Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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09-03-20 | Flyers v. Islanders -115 | 5-4 | Loss | -115 | 21 h 1 m | Show | |
My selection is on New York over Philadelphia at 7:10 pm et on Thursday. Entering these unique NHL Playoffs my first thought was that we could see a sleeper team end up going on a deep run and maybe even hoisting the Stanley Cup and the Islanders certainly seem to fit that bill. New York not surprisingly turned in a bit of a flat effort with a chance to eliminate the Flyers two nights ago but did rally late to tie the game before falling in overtime. Here, I look for a more focused and complete effort from the Isles as they certainly don't want to get involved in a seventh and deciding game, where anything can happen, and knowing the Flyers have a goalie capable of stealing such a game in Carter Hart. While I did like the Flyers entering this series, Hart as admittedly not been at the top of his game and their overall play has been uneven. Take New York (10*). |
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09-02-20 | Avalanche v. Stars UNDER 6 | 4-1 | Win | 109 | 13 h 8 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Colorado and Dallas at 8 pm et on Wednesday. The last two games in this series have featured big early leads, first with Dallas jumping ahead 3-0 in Game 4 and then with Colorado roaring out to a shocking 5-0 first period lead in Game 5. Here, I look for both teams to tighten things up defensively. The Avs will still be in desperation mode facing elimination but they can ill afford to get involved in another wild, high-scoring affair. Even when spotted a 5-0 lead, the Stars were still able to make the Avs feel uncomfortable, ultimately scoring three goals in the contest. It's not easy to play an 'under' the way this series has played out, but here I simply feel it's the right call. Take the under (10*). |
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09-01-20 | Canucks v. Golden Knights UNDER 6 | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 24 h 57 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Vancouver and Vegas at 9:45 pm et on Tuesday. The Golden Knights have certainly proven capable of shutting down the Canucks offense for stretches in this series, having posted two shutout victories and also not allowing a single goal in a pivotal third period on Game 4. With an opportunity to close out the series on Tuesday night, I look for the Knights to tighten up defensively once again. Meanwhile, the Canucks know that they're up against it now, needing three consecutive wins to rally to win this series. They'll obviously need to be stronger defensively after allowing three unanswered goals in the third period of Game 4. Take the under (10*). |
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08-31-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -133 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 13 h 46 m | Show |
NHL Second Round Game of the Year. My selection is on Colorado over Dallas at 9:45 pm et on Monday. The Avalanche simply haven't been able to keep up with the Stars red-hot scoring in this series but they continue to generate a ton of scoring opportunities and I look for them to capitalize and get themselves back in the series with a victory on Monday night. Colorado had a number of bad bounces go against them in last night's 5-4 loss, which really wasn't as close as the final score indicated. It was generally a flat performance from the Avs and I think the quick turnaround will help their cause on Monday as they look to answer back. While Colorado is a young team, it has gained a great deal of playoff experience in recent years and I don't expect to see it simply fold the tent facing elimination on Monday night. If we know one thing, it's that the Stars can suffer defensive lapses and I look for Colorado to take advantage here. Take Colorado (10*). |
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08-31-20 | Bruins +104 v. Lightning | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 15 m | Show | |
My selection is on Boston over Tampa Bay at 7 pm et on Monday. I don't expect the Bruins to simply roll over on Monday night, even as they face elimination and perhaps the enticing prospect of leaving the "bubble". Yes, Tampa Bay has dominated this series since dropping the opener but the Bruins are still a veteran-laden, talented squad that knows they're capable of getting back in the series. 3-1 series deficits aren't insurmountable and I expect the Bruins to finally get back at the Bolts here on Monday. Take Boston (10*). |
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08-30-20 | Avalanche -130 v. Stars | 4-5 | Loss | -130 | 10 h 20 m | Show | |
My selection is on Colorado over Dallas at 6 pm et on Saturday. We won with the Avalanche in the last game in this series and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play in Game 4 on Sunday. Colorado has generally controlled the game flow in this series so far, but some lapses have cost it a 2-1 series deficit. We saw the Avs get refocused and rally from a couple of deficits in Game 3, and now I look for a more complete 60-minute effort on Sunday evening. This has all the makings of a long series. Look for the Avs to even things up here. Take Colorado (10*). |
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08-29-20 | Golden Knights v. Canucks UNDER 6 | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 25 h 56 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Vegas and Vancouver at 9:45 pm et on Saturday. The Knights simply didn't come to play in Game 2 of this series, dropping a 5-2 decision to even the series at a game apiece. I look for Vegas to tighten things up considerably on Saturday night, resulting in a relatively low-scoring affair. After the winner in each of the first two games of this series scored exactly five goals, it's obviously paramount for both squads to perform better defensively in Game 3 and I believe we'll see exactly that. Take the under (10*). |
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08-26-20 | Avalanche -137 v. Stars | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 25 h 33 m | Show | |
My selection is on Colorado over Dallas at 10:30 pm et on Wednesday. The Stars pummeled the Avalanche on their way to a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of this series on Monday night. Expect the Avs to answer the bell on Wednesday as they look to get back in this series. Colorado has yet to turn in a complete 60-minute effort in this series. It will need to produce that if it's going to contend with the red hot Stars. It is worth noting that the Avs have fired 71 shots on goal through two games so it's not as if they're not generating any pressure. Their issue has been a lack of defensive structure, due to injuries and otherwise, but I'm confident we'll finally see them pull together on the back-end on Wednesday night. If not they might as well pack up their bags and prepare to leave the "bubble". As we're being asked to lay the shortest price of the series to date, I'll back the Avs again here. Take Colorado (10*). |
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08-26-20 | Islanders v. Flyers -108 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 17 h 55 m | Show | |
My selection is on Philadelphia over New York at 3 pm et on Wednesday. I always like to back good goaltenders in bounce-back situations and we have just that with Carter Hart and the Flyers looking to rebound from a poor showing in Game 1 of this series. Of course, Hart wasn't really to blame in that series-opening loss as he kept his team in the game for two periods before the Islanders broke it open in the third. It is worth noting that off a loss in these playoffs, Hart has allowed just two goals on 56 shots, going a perfect 2-0 in the process. The Islanders might just be the hottest team in the Toronto "bubble" but the Flyers are no pushovers and unlike the Capitals last round, I expect them to make a series of this. For that to happen they need to respond with a big effort on Wednesday, and I'll call for them to do just that. Take Philadelphia (10*). |
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08-25-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -106 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 22 h 31 m | Show | |
My selection is on Tampa Bay over Boston at 7 pm et on Tuesday. We're able to back the Lightning at what I would consider a discount price on Tuesday night, perhaps due to the nature of their loss in the opener of this series. Tampa Bay appeared to be outclassed for much of that game, ultimately falling by a 3-2 score. I like the veteran leadership on this well-coached Tampa Bay squad and certainly expect to see its best effort in Game 2 on Tuesday night. As I noted in my analysis prior to Game 1, I like the Lightning's edge between the pipes in this series with Andrei Vasilevskiy over Jaro Halak. We saw Halak turn in a terrific performance in the series-opener but I also don't feel the Lightning were hard enough on him. Look for a different story to play out in Game 2. Take Tampa Bay (10*). |
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08-24-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -160 | 5-2 | Loss | -160 | 24 h 14 m | Show | |
My selection is on Colorado over Dallas at 9:45 pm et on Monday. I fully expect a strong bounce-back effort from the Avalanche following a brutal performance in Game 1 of this series on Saturday night. The Avs certainly got caught flat-footed in that contest. As head coach Jared Bednar alluded to following the game, "half of the team didn't show up to play." Now Colorado is dealing with a few key injury concerns but no team is immune to that in the playoffs and I think we'll see the Avs rally around those injuries. The Stars 'run and gun' style of play has paid off at times in these playoffs, but as we saw in Game 1, even with the Avs not bringing their best effort they were still able to find the back of the net three times. Look for the Avs to even up this series on Monday night. Take Colorado (10*). |
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08-23-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -105 | 3-2 | Loss | -105 | 22 h 27 m | Show | |
My selection is on Tampa Bay over Boston at 8 pm et on Sunday. I expect the Lightning to win this series and with that in mind, I'll call for them to get it off to a strong start with a victory in the opener on Sunday. This series could very well come down to goaltending. In that department I give Tampa Bay a significant edge with Andrei Vasilevskiy. Give Jaro Halak credit for backstopping the Bruins to a series win over the Hurricanes after Tuukka Rask opted out but let's face it, Halak didn't face the Canes best after Andrei Svechnikov was sidelined due to injury. The Lightning are well-positioned to go on a Stanley Cup run in the "bubble" and I look for their talent to win out in Game 1 of this series on Sunday. Take Tampa Bay (10*). |
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08-21-20 | Flyers -130 v. Canadiens | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 22 h 41 m | Show |
NHL First Round Game of the Year. My selection is on Philadelphia over Montreal at 7:05 pm et on Friday. The Canadiens stunned the Flyers and staved off elimination on Wednesday night but paid a price in doing so with Brendan Gallagher suffering a broken jaw on what most would consider a very dirty play. While Montreal will certainly have all the motivation in the world to force a seventh and deciding game, I don't expect it to pull it off. It seems that it's been 'all or nothing' for the Habs in these playoffs. Keep in mind, they've scored a grand total of one goal in their three losses so far in this series but a whopping 10 goals in their two victories. Here, I expect a strong bounce-back performance from Flyers goaltender Carter Hart who would be the first to admit he wasn't good in Game 5. I don't think there's any question Philadelphia is the superior team in this matchup, even if it hasn't shown it at times. Give the Canadiens all the credit in the world for getting this far, but I think their playoff journey ends on Friday night. Take Philadelphia (10*). |
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08-20-20 | Islanders +101 v. Capitals | 4-0 | Win | 101 | 13 h 46 m | Show | |
My selection is on New York over Washington at 8:05 pm et on Thursday. My initial lean was admittedly to the Capitals in this one but after giving it some further thought, I'm going to go the other way and back the Islanders as they look to close out the series on Thursday night. The Isles might have got caught looking ahead after jumping out to a 2-0 lead in Game 4 two nights ago. That's a mistake I'm sure they learned from as you simply can't let your foot off the proverbial throat of a team as experienced and talented as the Capitals. Here, I expect to see a sharper, more complete effort from New York. I think this is a game where we'll see Isles head coach Barry Trotz make the necessary adjustments and provide the motivation (not that it's needed at this point) for his players to turn in their best performance of the series. That's what will be necessary to wrap things up on Thursday night. Take New York (10*). |
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08-19-20 | Hurricanes v. Bruins -149 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 19 h 24 m | Show | |
My selection is on Boston over Carolina at 4 pm et on Wednesday. The Bruins have been a different team since goaltender Tuukka Rask opted out of the NHL Playoffs this past Saturday morning. Since then, they've gone 2-0, outscoring the Canes by a 7-3 margin and outshooting them 72-49. If we were going to see some pushback from Carolina it would have come in Game 4 on Monday. While the Canes did jump out to a 2-0 lead, they didn't seem to be the aggressors. The Bruins essentially toyed with them in the final period, scoring four unanswered goals. While I'm not a big believer in momentum, I do feel Boston is well-positioned to keep rolling here. Carolina looked like an awfully deep team against the Rangers last round but that depth has been tested with Andrei Svechnikov sidelined, shaking up their lines significantly. They haven't been able to truly recover and won't here. Take Boston (10*). |
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08-18-20 | Blackhawks v. Golden Knights -185 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 25 h 21 m | Show | |
My selection is on Vegas over Chicago at 10:30 pm et on Tuesday. |
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08-17-20 | Bruins v. Hurricanes OVER 5 | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 25 h 59 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'over' between Boston and Carolina at 8 pm et on Monday. The Canes are going to need a much bigger push than we saw from them on Saturday afternoon if they're going to even this series up at a game apiece on Monday night. The Bruins are now without goaltender Tuukka Rask after he opted out of the NHL Playoffs earlier on Saturday. Jaro Halak is certainly a capable backup and turned aside 29 of 30 shots on Saturday. I'm just not sure we'll see that same level of performance against a more desperate Canes squad on Monday. Boston hasn't had a great deal of trouble breaking down the Canes defense in this series, mounting a huge attack with 39 shots on goal on Saturday. Expect the B's to find continued success. The Canes have one of the weaker goaltending tandems of all playoff teams. Take the over (10*). |
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08-16-20 | Capitals -109 v. Islanders | 1-2 | Loss | -109 | 13 h 0 m | Show | |
My selection is on Washington over New York at 12 noon et on Sunday. The Capitals have been in each of the first two games of this series and I'm confident they make a statement with a big effort on Sunday afternoon. Give credit to the Isles for grabbing a 2-0 series lead but now things get tough as they look to take a stranglehold. Last year the Isles stunningly swept the Penguins in the opening round. I simply don't see the Caps suffering the same fate. Take Washington (10*). |
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08-15-20 | Lightning -169 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 22 h 42 m | Show |
NHL Eastern Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on Tampa Bay over Columbus at 7:38 pm et on Saturday. The Blue Jackets seem to be at their absolute best when facing adversity, just as we saw in Game 2 of this series after they were badly outplayed early on and fell behind 1-0. Now that they've evened this series at a game apiece, I look for a bit of a letdown from the Jackets as the Lightning's superior talent should shine through on Saturday evening in Toronto. Tampa Bay applied plenty of pressure on Columbus in Game 2, but simply didn't have any bounces go its way in an eventual 3-1 defeat. The Lightning are obviously loaded with offensive firepower and I would certainly expect to see a sharper performance on Saturday. Tampa goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy didn't bring his 'A' game in Game 2 but I do expect a solid bounce-back effort from him here. While we're being asked to lay a considerable price to back the Lightning, I do feel it is warranted. Take Tampa Bay (10*). |
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08-15-20 | Bruins -111 v. Hurricanes | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 28 m | Show | |
My selection is on Boston over Carolina at 12:08 pm et on Saturday. 10:20 am et update: Note Bruins G Tuukka Rask has opted out of the NHL Playoffs. That means Jaro Halak will be in goal for Boston today. I’ll stick with the play on the Bruins as Halak is one of the league‘s better backups. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask caused quite a stir when he suggested that the atmosphere feels like that of exhibition games during these NHL Playoffs, obviously being played without fans in the "bubble" in Toronto. The Bruins certainly didn't bring their 'A' game in Game 2 of this series after prevailing in overtime in the series-opener. With that being said, the Hurricanes still needed to hang on for dear life to secure a narrow 3-2 victory in Game 2 to even up the series. Here, I look for the Bruins to bounce back on the strength of a big performance from Rask in goal as they get a leg up in Game 3 on Saturday afternoon. Take Boston (10*). |
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08-14-20 | Canucks v. Blues -138 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -138 | 21 h 21 m | Show |
NHL Western Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on St. Louis over Vancouver at 6:30 pm et on Friday. Everyone seems quick to anoint the Canucks as a serious Stanley Cup contender after its 5-2 win in the opener of this series with the defending champion Blues. While St. Louis has yet to taste victory in the 'bubble' in Edmonton, it hasn't been for lack of trying. Keep this in mind; the Blues have held third period leads in three of their four postseason contests. The only game where they didn't was the opener of this series, which was tied 2-2 entering the third period. This is the first true adversity the Blues have faced in Edmonton and I'm confident they'll respond with a strong performance on Friday. Let's not forget that Vancouver is still a young team with little playoff experience. It would certainly not be unusual to see the Canucks suffer a bit of a letdown here in Game 2 on Friday. We're being offered a discount price to back the defending champions in my opinion. Take St. Louis (10*). |
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08-14-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers -153 | 5-0 | Loss | -153 | 18 h 6 m | Show | |
My selection is on Philadelphia over Montreal at 3:08 pm et on Friday. We won with the Flyers in Game 1 of this series and I won't hesitate to go back to the well with the same play in Game 2 on Friday. While I'm not sure Philadelphia brought its true 'A' game in the opener of this series, it certainly played well enough to plant serious seeds of doubt in the minds of the Canadiens. I liked the fact that the Flyers kept pouring it on even with a 2-1 lead in the third period, outshooting the Habs by a 13-6 margin in that frame. As far as I'm concerned, Philadelphia is the team to beat in the Eastern Conference while the Habs are very fortunate to still be playing here in mid-August. Expect Montreal to face another uphill battle trying to solve Carter Hart on Friday afternoon. Take Philadelphia (10*). |
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08-13-20 | Flames v. Stars -103 | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 25 h 32 m | Show | |
My selection is on Dallas over Calgary at 10:30 pm et on Thursday. The Stars have yet to really show up in Edmonton, struggling through the preliminary round robin and again in the opener of this series with the Flames. I do expect them to bring their best effort of the postseason so far on Thursday night, however, as they desperately need to find a spark or this series could be over in a hurry. The Stars could get a boost with the possible return of goaltender Ben Bishop on Thursday night. Even if he can't go, it's not as if Dallas is completely outmatched in goal with veteran Anton Khudobin capable of delivering a clutch performances. Dallas' best players have been virtually invisible to this point, but look for them to step to the forefront in a big victory on Thursday night. Take Dallas (10*). |
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08-12-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers -155 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 22 h 55 m | Show | |
My selection is on Philadelphia over Montreal at 8 pm et on Wednesday. |
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08-12-20 | Canadiens v. Flyers UNDER 5.5 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 22 h 54 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Montreal and Philadelphia at 8 pm et on Wednesday. |
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08-11-20 | Blackhawks v. Golden Knights UNDER 6.5 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 25 h 20 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Chicago and Vegas at 10:30 pm et on Tuesday. I simply feel we're going to see a much tighter series between these two teams than we did with the Blackhawks against the Oilers in the play-in round. I have a lot of respect for the Golden Knights defensively and fully expect them to do a good job of locking down the Blackhawks admittedly explosive offense. On the flip side, we really haven't seen the Knights get rolling offensively yet and to be honest, I don't think they're built to win many 5-4 or 6-5 type contests. Look for this to be the highest posted total we see all series. We'll take advantage in Game 1. Take the under (10*). |
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08-08-20 | Flyers v. Lightning UNDER 5.5 | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 18 m | Show | |
My selection is on the under between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay at 8 pm et on Saturday. We won with the under in the Flyers last game and I won’t hesitate to go back to the well with same play here. Carter Hart should be back between the pipes for Philadelphia and I’m confident he’ll turn in another stellar performance. In fact, this game features two of the world’s absolute best goaltenders in Hart and Andrei Vasilevskiy. With the number one overall seed (and a date with the Canadiens) hanging in the balance look for a tightly-contested affair on Saturday night. Take the under (10*). |
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08-07-20 | Penguins v. Canadiens UNDER 5.5 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 35 m | Show | |
My selection is on the 'under' between Pittsburgh and Montreal at 4:08 pm et on Friday. With Montreal coming off a stunning come-from-behind 4-3 victory in Game 3 of this series I'm anticipating a much lower-scoring affair on Friday afternoon. We have the heavily favored Penguins facing elimination in this one which alone should help tighten things up on their end. Meanwhile, the Habs have received all-world goaltending from Carey Price in this series, even if Game 3 wasn't his best performance. I fully expect that to continue here as the Habs look to close things out. Look for the winner to score three or less in this one. Take the under (10*). |
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08-07-20 | Penguins -165 v. Canadiens | 0-2 | Loss | -165 | 5 h 25 m | Show | |
My selection is on Pittsburgh over Montreal at 4:08 pm et on Friday. While the possibility of getting the first overall pick in the NHL Draft is certainly a consideration for some teams here in the qualifying round of the playoffs, I don't believe that's the case for the Penguins, who entered the tournament with Stanley Cup aspirations. Here, on Sidney Crosby's 33rd birthday of all days, I certainly look for a strong effort from the Pens facing elimination. Credit Montreal for coming up with a huge rally to grab a 2-1 series lead two nights ago but as we saw following Game 1, the Habs are certainly ripe for a letdown. I don't believe the price is unreasonable to back the Pens in this elimination contest. Take Pittsburgh (10*). |
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08-06-20 | Maple Leafs v. Blue Jackets +135 | 3-4 | Win | 135 | 11 h 30 m | Show | |
My selection is on Columbus over Toronto at 8:08 pm et on Thursday. We missed the mark with the Blue Jackets in Game 2 of this series on Tuesday but I won't hesitate to go back to the well with them at another generous price on Thursday. Toronto was in desperation mode after falling behind in the series 1-0 and played as such on Tuesday, turning in one of its best performances of the entire season. I'm just not sure the Leafs can recreate that effort with the series tied at one game apiece on Thursday. As I've noted before, Columbus is an extremely well-coached and well-rounded team with enough veteran leadership to get it done in the postseason - as we saw when it swept the Lightning in the opening round a year ago. I look for the Jackets to continue to be a tough out in this series. Take Columbus (10*). |
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08-06-20 | Capitals v. Flyers UNDER 6 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 24 m | Show |
NHL Total of the Week. My selection is on the 'under' between Washington and Philadelphia at 4:08 pm et on Thursday. I simply feel that this total will prove too high as the Caps and Flyers continue round robin action in Toronto. Washington is coming off a hard-fought loss against the Lightning in their opener. I look for them to tighten things up here after digging an early 2-0 hole that they had a tough time recovering from in that one. Brian Elliott is expected to start in goal for the Flyers over Carter Hart in a bit of a surprise move. I do expect the Flyers to react accordingly and play this one a little closer to the vest. Hart has moved into elite status in the NHL while Elliott is certainly on the downside of his career but you have to think he'll be motivated off Hart's 34-save performance last time out. What this boils down to is I don't think we'll see the same level of offensive output from the Flyers after potting four goals against Boston. Take the under (10*). |