position as they could even win the Metro Division yet.  We will take the stronger team and coming off a loss as this is a very fair price to have a team that, just like last season, is proving to again be one of the best in the league. NY Rangers Money Line is the play in this one!

#78 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Colorado Avalance Money Line (-150) over Minnesota Wild, Wednesday at 10:05 PM ET - Both teams off identical 5-1 wins but the Avalanche are on home ice and that makes a key difference in this game. Colorado should absolutely prove worth the price. The Avs have won 9 of 10 games. The Wild have won B2B games but, prior to this, endured a rather mediocre stretch with just 5 wins in last 9 games. Minnesota has already lost both games with the Avalanche by a combined score of 9 to 5 and this looks like another tough spot on the road for the Wild. Colorado Money Line is the play in this one!

#69/70 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 7 Goals - Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights, Monday at 10 PM ET - After last night's huge 5-4 win at Arizona, 25 of last 33 Edmonton games have totaled at least 7 goals. The Oilers are seeking revenge in this one and will be ready to respond here after losing at home to Vegas on Saturday night. Edmonton entered last night's game off 4-3 OT loss and 4-3 OT win last 2 games and this followed a stretch in which Oilers scored at least 4 goals in 14 of 18 games. One of, if not the, most dangerous teams in the league and seeking revenge for a recent home loss, we look for plenty of scoring in this one as it is set up perfect being a road revenge, but also B2B spot, for the Oilers. The Edmonton offense responds but continues to have some issues keeping the puck out of their own. Note that with Campbell starting last night in goal for Edmonton, it will likely be Skinner tonight and he has allowed at least 3 goals in 3 straight games. 9 of last 12 Vegas games have totaled at least 7 goals. Golden Knights have won 8 of 9 games and, not including OT or SO, have scored an average of 4 goals per game during this stretch. Of course Oilers known for hitting the 4-goal mark with regularity. This one should get to 8 or 9. Over is our play here.

#2 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Philadelphia Flyers Money Line (-125) over Detroit Red Wings, Saturday at 1:05 PM ET - The Red Wings have lost 11 of 14 games. Detroit won their most recent road game but B2B road wins for this team have been rare for some time now and the Red Wings entered that game (a SO win) having lost 5 straight road games. The Flyers are off B2B wins and have won 4 of last 6 home games including a 3-1 win over the Red Wings. They have had a tough season overall but are a decent home team and looking to finish the season strong. It is expected that Nedeljkovic will get the start for the Red Wings here and he has won just 2 of 9 decisions and he has a 4.01 GAA with Detroit this season! Flyers allowing 2.7 goals per game in regulation time of their last 7 home games and we just do not see the Red Wings and their struggling goalie finding a way here. Philadelphia Money Line is the play in this one!

#33/34 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 7 Goals - Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - Big total but love this spot for a goal-fest.  The Maple Leafs have had 6 of last 7 games total at least 7 goals and those games averaged 8 goals and we expect a 5-4 type battle!  The Panthers have had 5 of last 6 games total at least 7 goals and those 6 games have averaged about 9 goals per game.  You can see why the scoring should be strong in this one given numbers like this.  Even though these are divisional foes, this is just their 2nd meeting of 4 this season as they have two more over the final 3 weeks of the season.  The first one was a 5-4 final in OT and another game in which the teams scored 4 goals apiece in regulation would not be a surprise at all the way these two teams are going right now.  Over is our play here.  

#28 ASA NHL PLAY ON 7* Colorado Avalanche Money Line (-155) over Pittsburgh Penguins, Wednesday at 8:07 PM ET - The Avalanche have won 6 straight games. The Avs have outscored their opponents by an aggregate score of 28 to 12 in those games. That means average score of 5 to 2 per game and we expect another solid win here. The money line is low enough that if we reduce our rating to 7* on this play here rather than the typical 8* we still have solid value in terms of our risk amount. This Colorado team is rolling right now plus on home ice and they are hosting a Penguins team that has lost 4 straight games and been outscored 18 to 7 in those games. Pittsburgh is fighting hard to earn a playoff berth but the Avalanche are still fighting hard to win the Central Division and possibly to even be the top seed in the Western Conference. This is a hot versus not situation and, with both teams motivated, we like the hot home team in this one. We will not pass up on the situational line value here. Colorado Money Line is the play in this one!

#1/2 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals, Tuesday at 7 PM ET - We like the over here regardless of the starting goalies. But we'll start there by mentioning that the Blue Jackets are expected to start Daniil Tarasov and he has lost 8 of his last 9 starts and is 3-11-1 with a 3.77 GAA this season and is off a start in which he allowed 5 goals. The Capitals are expected to start Charlie Lindgren and he has allowed 4 goals in each of his last two starts. Washington is still mathematically alive but they realize their odds on a wild card spot are slim. The Blue Jackets have already been eliminated from post-season contention. Considering the situation, this game is likely to play out rather wide-open with plenty of open ice. Overall, Washington has seen plenty of that lately too as the Capitals last 4 games have totaled at least 7 goals. Also, the last 11 Caps games have averaged 8 goals. The Blue Jackets also have been trending to overs because their defense is so bad and their goaltending has been subpar. Columbus has lost 8 of 11 games and scored an average of 3.3 goals during this stretch but also allowed an average of 4.8 goals per game. As you can see from these numbers, just like Washington, the Jackets last 11 games averaging 8 goals. You can see why we fully expect to see at least 7 goals in this one! Also, we are aware of the Kuznetsov injury situation for the Capitals but even if he is not back for tonight's game he has been having a very quiet month and yet the Capitals still scoring very well. Also, Washington is getting a boost with the imminent return of John Carslon even though he may not be back until Thursday. Morale is up for the Caps these days. Over is our play here.

ASA NHL PLAY ON 7* Detroit Red Wings Puck Line (+1.5 goals -150) over Florida Panthers, Monday at 7:05 PM ET - So we reduce our star rating from the average 8* to 7* here because of laying a little bit of price to the +1.5 goals on our side. That said, laying 7* on a -160 is the equivalent wager risk amount of laying 10* on a -110. So we are comfortable here because the Red Wings are on home ice and the Panthers have not exactly been crushing teams of late. That said, we will gladly challenge Florida to win this game by a multiple-goal margin. The fact is that the Panthers are 9-6 last 15 games but only 5 of the 9 wins by a multi-goal margin! That means that at a -1.5 price, Florida would be 5-10 last 15 games! As for the Red Wings, they have won 17 of their 34 home games this season and only 9 of the 17 home losses was by a multi-goal margin. That means at +1.5 goals on home ice this season, Detroit is 25-9 on the season! Coming off a rare bad home loss, to the defending champion Avalanche, the Red Wings bounce back here.  They almost always bounce back on home ice when their prior game at home was a multi-goal loss.  Grabbing the 1.5 goals with the home dog Detroit is the play here.

8* UNDER - Islanders off a 6-3 win but had scored an average of only 2.3 goals in their 9 games heading into that one.  The Isles are playing the last game of a road trip on the west coast and then play their next game Tuesday all the way back across the country in New York.  Sometimes this is one of the toughest spots for a team and their goal-scoring could struggle here.  Additionally, the Sharks have not been scoring well either.  San Jose has lost 14 of 17 games and the Sharks have scored an average of only 1.9 goals per game in the 14 losses.  This one has all the makings of a 3-2 final at the most yet we are working with a total of 6 goals here.  We'll take it in a game that could very well be tied at 2 at the end of regulation.  That is certainly what the recent trending for these teams supports in this spot.  Under is our play here. 

#7/8 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals - Colorado Avalanche at Ottawa Senators, Thursday at 7 PM ET - Tough back to back spot for the Avalanche off a 2-1 SO win at Toronto last night. Remember that Georgiev entered last night's start having allowed 4 goals twice in his last three starts! No matter who is in goal for the Avs this team entered last night's action having allowed 4 goals per game last 7 games! The good news for Colorado fans is that, despite the struggles at times in their own end, this team can pile up goals. The Avalanche were off an 8-4 win at Montreal and their last 6 road games had averaged 7.3 goals before last night's surprising 2-1 final. The Senators have struggled for quite some time now in terms of goals allowed but do continue to score well on home ice where they have scored an average of 5 goals per game last 8 games. Ottawa is also off a road trip in which they allowed 5 goals per game over the 5-game stretch. Injuries to Forsberg and Talbot in goal have really hurt the Sens and the Avs will take advantage here but the Senators also should score well at home yet again. Over is our play here.

#79/80 ASA TOP PLAY ON 10* OVER 6.5 Goals - Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs, Wednesday at 7 PM ET - We like the over here regardless of the starting goalies. But we'll start there by mentioning that the Maple Leafs are expected to go with Samsonov and he has allowed 8 goals in his last two starts. If Toronto goes with Murray, he has allowed 4 goals in 5 straight starts. As for the Avalanche, Georgiev expected to start and he got pulled against the Maple Leafs when they faced Toronto earlier this season as he allowed 5 goals in less than two periods of work! He also enters this start having allowed 4 goals twice in his last three starts! No matter who is in goal for the Avs this team has allowed 4 goals per game last 7 games! The good news for Colorado fans is that, despite the struggles at times in their own end, this team can pile up goals. The Avalanche are off an 8-4 win at Montreal and their last 6 road games have averaged 7.3 goals. The Maple Leafs have had one low-scoring home game of late but that was because it was against the Wild and Minnesota continues to get involved in low-scoring grinders. But, other than that one exception, if you look at the other recent home games for Toronto they have scored an average of 4 goals last 12. Also, 8 of those 12 totaled at least 7 goals and we look for at least 7 in this one too! Over is our play here.

#53/54 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals - Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins, Tuesday at 7:05 PM ET - Montreal has been dealing with injuries but still scored 4 goals last night! The goal-scoring is the good news but the bad news is that Montreal allowed 8 goals in last night's loss. They also had to just use both goalies in the game due to how ugly the loss was so that exasperates the situation in what was already a tough back to back spot for the Habs. That said, expect plenty of goals and the Penguins are sure to show no mercy on home ice. However, Pittsburgh also has seen both Jarry and Desmith allow some bigger goal totals recently. Pittsburgh has scored 3.5 goals per game last 8 games but allowed 3 goals per game last 6 games. Both teams are struggling so badly of late to stop the opposition and we don't see that changing here. That said, don't be surprised if each team gets to 3 goals in this one. As a final result then, look for at least a total of 7 in this one! Over is our play here.

#45/46 ASA PLAY ON 8* UNDER 6 Goals - Minnesota Wild at Arizona Coyotes, Sunday at 9:35 PM ET -Prosvetov was great in goal in his most recent start and each of Coyotes last two games have totaled only 5 goals.  Here they are hosting a Wild team looking for revenge and that should point to a low-scoring result here.  Minnesota will look to dominate play and force the style of game to be their type of game.  Wild want revenge and catch Arizona in 2nd game of a back to back.  Minnesota is off B2B wins by counts of 4-2 and 5-2, respectively.  However, prior to this, 16 of last 18 Minnesota games had totaled only 5 goals.  This looks like another low-scoring grinder given the situation and the revenge factor.  As a final result then, look for no more than 5 goals in this one! Under is our play here.

#8 ASA NHL PLAY ON 7* Colorado Avalanche Puck Line (-1.5 goals -155) over Arizona Coyotes, Saturday at 6:05 PM ET - Have to lay some juice on this one so we reduce our star rating a bit here but set-ups just do not get much better than this.  Arizona is off B2B wins but is one of the worst teams in the league while the defending champion Avalanche are off a bad loss.  Adding to the situational value here is that the Avs lost to the Coyotes in Arizona earlier this season.  Note that only 2 times this entire season has Arizona managed to win 3 straight games.  Also, though most recent loss was an OT loss, the 4 before that were all big-margin losses and the average margin of defeat in those was 3.5 goals.  As for the Avalanche, their last 4 wins have been by a combined score of 18 to 2 and this sets up well to be another blowout victory as they get back on track plus get their revenge.  Laying the 1.5 goals with home favorite Colorado is the play here.

#63/64 ASA PLAY ON 8* OVER 6.5 Goals - San Jose Sharks at St Louis Blues, Thursday at 8:05 PM ET - The Sharks are off 6-0 loss and the Blues are off a 6-2 defeat. San Jose has lost 6 of 7 games and allowed a ridiculous 5.5 goals per game in the 6 losses! St Louis has lost 8 of 9 games and given up 4.5 goals per game in those 8 defeats. Both teams are struggling so badly of late to stop the opposition and we don't see that changing here. That said, don't be surprised if each team gets to 3 goals in this one. As a final result then, look for at least a total of 7 in this one! Over is our play here.

#46 ASA NHL PLAY ON 8* Winnipeg Jets Money Line (-125) over Minnesota Wild, Wednesday at 7:35 PM ET - The Wild in a tough back to back spot and continue to struggle to score goals as they lost 1-0 yesterday.  The Jets also off a tight low-scoring loss but at least scored a couple of goals and their game was on Monday.  Winnipeg has the rest edge here plus Jets have averaged 4.3 goals scored in last 4 games.  Minnesota, on the other hand, has averaged 1.6 goals per game last 13 games.  The Wild simply will not be able to keep up with the Jets in this tough back to back situation.  We will not pass up on the situational line value here. Winnipeg Money Line is the play in this one!