At 10:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (18) versus the Vegas Golden Knights (17). THE SITUATION: San Jose (50-28-10) evened this series at one game apiece on Saturday with their 4-3 win in double-overtime in Las Vegas. The Sharks return home with this series tied at one game apiece.

REASONS TO TAKE SAN JOSE WITH THE MONEY-LINE: The Sharks should build off the momentum of their climactic win as they have won 10 of their last 13 games off a win. They get Evander Kane back in this game after he was suspended for Game Two with an illegal cross-check to the face in Game One. Going from almost down 0-2 in this series to tied at 1-1 with Kane back on the ice. He scored three times in the first round of the playoffs after registering 14 points in seventeen games since being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline. The Sharks are tough at home where they have won 7 of their last 9 games along with winning 8 of their last 9 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. And while San Jose has allowed ten goals in their last two games, they have then won 10 of their last 11 home games after allowing at least three goals in two straight games. Vegas will be facing adversity for the first time perhaps all season after committing eleven penalties including two in that second overtime period to put the Sharks in a position to win that game. The Golden Knights have lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss to a Pacific Division rival in their last game. Vegas has also lost 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice.

CONCLUSION: 25* NHL Western Conference Game of the Month with the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (18) versus the Vegas Golden Knights (17). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:10 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). THE SITUATION: Pittsburgh (52-31-6) rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd period by scoring three times in a 4:49 minute span to steal Game One of this series by a 3-2 score on Thursday. The Penguins have the opportunity to return home up 2-0 in this series this afternoon. Evgeni Malkin has missed the last two games in this series and remains a game-time decision.

REASONS TO TAKE WASHINGTON WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Pittsburgh was outplayed for most of Game One as they were outshot by a 34 to 25 margin. The Penguins will be playing their third straight game on the road after they closed out their six-game series with the Flyers in Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has lost 13 of their last 17 games when playing their third straight game on the road — and they have also lost 3 straight games after winning their last two games away from home. Additionally, the Penguins have lost 5 of their last 7 games after not allowing more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 5 games when playing with two days of rest, Pittsburgh has lost 4 of these games. Washington (53-29-7) is, if anything, proving themselves resilient this postseason after losing the first two games in their previous series with Columbus at home and in overtime before winning the next four games to close out that series. The Capitals have won 10 of their last 15 games after a loss at home. Washington has also won 17 of their last 24 games when avenging a same-season loss — and they have won 11 of their last 14 games when playing with revenge from a one-goal loss. The Caps have also won 22 of their last 30 games after winning three of their last four games.

CONCLUSION: Washington has lost to the Penguins in each of the last two postseasons in two long series — and they do have a case that they might have been the second-best team in the NHL to Pittsburgh in both season. 25* NHL Metropolitan Division Game of the Month with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (88) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (87). THE SITUATION: Pittsburgh (51-31-6) advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs by knocking off the Flyers in six games culminating in an 8-5 win in Philadelphia on Sunday. Washington (53-28-7) rallied from an 0-2 deficit by winning four straight games against the Blue Jackets by closing that series out in Columbus on Monday with a 6-3 win. These two teams have faced off in each of the last two postseasons with the Penguins winning both times en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

REASONS WHY TO TAKE WASHINGTON WITH THE MONEY-LINE: I think Pittsburgh risks overconfidence in this game after defeating Washington in the playoffs in nine of their last ten encounters in the postseason — including in the last two playoffs. As it is, the Penguins are primed for a letdown as they have lost 9 of their last 11 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game and they have lost 8 of their last 11 games after a win by at least three goals. And while Pittsburgh has won six of their last eight games, they have then lost 17 of their last 25 road games after winning six or seven of their last eight games. The Penguins will also be undermanned at the forward position with both Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin out for this contest with injuries which decimates their second line. Washington won a decisive 16 of their last 18 home games after scoring at least five goals in their last game — and they have 18 of their last 19 home games after a win by at least three goals. They also have won 16 of their last 23 games when playing with two days of rest.

CONCLUSION: Washington should be very resolved to get a small measure of payback from their playoff frustrations against the Pens. Remember, there is a compelling case to be made that the Capitals have been the second-best team in the NHL in these last two seasons but they have the misfortune of playing in the same division as the best team in hockey. 20* NHL Pittsburgh-Washington NBC Sports Network Special with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (88) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (87). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Columbus Blue Jackets (20) versus the Washington Capitals (19). Columbus (47-33-7) looks to stave off elimination in this series after losing Game Five of this series on Saturday by a 4-3 loss in a game that required overtime for the fourth time in this tightly contested series. Now the Blue Jackets return home to Nationwide Arena where they have only won twice in nine playoff games in franchise history. But remember the two games they lost at home in this series is when they had a lead in this playoff series. Now having lost the last three games in this series (two which were overtime losses), this Columbus team is desperate. They have won 10 of their last 16 games after losing three of their last four contests. The Blue Jackets have also won 14 of their last 22 games when playing with revenge from a loss on the road. Additionally, Columbus has bounced-back to win 6 of their last 8 games after allowing at least four goals in a loss to a divisional rival. And in their last 3 games after losing three straight to a Metropolitan Division rival, the Blue Jackets have won all 3 of these games.

Washington (52-28-7) has won three straight games in this series after losing the first two games in overtime on their home ice.

At 7:10 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Bruins (17) versus the Toronto Maple Leafs (18). Boston (56-22-9) blew an opportunity to close this series out on Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on their home ice. Now the Bruins travel to Toronto with a 3-2 lead in this series with a second chance to win this series and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston almost rallied to tie the game and force overtime as they were ferocious in the 3rd period by putting 20 shots on the Maple Leafs’ goalie Frederick Andersen who stopped 19 of them to preserve his team’s lead. The Bruins outshot the Maple Leafs by a 20-5 margin in that 3rd period and I look for that momentum to carry over into this game. Boston has bounced-back to win 23 of their last 33 games after a loss. They also have won 10 of their last 15 games when avenging a one goal loss on the road — and they have also won 20 of their last 26 games after a one goal loss on their home ice. Additionally, the Bruins have won 16 of their last 26 games after allowing at least four goals in their last game. And in their last 33 games played with one day of rest, Boston has won 24 of these games. Goalie Tukka Rask struggled on Saturday as he was pulled after allowing four goals on thirteen shots. But Rask is a veteran with plenty of playoff experience including winning a Stanley Cup — so I expect him to rebound with a strong effort tonight.

Toronto (51-29-5) has lost 4 straight games after a win in their last game. While they showed spirit to avoid being eliminated on the road on Saturday, this Maple Leafs team lacks the grit of more established playoff teams. Games like tonight will likely expose the need this team had to acquire another solid blue-line player at the trade deadline instead of holding pat. This team also commits too many turnovers — they were 4th in the NHL in most turnovers led by their best defenseman Jake Gardiner who had the 3rd most turnovers in the NHL. This is a bad characteristic to have in pressure situations. Auston Matthews is a great young talent but he still lacks experience in the playoffs. He is matched by the Bruins’ top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak with those first two players have led the Bruins to a previous Stanley Cup. That trio have combined for 23 points in this series but have not registered a point in both their losses in this series. I do not see that happening twice in a row. Those three players likely form the best forward line in hockey right now. Lastly, it is telling that the Maple Leafs have lost 42 of their last 61 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. 25* NHL 1st Round Atlantic Division Playoff Game of the Year with the money-line on the Boston Bruins (17) versus the Toronto Maple Leafs (18). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:40 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (26) versus the Vegas Golden Knights (25). Los Angeles (45-31-8) finds themselves in a near must-win situation as they are down 0-2 in this series after losing a heartbreaking 2-1 game in double-overtime on Friday. Don’t blame goalie Jonathan Quick for the challenge they now face as he owns a sparking 1.17 Goals-Against-Average with a .964 save percentage so far in this series. The Kings need to get more out of their core offensive players as Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty have yet to register a point in this series. Getting Doughty back from his Game Two suspension will help immensely — and he looks to be joined by his blue-line pairing of Jake Muzzin who has missed the first two games in this series to an injury. Expect a strong effort from this veteran team tonight who have won 11 of their last 17 games when playing with revenge. The Kings have also won 10 of their last 13 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Additionally, Los Angeles has won 8 of their last 11 games after a loss by just one goal. The Kings have also won a decisive 75 of their last 112 games at home after playing two straight games where no more than four combined goals were scored. Los Angeles returns home to the Staples Center where they have won 4 of their last 5 games.

Vegas (53-24-7) has to be feeling very good about themselves with this 2-0 lead in this series — but remember that they are only outscoring the Kings by 3-1 margin in just over 153 minutes of play in these first two games. A couple of bounces the other way and this expansion team could be traveling to LA down 0-2. The Golden Knights were very fortunate to face Los Angeles without Doughty due to that suspension as he remains one of the very best defensemen in the world who has led his team to two Stanley Cup Championships. Vegas faltered down the stretch when playing away from home as they lost 4 of their last 5 games away from the Las Vegas strip. This is a team that was only scoring 2.62 Goals-Per-Game since February 24th of the regular season which is more than a half goal less than their 3.26 scoring average for the season. Now this team’s lack of experience — and leadership in pressure situations like this — will begin to rear its ugly head. Outside of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, only James Neal with Nashville played significant minutes on a playoff team on this roster. Fleury has been spectacular in this series — but he is still the same goalie who has had a save percentage below .900 in 49 of his 117 postseason playoff games. 25* NHL 1st Round Playoff Bailout Game of the Year on the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (26) versus the Vegas Golden Knights (25). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (22) versus the Winnipeg Jets (21). Minnesota (45-28-11) finds themselves trailing by an 0-2 margin in a series for the four straight time after their 4-1 loss in Winnipeg on Friday. The Wild have bounced-back to win 14 of their last 18 games after a loss by at least three goals. This veteran team has won three of their last four playoffs game in a Game Three after losing the first two games of the series — so there will be no panic from this locker room. Minnesota began the playoffs with a roster that played a combined 748 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs which far outnumbers the 282 combined games that the Jets had to begin the series. Returning home to the Xcel Energy Center will be a big help as the Wild are 27-6-8 on home ice this season. They have generated the second most points in the standings when playing at home and their six home losses are the fewest in the league. Minnesota has won 22 of their last 31 games at home which includes winning five of their last six games against teams with a losing record on the road. Furthermore, the Wild have lost three games in a row only once this season — so they should come out with a strong effort. This team should generate more offense back at home where they are scoring 3.2 Goals-Per-Game on 30.4 shots per game. They managed just 17 shots on Friday. Their goalie Devan Dubnyk has been fine — while he has a 3.56 Goals-Against-Average in this series, his .917 save percentage is quite fine given the help he has not been provided.

Winnipeg (54-20-11) has won seven straight games after taking the first two games of this series. But the Jets have then lost 7 of their last 8 games on the road after winning at least three straight games. Furthermore, Winnipeg has lost 9 of their last 13 games after winning at least two straight games against Central Division rivals. They still do not know the status of center Mathieu Perreault who is questionable with an upper body injury. The lack of urgency in this game may come back to bite the Jets — this remains an inexperienced group of players with a goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck who will making his first playoff start in a hostile environment. Lastly, the Jets have lost 9 of their last 13 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. 20* NHL Winnipeg-Minnesota USA Network Special with the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (22) versus the Winnipeg Jets (21). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:10 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (19) versus the Philadelphia Flyers (20). Pittsburgh (48-30-6) may have been caught overconfident on Friday after their easy 7-0 win in the opening game of this series as they were shocked by the Flyers by a 5-1 score. The two-time reigning champions should respond to that wake-up call as they have won a decisive 14 of their last 16 games after a loss by at least four goals. Furthermore, Pittsburgh has won 36 of their last 51 games after a loss by at least three goals — and this includes them winning four of their last five games after a loss by at least three goals on their home ice. The Penguins need to get their Power Play going as they are just 1 of 8 with their Power Play chances so far in this series after leading the NHL during the regular season with a 26.2% success rate. The Flyers were just 29th in the league during the regular season with a Power Play Kill Unit that allowed their opponents to score at a 24.2% clip — and that mark rose to a 25.6% mark when playing in Philadelphia. Goalie Matt Murray should respond with a big effort tonight as he is 8-1 with a 1.58 Goals-Against-Average with a .936 save percentage in the postseason in games after a loss. Pittsburgh has also won 15 of their last 22 games on the road in the playoffs when the series is tied.

Philadelphia (43-27-14) returns home where they were 22-13-2 this season. Those 22 wins on their home ice are the fewest wins at home for any team in these playoffs. The Flyers have lost 26 of their last 41 games after playing their last two games at home. I expect this Philly team to experience a letdown against a focused Penguins team. The Flyers are top-heavy at forward and on their blue-line as they experience a significant drop off at forward after the Claude Giroux-Sean Couturier top line along with their defense after the Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gotisbehere pairing. Philly has still lost 5 of their last 6 meetings with the Penguins. 20* NHL Pittsburgh-Philadelphia NBC Special with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (19) versus the Philadelphia Flyers (20). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (64) versus the San Jose Sharks (63). Anaheim (45-26-13) finds themselves in desperate straits after losing the first game of this best-of-seven series on Thursday with their 3-0 loss to the Sharks. Look for the defending Western Conference Champions to respond with a strong effort tonight. Not only have the Ducks responded to a loss of at least three goals by winning a decisive 36 of their next 51 games but they have also won seven of their last eight games when that loss by three or more goals was on their home ice. Anaheim has been outstanding at home in the Honda Center where they were 26-10-5 during the regular season — and they are still a superb 14-2-2 in their last 18 games at home. Expect a better offensive effort from this team tonight as they have won 4 straight games after failing two score more than two goals in their last contest. In particular, the Ducks need to get more out of their top line that is anchored by Ryan Kesler — his group produced more penalty minutes than shots on net in Game One. Anaheim has now lost their last four games at home to the Sharks — but they have earned revenge in 16 of their last 20 games when avenging a loss to their opponent by at least two goals.

San Jose (46-27-10) won the opening game of the first round of the playoffs last season against Edmonton — but they suffered a letdown by losing Game Two of that series by a 2-0 score. The Sharks are certainly vulnerable to see history repeat itself tonight as they have lost 13 of their last 20 games after a win on the road. San Jose has struggled away from home where they have lost 14 of their last 17 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. The Sharks have also lost 5 of their last 7 games against teams with a winning record. 25* NHL 1st Round Pacific Division Playoff Game of the Year with the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (64) versus the San Jose Sharks (63). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (18) versus the San Jose Sharks (17). Anaheim (45-25-13) will have the services of their first-string goaltender John Gibson between the pipes tonight — and this confirmation (along with the money-line staying in the -130 to -140 range) is the information I needed to endorse a side play on the Ducks. Gibson had missed the last three games of the regular season with an upper body injury but he is ready to go tonight. Gibson enjoyed a solid .924 save percentage at even strength this season in his third year as the number one goaltender for the Ducks. He was heating up to close out the regular season as well by going 6-1-1 in his final eight starts with a 1.85 Goals-Against-Average along with a .938 save percentage. Anaheim is dominant at home in the Honda Center where they were 26-10-5 this season which includes a dynamite 14-1-2 mark in their last seventeen games at home since January 23rd. The Ducks are also red hot with a 10-1-1 stretch closing with five straight victories with their 3-0 shutout win in Arizona last Saturday. Anaheim has won 7 of their last 8 games when playing with more than three days of rest. The Ducks have also won 4 straight games against teams with a winning record. And while Anaheim is looking to avenge a 3-2 loss at home to the Sharks back on February 11th, they have won 14 of their last 20 games when avenging a one-goal loss to their opponent.

20* NHL Thursday Late Show Bailout with the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks. Best of luck for us -- Frank.

TO BE CONTINUED -- please check back before this game begins for my full written Report before this game starts -- and I also reserve the right to raise the Star Value of this play (while you still get it at the discounted price by buying early). Given the high volume of plays I offer clients, I am providing an initial “abridged version” of the play to get them posted faster to accommodate my Daily, Weekly and Monthly subscribers so they can begin shopping lines. My research is detailed for our plays (which I do complete before endorsing a play) but it does take some time to write the more detailed Reports that clients have grown to count on. Thanks, Frank.

At 8:30 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (63) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (64). San Jose (43-23-6) has won seven straight games with their 5-1 win over Calgary on Saturday. The Sharks have then won 6 straight games after a win on their home ice any at least two goals — and they have won 13 of their last 15 games after a win at home by at least five goals. San Jose has also won 4 straight games after scoring at least five goals in their last contest — and they have won 7 of their last 10 games after allowing no more than two goals in their last game. The Sharks are looking to make another deep playoff run with an aging core of veterans — they are motivated to improve their playoff positioning in the remaining weeks of the regular season. They got 37 saves on Saturday from their goalie Martin Jones who has stepped up his play as of late. In 10 starts this month, Jones has a sparkling 2.12 Goals-Against-Average along with a .925 save percentage. San Jose has won a decisive 30 of their last 42 road games against teams with a losing record at home. The Sharks have also won 38 of their last 54 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 8 games against fellow Western Conference opponents, San Jose has won all 8 contests.

Chicago (31-36-8) has been eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs this season. They did snap a five-game losing streak on Saturday with their 3-1 win in New York over the Islanders — but they have then lost 4 straight games after a victory. The Blackhawks have also lost 10 of their last 13 games after a win on the road. And in their last 6 games after allowing two goals or less in their last contest, Chicago has lost 5 of these games. Their best player, Jonathan Toews, will not play tonight as he is dealing with an upper-body injury. It has been confirmed that Anton Forsberg will be between the pipes after he stopped 30 shots in that win on Saturday. But that was Forsberg’s first solid performance in a very long time. Forsberg has a rough 3.28 GAA along with a .898 save percentage in nine games (seven starts) this month. The Blackhawks have lost 4 of their last 5 games at home — and they have also lost 6 of their last 7 games at home against teams with a winning record on the road. Lastly, while Chicago is looking to avenge a 7-2 loss to the Sharks back on March 1st, they have lost 16 of their last 25 games when attempting to avenge a loss where they allowed at least four goals. 25* NHL Western Conference Game of the Month with the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (63) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (64). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Florida Panthers (55) versus the New York Islanders (56). Florida (38-28-4) has won three of their last four games with their 4-2 win over Arizona on Saturday. They scored four times in the third period to pull out that victory. The Panthers have won 15 of their last 20 games after not allowing more than two goals in their last game. Florida is one of the hottest teams in the NHL with their 19-6-1 since the All-Star Break. The Panthers now find themselves within 3 points of New Jersey for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase with two games in hand — so every game is crucial for them. They are doing a great job of applying pressure on opposing goaltenders right now as they have peppered their last three opponents with 47, 33 and 39 shots. Florida has won 8 of their last 11 road games after placing at least 33 shots on net in at least three straight games. The Panthers go back on the road where they have won 6 straight road games against teams with a losing record at home. They turn to backup goaltender James Reimer tonight with Roberto Luongo still injured — but he is a very hot goaltender right now. Reiner is 4-0 in March with a 1.25 Goals-Against-Average and a .963 save percentage. Florida has won 17 of their last 21 games against teams with a losing record. And they have won 11 of their last 14 games against fellow Eastern Conference opponents.

New York (31-34-7) has lost five of their last six games with their 3-1 loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday. This team is out of the playoff mix having gone 6-14-5 since the All-Star Break. They turn to their rookie goaltender Christopher Gibson tonight who started strong but has waned as of late with the league beginning to establish a book on him. Gibson has a 3.48 GAA with a .915 save percentage in six starts this season. The Islanders have lost 6 of their last 7 games on their home ice — and they have lost 17 of their last 26 home games with the Total set at 6. New York has also lost 9 of their last 10 games against teams with a winning record. Additionally, the Islanders have lost 9 of their last 10 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. Lastly, the Islanders are looking to avenge a 4-1 loss to the Panthers back on January 30th — but they have lost 19 of their last 26 games when attempting to avenge a loss by at least three goals. 20* NHL Super Under-Valued Favorite with the money-line on the Florida Panthers (55) versus the New York Islanders (56). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (52) versus the Dallas Stars (51). Washington (41-24-6) saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday with their 6-3 loss at Philadelphia. Look for the Capitals to bounce-back with a strong effort as they have won 24 of their last 33 games after a loss by at least three goals. Washington has also won 17 of their last 22 games after allowing at least goals in their last game. Braden Holtby will be between the pipes again tonight after not playing in that loss on Sunday. Holtby has been quite good at home this year where he enjoys a 2.36 Goals-Against-Average along with a .923 save percentage as compared to his ugly 4.00 GAA and .886 save percentage when playing on the road. The Caps are undermanned tonight with both Evgeny Kuzetsov and defenseman Brooks Orpik out with injuries (with the former a much bigger loss than the latter). But Washington is still loaded with talent at forward. They return home where they have won 48 of their last 66 games — and they have won five of their last seven home games against teams with a losing record on the road.

Dallas (38-27-5) is just 14-17-2 on the road this season — and they are finishing a six game road trip where they have lost all five games albeit with two games being lost in overtime. The Stars enter this game coming off a 4-2 loss at Winnipeg on Sunday — and they have lost 4 straight games after not scoring more than two goals in their last game. Dallas has scored only sixteen goals in their last eight games. They also saw their top goalie Ben Bishop leave the first period with yet another injury in that game against the Jets so Kari Lehtonen will get another start tonight. Lehtonen has a middling 2.93 GAA with an .898 save percentage in his five starts (seven games) this month. The Stars have lost 6 straight games on the road — and they have lost 20 of their last 28 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. Dallas has also lost 4 straight games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 6 games against Eastern Conference opponents, the Stars have lost all 6 games. 20* NHL Super Under-Valued Favorite with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (52) versus the Dallas Stars (51). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Columbus Blue Jackets (53) versus the New York Rangers (54). Columbus (40-28-1) is one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now as they have won seven straight games with their 5-4 win at Boston last night. The Blue Jackets have won 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game. Columbus has also won 4 of their last 5 games when playing their third game in four days. And in their last 11 games when having won seven straight games, the Blue Jackets have won in 10 of those contests. They return to their Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes tonight after backup Joonas Korpisalo got the start last night. Bobrovsky has a nice 2.35 Goals-Against-Average in the month of March with a .926 save percentage. Columbus has won 4 straight games against teams with a winning record. The Blue Jackets have also won 6 straight games against fellow Eastern Conference opponents.

New York (32-32-3) saw their two-game winning streak snapped on Friday with their 4-3 loss at St. Louis. That was the fifth straight games the Rangers had played where at least seven combined goals were scored — and they have then lost 6 of their last 7 home games after playing at least four straight games where at least seven combined goals were scored. New York has also lost 6 straight games against an opponent that scored at least five goals in their last contest. This team is in a rebuild after deciding to be sellers at the trade deadline in what has been a lost season. They do turn back to goalie Henrik Lundqvist tonight as he will be making his first start since March 10th with the team giving an extended audition to rookie goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. Lundqvist is not as effective when rusty as he has a 3.68 GAA with a .891 save percentage in his ten starts (eleven games) played with at least three days between appearances on the ice. The Rangers have lost 16 of their last 21 games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 11 games against Eastern Conference opponents, New York has lost 9 of these contests. 25* NHL Metropolitan Division Game of the Month with the money-line on the Columbus Blue Jackets (53) versus the New York Rangers (54). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (6) versus the Dallas Stars (5). Pittsburgh (39-26-2) saw their three-game winning streak snapped yesterday in a 5-2 loss at Toronto. The Penguins return home where they are 25-8-1 at home this season — and they have won 30 of their last 39 home games after a loss. Pittsburgh has also won 9 of their last 10 games after loss by at least two goals — and they have won 21 of their last 28 games after a loss by at least three goals. And in their last 29 games after allowing at least five goals, the Penguins have won 22 of these games. Playing without rest should not slow this team down as they have won 6 of their last 8 games when playing the second game on back-to-back days. They turn to their backup goaltender Casey DeSmith — and he has been strong at home where owns a 2.22 Goals-Against-Average with a .926 save percentage as compared to his 2.99 GAA and .909 save percentage when on the road. Pittsburgh has won 13 of their last 15 home games in the second-half of the season. And in their last 17 home games against teams with a winning record, the Penguins have won 14 of these games.

Dallas (38-24-4) snapped their two-game losing streak on Friday with their 2-1 win over Anaheim. The Stars have then lost 5 straight games after a victory — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Furthermore, Dallas has lost 30 of their last 44 games after a win at home. And this remains a team that has lost 24 of their last 33 games after losing two of their last three games. They turn to backup Kari Lehtonen once again tonight after he played on Friday due to the injury to Ben Bishop. The Stars’ former starter has been reliable as Bishop’s backup this season — but when he is playing with only one day of rest he has a 3.01 GAA along with a .903 save percentage. Lastly, Dallas has lost 17 of their last 25 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. 10* NHL Super-Under Valued Favorite with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (6) versus the Dallas Stars (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (74) versus the St. Louis Blues (73). San Jose (35-22-6) saw their two-game winning streak snapped on Sunday with their 4-2 loss to Columbus. The Sharks should benefit from the mini-break as they have won 8 of their last 11 games when playing with three days off between contests. San Jose has also won 21 of their last 31 games after a home game. San Jose has won 4 of their last 5 games on their home ice — and they have also won 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. The Sharks need a win tonight as they have lost four of their last six contests — and they have won 8 of their last 11 games after losing four or five of their last six games. Look for goalie Martin Jones to bounce-back with a good night after enjoying an outstanding February where he enjoyed a 2.08 Goals-Against-Average along with a .932 save percentage. He has a .916 save percentage this season — and the Blues have lost 21 of their last 31 games against teams using a goalie with a save percentage of .915 or better.

St. Louis (35-26-5) is reeling having lost eight of their last nine games and seemingly resigned to missing the playoffs after trading Paul Stastny at the trade deadline. The Blues come off a 3-2 loss at Dallas on Saturday. St. Louis has then lost 6 straight games after failing to score more than two goals in their last contest. They turn to Carter Hutton between the pipes tonight after he allowed those three goals on Saturday. Hutton was not very good last month where he had a 2.85 GAA along with a .903 save percentage. That is not a good sign for a team that has lost 8 straight games against teams with a winning record. The Blues have also lost 7 straight games against Western Conference opponents. St. Louis has also lost 5 straight games on the road. Lastly, the Blues will be looking to avenge a 3-2 loss at home to the Sharks back on February 20th — but they have lost 12 of their last 14 opportunities to avenge a same-season loss. 20* NHL Thursday Late Show Bailout with the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (74) versus the St. Louis Blues (73). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:05 PM ET on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (64) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (63). San Jose (35-21-6) has won two games in a row with their 7-2 win over Chicago on Thursday. The Sharks have then won 9 of their last 10 games after win at home by at least two goals. San Jose has also won 11 of their last 12 games after a win on their home ice where they scored at least four goals. Additionally, the Sharks have won 4 of their last 5 games after not allowing more than two goals in a game. Goalie Martin Jones stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced for a sizzling .941 save percentage. That came on the heels of an outstanding month of February where he enjoyed a 2.08 Goals-Against-Average along with a .932 save percentage. This team stays at home tonight where they are 19-9-2 this season — and where they have won 4 straight games. This is Game Three of an important six-game home stand where they look to perhaps challenge Vegas for 1st place in the Pacific Division while raising their play for a big playoff push. Their trade deadline acquisition of Evander Kane is already paying dividends as he has registered three assists over his last two games.

Columbus (32-28-1) has lost two straight games after their 4-2 loss at Anaheim on Friday. The Blue Jackets have then lost 8 of their last 11 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Now this team goes on the road where they are below .500 with a 13-17-3 mark. Columbus has lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road — and they have also lost a decisive 90 of their last 123 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on home ice. They turn to their top goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky tonight who has not been as effective on the road. Bobrovsky has a strong 2.16 GAA with a .929 save percentage at home but he sees those numbers regress to a 2.72 GAA along with a .910 save percentage when he is playing on the road. The Blue Jackets have lost 4 of their last 5 games against Western Conference opponents. Columbus has also lost 21 of their last 27 trips to San Jose — and they have lost their last four meetings with this team. 10* NHL Sunday Late Show Bailout with the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (64) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (63). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (4) versus the Carolina Hurricanes (3). Philadelphia (34-19-5) is one of the hottest teams in the NHL as they have won six straight games with their 1-0 win in overtime at Montreal on Monday. The Flyers have then won 19 of their last 26 games after a victory — and they have won 14 of their last 19 games after being unbeaten in two straight games. Additionally, Philadelphia has won 7 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game — and they have won 8 of their last 10 games after not allowing more than two goals in their last contest. This team has recovered very good play from goalie Petr Mrazek who is 3-0-0 in  his three starts with the Flyers with a sparkling 1.30 Goals-Against-Average along with a .947 save percentage over that span. Now the Flyers return home where they have won 8 of their last 11 games — and they have won 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Additionally, Philadelphia has won 7 straight games against teams with a losing record.

Carolina (27-25-8) has lost six straight games after they lost in Boston on Tuesday by a 4-3 score. The Hurricanes have now lost 8 straight games against Eastern Conference foes which is not helping their hopes to make the Eastern Conference playoffs. Carolina has also lost 13 of their last 21 games against Metropolitan Division opponents. One of the reasons why this team is slumping is due to the absence of center Jordan Staal who is understandably dealing with the tragic death of his infant daughter. But that has left this team shorthanded on the offensive end of the ice. They are scoring a mere 1.4 Goals-Per-Game over their last five contests. They turn to Cam Ward between the pipes tonight but he has been more effective at home in Charlotte this season. Ward has a 2.47 Goals-Against-Average along with a .912 save percentage at home this year — but those numbers rise to a 3.06 GAA and a .902 save percentage when on the road. The Hurricanes have lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road — and they have lost a decisive 40 of their last 54 road games against teams with a winning record on their home ice. Lastly, the Hurricanes are looking to avenge a 2-1 home loss to the Flyers back on February 6th — and they have lost 12 of their last 15 games when playing with revenge from a one-goal loss at home. 10* NHL Super Under-Valued Favorite with the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (4) versus the Carolina Hurricanes (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (18) versus the Edmonton Oilers (17). San Jose (33-21-6) has lost three straight games after their 3-2 loss at Minnesota on Sunday. The Sharks return home now after that four-game road trip. San Jose has allowed at least three goals in three straight games — but they have then won 7 straight home games after allowing at least three goals in two straight games. The Sharks have also won 11 of their last 16 games on their home ice. San Jose made a big move yesterday at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Evander Kane from Buffalo. The forward has scored 20 goals while adding another 20 assists in 61 games this season. This team is poised to make a run in the Western Conference playoffs again this season with management thinking the core group of players remain young enough to challenge for the Stanley Cup. This franchise has the second most wins in the NHL since the 2006-2007 season just behind the Penguins. Goalie Martin Jones has raised his level of play this month with a 2.09 Goals-Against-Average along with a .933 save percentage in ten February starts. The Sharks have won 16 of their last 23 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 12 games against Pacific Division rivals, the Sharks have won 10 of these contests.

Edmonton (27-31-3) were sellers at the trade deadline over the last week as they traded Patrick Maroon to the New Jersey Devils. It has been a disappointing season for this group that made the Western Conference Semifinals last season. This group had trouble dealing with the pressure of expectations early on this season — and there is a speed deficit for this team after their 20-year old superstar Connor McDavid. The Oilers have won four of their last five games after their 6-5 win in Anaheim on Sunday — but they have then lost 19 of their last 28 games after a victory. Edmonton has also lost 11 of their last 12 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game — and they have also lost 7 straight games after scoring at least six goals in their last contest. Furthermore, the Oilers have lost 6 of their last 8 games when playing their fourth game in the last six days. Another one of the issues for this team this season has been the play of goaltender Cam Talbot after he was outstanding for this team last year. Talbot has a missing 2.91 GAA in ten starts this month with a .911 save percentage after a rough 3.57 GAA with an .890 save percentage in ten starts last month. The Oilers have allowed eight combined goals over their last two games — and they have then lost 14 of their last 21 games after allowing at least three goals in two straight games. Additionally, Edmonton has lost 5 of their last 7 games against fellow Pacific Division opponents. Lastly, the Oilers are looking to avenge a 6-4 loss to the Sharks back on February 10th — and they have lost 21 of their last 33 games when playing with revenge. 25* NHL Pacific Division Game of the Month with the money-line on the San Jose Sharks (18) versus the Edmonton Oilers (17). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (12) versus the St. Louis Blues (11). Minnesota (35-20-5) has won four straight games with their 302 win in overtime on Sunday in a game where they rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period. The Wild have  then won 4 of their last 5 games after a victory. Minnesota has also won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing no more than two goals in their last game. Additionally, the Wild have won 11 of their last 16 games when playing with one day of rest. Now this Minnesota team stays at home where they have won 16 of their last 22 games. The Wild have also won 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. They will turn to their top goaltender Devan Dubnyk again tonight who has a sizzling 2.28 Goals-Against-Average along with a .927 save percentage in eleven games (ten starts) this month. Dubnyk thrives when playing at home as well where he enjoys a 2.16 GAA along with a .931 save percentage as compared to his 3.11 GAA and .904 save percentage when on the road. 

St. Louis (34-25-4) has lost six games in a row — while being shutout in two straight games — with their 4-0 loss in Nashville on Sunday. This team looks to have punted on a playoff run this season after they traded Paul Stastny to Winnipeg at the trade deadline after being held back by injuries over the last few months. Don’t expect an offensive explosion from this team after their failures to find the back of the net as they have lost 4 straight games after not scoring more than two goals in their last game. Goalie Jake Allen is struggling this month with a 3.03 GAA and .888 save percentage in seven games (six starts). The Blues have lost 6 straight games against teams with a winning record. St. Louis has also lost 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. Lastly, the Blues are looking to avenge a 6-2 loss at home to the Wild back on February 6th — and they have lost 10 of their last 12 games when attempting to avenge a same-season loss. 10* NH Super Under-Valued Favorite with the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (12) versus the St. Louis Blues (11). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (55) versus the Montreal Canadiens (56). Philadelphia (33-19-5) has won five straight games as well as nine of their last ten contests with their 5-3 win over Ottawa on Saturday. The Flyers have then won 18 of their last 24 games after a victory — and they have won 13 of their last 18 games after winning two straight games. Philadelphia has also won 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game. This team is making a big push to win the Metropolitan Division and be a major player in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Claude Giroux is leading the way as he has scored seven goals while adding nine assists over his last nine games. The team is getting good goaltending from their recent acquisition from Detroit in Petr Mrazek who is 2-0 so far with the Flyers with a solid .917 save percentage. Now this team goes back on the road where they have won 6 straight games. Philadelphia has also won 6 straight games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 5 games against Eastern Conference opponents, the Flyers have won all 5 games.

Montreal (23-29-5) has lost seven of their last eight games with their 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Canadiens have then lost 9 straight games after a loss by just one goal on their home ice. Montreal has also lost 11 of their last 16 games after a loss at home. This team is officially in the tank after they chose to trade center Tomas Plekanec at the trade deadline. This team is already without defenseman Shea Weber who is out the season along with their star goaltender Carey Price who is still recovering from a concussion. The Canadiens will turn to backup goalie Antti Niemi tonight who has played better as of late but still has an uninspiring 3.76 Goals-Against-Average along with an .892 save percentage for the season. Montreal has lost 24 of their last 32 games against teams with a winning record. The Canadiens have also lost 10 of their last 14 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. And they have lost 13 of their last 17 games against fellow Eastern Conference opponents. Lastly, Montreal has lost their last three meetings with the Flyers after losing to them by a 3-2 score back on February 20th. The Canadiens have lost 16 of their last 21 games when playing with at least double-revenge. 25* NHL Eastern Conference Game of the Month with the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (55) versus the Montreal Canadiens (56). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (56) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (55). Philadelphia (31-19-5) has won three straight games — as well as seven of their last eight games — with their 3-2 win over Montreal on Tuesday. The Flyers have then won 5 of their last 6 games after a victory — and they have also won 6 of their last 8 games after not allowing more than two goals in their last game. Furthermore, Philadelphia has won 23 of their last 32 games after being unbeaten in their last two games — and they have won 12 of their last 16 games after winning three of their last four games. The Flyers find themselves two games up over New Jersey in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division. Goaltender injuries compelled Philly to acquire Petr Mrazek from the Red Wings this week — and he will be between the pipes tonight. Mrazek has loads of talent but has needed to improve his fundamental technique to compensate for his smaller size. When he is good, he is outstanding. In the month of January, Mrazek had a 1.69 Goals-Against-Average with a .940 save percentage in six games (five starts). In ten starts in 2018, Mrazek has not allowed more than one goal in six of those games with a minimum save percentage of .968 in those six contests. In his first game with the Flyers tonight, I am expecting a strong performance as he has the opportunity to become this team’s starting goaltender in the playoffs. Philadelphia has won 7 of their last 10 games at home — and they have won 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. The Flyers have also won 5 of their last 6 games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Columbus (30-25-1) snapped their three-game losing streak on Tuesday with their 2-1 win in New Jersey. But the Blue Jackets have then lost 9 of their last 11 games after a victory in their last game. Columbus has also lost 6 of their last 8 games after scoring no more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 7 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game, the Blue Jackets have lost 6 of these contests. The team will likely turn to their top goaltender Sergie Bobrovsky tonight. But the Russian netminder has not been as effective between the pipes on the road where he has a 2.69 GAA and a .912 save percentage as compared to his 2.21 GAA and a .927 save percentage when at home. Additionally, Bobrovsky has struggled this month in eight starts where he has a 2.51 GAA and a .907 save percentage. That is not a good sign for his team that has lost 11 of their last 16 games on the road. Lastly, Columbus has lost 8 of their last 11 games against teams with a winning record. 20* NHL Thursday Daily Discounted Deal with the money-line on the Philadelphia Flyers (56) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (55). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:05 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (4) versus the Anaheim Ducks (3). Minnesota (31-20-5) will be looking to bounce-back from a 5-2 loss at home to Washington on Thursday which snapped a 10-0-3 hot streak on their home ice. The Wild had not lost a game at home during regulation time since back on December 16th. But Minnesota has then rebounded to win 11 of their last 13 games after a loss by at least three goals. The Wild have also won 16 of their last 25 games after a loss in general — and they have won 6 of their last 9 games after a loss at home. Furthermore, Minnesota has won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. And in their last 5 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game, the Wild have won all 5 games. This is a crucial game in the Western Conference playoff race. Minnesota is tied for 8th place and the final slot in the playoff race with 68 points — but they are just 1 point ahead of the Ducks. Goalie Devan Dubnyk admitted after the Capitals loss that he had an off-night by allowing some soft goals. But Dubnyk has been outstanding at home this season where he has a 2.19 Goals-Against-Average with a .930 save percentage as compared to his 3.25 GAA and .901 save percentage when on the road. The Wild are outstanding at home where they are 20-5-5 this season while outscoring their visitors by a full +1.0 Goal-Per-Game. Minnesota has won 20 of their last 28 games on their home ice — and they have won 7 of their last 10 home games against teams without a winning record on the road.

Anaheim (28-20-5) snapped their two-game losing streak on Thursday with their 3-2 win at slumping Chicago. But the Ducks have then lost 9 of their last 12 games after a victory on the road. Anaheim has also lost 8 of their last 9 games after allowing no more than 2 goals in their last contest. And while the Ducks have played four straight Unders, they have then lost 4 of their last 5 games after playing at least four straight Unders. Goalie John Gibson has a 2.57 GAA along with a good .923 save percentage this season. But those numbers worsen to a 2.70 GAA along with a .918 save percentage when playing against a Western Conference opponent. And when Gibson is playing with just one day of rest, he sees his GAA rise to a 2.70 mark while seeing his save percentage drop to a .915 clip. The Ducks have also lost 5 of their last 6 games when playing with one day of rest. Lastly, Anaheim has lost 4 of the last 6 meetings between these two teams after losing at home to the Wild by a 3-2 score back on December 8th. 25* NHL Western Conference Game of the Year is with the money-line on the Minnesota Wild (4) versus the Anaheim Ducks (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:35 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Dallas Stars (58) versus the St. Louis Blues (57). Dallas (33-20-2) gets back on the ice tonight after they saw their five-game winning streak snapped last Sunday in a 6-0 loss to Vancouver. Expect a spirited effort from Ken Hitchcock’s team as they face his former club after such an embarrassing loss. The Stars have won a decisive 36 of their last 52 games after a loss by at least three goals — and this includes them winning seventeen of their last twenty-two games after a loss at home by at least three goals. Dallas has also won 6 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Furthermore, the Stars have won 8 of their last 9 games after allowing at least 6 goals in their last game. They also have won 27 of their last 36 home games after a loss — and they have won 18 of their last 22 home games after a loss by at least two goals. They turn to Ben Bishop between the pipes tonight who has been much better at home this season where he has a 2.18 Goals-Against-Average along with a .929 save percentage as compared to his 3.02 GAA along with a .899 save percentage. Dallas has won 20 of their last 29 games on their home ice — and this includes winning 10 of their last 12 home games against teams with a winning record on the road.

St. Louis (34-21-4) has lost two straight games after their 4-3 loss at Nashville on Tuesday. Now the Blues are looking to avenge a 4-2 loss to this Stars team back on December 29th — but they have then lost 8 of their last 10 games when attempting to avenge a same-season loss. This St. Louis team does not match-up well with the Stars when playing in Dallas. While the Blues average 33.3 shots per game while allowing just 30.3 shots per game, the Stars have won 13 of their last 15 home games against teams who outshoot their opponents by at least 3 shots per game. Bishop has a .918 save percentage this season — and St. Louis has lost 15 of their last 25 games against goaltenders with a save percentage of .915 or better. They counter with Jake Allen who is struggling in 2018. He endured a 4.93 Goals-Against Average along with an .871 save percentage in January and has an improved but still subpar 2.76 GAA along with a .901 save percentage so far this month. Lastly, the Blues have lost 5 of their last 7 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. 25* NHL Central Division Game of the Year with the money-line on the Dallas Stars (58) versus the St. Louis Blues (57). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (4) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (3). Columbus (27-22-0) has lost four straight games with their 3-2 loss to this Capitals team on Tuesday in the first of this home-and-home series between these two Metropolitan teams. The Blue Jackets have lost 7 of their last 8 games after a loss by just one goal. Columbus has also lost 4 straight games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Furthermore, the Blue Jackets have lost 8 of their last 10 games in the second half of back-to-back games. And while the Blue Jackets will be playing with revenge on their minds in this game, they simply struggle to match up with Washington as they have lost 5 straight of their meetings with the Capitals. Tellingly, Columbus has lost 6 straight games when playing with at least double-revenge against their opponents. They also have lost their last 5 trips to Washington to face the Capitals. They will turn to goalie Sergei Bobrovsky again tonight — but the Russian is struggling on the road this season. While Bobrovsky has a nice 2.15 Goals-Against-Average along with a .930 save percentage at home, he sees these numbers rise to a 2.78 GAA along with a .910 save percentage when on the road. The Blue Jackets have lost 9 of their last 12 games on the road. They also have lost 5 straight games against teams with a winning record.

Washington (31-17-4) snapped their two-game losing streak with their win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. That victory was in dramatic fashion with Nicklas Backstrom scoring the game-winner with just 42.9 seconds left in the 3rd period. The Capitals have then won 6 straight games in the back half of a home-and-home series. Additionally, Washington has won 11 of their last 16 games after a victory — and they have won 6 of their last 7 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. The Blue Jackets will likely regret trying to make up ground with the Caps on Tuesday as they now find themselves 9 points behind the first place Washington team. Now they have to defeat the Capitals’ goalie Braden Holtby who is very tough to beat on home ice. Holtby owns a 16-5-1 record at home this season with a 2.17 GAA along with a sizzling .930 save percentage as compared to his subpar 3.60 GAA and .894 save percentage when on the road. The Capitals have won 42 of their last 57 home games in the Holtby and Alex Ovechkin era — and they have also won 67 of their last 95 home games against teams with a losing record at home. Evgeny Kuznentsov is probably the team’s best player now — but this remains a very talented team that always thrives during the regular season (the playoffs remains a different challenge — but they have lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions the last two seasons). I’m surprised to see them open just below our important -150 money-line — and they have been bet down from that to the -130 range. With such great value, lets attack! 25* NHL Metropolitan Division Game of the Year with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (4) versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:00 PM ET on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Tampa Bay Lightning (7) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8). Tampa Bay (36-13-1) remains the best team in the NHL having won five of their last six games with their 4-2 win at Vancouver on Saturday. The Lightning have won 13 of their last 18 games after a victory. Tampa Bay has also won 19 of their last 25 games after scoring at least four goals in their last game — and they have won 26 of their last 36 games are not allowing more than two goals in their last game. A return to prominence was likely for this team after making the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago. Last year’s team was besieged with injuries which kept them from making the playoffs — but this year’s club is healthy while retaining the core group of players from two years ago. They are getting outstanding goaltending from 23-year old Andrei Vasilevskiy who has stopped 149 of the last 156 shots he faced which translates into a red hot .956 save percentage over those last four games. Vasilevskiy has been more effective on the road where he owns a 1.96 Goals-Against-Average along with a .943 save percentage as compared to his 2.50 GAA and .914 save percentage at home. Tampa Bay is 19-8-0 on the road this season — and they have won 5 of their last 6 games on then road. The Lightning have also won 41 of their last 61 road games against teams with a losing record at home. And in their last 5 trips to Edmonton, Tampa Bay is 4-0-1.

Edmonton (22-24-3) has lost two of their last three games with their 4-3 loss in overtime on Thursday. The Oilers have lost a decisive 45 of their last 65 games when playing with at least three days between contests. Edmonton has also lost 15 of their last 19 games after a game where at least seven combined goals were scored. And in their last 10 home games after allowing at least four goals, the Oilers have lost 8 of these games. This Edmonton team has been one of the biggest disappointments this season after their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals last year. In hindsight, the Oilers were perhaps overvalued after those results after enjoying many breaks going their way last year. Team speed to complement Connor McDavid is another concern that has exposed this team this season. They are just 11-13-2 on their home ice this season. They have also lost 60 of their last 86 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. Goalie Cam Talbot was sensational last year but he has returned to Earth this year. He had 4-5-0 record in ten games last month while posting a subpar 3.57 Goals-Against-Average along with an .890 save percentage. His 3.19 GAA on home ice is also a bit worse than his 3.06 GAA when on the road. Lastly, the Oilers are still without one of their top line defensemen in Adam Larsson who has been out for over two weeks after the death of his father. 20* NHL Monday Late Show Bailout with the money-line on the Tampa Bay Lightning (7) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (53) versus the New Jersey Devils (54). New Jersey (24-15-4) is racing for the All-Star Break this weekend as they have only two wins over their last eleven games amidst a rash of injuries. Their leading scorer Taylor Hall is questionable with a hand injury along with left-winger Marcus Johansson who is dealing with the concussion protocol after their 3-2 loss in Boston on Tuesday. Brian Gibbons with his 11 goals along with defenseman Mirco Mueller are already on Injured Reserve. And to compound matters, both their goalies are also out with injuries forcing the team to turn to Ken Appleby tonight. The rookie will make his first professional start after being called up earlier this week to serve as a backup — he has played in the Devils’ last two games. But the the undrafted free agent is likely to return to his Binghamton team in the AHL after this game where he has a completely uninspiring 3.21 Goals-Against-Average along with an .888 save percentage. The goal for tonight’s game might be to get out of it and into the break without any more injuries. As it is, New Jersey has lost 4 straight games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. The Devils have also lost 21 of their last 27 games after losing eight of their last ten games. Furthermore, not only has New Jersey lost 9 of their last 13 games when playing their fourth game in six days but they have also lost 8 of their last 9 home games when playing their sixth game in ten days.

Nashville (28-11-3) saw their five-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday with their 4-3 loss in overtime to Tampa Bay. The Predators cannot afford any let up before the break this weekend as they are among four teams in the Central with at least 60 points. This Nashville team has rebounded to win 6 straight games after a loss in overtime. The Predators have also won 7 of their last 8 road games after a loss by one goal on their home ice. Nashville has scored seven goals in their last two games — and they have then won 12 of their last 14 games after scoring at least three goals in two straight games. But they have also allowed seven goals over these last two contests — yet they have then won 10 of their last 12 games after allowing at least three goals in two straight games. They will have a significant edge between the pipes tonight with Pekka Rinne who has an outstanding 1.95 GAA along with a .941 save percentage in his 15 starts on the road this year. Lastly, the Predators have won 8 of their last 11 road games against teams with a winning record on their home ice. 25* NHL Pre-All Star Break Game of the Year with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (53) versus the New Jersey Devils (54). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:05 PM ET on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (23) with the money-line versus the Calgary Flames (24). Los Angeles (24-11-5) has won two straight games after their 5-0 shutout win in Edmonton on Tuesday. The Kings have then won 9 of their last 11 games after a victory. Los Angeles has also won 7 of their last 10 games after not allowing two goals or less in their last game. The Kings got their Power Play going in that game as they scored three times with the man-advantage in the third period against the Oilers. Los Angeles has scored nine goals in their last two games — and they have then won 12 of their last 15 games after scoring at least three goals in two straight contests. This will be the sixth straight game where the Kings were facing a fellow Pacific Division rival — and not only have they won 19 of their last 25 road games after facing a divisional rival in their last game but they have also won 10 of their last 11 road games after playing at least two straight Pacific Division foes. Los Angeles has also won 7 of their last 8 games when playing with one day of rest. Jonathan Quick should be between the pipes again tonight. The veteran has been quite good on the road this year where he has a 2.22 Goals-Against-Average along with a .927 save percentage. The Kings have won 11 of their last 13 road games against teams with a losing record on their home ice. And in their last 28 games against teams with a losing record, Los Angeles has won 20 of these games. The Kings will have revenge on their minds in this contest after losing to the Flames in the Staples Center by a 4-3 score back on October 11th. Los Angeles has won 8 of their last 10 games when looking to avenge a one-goal loss to their opponents.

Calgary (19-16-1) snapped their three-game losing streak on Sunday with their 4-3 win over Chicago. But the Flames have then lost 5 of their last 7 games after a victory. They also have also lost 14 of their last 19 games on home ice after a game where they scored at least four goals. The Kings will be a tough opponent for the Flames considering that they have lost 5 of their last 7 games against an opponent that scored at least five goals in their last game. Calgary has also lost 4 of their last 5 games against opponents that did not allow more than two goals in their last game. The Flames are just 10-11-0 at home this season while allowing their opponents to score 3.1 Goals-Per-Game. Goalie Mike Smith has been outstanding when on the road where he enjoys a 1.96 GAA along with a .945 save percentage. But back at home, Smith has a 2.95 GAA along with a .903 save percentage which helps explain that losing record at home. Lastly, the Flames have lost 6 of their last 8 games against teams with a winning record. 25* NHL Pre-All Star Break Pacific Division Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (23) with the money-line versus the Calgary Flames (24). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM ET on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (74) versus the Carolina Hurricanes (73). Los Angeles (19-8-3) has rattled off seven straight wins after their 4-3 win in overtime over Ottawa on Thursday. The Kings have obviously won 6 straight games after a victory — and they while they have scored at least three goals in their last six games, they have then won 10 of their last 12 games after scoring at least three goals in two straight contests. Los Angeles entered the season at a crossroads after missing the playoffs in the last two seasons after winning the Stanley Cup in the 2014-15 campaign. The optimists contended that some bad luck with injuries and the bounce of the puck accounted for this lapse with the deeper analytics claiming their puck possession and shot percentages should be reaping better results. On the other hand, with this team locked-in to some big salaries, the pessimists suggested that it might be time to blow this team up. The optimists are winning the debate as the Kings have the most points in the Western Conference. A healthy Jonathan Quick makes a big difference — he sports a 2.20 Goals-Against-Average along with a .929 save percentage this season. He is helping this team lead the NHL by allowing only 2.20 Goals-Per-Game — and this teams also leads the league with their Penalty Play Kill Unit success rate of 89%. LA is 9-5-2 at home this season — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games on home ice. The Kings have also won 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a losing record.

Carolina (11-10-3) has lost two straight games — as well as four of their last five games — with their 5-4 loss in San Jose on Thursday. The Hurricanes have then lost 15 of their last 19 road games after dropping three of their last four games. The strength of this team was supposed to be their blue-line this season — but this team is allowing 3.1 Goals-Per-Game this season. Over their last five contests, Carolina is surrendering 3.6 Goals-Per-Game which is just way too much given their limited scoring options in their forward lines. In those last five games, the Hurricanes are scoring just 2.0 Goals-Per-Game. Special teams are hurting this team. They are 28th in the league with a Power Play that converts only 15.7% of the time — and their Power Play Kill Unit is 29th in the league with a low 75% success rate. In their last two games, Carolina is 0 for 5 on their Power Play while allowing two goals on the five Power Plays they have faced. This is now their third game on their west coast road trip — and they have lost a decisive 37 of their last 51 road games against teams with a winning record at home. The Hurricanes have also lost 7 of their last 11 road games with the Total set at 5.5. Additionally, Carolina has lost 5 of their last 6 games played in LA against the Kings. Furthermore, the Hurricanes have lost 8 of their last 10 games against fellow Western Conference opponents. And in the last 5 games against teams with a winning record, Carolina has lost 4 of these games. 25* NHL Game of the Month with the money-line on the Los Angeles Kings (74) versus the Carolina Hurricanes (73). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (4) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (3). Washington (16-11-1) has won two straight games — as well as five of their last six contests — with their 4-1 win over San Jose on Monday. The Capitals have won a decisive 14 of their last 15 games on their home ice after a victory of at least three goals. Washington has also won 45 of their last 60 games when playing with just one day of rest. The Capitals stay at home where they have won a decisive 37 of their last 51 games. Washington has also won 6 of their last 9 home games with the Total set at 5.5. They will be without their right winger T.J. Oshie tonight who is dealing with an upper body injury. But the Capitals still have a significant edge in goalies tonight with the Blackhawks still without their injuries goaltender Corey Crawford. Washington will likely go with their ace Braden Holtby who sports a dynamite 2.06 Goals-Against-Average along with a .935 save percentage when at home this season.

Chicago (12-10-4) will be relying on their backup goalie Anton Forsberg who is taken over between the pipes for the injured Crawford. This is a big drop off in talent for the Blackhawks — and he has a rough 3.67 GAA along with an .898 save percentage in six games and five starts on the road this season. Chicago has lost four straight games after their 3-1 loss to the Kings on Sunday. The Blackhawks have then lost 17 of their last 22 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Chicago has also lost 8 of their last 12 games when playing their third game in five days. This team is struggling with the salary cap gutting this team of their supporting role cast that helped their elite core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith win three Stanley Cups. It is shocking — but true — that the Blackhawks have lost 14 of their last 17 games against teams with a winning record. Lastly, Chicago has lost 13 of their last 19 games on the road which includes dropping eight of their last nine road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. 25* NHL Wednesday NBC-Sports Network Game of the Month with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (4) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Toronto Maple Leafs (57) versus the Florida Panthers (58). Florida (7-11-1) continues to struggle as they have lost two straight games with their 3-2 loss in Anaheim on Saturday. The Panthers have then lost 20 of their last 28 games after sore two goals or less in their last game. In part, this team is snake-bit as evidenced by the 52 shots on net they had again the Ducks that only resulted in two goals. But defense is an issue too. Their Power Play Kill Unit is second-to-last in the NHL by allowing their opponents to convert in 27.9% of their opportunities with a man-advantage. This team was a disappointment last year by missing the playoffs and going just 7-16-1 in their last twenty-four games. In retrospect now, they have not been able to replace the 29% of the goal production they lost on paper in the offseason even if getting rid of aging wonders like Jaromir Jagr made sense, in theory. Depth and inexperience on the blue-line are major issues for this team as they attempt to get young under new head coach Bob Boughner. But they are still relying on 38-year goalie Roberto Luongo who has a 3.39 Goals-Against-Average with a .920 save percentage at home which are both not as good marks as his 2.38 GAA and .929 save percentage when on the road. Florida has lost 4 of their last 5 games at home — and they have lost a decisive 48 of their last 68 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. The Panthers have also lost 9 of their last 12 games against fellow Atlantic Division rivals.

Toronto (14-8-0) saw their six-game winning streak snapped on Monday with their 4-1 loss to Arizona. The Maple Leafs should bounce-back with a strong effort as they have won 10 of their last 14 games after a loss by at least three goals at home. Toronto has also won 4 of their last 5 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. The Maple Leafs have also won 10 of their last 13 games against teams with a losing record. Furthermore, Toronto has won 5 of their last 6 games against fellow Atlantic Division opponents. 10* NHL Super Under-Value Favorite with the money-line with the playing the money-line on the Toronto Maple Leafs (57) versus the Florida Panthers (58). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Edmonton Oilers (3). Edmonton (7-11-1-1) continues to struggle this season having lost two straight games as well as four of their last five games with their 6-3 loss in Dallas on Saturday. After losing in the Western Conference Semifinals to Anaheim last postseason, this year’s group has really struggled. In part, everything went right for the Oilers last season — so some regular season regression was expected. But the other glaring weakness for this team is that they lack team speed after superstar Connor McDavid which is putting them at a disadvantage with more and more teams emphasizing speed over physicality and toughness of teams like the Los Angeles Kings in the past. Third-year head coach Todd McClellan has a dilemma with what to do with Leon Draisaitl. The right-winger is one of the few players on the roster who can complement McDavid and help put their Talisman in a position to succeed. However, using Draisaitl on that top line with McDavid leaves this Edmonton team very thin at forward after that top unit. This young team has not shown the ability to respond well to adversity as they have lost 39 of their last 52 games after a loss by at least three goals. The Oilers have also lost 38 of their last 54 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Edmonton has also lost 6 of their last 7 games after a game where at least seven combined goals were scored. Furthermore, the Oilers have lost 10 of their last 11 games when playing with two days of rest. Edmonton is looking to avenge a 4-1 loss to these Blues at home back last Thursday. But the Oilers have lost 7 of their last 8 games when looking to avenge a same-season loss. Revenge will be very difficult for this team that has lost 10 of their last 13 games played in St. Louis against the Blues.

St. Louis (15-5-1-0) is enjoying another dominant regular season campaign as they have won five of their last seven games with their 4-3 win in Vancouver on Saturday. While the playoffs may once again be a different matter for this team, that is an April issue. Right now, the Blues are once again one of the most reliable and consistent teams during the dog days of the regular season. They have won 6 of their last 8 games after a victory — and they have won 24 of their last 32 games after playing their last two games on the road. This St. Louis team does return home for the first time in four games having won their last two games — and they have won 16 of their last 21 games after winning their last two games on the road. The Blues look to begin a five-game home stand while also looking to redeem themselves from a 5-2 loss to the Islanders in their last game at home back on November 11th. St. Louis has won 9 of their last 11 games at home — and they have won 66 of their last 85 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Goalie Jake Allen is 6-2 at home this season with a strong 2.45 Goals-Against-Average and .920 save percentage. The team also gets a boost on their blue-line tonight with the return of defenseman Jay Bouwmeester who makes his debut after dealing with an ankle injury. Lastly, St. Louis has won 42 of their last 54 games against teams with a winning percentage below 40%. 25* NHL Western Conference Game of the Month with the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Edmonton Oilers (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Toronto Maple Leafs (58) versus the Boston Bruins (57). Toronto (10-7-0) will be without their superstar Auston Matthews for a few games with an upper-body injury. Head coach Mike Babcock will likely use this opportunity to impress upon his team the importance of not being reliant on just one player — so his expectations will be sky-high for this game. The oddsmakers have moved the money-line to below my -150 threshold without Matthews on the ice which gives us a great opportunity to pounce. Babcock knows this team is a series threat to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — and he is using the regular season to train his team to find success by deploying the tactics that are needed in the postseason rather than relying on their speed and the lack of physicality that often comes from the opponents during the regular season. The Maple Leafs have won two straight games with their 4-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Toronto has won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least four goals in their last game. The Maple Leafs stay at home where they have won 4 straight home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Toronto has also won 7 of their last 9 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 7 games against fellow Atlantic Division foes, the Maple Leafs have won 5 of these games. With the veteran left-winger Patrick Marleau coming over in the offseason to join a young core that includes William Nylander and James Van Riemsdyk, their remains plenty of offensive firepower for this team even without Matthews tonight.

25* NHL Atlantic Division Game of the Month with the money-line on Toronto. Best of luck for us -- Frank.

TO BE CONTINUED -- please check back before this game begins for my full written Report before this game starts -- and I also reserve the right to raise the Star Value of this play (while you still get it at the discounted price by buying early). Given the high volume of plays I offer clients, I am providing an initial “abridged version” of the play to get them posted faster to accommodate my Daily, Weekly and Monthly subscribers so they can begin shopping lines. My research is detailed for our plays (which I do complete before endorsing a play) but it does take some time to write the more detailed Reports that clients have grown to count on. Thanks, Frank.

At 7:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (7) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8). Edmonton (2-5-0) has lost five of their last six games this season with their 2-1 loss in Philadelphia on Saturday. This Oilers team is struggling because they have somehow looked slow outside of their young superstar Connor McDavid. Being without their other young star Leon Draisaitl who has been out with concussion-like symptoms has not helped — and they will be getting him back on the ice tonight. But facing the fastest team in the NHL in the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions is a terrifying prospect for this sluggish team right now. As it is, the Oilers have lost 20 of their last 24 road games after they scored no more than one goal in their last game. Furthermore, Edmonton has lost 10 of their last 12 road games after a game where three or less combined goals in their last game. And in their last 6 games when playing with two days of rest, the Oilers have lost all 6 games. Moving forward, Edmonton has lost 6 of their last 7 games against Eastern Conference opponents. The Oilers have also lost 5 of their last 6 trips to Pittsburgh. That is not a good sign when considering that this franchise has seen their teams lost 91 of their last 122 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice.

Sidney Crosby should be very motivated to play great against the reigning Hart Trophy and Art Ross Trophy winner in McDavid. Pittsburgh (5-3-1) looks to bounce-back from a 7-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Saturday in another poor effort from their backup goalie Antti Niemi who was subsequently cut earlier today. The Penguins have bounced-back to win 16 of their last 21 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Pittsburgh has also won 16 of their last 18 home games after a loss by at least three goals. Furthermore, the Penguins have won 43 of their last 59 games after scoring two goals or less in their last game. Now Pittsburgh returns home where they have won 41 of their last 54 games — and they have won 65 of their last 88 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. And in their last 5 games against teams with a winning percentage below 40%, the Pens have won 4 of these games. 25* NHL Game of the Month with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (7) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (3). We are a bit more cautious in the regular season in the NHL especially early on in the season. Given the low scoring nature of this game, there is less opportunity to find value relative to what the oddsmakers are offering. Combine that with roster turnover impacting team chemistry and then add-in the inevitable injuries and the results are often too volatile for me to risk an investment — particularly in the grind of the regular season. That all said, this is a strong early season situation. St. Louis (4-2-0) returns home for just their second game on home ice all season after playing their last four games on the road. The Blues are looking to bounce-back from a 2-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Saturday. Scoring is a concern for this team — and they addressed that issue in the offseason by trading for center Braden Schenn from Philadelphia. Schenn has scored 51 goals over the last two seasons and he led the league with 17 Power Play goals this season. This St. Louis team has been ravaged with injuries this season — but the Twitter machine (the Blues official Twitter account, not Russian bots) has confirmed that first-line center Paul Stastny will be making his debut tonight after missing the first six games with a hand injury. The ripple effect on the depth chart getting Stastny back on the ice combined with this team playing at home should help this offense. This is a team that has won 10 of their last 14 games at home. The Blues have also won 38 of their last 55 games after playing at least two straight games on the road — and they have won 8 straight games when losing those last two games away from home. Furthermore, St. Louis has won 9 of their last 13 games after playing at least four straight games on the road. And in their last 14 games after scoring two goals or less in their last contest, the Blues have won 11 of these games.

Chicago (4-1-1) takes the ice again since their 2-1 win over Nashville on Saturday. The Blackhawks have then lost 8 of their last 10 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Chicago has also lost 5 of their last 7 games when playing with at least three days of rest. This is an organization that is facing a turning point: can their core group of superstars lead them to be a serious contender to win a third Stanley Cup or is the party over for the Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith era? Salary cap hits have contributed to the regression of the depth of this team which goes a long way to explain their two straight first-round exits in the playoffs. Now this team goes on the road for just the third time this year — and they have lost 6 of their last 7 games away from home. The Blackhawks have also lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 7 games against fellow Central Division opponents, Chicago has lost 6 of these games. 25* NHL Central Division Game of the Month with the money-line on the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (3). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Nashville (54-36-12) looked due for an emotional letdown after rallying from an 0-2 deficit to pull this series at 2-2. Momentum is most defined by who scores first in the next game — and the Penguins got on the board in the first 91 seconds on Wednesday. That led to three first period goals for a 3-0 lead that compelled head coach Peter Laviolette to bench Pekka Rinne for the remaining two periods. The final result was a 6-0 loss which was the Predators’ worst loss of the entire season. Now returning home for a crucial Game Six, expect Nashville to be energized and to open the game with a great start like Pittsburgh did on Thursday. The Predators have won 6 of their last 8 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Nashville has also won 18 of their last 22 home games after looking to avenge a loss where they only scored one goal. Furthermore, Nashville has won 15 of their last 18 home games when looking to avenge a loss by at least three goals. The Predators have a huge home ice advantage in front of their raucous crowd in Bridgestone Arena. They are 9-1 at home in these playoffs (13-1 over the last two postseasons) while outscoring their opponents by +20 goals — and they have outscored the Penguins by seven goals in their two games at home in the Stanley Cup Finals. Rinne has been outstanding at home in these playoffs where he has a 1.44 Goals-Against-Average along with a .949 save percentage. Remember, he was facing adversity after two subpar games in Pittsburgh last week — and he responded with a 1.01 GAA along with a .962 save percentage in those two games. Laviolette’s option of the last shift change does help Rinne a great deal as it allows for the Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis line to go up against Sidney Crosby. There is an issue with Ellis who left in the 2nd period with an undisclosed injury — but my read of this situation is that the defenseman will play and his leaving Game Five had much to do with the blowout nature of that game. Rest will help — the Predators have won 24 of their last 30 home games when playing with two days of rest. Furthermore, while this is the first time in these playoffs where Nashville is facing elimination, they were 3-1 in those situations last postseason. The Predators have won 6 straight games when trailing in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh (66-28-6) are likely to let up just a bit after their easy victory on Thursday — and that is not a good mindset for them to have when playing in what will be a very loud and hostile environment. Scoring depth is an issue for this team — they scored only two goals in their two games in Nashville. Their 3rd line center Nick Bonino remains questionable for this game after missing the last three with his undisclosed injury. As it is, this team has lost 9 of their last 11 games against opponents that allowed at least five goals in their last game. The Penguins have also lost 5 straight road games after playing their last three games against non-conference opponents. And in their last 5 games road games overall in these playoffs, Pittsburgh has lost 4 of these games. Their goalie Matt Murray has not been nearly as effective away from home in these Finals either — he has allowed eight goals on 58 shots for an .862 save percentage. Lastly, the Penguins failed to take care of business in their first opportunity to close out the series in each of the previous three rounds in these playoffs. 25* NHL Stanley Cup Finals *A-List* Special with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (10) versus the Nashville Predators (9). Pittsburgh (65-28-6) returns home to Pittsburgh with the Stanley Cup Finals deadlocked at 2-2 after their 4-1 loss in Nashville on Monday. The Penguins scored only two combined goals over these last two games. But despite those uninspiring offensive results, Pittsburgh returns home with reasons to be confident. Said Sidney Crosby about his team’s effort in Game Four: “It’s the most consistent [effort] as far as generating chances … We found a different level there tonight, and didn’t get the result we wanted.” The deeper metrics support this conclusion. After generating only 15 combined “High Danger” scoring opportunities in the first three games of this series, the Penguins had 17 High Danger scoring chances on Monday. The Pens seem to be finally finding some holes in the Predators’ defensive pairings. Frankly, the Predators’ Pekka Rinne stole Game Three by playing his best game in this series. But there is a big pile of losing tickets from bettors giving up on Crosby in the playoffs not only this postseason but throughout his career. Returning home will help as it will afford head coach Mike Sullivan to choose the exact defensive pair that he wants Crosby and center line center Eugene Malkin to face. Don’t be surprised when Sullivan chooses to have Crosby take the ice when the chirpign P.K. Subban with the vastly underrated Mattias Ekholm complete their shifts — and that will help the superstar. Pittsburgh has been very tough when looking to redeem themselves from a disappointing effort. Not only have they won 21 of their last 29 games after a loss by at least three goals, but they have won 16 of their last 20 games after suffering two straight losses by at least three goals. The Penguins have also won 14 of their last 16 home games after a loss on the road by at least two goals.

Nashville (54-35-12) may suffer an emotional letdown after getting the opportunity to exhale in winning the last two games to even this series. The Predators have lost 12 of their last 18 games after a victory by at least three goals. Nashville enjoys an outstanding home ice advantage — but they have lost 5 of their last 7 games on the road. And in their last 15 road games after a win by at least two goals, the Predators have lost 12 of these games. This team is getting unexpected strong play from players like Frederick Gaudreau who has become the second player in NHL history to score their first three goals in their career in the Stanley Cup Finals. But these unsung heroes who have been required to step up giving injuries have not performed as well in hostile environments. And while Rinne was spectacular at home over the last two games, he allowed eight goals on just 36 shots on net in the two games in Pittsburgh in this series. Expect the Penguins to play their best game of this series on Thursday. 25* NHL Stanley Cup Finals A-List Special with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (10) versus the Nashville Predators (9). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (8) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (7). Nashville (54-35-12) made this a series on Saturday with their decisive 5-1 victory over the Penguins. The stakes remain sky-high for the Predators on Monday with the opportunity to even this series at 2-2. I expected this to be a long series before the puck dropped in Game One last Monday — and I have seen little to change that perspective despite Nashville losing the first two games of this series. As I argued in the Report on Nashville for Game Three:



The Penguins are scoring on 18.8% of their shots on net while the Predators are scoring on just 8.3% of their shots. Nashville is also peppering Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray with more shots as they hold a 64-39 edge in shots on net in this series. When including blocked shots and shots wide of the net to measure aggressiveness and pure chances, the Predators hold an 86-57 shot advantage at even strength for a 60.14% edge. Furthermore, 40 face-offs have taken place on Pittsburgh’s end of the ice as compared to the 28 face-offs behind Nashville’s blue line for a 60.6% edge for the Predators.



This dominance continued on Saturday with the Predators’ 33 to 28 advantage with shots on net translating to a four-goal victory. Pekka Rinne also redeemed himself between the pipes by stopping 27 of the 28 shots he faced — with that first goal being pretty shaky so he should leave that game with plenty of confidence. Rinne is now 8-1 at home in these playoffs with an outstanding 1.49 Goals-Against-Average and a .949 save percentage. The Predators enjoy a huge home ice advantage with one of the most animated crowds you will ever see — and they have now won 12 of their last 13 playoff games at home in Bridgestone Arena. Furthermore, Nashville has won 7 straight playoff games at home when trailing in a series. Additionally, the Predators have won 10 of their last 13 games after not allowing more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 30 games facing an opponent that allowed at least five goals in their last game, Nashville has won 22 of those games.

Pittsburgh (65-28-6) was flat and a bit slow on Saturday — so I fully expect them to bounce-back with much more energy in Game Four. But the Penguins still hold the 2-1 lead in this series so they do not face the same sense of urgency that the Predators still have to address. Additionally, Pittsburgh has lost 11 of their last 16 road games after facing a Western Conference opponent. The Penguins have also lost 21 of their last 33 road games after winning four or five of their last six games. And in their last 29 games when attempting to avenge a loss by at least two goals to their opponent, Pittsburgh has lost 17 of those games. 20* NHL Pittsburgh-Nashville Game Four Special with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (8) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (7). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (6) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (5). Pittsburgh (65-27-6) has seized a 2-0 lead in this series with their 4-1 victory on Wednesday. The defending champions are flexing their veteran muscles in this series by scoring at key times and taking advantage of a Predators team that has not responded well to adversity so far in these Finals. The Penguins broke Game Two open by scoring three goals in a 3:28 span in the 3rd period — eerily similar to their three-goal outburst in the a 4:11 stretch late in the 1st period in the opening game of this series. But besides those two moments, this Pittsburgh team has been outplayed. Check out some of the deeper metrics after two games in this series. The Penguins are scoring on 18.8% of their shots on net while the Predators are scoring on just 8.3% of their shots. Nashville is also peppering Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray with more shots as they hold a 64-39 edge in shots on net in this series. When including blocked shots and shots wide of the net to measure aggressiveness and pure chances, the Predators hold an 86-57 shot advantage at even strength for a 60.14% edge. Furthermore, 40 face-offs have taken place on Pittsburgh’s end of the ice as compared to the 28 face-offs behind Nashville’s blue line for a 60.6% edge for the Predators. The Penguins still lack a true number-one defenseman with Kris Letang out for these playoffs. They also may lose some of the big advantage they hold in this series down the middle with center Nick Bonino listed as questionable with a lower body injury.



Nashville (53-35-12) should receive the jolt they need by returning home to Bridgestone Arena where they enjoy a big advantage in front of a very energetic crowd. The Predators have won 7 of their 8 home games in these playoffs — and they have won 11 of their last 12 home playoff games going back to last postseason. Returning home should help goalie Pekka Rinne who has a 7-1 mark at home in these playoffs with a 1.54 Goals-Against-Average along with a .947 save percentage. Talk of replacing Rinne is both crazy and absurd — head coach Mike Laviolette would face a lifetime of regret if he benched Rinne now for an untested rookie in Juuse Saros and the Preds’ lost Game Three. Besides, Rinne is 3-0 with a 1.22 GAA and a .949 save percentage in his three Game Threes this postseason. Frankly, while Rinne has been off so far in these Finals, he needs more help from his defense. Expect the outstanding Nashville blue-line to take offense to all this Rinse-benching talk and come out on fire to defend their goalkeeper. P.K. Subban has guaranteed a victory on Saturday night — and while the guarantee means little to me, I love the confidence and message it sends. The Predators have won 6 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. 25* National Hockey League Game of the Year with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (6) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (4). Nashville (53-34-12) can take away plenty of confidence from their 5-3 loss on Monday in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Predators entered this game with a significant disadvantage in Finals experience with only Mike Fisher having played in a previous Cup Finals. The team was also battling rust having not played since closing out their series with Anaheim back on May 22nd. The team was playing fine for the first 15 minutes of the game before the wheels fell off. First, a goal by P.K. Subban was challenged and overturned with the ruling that the play started with Nashville being offsides. Then an ill-advised penalty helped to put the Penguins on a 5-on-3 man advantage which led to a Evgeni Malkin goal at the 15:32 mark. Then just over a minute later, Conor Sheary scored a second goal against a stunned Predators’ team. To then compound matters, Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm scored on Pekka Rinne himself off a deflection from Nick Bonino to produce  a 3-0 deficit with just 17 seconds left in the 1st period. But the Predators then completely dominated the game for the next 37 minutes over a stretch where they did not allow a single shot on net. They tied the game at 3-3 at the 13:29 mark of the 3rd period — but that goal allowed them to exhale and the Penguins scored the winning fourth goal a little over three minutes later on the stick of rookie Jake Guentzel. Nashville should play come out of the locker room much better with a Finals game under their belt. Rinne should also be much better tonight after allowing four goals in eleven shots on Monday. The dominance of the Predators’ elite blue line was evidence for almost two-thirds of that game. Moving forward, Nashville has won 25 of their last 36 games when looking to avenge a loss by more than one goal on the road. The Predators have also won 6 of their last 7 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Additionally, Nashville has won 7 of their last 9 games against an opponent that scored at least five goals in their last game. And in their 8 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice, the Predators have won 6 of these games.

Pittsburgh (64-27-6) should play better tonight knowing that they were thoroughly outplayed for much of Game One. But it might be hard for the defending champions to not let up their intensity just a bit with the knowledge that they managed to hold off the rallying Predators to win that contest. The Penguins have lost 5 of their last 7 games after a win. Pittsburgh has also lost 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game. And in their last 10 games against an opponent that allowed at least five goals in their last game, the Penguins have lost 9 of those contests. 10* NHL Stanley Cup Finals Side Special with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (4). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (59). Pittsburgh (62-26-6) flexed their muscles on Sunday with their 7-0 blowout victory over the Senators. The Penguins were able to take an early 2-0 lead in that game which compelled Ottawa to abandon their 1-3-1 zone system — and their attempt to get back in the game backfired as it opened up space for Pittsburgh to blow that game wide open. It was only a short five days ago where the evolving conventional wisdom was that the defending champions looked tired and beaten after falling behind by a 2-1 margin in this series after suffering a 5-1 loss to the Senators in their building. Now their winning this series seems to be a fait accompli. But that easy win on Sunday will make it very difficult for this team to maintain the same sense of urgency that has propelled them to win the last two games in this series. These Penguins are 2-3 in this postseason in games where they had the opportunity to close things out — and that included losing a similar Game Six situation against Washington last round. As it is, Pittsburgh has lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss. The Penguins have also lost 8 of their last 9 games against an opponent that allowed at least five goals in their last game.

Ottawa (54-36-6) easily won Game Three of this series last Wednesday due to a fast start in that contest. As we are seeing throughout these playoffs, getting off to a good start has been critical to success. Expect the Senators to come out on fire in this game. Ottawa has won 5 of their last 7 games after a loss by ate last three goals. The Senators ave also won 11 of their last 16 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Goalie Craig Anderson was pulled after allowing the first four goals in that game while defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Derick Brassard not playing in the 3rd period nursing injuries. All three will play tonight and should be ready to go after exiting Game Five when that game was out of reach. Ottawa has the opportunity to avenge a loss at home to the Penguins in Game Four of this series — and they have won 4 of their last 5 games on their home ice. Expect the Senators to send a strong message that this series is not quite over yet — and at a very nice underdog price to boot. 25* NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Special Feature with the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (59). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (14) versus the Anaheim Ducks (13). Nashville (52-33-12) has the  opportunity to close this series out tonight in six games after they pulled a 3-1 upset in Anaheim on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Predators return home where they have won 10 of their last 11 games in the playoffs. This team will be looking to avenge their 3-2 loss in overtime to the Ducks on Thursday which was their first loss at home this postseason. Both these teams are riddled with injuries — but they are two distinct areas of advantage that this Predators team enjoys. First, they have four elite players on the blue-line with Roman Joss and Ryan Ellis along with P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm with latter quietly becoming the best player in the group. These two lines helped limit a desperate Anaheim team to just three shots on net in the last 8:59 minutes of that game. The second big edge the Predators enjoy is between the pipes with Pekka Rinne. The goalie was spectacular on Saturday by stopping 32 of 33 shots. He entered this series with a sensational .959 save percentage at home in the playoffs for Nashville in his career. The Predators have now won 20 of their last 28 games at home. Nashville has also won 9 of their last 12 games after allowing two goals or less. Additionally, the Predators have won 22 of their last 33 games after a game where no more than four combined goals were scored. And in their last 28 games after playing two straight Unders, Nashville has won 20 of these games.

Anaheim (57-28-13) has been quite resilient this postseason responding to adversity after adversity — but blowing the urgent opportunity to take a 3-2 lead in this series may simply now be too much. The injury to forward Rickard Rakell really hurts this team that was already thin regarding scoring punches with Patrick Eaves already out. Rakell was the team’s third leading scorer this postseason with seven goals and thirteen total points. The team also lost goalie John Gibson on Saturday with a lower body injury. They now face the dilemma of playing a goalie not at 100% tonight or turning to Jonathan Bernier to make his first career start in the playoffs. Either way, the significant advantage goes to Rinne at this point. Lastly, the Ducks have lost 11 of their last 15 games when looking to avenge a two-goal loss at home to their opponent — and they have lost 17 of their last 23 games when looking to avenge a loss by more than one goals at home to their opponent and now playing in their arena. 25* NHL Monday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (14) versus the Anaheim Ducks (13). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (11) versus the Anaheim Ducks (12). Nashville (51-33-12) took a serious hit on Thursday with the season-ending injury to Ryan Johansen. The center was the team’s leading point scorer in these playoffs with three goals and ten assists. Frankly, I liked the Predators to win this series even while expecting the Ducks to win Game Four on Thursday as they did by a 3-2 score in overtime. I will be reassessing that conclusion with Johansen no longer available to this team. However, I do expect the urgency of the moment to motivate this Nashville team to come out very strong tonight. They were outshot by a 14-2 margin on Thursday in the 1st period so a better start was already going to be high on the agenda list for head coach Peter LaViolette. The Predators still have a dynamic goal scorer in Filip Forsberg who has scored four times while adding an assist in his last five games. The Predators’ strength remains their defense where they have two elite pairs in Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis along with P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm — and these four all can generate scoring opportunities for their team. Nashville also has the best goaltender remaining in these playoffs in Pekka Rinne. Two of the three goals he allowed on Thursday were deflections off his own players. Moving forward, the Predators have won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring two goals or less in their last game. Nashville has also won 15 of their last 18 games after scoring two goals or less in their last two games. And in their last 6 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice, the Predators have won 5 of these games.

Anaheim (57-27-13) is top-heavy with their forward lines with the Ryan Getzlaf group being their most dominant line — so the Johansen injury does not leave the Predators’ at a severe disadvantage when it comes to their scoring depth. The Ducks have played much better in this series — and in these playoffs — when playing from behind. The Johansen injury may take off a little bit of their edge that will need in this contest. Penalties have also been an issue as this team is committing way too many of them throughout this postseason. Anaheim committed four minor penalties in the last 7:20 on Thursday which gave the Predators the opportunity to force overtime. Nashville has outscored the Ducks by a 4-0 margin over the last two games — and their two goals in a 3rd period in which they dominated play was without Johansen which is a good harbinger regarding how they will play tonight. This Anaheim team seems to be tiring which explains their 3rd period lapses. The toll of playing every other day after their physically and emotionally grueling series with Edmonton seems to rearing its ugly head. Goalie John Gibson is certainly vulnerable to fatigue as well — he will be making his sixteenth straight start tonight after not making more than ten straight starts during the regular season. This 5th game should be a nail biter — making the value play with a Predators team that should come out smoking. 10* NHL Nashville-Anaheim NBC Special with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (11) versus the Anaheim Ducks (12). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (55) versus the Ottawa Senators (56). Pittsburgh (60-26-6) finds themselves down 2-1 in this series after their 5-1 blowout loss on Wednesday. Have the defending Champions hit the wall amidst a slew of injuries and a long run of games going back to their Stanley Cup run last season? There is a very large stack of losing tickets for those betting against Sidney Crosby and company. Game Three changed in the first 48 seconds when a Mike Hoffman shot was deflected twice before getting past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. That early deficit put the Penguins on their heels in the face of an aggressive Senators team fueled by a fired up home crowd. Ottawa then scored three goals in a span of 2:18 to find themselves with a 4-0 lead after the first 12:52 of that game — and that contest was all but over with the Senators willingness to sink into their 1-3-1 zone (that became a 1-4 and even 0-5 formation). I am willing to chalk this game up to Pittsburgh catching a bad break early, then getting overwhelmed and then packing it in to prepare for this game. Remember, a victory tonight and the Penguins return home with home ice advantage once again. This is a team that has won 20 of their last 27 games after a loss by at least three goals. Pittsburgh has also won a decisive 40 of their alt 59 games after allowing at least five goals in their last contest — and that includes winning thirteen of these last sixteen situations. Furthermore, the Penguins have won 39 of their last 53 games when failing to score more than two goals. And while Pittsburgh has lost four of their last six games — although one of those wins was on the road in their decisive Game Seven with Washington back on May 10th, they have then won 8 straight games after losing four or five of their last six games. Admittedly, this team remains saddled with injuries (as they were against the Capitals) — but they did get back a key piece in defenseman Trevor Daley on Wednesday. And they still have Crosby along with Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin — and don’t be surprised if it Malkin tonight that steps up with a big game.

Ottawa (54-34-6) was able to sit back in their 1-3-1 zone after seizing the big early lead on Wednesday. But remember that this Senators team was being criticized after Game Two for being too passive in their 1-0 loss to the Penguins in Game Two of this series. The New York Rangers solved that neutral zone defensive posture last round — they outscored Ottawa despite losing that series in six games. The Senators have lost 5 straight games at home after a victory by at least three goals. Ottawa has also lost 9 of their last 11 home games after not allowing more than two goals in two straight games. And in their last 10 home games after winning four of their last five contests, they have then lost 8 of these games. 25* NHL Friday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (55) versus the Ottawa Senators (56). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (9) versus the Nashville Predators (10). Anaheim (56-27-13) did not bring their A-Game on Tuesday in their 2-1 loss to the Predators. Said coach Randy Carlyle afterwards: “I thought our hockey club was flat with emotion.” That was to be expected after this team tied this series at 1-1 on Sunday after just surviving their seven-game series with Edmonton a few days earlier. We had a big play on the Predators in that game — but it is appropriate for us to zig-zag tonight and take the money-line underdogs in the Ducks. Frankly, Anaheim cannot play much worse than they did. Their 20 shots on net were doubled by Nashville. Ryan Kesler won only 41% of his face-offs while the team won just 44% of the 63 face-offs in that contest which was their worst mark since Game Four of their opening round series with Calgary. Center Ryan Getzlaf was held pointless for the second time in this series. And yet, this team had the opportunity to force overtime late in this game. Expect a much better effort from this Ducks team that has won 13 of their last 20 games on the road when trailing in a playoff series. Anaheim has also won 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. Furthermore, the Ducks have won 28 of their last 40 games after a loss.

Nashville (51-32-12) has now won ten straight games at home in the playoffs. However, remember that the last team to defeat the Predators in the playoffs in their Bridgestone Arena were these Ducks who won the opening two games of their first round playoff series last year. Nashville has peppered Gibson with at least 33 shots in each of the three games in this series — but they have then lost 6 straight home games after attempting at least 33 shots on net in each of their last three games.The value play here is with the Ducks who have won 14 of their last 19 games when avenging a one-goal loss to their opponents — and that includes winning eight of eleven of those revenge situations when playing on the road. 10* NHL Thursday Daily Discounted Deal with the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (9) versus the Nashville Predators (10). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (53) versus the Ottawa Senators (54). Pittsburgh (60-25-6) tied this series at 1-1 on Monday with their 1-0 victory over the Senators. But this team did receive bad news with the shoulder injury to defenseman Justin Schultz who is questionable tonight for a depleted blue line already missing Kris Letang and Trevor Daley. Say one thing about the Penguins’ roster: while they lack an elite defenseman after losing Letang, general manager Jimmy Rutherford has done a great job in assembling depth. They will likely turn to the 39-year old Mark Streit to replace Schultz who was acquired prior to the trade deadline. Streit was playing 20 minutes per game with the Flyers this season and the lack of physicality in this series will be help the veteran be successful in this season. The injuries on defense which also includes Bryan Rust and also forward Patric Hornqvist being questionable tonight along with this team playing in a hostile arena should ensure the focus of the defending champions. This team plays at their best when facing adversity. And while much of the attention in Game Two regarding the chirping between teammates Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, that helped Sidney Crosby quietly play a great game where he won 67% of the 21 face-offs he took part in. Crosby remains the best player in the world with Malkin firmly still in the top-ten — so the Pens’ injuries are worthy of note certainly not overwhelming. Furthermore, remember that it was Game Three where the Rangers’ learning curve caught up last round and they figured out the Senators’ tricky 1-3-1 trapping zone. As it is, Pittsburgh has won 19 of their last 26 games after scoring two goals or less in their last game. The Penguins have also won 7 of their last 10 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. And in their last 21 playoff games where they were tied in the series, Pittsburgh has won 15 times.

Ottawa (53-34-6) has beaten Marc-Andre Fleury only twice in this series — and they went through a brutal 18:53 minute stretch between the second and third periods where they did not register a shot on net. Now after playing the first two games in Pittsburgh they are return home — but they have then lost 14 of their last 19 games after playing their last two games on the road. The Senators have also lost 6 straight home games after allowing no more than two goals in their last two games. 25* NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Game of the Year with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (53) versus the Ottawa Senators (54). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the Anaheim Ducks (9). Nashville (50-32-12) blew two leads on Sunday — an early 2-0 lead in the 1st period and then a 3-2 lead midway in the 2nd period — in their 5-3 loss to the Ducks that evened this series at 1-1. Goalie Pekka Rinne was not sharp in that contest by allowing four goals on 26 shots (Anaheim’s last goal was a late empty-netter). But Rinne had allowed just sixteen goals in the previous twelve playoffs games this postseason and entered this series with a .951 save percentage which is the best mark for all net minders in the playoffs. Rinne also sports an impressive .953 save percentage in this postseason with medium danger shots entering this series. He should play better at home where he enjoys a .959 save percentage on the 147 shots he has faced this post ease. The Predators enjoy a significant home ice advantage at home in the raucous Bridgestone Arena where they have won nine straight postseason games including all five in these playoffs. Nashville has won 19 of their last 26 games at home. The Predators have also won 5 of their last 6 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. And in their last 34 opportunities to avenge a loss by two goals to their opponent, Nashville has won 24 of those games.

Anaheim (56-26-13) scored five goals despite only peppering Rinne for 26 shots. The five goals they scored on Sunday matches the five combined goals they had managed in their three previous games. The fact is that the scoring for this team gets thin after their top forward line that features Ryan Getzlaf. The team missed winger Patrick Eaves who continues to be out with a lower body injury. Winger Corey Perry is showing his age and is not nearly as potent as he was a few years ago when he joined Getzlaf and head coach Randy Carlyle in their Stanley Cup run in 2007. The option to make the last shift change back at home will give head coach Peter LaViolette a significant advantage. He will likely choose to have his defensive pair of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis be on the ice to slow down Getzlaf’s line which will free up the P.K. Subban-Mattias Ekholm line to be more aggressive on offense against the Ryan Kesler line which is more defensive in nature. Laviolette may also opt to have his top center Ryan Johansen avoid the former Selke Trophy winner in Kesler who has been rather chippy this series — although the numbers say that Johansen is get the better of Kesler in the first two games of this series. Lastly, goalie John Gibson was not nearly as effective on the road during the regular season where he had a 2.53 Goals-Against-Average and .913 save percentage as compared to his fantastic 1.94 GAA and .934 save percentage when at home. 25* NHL Tuesday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the Anaheim Ducks (9). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Nashville Predators (5). Anaheim (55-26-13) finds themselves in a crucial situation having dropped the opening game of this series on Friday with their 3-2 loss in overtime. The Ducks had to overcome an 0-2 deficit in their previous playoff series with the Oilers — and that took a tense-filled seventh game. Anaheim will also remember losing their first two games at home last season in their opening round series with these Predators — and they ended up losing that series in seven games. These struggles at home in the Honda Center in the playoffs is a bit of a surprise when considering that they were a dominant 29-8-4 at home this season. The Ducks have won 15 of their last 20 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. Look for Anaheim to bounce-back with a big win tonight. They have won 27 of their last 39 games after a loss. The Ducks have also won 26 of their last 42 games when playing with revenge. And in their last 20 home gamers when playing their 3rd game in five days as they are here, they have won 16 of these contests. Furthermore, Anaheim has won 5 of their last 6 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last contest.

Nashville (50-31-12) has lost 14 of their last 20 games after a win on the road. The Predators were not a good team away from home during the regular season as they were just 17-20-4 overall. This team did benefit from a fast start on Friday where they outshot the Ducks by a 15-4 margin. As I suspected in taking Nashville in that game, Anaheim started slow after surviving that emotionally-charged seven-game series with the Oilers. Lastly, while the Predators have won nine of their last eleven games, they have then lost 20 of their last 27 road games after winning six or seven of their last eight games. 25* NHL Western Conference Playoff Game of the Year with the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Nashville Predators (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:00 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Anaheim Ducks (4). Anaheim (55-25-13) got a big monkey off their backs on Wednesday when they erased a four-year streak where they lost a Game Seven in the playoffs on their home ice by from a 1-0 deficit to seize a 2-1 victory over Edmonton to advance to the Western Conference Finals. This was a very emotional series for the Ducks after losing the first two games at home and then getting blown out by a 7-1 score in Game Six when having the opportunity to close out that series. Expect a big emotional letdown for this team — especially when playing with only one day of rest. There are some areas of concern for this team moving forward. The injury to winger Patrick Eaves who missed the last four games of that series leaves this team a bit light with their forward lines. Eaves is still listed as questionable with a lower body injury which is the same status of defenseman Kevin Bielska who is dealing with an undisclosed lower body injury. Head coach Randy Carlyle rolls with four defensive lines which speaks to both the team’s lack of superstars on the blue-line as well as their lack of wiggle room regarding depth. Special teams are also a grave concern for this team. They have converted only 5 of their 36 Power Play opportunities for a measly 13.9% success rate. Even worse, the Ducks have allowed 13 goals in the 42 Power Plays they have allowed their opponents to enjoy for a lowly 69% success rate. To compound matters, goalie John Gibson had just an .895 save percentage in that seven-game series with the Oilers.

Nashville (49-31-12) closed out their six-game series with St. Louis by winning three of their last four games with their 3-1 victory last Sunday. The extra days off certainly give the Predators an advantage here. Nashville has won 8 of their last 9 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. The Predators have also won 9 of their last 11 games after playing two straight games where no more than four combined goals were scored (which was the case in the last four games of that series). Nashville enters this series with significant advantages with special teams and between the pipes. Pekka Rinne has an outstanding 1.37 Goals-Against-Average with a sensational .951 save percentage in these playoffs. The Preds are converting on a solid 20% of their 20 Power Play opportunities in these playoffs while sporting a super 87.5% Power Play Kill in the 24 situations where they have been at a man disadvantage. Nashville has the best two defensive pairs in the NHL with Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi along with P.K. Subbing and Mattias Ekholm. That group has helped the Predators win 4 straight road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. 20* NHL Nashville-Anaheim NBC-Sports Special with money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Anaheim Ducks (4). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (10) versus the Edmonton Oilers (9). Anaheim (54-2-513) faces the gauntlet yet once again this season with this being the fifth straight season in which they will be hosting a climactic Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on their home ice. The Ducks lost those first four opportunities — and that is one of the reasons that Bruce Boudreau was fired in the offseason and the franchise brought back Randy Carlyle who had previously coached the team for seven seasons which included a successful Stanley Cup run in 2007. Carlyle commented about those past setbacks as completely different because he was not in charge — and while he lacks the analytics that Bourdreau brought to the table, his strength os the mental aspects of the game for situations just like this. And if there was any chance that the Ducks would be overconfident being on their home ice for this game, that was erased on Sunday when the Oilers embarrassed them in Game Six by a 7-1 score. Expect Anaheim to come out very focused tonight. The Ducks have won 12 of their last 15 games after a loss by at least two goals — and they have won 9 of their last 10 games after a loss by at least three goals. Additionally, Anaheim has won 11 of their last 13 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game — and they have won 6 straight games after allowing at least six goals. Furthermore, the Ducks have won 17 of their last 21 games when playing with two days of rest. And in their last 9 home games against teams with a winning record on the road, the Ducks have won 7 of these games. The vast playoff experience of this team — including those four disappointments at home in those previous Game Sevens — give them a big advantage in this contest.

Edmonton (53-32-4) is playing in their first playoffs since 2006 — and this will be the first decisive seventh game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the young core of this team. The Oilers remain a team that has lost 89 of their last 119 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. Additionally, Edmonton has lost 6 of their last 7 games when playing with two days of rest. And while the Oilers raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first period on Sunday, the blank slate that this game offers may contribute to a slower start for this team tonight — which will not bode well when playing in a hostile environment. 25* NHL Wednesday Night Special Feature with the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (10) versus the Edmonton Oilers (9). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (1) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (2). Pittsburgh (58-23-6) blew a 2-1 lead on Saturday by surrendering three goals — with the last two occurring in the span of 27 game seconds — to lose by a 4-2 score. Now the Penguins return home with another opportunity to close this series out. But playing at home in these situations can be challenging given the pressure felt in front of their home fans. Pittsburgh is the small money line favorite — but they have lost 16 of their last 27 games when looking to avenge a loss by at least two goals to their opponents. While Sidney Crosby is back on the ice for this team after playing on Saturday, injures are begging to take their toll on this team. Defenseman Trevor Daley has been declared out for this game with a lower body injury — and the Penguins were already playing this postseason without their top defenseman Kris Letang who is dealing with a herniated disc. Daley is probably the team’s best blue line player after Letang — so their absences are a very tough pill to swallow. And remember that this team is also playing without goalie Matt Murray who suffered an injury in the warmups of Pittsburgh’s opening game with Columbus this postseason and has not played a moment in these playoffs. Murray was critical in the team’s Stanley Cup run last season after winning the job from Marc Andre-Fleury who has been between the pipes in these playoffs.

Washington (60-25-8) has won 38 of their last 56 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. The Capitals have also won 40 of their last 52 games when playing with one day of rest. And in their last 12 games on the road, Washington has won 9 of these games. Washington showed grit by rallying with three goals in the 3rd period to keep this series alive. They have out-shot the Penguins by a 34.8-23 average margin in this series. Look for the reigning President Trophy winners to continue to play with the same determination tonight that they showed in the 3rd period on Saturday as they look to shake monkey of past playoff disappointments off their back. 20* NHL Washington-Pittsburgh NBC-Sports Special with the money-line on the Washington Capitals (1) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (2). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Edmonton Oilers (66) versus the Anaheim Ducks (65). Edmonton (53-31-4) suffered a historic collapse on Friday by allowing three goals in the last 3:16 of Game Five of this series to force overtime — and the Ducks scored the winning goal in double overtime to win the game by a 4-3 score and seize a 3-2 lead in this series. The Oilers have now lost three straight games in this series — but there are a few reasons to expect this young Edmonton team show resiliency tonight. Remember, Edmonton bounced-back from a devastating 7-0 blowout loss to San Jose last round before rebounding with a 4-3 victory. And these Oilers showed resolve by withstanding the Anaheim momentum by playing them to a draw in the first extra period of overtime. There is no denying the talent on this team — and they have a veteran head coach in Todd McClellan who can help steer them through this situation. After dealing the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd with huge expectations on their shoulder, the home fans should help pick this team up tonight as they look to force a climactic Game Seven. As it is, Edmonton has won 11 of their last 14 games on their home ice. The Oilers have also won 12 of their last 16 games after losing three of their last four contests. And while Edmonton lost Game Three of this series by a 6-3 score before losing Game Four by a 4-3 result, there are reasons for optimism. The Oilers have then won 20 of their last 31 home games when looking to avenge two straight losses to their opponent where they allowed at least three goals in both games. Edmonton has won 6 of their last 7 home games after allowing at least four goals in two straight games. And in their last 21 games after playing at least two straight Overs, the Oilers have won 16 of these games.

Anaheim (53-25-13) was flat and complacent for most of Game Five before responding to the sense of urgency of the moment after pulling their goalie to pull off that improbable comeback. Now after having won three straight games in this series with the last being in such a dramatic fashion, it is highly likely that complacency will rear its ugly head again tonight. The team is still likely to be without winger Patrick Eaves who is questionable with a lower body injury. That means that Corey Perry will likely take his spot again on the top line. And while Perry’s long-time alliance with center Ryan Getzlaf paid dividends in double-overtime with Perry scoring the winning goal, it leaves this Ducks team rather thin at forward after their top line. Lastly, Anaheim has lost 46 of their last 69 road games coming off a victory at home against a divisional rival. 25* NHL Pacific Division Game of the Year with the money-line on the Edmonton Oilers (66) versus the Anaheim Ducks (65). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:05 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the New York Rangers (59). Ottawa (50-33-6) was thoroughly outplayed for the second straight time in this series on Thursday in their second straight 4-1 loss to the Rangers. Expect the Senators to play one of their best games of the postseason in the face of this adversity. Ottawa has won 13 of their last 19 games after a loss by at least three goals. The Senators have also won 11 of their last 13 games when looking to avenge two straight losses against their opponent who won both those games by more than one goal. Ottawa has also won 7 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than one goal in two straight games. The team did receive some good news with the Erik Karlsson being cleared to play this afternoon after he missed the entire 3rd period on Thursday with his bum left foot. Returning home will certainly help this team as they have won 6 of their last 8 games on home ice — and they have won 9 of their last 12 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. And in their last 8 games played with one day of rest, the Senators have won 6 of these games.

New York (54-33-8) looks due for a letdown after playing two dominant games. The Rangers have lost 9 of their last 12 road games allowing no more than two goals in two straight games. New York has also lost 7 of their last 9 road games against teams with a winning record at home. And in their last 10 games against an opponent that did not score more than two goals in their last game, the Rangers have lost 7 of those contests. 20* NHL NY Rangers-Ottawa NBC Special with the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the New York Rangers (59). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:35 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Edmonton Oilers (5). Anaheim (52-25-13) has rallied from being down 0-2 in this series by winning two straight games on the road in Edmonton to even things at 2-2 with their 4-3 win in overtime on Wednesday. Look for the Ducks to build off their momentum as they have won 13 of their last 16 games after a win. Anaheim has also won 24 of their last 34 games after a win on the road where they scored at least four goals. Additionally, the Ducks have won 16 of their last 23 games after a game where at least seven combined goals were scored. Look for Anaheim to step up on their home ice tonight after dropping the first two games of this series at home after finishing the regular season with a sparkling 29-8-4 mark in front of their home fans. The Ducks have also won 12 of their last 16 games at home against teams with a winning record on the road.

Edmonton (53-30-4) is letting their playoff inexperience show after blowing that 2-0 lead in this series. The Oilers remain a franchise that has lost 88 of their last 118 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. And in their last 68 opportunities to avenge a one goal loss against their opponent, Edmonton has lost 47 of those games. The price for being out of the playoffs from the 2007-2016 seasons is starting to show for this team. 20* NHL Edmonton-Anaheim NBC-Sports Special with the money-line on the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Edmonton Oilers (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Nashville Predators (5). St. Louis (50-33-7) outplayed the Predators in most areas in Game Four of this series on Tuesday but still fell short by a 2-1 score to fall behind by a 3-1 margin in this series. The Blues outshot Nashville for the first time in this series by a 33-25 margin while amping up their physical play and winning 53% of the face-offs in a game that remained scoreless entering the 3rd period. Now St. Louis returns home after playing the last two games on the Predators’ home ice — and they have won 20 of their last 26 home games after playing their last two games on the road. The Blues have also won a decisive 69 of their last 99 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. Remember, this was a team that was 21-8-2 in the regular season when Mike Yeo was elevated to head coach for Ken Hitchcock — and that was the best record in the entire league during that span. They easily took care of Minnesota in five games in the opening round of this series. This is a good hockey team. Moving forward, St. Louis has won 39 of their last 58 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 25 games after not allowing more than two goals, the Blues have won 17 of these contests.

Nashville (48-30-2) will be feeling some pressure tonight considering that the franchise has never had a team reach the Western Conference Finals. This is also a team that was just 17-20-4 on the road this season which was the worst mark away from home of any of the sixteen playoff teams. The Predators have lost 18 of their last 27 road games after a win or tie in their last game. And while this Nashville team has won six of their seven playoff games this postseason, they have then lost 19 of their last 25 road games after winning six or seven of their last eight games. Lastly, the home team has won 8 of the last 10 meetings between these two teams. 25* NHL Central Division Game of the Year with the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Nashville Predators (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:30 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (13) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (14). Washington (58-24-8) is in a desperation situation having lost the first two games in this series after a 6-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday. Expect the Capitals to play their best game in the playoffs tonight. Washington has won 19 of their last 26 games after a loss by at least three goals — and they have won 5 of their last 6 games after a loss at home by at least three goals. The Capitals have also won 11 of their last 12 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Furthermore, Washington has won 20 of their last 25 games after a game where at least eight combined goals were scored. And in their last 28 road games when playing with double-revenge against their opponent, the Capitals have won 20 of these contests. Goalie Braden Holtby should have much to prove in this contest after being pulled in Game Two after allowing three goals on fourteen shots. Holtby had a fantastic regular season and entered this series with a superb .936 save percentage in his career playoff contests so he should bounce-back. Additionally, the Capitals have won 5 of their last 6 games on the road — and they have won 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with a winning record at home.

Pittsburgh (57-21-6) has lost 7 of their last 8 games against an opponent that allowed at least five goals in their last game. The Penguins may be up 2-0 in this series but they have some injury issues tonight. Patrick Hornqvist, Carl Hagelin and Brian Dumoulin are all listed as questionable for Game Three — and they are missing their top defenseman in Kris Letang for the entire playoffs. Despite the final scores, the Penguins have been outplayed for much of Game One and Game Two. The Capitals outshot the Penguins by a 36-24 margin in Game Two — and Pittsburgh was outshot in four of five games in the opening round of the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury has a sizzling .944 save percentage in this series — but he did allow nine goals in a two-game span in the opening round of the playoffs against Columbus. Expect Washington to make this a competitive series tonight. 10* NHL Washington-Pittsburgh NBC-Sports Special with the money-line money-line on the Washington Capitals (13) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (14). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money line on the Anaheim Ducks (11) versus the Edmonton Oilers (12). Anaheim (50-25-13) will be playing with desperation down 0-2 in this series and being on the road after their 2-1 loss to the Oilers on Friday. The Ducks outshot Edmonton in that game by a 40-23 margin — and they have outshot them in this series by a decisive 76-55 margin. Their sense of urgency along with their vast playoff experience make them the nice value play tonight. Anaheim entered this postseason with 18 wins which was the second most of any team in the Western Conference. The Ducks have rebounded to win 14 of their last 18 road games after a loss by one goal. Anaheim has also won 6 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two goals. And in their last 5 games after allowing two goals or less, they have won 4 of these games. Moving forward, the Ducks have still won 12 of their last 15 games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 7 games on the road, Anaheim has won 5 of these games.

Edmonton (53-28-4) returns home for the first time since April 20th — and they have lost 21 of their last 27 home games after being on the road for at least seven days. This Oilers team may discover the old adage that sometimes playing at home during the playoffs can be more challenging than expected. Not only does this team have to deal with distractions of their family and friends but they also will be feeling the pressure of not disappointing their home crowd. Because hockey is such a fast sport, home teams enjoy less of an advantage in relation to crowd noise and encouragement. Remember, this is the first playoff experience for this team this postseason since 2006. And this is a team that scored only 2.0 Goals-Per-Game in the opening round of the playoffs. And despite the hype around Connor McDavid, he is managed only one assist so far in this series. 10* NHL Anaheim-Edmonton NBC-Sports Special with the money line on the Anaheim Ducks (11) versus the Edmonton Oilers (12). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the St. Louis Blues (9). Nashville (50-31-7) had a 2-1 lead in the 3rd period on Friday but allowed two goals late in that game to lose by 3-2 score to lose their first game in the postseason. The Predators have won 4 of their last 5 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Now Nashville returns home where they scored seven times in their two victories last round in their four-game sweep of the Blackhawks. The Predators have won 7 of their last 9 games at home — and they have won 19 of their last 26 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. This Nashville team has also won 5 of the last 6 games against teams with a winning record.

St. Louis (50-31-7) enters this game having won five straight games on the road. The Blues have taken off on offense by scoring six goals already in this series — but they managed only eleven goals in their five-game series against the Wild in the first round of the playoffs with three of those goals coming from a defenseman and another being an empty-netter. Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk had a 1.86 Goals-Against-Average and a .925 save percentage in that series despite losing in five games. The challenge to face Pekka Rinne will only increase when facing him and this Predators’ defense on their home ice. Rinne had a 2.23 GAA along with a .920 save percentage at home this season. In their four-game sweep of Chicago in the first-round of the playoffs, Rinne had a 0.70 GAA along with a .976 save percentage. And while Jake Allen had a .915 save percentage during the regular season, Nashville has won 13 of their last 17 games in the second half of the season against teams using a goalie with a .915 or better save percentage during the regular season. 20* NHL St. Louis-Nashville NBS Special with money line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the St. Louis Blues (9). Best of luck for us — Frank.