The Blue Jackets are better than the Penguins, who have lost their last two games, and are in a better scheduling spot. The price is right to back Columbus.

While Pittsburgh is playing for the fourth time in seven days, the Blue Jackets haven't played since Saturday.  That's five full days.

But don't think it has been all rest for the Blue Jackets. Columbus opened with a victory against the Sabres. But then the Blue Jackets lost last Saturday's game at home to Utah, 4-1.

That defeat did not sit well with Columbus' hard-nose old school coach Rick Bowness. He cancelled scheduled days off in favor of practice. So I expect the Blue Jackets to not only be rested, but ready and motivated for this matchup.

Not expected back until November following August back surgery, Brad Marchand returned to Florida's lineup this past Sunday scoring a goal.

This points to the Panthers' urgency following consecutive overtime losses to the Ducks and Sharks. The prideful Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup just two seasons ago, but failed to make the playoffs last season.

Marchand is still a highly effective player at 38 after putting up 54 points in 52 games last season. He is on a line with Brady Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart. This line and the Panthers should have success going against the Kings, who are the worst defensive team in the NHL right now.

LA is giving up the most goals per game at 6.5 and also is last in penalty killing. The Kings' defensemen are slow and their goaltending is weak.

The Panthers have defeated the Kings during the past three meetings. 

Carolina and Las Vegas are very closely matched. The Hurricanes, though, have broken through to win the last two games to go up 3-2 in these Stanley Cup finals.

The Golden Knights have not lost three consecutive games since March. They are 11-3 in their last 14 home games.

Las Vegas has proven itself to be highly resilient since John Tortorella took over late in the season. I trust Tortorella to make the right adjustments having had three days of preparation.

These adjustments include halting a Carolina power play that has become highly effective, going 6-for-12 since Game 2, and also keeping 37-year-old Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal away from the crease. Staal has scored six goals in this series,  getting at least one goal in each of the five games. Staal is still a highly effective player, but he should not be nearly this dominant. 

These tasks are made easier because the Golden Knights are home at T-Mobile Arena in must-win mode and the Hurricanes' momentum could be stalled since the teams haven't played since Thursday. 

Perhaps it was overconfidence. But the Golden Knights now have a healthy respect for the Mammoth following Utah's 4-2 home win this past Friday.

That was Utah's first-ever NHL playoff home game. The team was up for it. The fans were up for it.

Now, though, the Golden Knights know what to expect. They are the superior team with much more playoff experience. Yet they now find themselves down 2-1 in this first-round playoff series. 

Las Vegas coach John Tortorella has used this extra preparation time to make a number of adjustments, including propping up the Golden Knights' power play unit.

Tortorella led the Vegas Golden Knights to a 7-0-1 record in their final eight games of the regular season after taking over as head coach. This dominant finish helped the Golden Knights win the Pacific Division.  

I trust Tortorella. I trust the Golden Knights in this crucial game.

Despite a depleted blue line and not getting a single point from Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux, the Senators still have played the Hurricanes tough in this first round series.

Carolina is up 2-0 in the series winning the opener, 2-0, and then getting past Ottawa, 3-2, in double overtime this past Monday.

So what changes in this Game 3?

Several key things. The first being is the scene now shifts to Ottawa where the Senators have won their last four home games all by multiple goals. This includes a 6-3 victory against the Hurricanes on April 5.

Not only do the Senators now get to play in front of their home crowd, but they get the last line change. This is an especially important edge given the matchup in this series.

Also defenseman Tyler Kleven is expected to play for the first time since he suffered a jaw injury against the Sabres on April 2. Kleven's return would be a huge boost to Ottawa's blue line.

Another plus for Ottawa has been the outstanding goaltending of Linus Ullmark.

Money is coming in on St Louis. It is understandable. Utah clinched the first wild card spot in the Western Conference with a 5–3 win against Winnipeg this past Tuesday. The Mammoth are set to face Las Vegas in the first round of the playoffs. That is the game Utah is focusing on.

That renders this matchup meaningless for the Mammoth. Not only could the Mammoth be holding out key players, but their goal is to avoid injury.

The Blues would like to finish their season on a hot streak. They have won their last three games, averaging six goals a game during this winning streak. 

Colorado has been the best team in the NHL. But the Avalanche are only 8-7 in their last 15 games and have little incentive here against the Oilers having already clinched the Central Division and the NHL’s top overall seed.

The most important thing for the Avalanche right now is getting healthy. Star defenseman Cale Makar is out with an upper-body injury. Another defenseman, Josh Manson, may not play because of an upper body injury suffered in the Avalanches' last game.

Colorado also will be without its coach, Jared Bednar. He did not make the trip after suffering facial fractures and a corneal abrasion from being struck on the right cheek with a puck during the Avalanches' 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights this past Saturday night in Denver.

The Oilers are banged up too, but need this game being one point out of the Pacific Division lead. Edmonton is coming off a frustrating, 1-0, road lost to the Kings this past Saturday. Prior to that game, the Oilers had won six of their last eight games. 

The Kraken are not playing well just 3-10 in their last 13 games, including 1-6 during their past seven games.

Now Seattle faces a tough scheduling spot against the superior Mammoth, a team ahead of them by seven points. The Kraken have only been back home for one day following a six-game, 13-day road trip that concluded this past Tuesday with a 3-0 loss to the Oilers.

Utah, on the other hand, has been idle for the past four days since cruising past the Kings in Los Angeles, 6-2, this past Saturday. That was the Mammoth's third straight road victory. They shut out the Golden Knights, 4-0, and beat Dallas, 6-3, in their two previous away wins.

The Mammoth have scored at least four goals in five of their last seven games while Seattle has scored two or fewer goals in five of its last seven games.

After winning five straight road games beating the Hurricanes, Ducks, Sharks, Kraken and Wild, the Blues have lost a pair of one goal games to the Flames in a shootout and Jets during their current road trip that ends today. St. Louis can not take a loss to the Canucks in a tight Western Conference wild card race.

The Blues have given themselves a chance at the postseason by winning seven of 11 games since the Olympic break.

Vancouver is 5-25 in its last 30 games. The Canucks are the worst team in the NHL with 50 points. That is 13 points fewer than the next worst team.

St. Louis has a rest advantage, too. The Blues last played on Wednesday while the Canucks lost to Tampa Bay at home on Thursday. This is a rare early start home game for Vancouver giving the Canucks even less rest time.

Credit to the Blues who have gone 7-3 since the Olympic break to keep their playoff hopes alive. But St. Louis is in must-win territory here after a 3-2 loss to the Jets this past Sunday.

Look for that to happen. Not only are the Blues the better team right now, but they have a major scheduling advantage.

Calgary has not been home in 11 days. The Flames just got through finishing a five-game road trip that concluded with a 5-2 loss at Detroit this past Monday. This will be the Flames' sixth game in 10 days.

The Flames can't afford this kind of shoddy defense as they are the lowest scoring team in the NHL. Calgary also is second-to-last in power play goals. They haven't scored a goal with a man advantage in their last five games and nine of their last 11. 

The Flames have permitted an average of 4.6 goals game during their last eight games. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games. 

 Free Wednesday Play Stars at Avalanche Over 6 minus $1.20  It is rare for both the Stars and Avalanche to each come off a bad loss. But that is the case as the two square off today with each following an embarrassing defeat.

Dallas lost to Utah, 6-3, at home this past Monday. Colorado was humiliated at home by the Penguins, 7-2, also this past Monday.

I expect both teams to be fired up here. The Stars have produced three or more goals in 15 of their last 16 games. They are sixth in scoring and have the league's second-best power play. The Over is 6-2 in Dallas' last eight games.

Colorado leads the NHL in scoring at 3.7 goals a game and also is first on shots on goal. The Avalanche have surrendered a combined 10 goals in their last two games, losses to the Penguins and Jets. Neither Colorado goalie, Scott Wedgewood nor  Mackenzie Blackwood, has been sharp lately. 

Boston has a losing road record. But when it comes to home games, the Bruins are near invincible. They have won 12 straight at TD Garden. They are 24-8-1 at home this season.

The Bruins not only have a strong home ice advantage here, but also are the more rested team. Boston was idle on Monday while the Kings upset the Blue Jackets in overtime on the road yesterday.

This marks the Kings' fourth game in six days and eighth in 14 days. The last time LA played without rest was on Feb. 26 hosting Edmonton. The Oilers destroyed the Kings, 8-1, in that game. It was the fourth consecutive time the Kings have lost when playing on the second of back-to-back games.

The Kings are more offensive-minded and less deliberate under interim coach D.J. Smith. However, this has made the Kings more vulnerable on defense. LA is allowing an average of 4.6 goals per game in their last eight games. Boston is a top 10 scoring team with the league's fifth-best power play.

The Blue Jackets' Rick Bowness should draw Coach of the Year consideration. Since he replaced Dean Evason on Jan. 12, Columbus has gone 13-4 and has a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season.

Morale and confidence are high for the Blue Jackets. The same can't be said for the Kings, who are 1-2 since D.J. Smith replaced Jim Hiller as coach.

The Kings are 2-7 in their last nine games. They are averaging 2.2 goals in regulation during their past 11 games. LA is putting more emphasis on attacking and offense under Smith. This has come at the expense of defense.

LA blew a 3-2 lead with six minutes left against the visiting Canadiens this past Saturday in a 4-3 loss. The Kings have been home for six consecutive games following the Olympic break. This is their first road game since Feb. 5 and it comes with an afternoon start. Columbus has been home for the last week.

There are reasons why Minnesota opened as a road favored against Las Vegas. The most simple one is the Wild are the better team, They are 36-16-10. Las Vegas is 29-19-14.

The Golden Knights have a key injury. Their captain, Mark Stone, is out with an upper body injury. Stone has been the Golden Knights’ most important player with 60 points in 43 games.

Minnesota has received excellent goaltending. The Golden Knights haven't. Their defense has slipped. Las Vegas ranks 17th defensively allowing 3.1 goals a game. That average goes up to 3.6 goals per game during the past five games.

The situation lays out well for Minnesota, too, here. This is Las Vegas' first home game in a month. The Golden Knights just returned from a five-game, eight-day road trip. Las Vegas would be riding a four-game losing streak if not for a come-from-behind overtime win against the Red Wings in their last game. Despite that, Las Vegas has scored only seven goals in its last four games.

The Wild are off a 5-1 home win against Tampa Bay this past Wednesday.

Minnesota is 2-0 versus Las Vegas this season winning, 3-2 in overtime, at home and 5-2 on the road. Goalie Filip Gustavsson went 2-0 in those games with a 1.93 GAA and .902 SV%. Gustavsson is projected to be in net today.

Boston has dominated Nashville recently at Bridgestone Arena beating the Predators four of the past five times there. I like the Bruins to do it again today.

The Predators have lost three in a row. They are carrying a much higher fatigue rating than Boston in action for the fifth time in eight days. The Bruins are playing for the second time in five days.

Nashville ranks 29th offensively and could be without its points leader, Ryan O’Reilly. He left the Predators' Tuesday’s game, a 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets, after taking a stick to the eye off a faceoff and is questionable.

The Bruins are 11 points better than the Predators in the standings. They are a much better offensive team than the Predators, too, and have a good track record playing at Nashville.

The Ducks' five-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 5-1 home loss to Colorado last night. The Ducks have lost their mojo, have a tough goalie situation and are facing a hot Islanders team that doesn't beat themselves.

Not only are the Ducks playing without rest, but this is their fourth game in six days. Ville Husso is projected to be in net for Anaheim. He's terrible with a 3.26 GAA and .882 save percentage. If the Ducks decide to go with Lukas Dostol in goal, it will be his eighth consecutive start and fifth in eight days not to mention he was in net last night.

The Islanders have been idle since Sunday. They are on a five-game winning streak, averaging 4.2 goals a game during this span, and have an 18-11-3 road record. 

It is not a cliche to say this is a do-or-die game for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

Florida is 12 points out of a wild card spot with 22 games left. The Devils are in worse playoff shape. Losing seven times in their last nine games have finished New Jersey's postseason hopes.

The Panthers came out of the Olympic break with a 4-goal home win against the Maple Leafs. But then Florida came up a goal short against the Islanders and Sabres in its last two games.

Florida can't afford to stumble here. That shouldn't happen to the prideful Panthers. The bar is set low for them here. The Devils have managed only seven goals in their last six games. 

This is not last season. Anaheim is good. Winnipeg is not. The Ducks are likely headed to the playoffs with the second most points in the Pacific Division. The Jets, who were the best regular season team in the NHL last season, have 11 fewer points than Anaheim. If the season ended today, Winnipeg would not have come close to making the playoffs.  

The Ducks are hot and they are at home where they have won the past six times. Anaheim is 10-2 in its last 12 overall games. The Jets have the third worst road record in the league. They barely got past Vancouver, winning 3-2 in overtime on the road this past Wednesday. The Canucks are the worst team in the NHL.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck was utterly fantastic in leading the U.S. past Canada in the gold medal game of the Winter Olympics this past Sunday. Hellebuyck, however, is not having a good season. He ranks 26th in goals against average at 2.79 and in save percentage at .900.

The Ducks defeated the Jets, 4-1, at home in the lone meeting this season between the two teams although Hellebuyck was not in net for that game. 

After playing nine of their last 10 games on the road, including the past five, the Sharks are home for six straight games starting here against the Flames.

The much improved Sharks have a shot at snapping a six-year playoff drought. So this is a pivotal homestand for them beginning with this game.

San Jose has six more points than Calgary. Only the Blues have fewer road victories than the Flames.

The Sharks handled the Flames, 6-3, hosting them on Dec. 16 during the team's previous meeting. The Sharks are the superior team and the price is low enough to back them. 

The Stars rank third in scoring and are sixth defensively. They have played well on the road with a 14-4-6 record. The price is low here to back Dallas against the Kings, who have disappointed at home this season with a below .500 record.

LA just got done playing road games against Winnipeg on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday. The Kings lost to the Jets, but upset the Oilers in a shootout.

Meanwhile, the Stars lost to the Sharks on the road this past Saturday. They are going to be in an angry mood and the Kings have been vulnerable all season at home. They average nearly a goal fewer per game than Dallas.

The Stars easily handled the Kings, 4-1, when they hosted them on Dec. 15 in the last meeting.

The Islanders are 10-7-3 on the road. They should be ready for this matchup after losing, 2-1, in a shootout to the Predators this past Thursday. New York had won five of its previous seven games before that defeat. The Islanders will not play again until Tuesday.

This should leave them very focused for Minnesota in a revenge spot for a bad November home loss to the Wild.

The Wild are finally coming home after a 7-game, 15-day road trip that was mostly on the West Coast. Minnesota had to play four of those seven away games beyond 60 minutes. The last time the Wild was home was Dec. 23. They have lost their past two home games.

Minnesota is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory against the Kraken on Thursday night. The Wild are not going to have much time to settle back in at home and their concentration figures to be off. The Wild also could be without their third leading point producer, center Joel Eriksson Ek. He suffered a lower body injury against Seattle.

One of Minnesota's strengths is its power play. The Islanders, though, have killed off 84.2 percent penalties during their last seven games.

New Jersey has its key players back. The Islanders will be missing two of their most important players.

Given this information and situational spot, I have no qualms about laying a road price with the Devils.

The Devils are 3-2 in their last five games with victories against Anaheim, Utah on the road and Las Vegas on the road during this span. However, New Jersey is coming off an embarrassing home loss to Buffalo two days ago as a $1,74 favorite.

Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Arseny Gritsyuk have all returned for New Jersey. Hughes has 11 goals and 21 points in 18 games. He and Meier lead the Devils in goals.

The situation is different for New York. The Islanders still will be without Bo Horvat and their top goalie, Ilya Sorokin, is going to miss this game, too, for rest purposes. David Rittich will start back-to-back games for the first time this season as a result.

The Islanders have lost three of four games since Horvat, their leading scorer, suffered a lower-body injury against Anaheim on Dec. 11. 

Any guesses which NHL team has the most road victories? It's the Rangers, who have an 11-4-1 road record.

The Rangers are playing their most consistent hockey with four wins in their last five games. They are back on the road to face Ottawa after upsetting Dallas, 3-2 in overtime, at home this past Tuesday. New York had a season-high 41 shots on goal against the Stars. The Rangers were clearly the better team in that game. It probably was their best home game of the season.

The weary Senators pulled into Ottawa yesterday after being away for seven straight road games stretching across three different time zones. This is Ottawa's first home game since Nov. 15.

Ottawa went 4-3 on its trip. I don't see the Senators playing that well in their first home game after being away for so long. Their concentration may not be at its fullest.

The Rangers, on the other hand, have momentum and a pep to their step. So I see a New York upset occurring here.

Montreal is in stop the pain mode having lost four in a row after a strong start. The Canadiens came very close in their last game. They lost as a road underdog to the Blue Jackets, 4-3, in a shootout. That was three days ago.

The Canadiens have a motivational and scheduling edge here. Washington is off a satisfying, 7-4, home win against the Oilers last night. That followed a 2-1 home win against the Kings. The Capitals haven't won more than two in a row in more than a month. Washington also is 1-5 in its last six away games.

Montreal has a better record than Washington and a stronger attack. The Canadiens rank fifth in goals scored per game. Washington is 24th in scoring and 30th on the power play.

The Capitals are projected to start backup Charlie Lindgren after Logan Thompson played last night. Washington's defense hasn't been as sharp as it was earlier in the season. The Capitals are giving up 3.5 goals a game during the last four games.

No surprise to me that early money has come on the Flyers against the Kraken. Philadelphia is respectable at home and Seattle is in an unfavorable situational spot.

The Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 home games, including 2-1 this season with victories against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers and Wild.

This is Philadelphia's fourth straight home game, while Seattle is playing its fourth road game in six days. The Kraken are fat and happy after upsetting Toronto, 4-3 in overtime, this past Saturday.

The Kraken are down several  defensemen, including Brandon Montour. Seattle is giving up an average of four goals per game in their last three games. 

The oddsmaker has anointed Edmonton as the Game 1 favorite. I'm in agreement. The Oilers are home, hot with 12 wins in their last 14 games, getting contributions up and down their lineup and have shown a strong defensive commitment sparked by hot goalie Stuart Skinner.

Defending champion Florida can never be underestimated. The Panthers held off the Oilers by winning Game 7 after nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead in last year's Stanley Cup finals. The Oilers have the bigger stars and are out for redemption. This is their shot and they don't want to blow Game 1 at home like last season.

Superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been as outstanding as ever, ranking first and second, respectively, in points during the postseason. Unlike past years, though, the Oilers have shown more scoring depth with eight players having scored five goals or more in the playoffs and 20 different plays registering at least a point. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins ranks fourth in points during the playoffs while Evan Bouchard is fifth.

Sergei Bobrovsky has proven himself to be a big-game goalie for Florida. Bobrovsky is 36, however. It has been the 26-year-old Skinner, who has been red-hot during his past seven games with a 6-1 record, 1.41 goals against average and .944 save percentage with three shutouts.

Edmonton ousted the Stars in the Western Conference Finals last season. The Stars won two of the first three games in that series and I see revenge-minded Dallas winning this series opener at home.

What I don't see is the Stars going 0-for-14 on the power play, which happened during last year's series against Edmonton.

No knock on the Oilers, who have won eight of their last nine games, including blanking Las Vegas in their last two games. However, not playing for a week may hurt the Oilers' rhythm and momentum.

Dallas went 2-1 against Edmonton during the regular season. The Stars edged the Oilers, 4-3, in Edmonton during the last meeting on March 26.

The Stars are as close to full strength as they have been all season with Miro Heiskanen logging 20-plus minutes a game. I give the Stars a goalie edge with Jake Oettinger. Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner stepped up against the Golden Knights, but I don't trust him. When he runs cold, he's terrible.

I also give the Stars the checkmark on the power play. They led the league, after all, in power play goals not Edmonton. The Oilers' power play is less effective on the road, too.

It's not Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl who are the playoff leaders and points, but the Stars' Mikko Rantanen.

Enough things line up where I can confidently back the Stars in this price range to win this Game 1.

Thanks to Reilly Smith's improbable goal with 0.4 seconds left, the Golden Knights nipped the Oilers, 4-3, this past Saturday to cut Edmonton's lead in the series to 2-1. 

Edmonton didn't play well in that game. Yet the Oilers let a 2-0 lead slip. 

I'm expecting a more focused Oilers' effort in Monday's game. The Oilers have superstar talent - which the Golden Knights do not possess - are on home ice and are the healthier team. 

Las Vegas has three key players not at 100 percent in Mark Stone, Brayden McNabb and Pavel Dorofeyev. It wouldn't shock if any of them sat out, especially team captain Stone. In addition, Jack Eichel is not playing well. 

Perhaps the Oilers got a little too cocky. They had won six straight Stanley Cup games until that defeat. 

Edmonton has won nine of 12 home playoff games the past two seasons. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl give the Oilers the two best players on the ice. 

Stuart Skinner is getting ripped for allowing Las Vegas' winning goal. That was a bad play. Skinner, though, has been OK in net. Las Vegas goalie Adin Hill isn't playing great either. 

I find the Oilers to be the superior team. So this is a reasonable lay price given that Edmonton is home, the healthier team and shouldn't play that bad twice in a row.

This game just might be Washington's season - and the Capitals know it. Carolina controlled Game 1 while outshooting the Capitals, 33-14. Yet, it took overtime for Carolina to win, 2-1, in Tuesday's series opener. 

The Capitals have a goalie edge with Logan Thompson, home-ice and tremendous incentive knowing they can't fall behind 2-0 in the series with the scene shifting to Carolina following this game. 

So I'm fully expecting the Capitals to get back to playing their style of hockey, not letting the Hurricanes bottle them up. Washington certainly has the talent, with 44-goal scoring legend Alex Ovechkin, to accomplish this.

Thompson has a .926 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average in six postseason games this season. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen is less consistent and has rust after missing the Hurricanes' opening-round series due to injury. The Capitals failed to test Andersen this past Tuesday. Look for that to change in this Game 2.

The Blues came close in Winnipeg. But find themselves down 0-2 in their first round Stanley Cup playoff series. 

Now is the right time for the Blues to break through coming home where they haven't lost since Feb. 23. The Blues have won a franchise record 12 straight games at Enterprise Center. That's the longest win streak in the NHL this season.

The Jets scored the winning goal in the third period to nip the Blues, 2-1, this past Monday. Winnipeg also edged the Blues, 5-3, in Game 1 breaking a 3-3 tie with 1:36 left. An empty net goal accounted for the two-goal victory margin. 

Winnipeg has lost Game 3 of the playoffs each of the past two years after opening with a playoff win. 

The Blues aren't likely to win this series. But I do like them a lot for this Game 3 returning home in desperation mode.

This season is different starting with this Game 1. The Oilers have eliminated the Kings in the playoffs each of the last three years.

Not this time.

The Kings are playing better than the Oilers. They are the healthier team, have home ice where they went an NHL-best 31-6-4 and have more confidence, size, experience and depth than in the past.

Since Drew Doughty returned from a broken ankle, the Kings have gone 21-9-3. That's 13 points more than the Oilers earned during this time span.

The Kings should get much better playoff goaltending, too, from Darcy Kuemper. He might be the second-best goalie in the league, finishing tied for first in goals against average and third in save percentage. Cam Talbot collapsed in net for the Kings during last season's playoffs against the Oilers. I don't see that happening with Kuemper.

Edmonton's feared power play, the best in hockey two seasons ago, didn't even rate in the top 10 this season. The Oilers ranked just 11th in scoring. The Kings were the No. 3 defensive team.

The Oilers will have back their superstars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but won't have their top defenseman, injured Mattias Ekholm.

The Kings beat the Oilers in three of the four regular season meetings, including two games this month by a combined 8-0 score.

The biggest choke job during the past five days wasn't Duke against Houston in the NCAA Tournament. It was the Dallas Stars blowing a 5-2 lead at home to Vancouver by giving up three goals during the final minute and losing, 6-5, in overtime this past Tuesday. Never before had an NHL team scored three times during the final minute to pull out a victory.

So not only are the Stars playing to regain their pride, but also to keep alive their chances to earn the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference. Winnipeg holds a four-point lead over the Stars for that honor. Both teams have four regular season games remaining.

The Jets can take a loss knowing they need five points to clinch the West's No. 1 spot and conclude with games against the Blackhawks, Oilers and Ducks. If the Stars lose this game, they would have to win their final three games in regulation and hope the Jets lose their three remaining games in regulation. That's not going to realistically happen.

It is a must-win spot for Dallas and the oddsmaker has made the Stars the favorite. I agree.

The Stars beat the Jets by two goals when they hosted them earlier this season. Backup goalie Case DeSmith was in net for Dallas against Vancouver. Starter Jake Oettinger is the better goalie and he's projected to be in goal here.

As good as the Golden Knights are, I don't see them beating the Kings in LA. The Kings have the best home record in the NHL at 18-3-2. The price certainly is low enough to back the Kings.

Los Angeles ranks sixth defensively and sixth in penalty killing. Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper is having a big season with a .917 save percentage, 2.22 GAA and a 12.1 goals saved above average. 

The Golden Knights rank seventh defensively, but are 22nd on the penalty kill. Las Vegas also is without one of its better defensemen as Shea Theodore is week-to-week with an upper body injury suffered during the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. 

Las Vegas is riding a three-game win streak. Prior to that, though, the Golden Knights had dropped four in a row. Las Vegas also is just 3-6 during its past nine road games.

Goalie Thatcher Demko is looking like his old self. That's great news for Vancouver. Demko has given up only five goals in his last four starts. Vancouver has yielded two or fewer goals during regulation in six of its last seven games. The Canucks are 5-1-1 during this span.

Yet the Canucks find themselves home underdogs to Toronto. I get it. The Maple Leafs have the better record and are 3-0 on their current road trip with victories against the Kraken, Flames and Oilers. This is the finale of their four-game road swing.

Vancouver, though, beat the Maple Leafs, 3-0, at Toronto on Jan. 11. The Canucks also defeated the Maple Leafs at home last season.

The Canucks are off an ugly road win against the Sharks from Thursday. They should play much better here. The Maple Leafs are fat and happy. This marks their third road game in five days. I don't see them sweeping their road trip.

The Kings and Jets are the only Western Conference teams with fewer home losses than Calgary. The Flames are 14-6-3 at home this season. They last played on Saturday and have had a couple of strong practices in anticipation of this matchup.

Buffalo, by contrast, is playing its third road game in four days. The Sabres are giving up 4.2 goals per game in their last five games. Calgary has allowed two or fewer goals in five of its last six games.

The Flames are the superior team, are home and have a far better situational edge going. The price is low enough to back them.

The Islanders are the better team and this spot sets up well for them. 

New York last played this past Saturday, shutting out Buffalo, 3-0. Montreal will be playing for the third time in four days.

The Canadiens are the worst defensive team in the NHL giving up an average of 3.8 goals a game. They also are the third most penalized team in the league, while the Islanders have drawn the fewest penalty minutes. 

The Islanders have a huge edge in net, too, with Ilya Sorokin, who has a 2.52 GAA and a .915 save percentage. 

The Jets have cooled off going a mediocre 3-3 in their last half dozen games. This marks Winnipeg's fourth road game in six days so the Jets face a fatigue factor.

The Kings are out for redemption after an embarrassing, 7-2, road loss to the Sharks two days ago. The Kings were huge favorites in that game. Before that defeat, the Kings had given up only four goals in their previous four games.

Note, too, that teams are 5-1 following a loss to the Sharks this season. 

This isn't an ordinary home opener for the Blue Jackets. The team and fans are going to honor the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were tragically killed by a drunk driver. It's going to be highly emotional - and I want Columbus going for me in this spot.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers just nipped the Bruins, 4-3, in Boston on Monday. So it's a back-to-back situation for Florida.

Sergei Bobrovsky was in net against the Bruins. That means the Blue Jackets will see backup goalie Spencer Knight. The Blue Jackets catch another break in that Matthew Tkachuk is ill and won't play for Florida.

The Blue Jackets showed they are capable of pulling upsets as they defeated the Avalanche in Colorado, 6-4, this past Saturday in their last game.

I get that Sergei Bobrovsky is a problem for Edmonton, a serious problem. He's an outstanding goalie and he's hot having given up two or fewer goals in 11 of his last 12 games.

But I want the Oilers at an underdog price going for me in this Game 2.

Yes, the Panthers and Bobrovsky shut out the Oilers, 3-0, in Game 1. But there are takeaways from that game that have me believing the Oilers are an excellent value here.

Edmonton outshot Florida, 32-17. That's not a surprise since the Oilers led the NHL in shots on goal. However, the Oilers showed they were the faster skating team and dangerous on the attack where the Panthers are more counter punchers. The Oilers had breakaway chances and opportunities in the slot. Florida caught a lot of luck in that game.

The Oilers also have the stars in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisitl and Zach Hyman. I don't see them coming away empty for a second straight game.

The Oilers have been down this road before. They trailed the Canucks, 2-1, in their previous Stanley Cup playoff series. Edmonton won that crucial Game 4. The Oilers also won Game 4 in their opening-round series against the Kings.

I like the Oilers to even the series with a home victory here against the Stars, down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series following a 5-3 home loss to Dallas this past Monday.

Edmonton has taken more shots on goal than Dallas in each game of the series. The Oilers have the deadlier power-play and Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane are past due for big performances. They've combined for just one goal in the series after combining for 83 goals during the regular season.

I respect the Stars' ability to win on the road. The Oilers, though, are averaging 4.75 goals during their past eight home games. Their defense is better than it showed in Game 3 when they allowed five goals, one on an empty-netter, after giving up a 2-0 first period lead. Edmonton had allowed just eight goals in their previous four games, an average of two per game during that span.

I'm going to accept this price on the home underdog Coyotes, who are likely playing their final game in Arizona. The team is expected to move to Salt Lake City next season.

The Coyotes are 4-2 in their last six games. Playing at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena on the Arizona State campus is tough enough for opponents, but it should be especially difficult for the Oilers because of the Coyotes' added motivation.

"We want to play our last game with class, with respect and give the best effort that crowd can expect," Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny was quoted as saying. "We want to make sure we are remembered as a group who fought with every last ounce we have in our body."

The Oilers have had a wild ride this season. But they have secured home-ice advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is just their second road game in two weeks.

Nashville is a blistering 15-2 in its last 17 games with five consecutive victories. The Predators are riding a franchise-record 17-game point streak.

The Predators are home and have had ample rest and preparation time. Their last game was this past Saturday in Nashville.

Las Vegas has won three in a row, but played bad offenses during this stretch and have a high fatigue rating. The Golden Knights also could be starting third-string goalie Jiri Patera.

This is the Golden Knights' fourth game in six days and second in two nights. Their three straight victories have been against the Blues (26th in scoring), Blue Jackets (31st in scoring) and Kraken (29th in scoring).

The last time Las Vegas played a strong offensive team was four games ago in a 5-3 home loss to the Lightning.

The Golden Knights just got through nipping the Blues on the road, 2-1, in overtime Monday night. Logan Thompson was outstanding in goal for Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, though, brought up Patera this past Sunday with the expectation that he likely would be in net for this game since Thompson played last night and Adin Hill was injured this past Saturday. Patera has by far the highest goals against average of Las Vegas' three goalies at 3.75. Patera has made five appearances this season and has a 1-3 record.

The Predators rank 12th in scoring and have allowed only five goals during their past five games.

This is a mystifying line. Since when is a team that has lost nine of their last 10 games, carries a high fatigue rating and is in a terrible situational spot a mid-sized favorite against an above .500 quality opponent? 

I can't say never because of this line where the Kings are fairly strong favorites against Nashville. 

So I'll gladly take this plus price with the road underdog Predators. 

Los Angeles is 1-9 in its last 10 games. The Kings just completed a rough six-game, 10-day trip that concluded in Dallas where they got crushed, 5-1, by the Stars this past Tuesday night. 

That was a horrible spot for the Kings. This one isn't any better. It's LA's third game in four days - all at different arenas - and fourth game in six days. The Kings just returned home on Wednesday after being gone for the past 10 days. So their focus and concentration could be off given the traveling circumstances and reuniting with their families. 

Nashville has a winning road record. The Kings are just a .500 team at home. The Predators will be rested and ready having last played on Monday against the Golden Knights. That was a day game in nearby Las Vegas - just an hour flight from Los Angeles. 

The Predators lost to Las Vegas, but they had won their two previous games. This included an impressive, 6-3, upset road win against the Stars in Dallas this past Friday.

Tampa Bay has been inconsistent, but coming out of the Christmas break this is a good spot for the Lightning. The price is right to back them. Tampa Bay has been better at home and Andrei Vasilevskiy is coming around to his superstar form in his return from back surgery.

The Lightning have won four consecutive home games, including defeating Dallas and Las Vegas. Tampa Bay is on a three-game win streak after edging the Capitals on the road this past Saturday and has won four of its last five overall games.

Vasilevskiy is playing much better. He's 7-2 with a .925 save percentage in his last nine games.

The Lightning are a top-10 scoring team and have an elite goalie. Florida ranks 24th in scoring.

The Panthers are off a highly-satisfying, 4-2, victory against the Golden Knights this past Saturday. The game was played in Sunrise, Fla. The Golden Knights had defeated the Panthers in the Stanley Cup finals. Before that victory, though, the Panthers had lost four of their previous five games.

These teams are closely matched. Nashville is the better defensive team. But Carolina is a solid favorite because of being the home team.

Yet that home ice is negated by this being just a brutal spot for the Hurricanes.

It's Carolina's first game back from a six-game road trip that consisted of around 6,000 miles and culminated with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against the Red Wings on Thursday night. The Hurricanes get no rest. They haven't been home in nearly two weeks and immediately have to play this game against the rested Predators, who last were in action three days ago. It's also Carolina's third game in four days. The Hurricanes come back fat and happy, too, having closed their road swing with consecutive victories.

The Predators are going to have fresh legs and be fully prepared. The same can't be said for Carolina. The Hurricanes carry a high fatigue rating plus their concentration is likely to be altered arriving home early in the morning and trying to catch up on personal things having been gone for nearly two weeks.

Nashville is playing well also, winning five of its last six games. The Predators are 4-1, too, during their past five away contests. Expect Juuse Saros to be in net. The Predators have won nine of Saros' last 10 starts, including the past five.

The Rangers were outstanding on the road last season going 24-9-8 and they've started off well this season winning three of four away contests. I like the Rangers to keep hot on the road against the struggling Oilers.

New York stays in the same time zone after defeating Calgary, 3-1, on Tuesday. That was the Rangers' first win at the Saddledome in six years. Now they get the 1-4-1 Oilers, who aren't likely to have Connor McDavid. He suffered an upper-body injury in the Oilers' 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets this past Saturday.

McDavid missed the Oilers' last game. That was a 7-4 road loss to the Wild. The Oilers looked clueless without their superstar. Three times the Oilers were whistled for having too many men on the ice. Edmonton might have allowed even more than seven goals if it weren't for goalie Jack Campbell making several spectacular saves.

Edmonton ranks second-to-last in scoring defense allowing 4.5 goals per game.

The Oilers have a bigger game on deck when they play against rival Calgary in the Heritage Classic outdoors at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night. The Oilers are hoping McDavid will be ready for that game. So it's highly unlikely they would rush him into the lineup against the Rangers.

Colorado won't have team captain Gabriel Landeskog as he still is recovering from knee surgery. But I like the rest of the makeup of the Avalanche as they begin the season highly motivated after an early playoff exit last season.

The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago keyed by elite talents and strong depth. Colorado improved their depth in the off-season and still have superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. They give the Avalanche easily the two best players on the ice in this matchup.

Colorado also holds a big edge in net. I don't like any of the Kings' goalies.

The Avalanche know how to win on the road, too, going 31-11-2 in away games last season.

It will be a festive opening night of the hockey season for the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. There will be a special ceremony prior to the game raising the Golden Knights' Stanley Cup banner. The Vegas players will enter on a special gold carpet.

This pomp is all very nice, but also very distracting.

The Golden Knights are playing the wrong opponent for all this pregame hoopla.

Seattle is one of the few teams that can come close to matching the Golden Knights' four-line depth. The Kraken are a hard-working team strong on the forecheck.

The Kraken beat the Golden Knights in Las Vegas last season and can do it again on Tuesday especially if the Golden Knights get caught up in all the pregame celebrations.

The Kraken knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs last season and then took the Stars to a Game 7 in the next round. They were one win away from meeting the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals.

The Cinderella Panthers raced through the East knocking off the Bruins, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes.

But the Golden Knights are turning the Panthers' carriage into a pumpkin, exposing Florida for the eighth-place team it was in the Eastern Conference during the regular season.

Las Vegas clearly has established itself as the superior team. If it weren't for getting some fortunate breaks in Thursday's Game 3 the Panthers would be down 3-0 in the series.

The Panthers being favored in Saturday's Game 4 puts me on the underdog Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights are the deeper team able to keep the pressure on Florida without a break having four strong lines. Florida can't match that. Las Vegas also has the better defense, special teams and hasn't made nearly as many mistakes as Florida has. Las Vegas has proven itself on the road, too, winning 15 of its last 21 away games.

Las Vegas dominated the first two games, outscoring the Panthers, 12-4. The Panthers needed a late goal after they had pulled their goalie to force overtime in Game 3. The Golden Knights had a 15-8 advantage in scoring chances. Vegas shots hit the crossbar and post. Sergei Bobrovsky had his best game of the series by far for Florida. A metric showed Bobrovsky stopping 1.89 goals above expected. Bobrovsky is better than he showed in the first two games, but it's probably a reach to expect him to produce another ''A'' game.

The Panthers, constantly stymied by the Golden Knights' tall and physical defensemen, managed only four shots on goal during the third period in Game 3. The Panthers continue to take stupid penalties. The Golden Knights have made them pay for this scoring on six of 17 power play chances for 35 percent.

Florida, on the other hand, has yet to produce a goal in 12 power play opportunities against Las Vegas.

Is there a zig/zag in this Stanley Cup Finals with Las Vegas traveling to Florida up 2-0 in the series? 

Yes. Key signs point to a Panthers' victory. 

The home team has won 11 of the last 12 in this series. Florida has beaten Las Vegas four of the past five times it has hosted them. The Panthers have won 69 percent of their past 109 home games. 

Those are strong trends, but it takes more than trends to fully get behind the Panthers, who were dominated in a 7-2 Game 2 loss this past Monday. 

The Panthers have proven their resilience overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the Bruins, the record-setting regular season points leader. 
Florida could have won Game 1 in Las Vegas. Here's an interesting quote from Florida coach Paul Maurice, ''We feel that our best hockey is still ahead of us. We certainly haven't controlled the game at times, but in the first game we didn't feel it was controlled against us either.'' 

The Panthers have gotten quality looks and shots on goal. They've been hurt by lack of discipline on the defensive end and Sergei Bobrovsky's mediocre play in net. Bobrovsky was pulled after 27 minutes in Game 2. 

I expect a strong performance from the prideful Bobrovsky in this Game 3 along with a much cleaner defensive effort from the Panthers, who will get back defenseman Radko Gudas, who missed much of Game 2. 

Bobrovsky went into this championship series with a collective 18.95 saved goals above expectations. That was the best playoff mark since 2008. 
Las Vegas has scored four power play goals in 11 chances for a 36.3 percentage. The Golden Knights were below average on power play percentage during the regular season at 20.3 percent. So I'm expecting a reduction there. 

I'm also expecting the Panthers to produce their ''A'' game. 

Down 3-0 against the Golden Knights in their Western Conference Finals series, the Stars went all out at home this past Thursday to stay alive. They fired 42 shots on goal, received an outstanding goalie performance from overdue Jake Oettinger and out-hit the Golden Knights, 46-23.

The Stars won - barely. They prevailed in overtime, 3-2.

Now the scene shifts back to Las Vegas where I see the Golden Knights ending the series. Teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in the playoffs before the Stanley Cup final round are 47-0.

The Golden Knights are 11-1 after scoring two goals or less during their previous game. Dallas is 1-4 in its last five road games and also 1-4 following a victory.

The Golden Knights outplayed the Stars in the third period in Game 4. They outshot the Stars, 14-8, in the third period and looked like they were going to win in regulation. So even taking the Stars' best shot, the Golden Knights nearly clinched the series on the road.

The Stars can't match the Golden Knights' four-line depth - especially missing suspended team captain Jamie Benn and injured right winger Evgenii Dadonov - nor can they match Las Vegas' solid core of six reliable defensemen. Adin Hill has also outplayed Oettinger in net.

Las Vegas is an NHL-leading 6-2 at home during the postseason. Unlike Game 4, the Golden Knights will be in control of the matchups having the final line say being the home team.

These many edges are too much for the Stars to overcome.

It's going to be extremely difficult for the Panthers to be fully up for this Game 1 series matchup against the Maple Leafs. You can't blame the Panthers either. Florida eliminated the Bruins this past Sunday with an overtime Game 7 victory in Boston. The Bruins had set the NHL regular season record with 65 wins and 135 points.

It was a stunning loss for the Bruins and a tremendous victory for the Panthers.

Florida matched-up well to Boston. The Panthers haven't matched-well to the Maple Leafs when playing in Toronto losing nine of the past 11 times there.

Toronto should feel less pressure now after winning their first playoff series in 19 years by taking out the Lightning this past Saturday. It's a great spot for the Maple Leafs. One that should result in a victory.

Perhaps they feel less pressure. Some teams just play better on the road, especially when it counts the most.

The Rangers are such a team. New York rolled past the Devils, 5-1 in both Games 1 and 2, in this first-round series. Both wins were at New Jersey.

But then the Rangers seemed to play tight and without Stanley Cup playoff intensity when they returned home, losing a pair of close games to the Devils.

Now the Rangers go back to New Jersey - and I'm expecting them to win this Game 5 there.

New York is 4-1 in its past five away contests. The Rangers have defeated the Devils in eight of the last 11 meetings in New Jersey.

Look for a great effort from the Rangers after their coach, Gerard Gallant, ripped them for their poor play at home.

The Devils are braced for a strong Rangers' performance.

"We are going to see their best game," Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of the Rangers. "There is no doubt, by far, we will see their best game.''

I believe him.

The Bruins set the NHL regular season record for wins and points. Until proven otherwise, they are the best team in the NHL. They have taken control of their first-round series against the Panthers going up 2-1 following a 4-2 road win against the Panthers two days ago.

I don't see the Panthers getting back into the series after that loss.

The Bruins exposed 30-year-old career minor league goalie Alex Lyon, who allowed several soft goals in Friday's loss. Lyon had been a major surprise for the Panthers down the stretch. But the team may have lost confidence in him now. That could mean a pivot to Sergei Bobrovsky, who hasn't played since March 27. So there would be plenty of rust if the Panthers go with Bobrovsky in net.

The Panthers may not have their best defenseman, Aaron Ekblad, either. He's questionable after getting hurt in Game 3.

The Bruins are 41-11 the past 52 times when playing on one day's rest.

Surprised the Islanders are favored against the Hurricanes?

Don't be. The oddsmaker has it right. After two close road losses, the Islanders get to host their first playoff game at UBS Arena.

Carolina nipped New York, 2-1, in Game 1. The Hurricanes nipped the Islanders, 4-3, in overtime in Wednesday's Game 2. The Islanders had 12 penalty minutes in Game 2. Carolina wasn't whistled for a penalty.

The Hurricanes scored the overtime winner on a sequence after the referee failed to call an obvious high stick penalty on Carolina's Jordan Martinook.

The Islanders have won their last four home games. They are due to get some breaks.

The Hurricanes' forward depth took another hit when left winger Teuvo Teravainen suffered a broken hand late in Wednesday's game. Teravainen had 37 points playing on Carolina's top line.

The price is low enough to strongly back the Bruins, the best team in hockey. Boston gives up the fewest goals while scoring the second-most.

The line is low because the Devils are a strong team, too, and unlike Boston - which has already clinched the No. 1 seed - are playing for playoff seeding.

So motivation factors. The Bruins haven't taken their foot off the gas winning 10 of their last 11 games. They have incentive. This is a nationally televised game courtesy of ABC and a victory would allow Boston to match the highest win total in NHL history. The Bruins are 61-12-5 on the season, including 32-4-3 at home.

New Jersey is just 2-4 in its last six road contests with one of those victories occurring versus the lowly Blackhawks. The Devils also are 2-5 the past seven times they've played an above .500 opponent.

Boston has defeated New Jersey 17 of the past 22 times when playing at home.

Getting an elite team off a home loss against a bottom-feeder off a rare home victory sets up a great spot here for taking Las Vegas against San Jose.

The Golden Knights are off a 7-4 home loss to the Oilers this past Tuesday. Las Vegas was 11-2 in its previous 13 games prior to that loss. The Golden Knights have the most points in the Western Conference. Their 17-4-2 record in their 23 games is tied for the second-best mark in the NHL during this span.

San Jose snapped a nine-game losing streak in its last game, beating the Jets, 3-0, this past Tuesday. The Sharks have the worst home mark in the NHL with only seven victories. Before defeating the Jets, the Sharks hadn't won at home since Feb. 20. San Jose, already eliminated from the playoffs, has lost 43 of its past 57 home games.

Las Vegas is a top road team with a 24-7-5 away mark. The Golden Knights have won seven consecutive road games. They consider San Jose an arch-rival. The Golden Knights won't lack motivation. They've beaten the Sharks eight straight times in San Jose.

The Golden Knights are expected to go back to Laurent Brossoit in net after Jonathan Quick struggled in goal against the Oilers. Brossoit has allowed just 11 goals in his last five appearances. Las Vegas is giving up an average of 2.4 goals during its last seven road contests.

The Bruins have a seven-point lead over the Hurricanes for the best record in the NHL. It could prove difficult for Boston to be up for every one of its games. But the Bruins are sure to be heavily motivated for this matchup. 

It was the Kraken who dealt the Bruins their first home loss of the season with a stunning, 3-0, victory on Jan. 12. It also was the only time this season Boston failed to score. 

The Bruins have had this rematch circled ever since. It's their only chance to get revenge unless the teams happen to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

Seattle lost to the Sharks, 4-0, in its last game this past Monday. The Bruins last played on Monday, too, beating the Senators, 3-1, for their fourth straight victory. 

Boston is 19-6-2 on the road. The Bruins have won their last three away games beating the Predators, Stars and Maple Leafs by a combined margin of 13-4. 

Linus Ullmark is expected to be in net for the Bruins. He's 29-4-1 with a 1.88 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Those are Vezina Trophy numbers. Ullmark has surrendered just seven goals in his last four games. The Bruins rank No. 1 in scoring defense and penalty killing. They also are the second-highest scoring team in the league.

I would be very surprised if the Bruins lose a second time to Seattle. 

The Golden Knights are 4-0 this month. But the oddsmaker has it right making the Lightning road chalk.

Las Vegas barely edged the lowly Sharks, 2-1, at home two days ago. The Golden Knights' other wins were also against unimpressive foes - the Ducks, slumping Wild and Predators. Las Vegas is not a strong home team.

Tampa Bay should come in highly motivated after being upset by the Coyotes, 1-0, in a shootout this past Wednesday. The Lightning played their backup goalie in that game and also outshot Arizona, 47-26.

Until that loss, Tampa Bay had won three in a row. The Lightning have won the past six times they've faced an above .500 opponent.

Carolina is playing great. But the Sabres also are playing well with five wins in their last six games. The Hurricanes face a brutal scheduling spot here. So I'm going to take this big price on the home 'dog.

Buffalo defeated the Penguins on the road this past Saturday night. The Sabres haven't played since. They should be well-rested and well prepared.

Not so for the Hurricanes.

Carolina gave its all in pulling out a 5-4 overtime home victory against the Kings Tuesday night after trailing by three goals entering the third period. The Hurricanes had beaten the Bruins in a huge revenge matchup this past Sunday in their previous game. So this marks their fifth game in eight days with three of their past four games having gone into overtime. Flying nearly 500 miles to Buffalo to play without rest is a horrible spot for Carolina.

This is a great spot for the underdog Coyotes. They catch the Kings fat and happy after LA just completed a three-game homestand sweep by edging the Flames, 4-3, in overtime last night.

So the Kings are playing for the third time in four days and without rest. This also is the first time they will be playing in Mullett Arena, a college hockey rink much smaller than a normal NHL arena. This gives the Coyotes a huge home ice advantage especially for opponents who have yet to play there like the Kings. The Kings aren't likely to have the luxury of a morning skate there either to get used to the place because they played last night.

The Coyotes have won three of their last five home games, including upsetting the Bruins during this span.

Winnipeg is home with double revenge. The Golden Knights are dealing with injuries to their best players. The spot is right for the Jets. So is the price.

The Golden Knights are 2-0 against the Jets with both wins coming in Las Vegas, including a 2-1 overtime winner on Oct. 30, where the Jets were playing for the third time in four days.

Las Vegas is down their leading goal and points scorer with Jack Eichel going on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. Also out is defenseman Zach Whitecloud with a knee injury. Two other important defensemen, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, have been out, too, for Las Vegas. Pietrangelo hasn't played since Nov. 26 due to an illness in his family, while Theodore missed the Golden Knights' Sunday loss to the Bruins with a lower-body injury.

The loss of these players really hurts Las Vegas' special teams both on the power-play and penalty kill unit.

Winnipeg has won 10 of 14 home games. The Jets are 7-2 in their last nine games, but coming off a 5-2 home loss to the Capitals this past Sunday that halted a four-game win streak.

The Golden Knights haven't maintained their hot earlier pace. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games with three of those five victories coming in a shootout or overtime. Las Vegas also hasn't fared well in Winnipeg losing in its last four visits.

The Rangers are much superior to the Senators. Yet the line is short here because the Rangers have lost three in a row, while the Senators have won consecutive games.

I see the Rangers turning things around against this opponent.

New York lost 5-3 to the streaking Devils this past Monday. New Jersey is the hottest team in the NHL winning 19 of its last 21 games. The Rangers went into their matchup against the Devils having lost 4-3 to the Oilers and 3-2 to the Ducks. The Rangers blew a 3-0 third period lead against the Oilers.

Rangers star goalie Igor Shesterkin wasn't happy with his performance against the Devils. He's primed for a bounce back effort. The Rangers should be able to release their frustrations against an Ottawa club that ranks 23rd defensively and had lost 11 of 13 games before beating the Ducks and posting an overtime victory against the Kings.

This is the Senators' first home game since returning from a four-game West Coast trip that finished this past Sunday. Ottawa is 1-6 in its last seven home games.

The Kings are one of those rare play-better-on-the-road-than-at-home teams. They had a better away mark last season and that pattern has held up early this season as they are 3-2 on the road, 0-2 at home.

LA just concluded a five-game, eight-day East Coast trip this past Saturday night. The Kings are 2-10 the past 12 times at home following a road trip of a week or more.

Tampa Bay matches up well to Los Angeles. The results prove that. The Lightning have won 11 of the past 12 times.

The Kings are likely to draw star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, too. He's expected to start in goal against the Kings with backup Brian Elliott starting on Wednesday when the Lightning plays at the Ducks.

So not only are the Lightning the superior team, but they have history and situation going in their favor, too. The price is low enough to back Tampa Bay.

We've been down this 0-2 playoff path before with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning and recently, too. Tampa Bay came back from a 2-0 playoff deficit against the Rangers in their last series to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. 

I'm not blind, though. The Avalanche are the strongest opponent Tampa Bay has faced during its three-year Cup run. The Lightning nearly pulled out Game 1 in Colorado, losing in overtime. But the Avalanche dominated at home, especially in their 7-0 Game 2 victory over Tampa Bay this past Saturday looking faster, hungrier and more disciplined than the Lightning. 

It was a humbling beatdown of the Lightning that's for sure. 

But I'm not going to ignore, nor discount, the Lightnings' playoff pedigree, goalie edge with Andrei Vasilevskiy and heart. Tampa Bay has always been resilient and able to make the necessary adjustments. The Lightning's 18-2 playoff record following a loss is proof of that. Tampa Bay has won 40 of its last 55 home games, including going 7-1 in this season's Stanley Cup games. 

The Avalanche is as good as advertised. However, I don't see the Lightning getting swept. They are at home now. Their season and pride are on the line. They've come through before. It's not a leap of faith to back them in Game 3.   

Tampa Bay is a mid-sized road 'dog. But there are a number of factors that point to the Lightning grabbing this Game 1.

Here are three of them:

Andrei Vasilevskiy. He's the hottest and best goalie in the playoffs. Vasilevskiy has allowed one or fewer goals in seven of his last 10 games. His GAA in the playoffs is 2.27. The Avalanche can't come close to matching that in net.

Quality of competition and championship experience. Both strongly favor Tampa Bay. The Lightning went against much tougher competition than Colorado in taking out the Maple Leafs, Panthers and Rangers to reach this point. Tampa Bay knows how and when to peak, having won the Stanley Cup the past two years. The Lightning are in peak form now.

Rustiness. The Lightning will have not played in four days when this game goes on Wednesday. But that's nothing compared to Colorado. The Avalanche last played on June 6 so they will have been idle for nine days!

The Avalanche have dominated the Oilers for most of this Western Conference Final in building a 3-0 series lead. That includes a 4-2 road victory in Game 3 this past Saturday.

Colorado is now 6-0 away from home in the playoffs. The Avalanche have outscored their opponents by 15 goals during these six away victories.

I see no reason to go against the Avalanche. They have outscored the Oilers by eight goals in the series. The Oilers must realistically realize their cause is hopeless. Teams that have lost the first three games in the conference finals and semifinals are 0-44 when it comes to winning a series.

The Avalanche are in a great rhythm. They are 40-18 the past 58 times when playing on one day's rest. Colorado is 6-1 during the last seven meetings against Edmonton.

Making things even worse for the Oilers is Evander Kane won't play because of suspension. Kane is the No. 1 postseason scorer with 13 goals.

The Rangers upset the Lightning, 6-2, in the opening game of this Eastern Conference Final. We know what Tampa Bay does following a playoff loss. If you need a reminder this is it: The Lightning are 19-0 following a Stanley Cup loss. 

The oddsmaker doesn't believe in the Rangers either making them a home 'dog despite their convincing Game 1 victory. 

Kudos to the Rangers for not only taking out the Hurricanes with a Game 7 road victory, but also their win against Tampa Bay. But do keep in mind, the Lightning hadn't played in nine days following their four-game sweep of the Panthers in the second round. 

Don't expect the prideful two-time defending Stanley Cup champions to be flat against the Rangers for a second straight game. The rust is off. Star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, stud defenseman Victor Hedman and Tampa's many scoring threats should be primed now with their pride on the line. 

Let's get this out of the way right now. The Hurricanes are 7-0 at home in the playoffs. They are 3-0 at home against the Rangers in this series.

So why take the underdog Rangers besides getting a plus price?

Several reasons starting with the goalie matchup. Igor Shesterkin isn't just the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in hockey, but he's also a strong Hart Trophy candidate, too, as the MVP of the league. Shesterkin has allowed two or fewer goals in five of the six games in the series. He's a difference maker.

The same certainly can't be said for Carolina goalie Antti Raanta. He's a backup forced into the spotlight because of an injury to Frederik Andersen. Fatigue could be hitting Raanta. He's made 12 starts in the postseason after making only 26 starts during the regular season. Raanta surrendered two - if not three - marginal goals to the Rangers in Game 6 with New York winning, 5-2. Raanta played so poorly he was pulled after 13 shots.

It's rare to get an underdog this large that holds such a monster goalie edge. All three of the Rangers' losses in Carolina were close. This stage and challenge isn't too big for the Rangers. They proved that in their first playoff series winning Game 6 in Pittsburgh and finishing off the Penguins in seven games.

Adam Fox gives the Rangers a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. The Rangers have the point producers with Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. The Hurricanes can't be as aggressive as the Rangers because of the goalie discrepancy.

The Rangers were a lot faster and smoother than the Hurricanes in the last game. That should carry over. It's the Hurricanes who are playing with all the pressure.

We've been down this path before with the Rangers. They faced elimination down 3-1 to the Penguins in their first-round Stanley Cup matchup and prevailed. Now they need to win this home game to stay alive against the Hurricanes down 3-2 in the series.

The Rangers have the resilience, goaltending and home ice necessary to win this game. Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are due to step up bigger than they have in this series. Igor Shesterkin has regained his touch as the best goalie in hockey this season.

The price is more than right to back the Rangers against a Carolina squad that has shown strength at home, but weakness on the road. The Hurricanes are 0-5 in their Stanley Cup away games. All of those losses were by more than one goal. They have been outscored by 13 goals on the road in the playoffs during those five games.

Carolina doesn't have a good history at Madison Square Garden either, losing 20 of the past 26 times there.

During the past three postseasons, Tampa Bay has gone 16-0 following a playoff loss. That resiliency has been instrumental in the Lighting winning the Stanley Cup the past two years.

I see that streak continuing with the Lightning hosting the Maple Leafs Sunday.

Toronto opened the series with a 5-0 victory. The Lightning were flat that game. They came back to even the series with a 5-3 win on Wednesday, but then lost at home, 5-2, in Game 3 this past Friday. Tampa Bay couldn't overcome a 3-0 deficit.

The Lightning did outplay the Maple Leafs for much of the last two periods, especially the third period, but the damage had been done. Tampa Bay's core, which has been together for around a decade and used to playoff highs and lows, should rebound like they always have.

Toronto goalie Jack Campbell has been playing above his talent level. I can see a drop-off in his play with this game in Tampa. Having home ice also gives the Lightning the last line change. This is especially crucial for Tampa coach Jon Cooper in matching up against the Maple Leafs' upper tier line featuring superstar Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

The major part of this handicap is a letdown factor from Carolina. The Hurricanes have been playing extremely well winning five in a row. The latest victory, 4-3 against the Rangers two days ago, clinched the Metropolitan Division for the Hurricanes.

So that sense of urgency is gone now for the Hurricanes. They accomplished what they wanted to do. Now, playing for the fourth time in six days, I don't see the Hurricanes too motivated for this matchup against the lowly Devils.

New Jersey is capable of pulling off a huge upset on the road. The Devils have done that twice during the last 3 1/2 weeks beating the Golden Knights and Stars at better than plus $2.00 in each game.

The Devils nearly upset the Hurricanes when they hosted them five days ago, losing 3-2 in overtime. The Hurricanes forced the overtime by scoring with less than two minutes left.

After racing off to a 16-5 start, Edmonton is just 7-13-3 in its last 23 games.

The bottom fell out for the Oilers in their last game, a 4-1 home loss to the Blackhawks this past Wednesday. The Oilers were minus $1.78 in that game. That loss was so bad the Oilers fired coach Dave Tippett following the game.

This will be Edmonton's first game under new coach Jay Woodcroft. You have to believe the Oilers are going to be super fired-up. It's also must-win time for the Oilers trailing the Flames by five points for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.

So the timing is right for the Oilers to beat the Islanders.

The Islanders have endured a rough season themselves. They played for the first time in a week and beat the Canucks, 6-3, this past Wednesday. The Islanders were shut out by Seattle, 3-0, at home in their previous game.

The Islanders are 1-7 the past eight times as a road 'dog. They also are 6-13 the last 19 times following a victory.

Edmonton has dominated the Islanders at home winning eight of the last nine times, although the last time the Oilers hosted the Islanders was nearly three years ago.

The Oilers are in stop-the-pain mode with three consecutive losses, the last two coming in overtime. 

The Rangers, on the other hand, are fat and happy having just defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning, 4-0, on Sunday for the second time in three days.

The Oilers have scored five goals in three of their last five games. They can be explosive with superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Rangers aren't likely to have their best player, forward Artemi Panarin. He was placed in COVID-19 protocols on Sunday.

Edmonton is 5-0 the past five times facing the Rangers. 

Toronto is 11-2 in its last 13 games. The Maple Leafs have accomplished this with defense and strong goaltending. Toronto has permitted just eight goals in its last seven games. The Kings have scored two or fewer goals in four of their last five games.

LA has dropped four in a row, including a 2-1 overtime loss to the lowly Coyotes in its last game this past Sunday.

The Kings are 2-9 the past 11 times they've been a home 'dog.

But don't expect the Maple Leafs to take the Kings lightly, or not be motivated.

Toronto is in full revenge mode for a 5-1 loss suffered at home to the Kings a little more than two weeks ago. Former Kings goalie Jack Campbell is likely to be in net for Toronto. He has three shutouts this month.

Superstar Auston Matthews is due for a breakout game having been held without a goal the past three games despite coming close to scoring.

The Canadiens did a fantastic job pulling off one of the great playoff series upsets when they eliminated the Golden Knights. 

As strange as it sounds, maybe beating the Canadiens, 4-1, in the first game of this series after overcoming the Avalanche in a tough series was the worst thing that could have happened to the Golden Knights. 

This is a huge Ontario rivalry. Given the circumstances, the Senators probably should be the favorite instead of a massive home 'dog. 

You may think this is a cheap price for the Blues to lay against the Kings, who won't be making the playoffs. This is all about the situation, though. St. Louis clinched a playoff spot this past Friday. The Blues are locked into the fourth spot in the Pacific Division regardless of this outcome. 

This late in the regular season, it's vital to find out which teams have incentive AND are playing hard and which teams have packed it in.

This could be the first time I've ever laid a mid-size price with a team that has lost nine in a row. But I really see the Blue Jackets halting their losing skid. Columbus is home to Detroit. That's the reason. 

The Coyotes are coming off perhaps their biggest win of the season, 5-4 in a shootout, at home against Colorado. I don't see a letdown. Instead I see the Coyotes building off their win knowing they are in the playoff hunt and can't afford a home loss here. A loss to San Jose would nullify the victory over Colorado, which occurred this past Tuesday. Arizona is 11-4 the last 15 times when playing on two days rest.

Calgary is close to being in must-win mode and this spot sets up beautifully for the Flames. 

If there's a non-West Coast team the Kings most would like to beat it probably is Minnesota. The Wild beat the Kings twice in heart-breaking fashion earlier this season in LA winning both, 4-3, in overtime. The teams then met twice in Minneapolis in late January. The Kings got a split in that series. 

Despite being short-handed due to injuries and COVID-19 issues, the Capitals have managed to go 6-3. The Capitals' first eight games were two against the Penguins early in the season when Pittsburgh was struggling, four games against the Sabres, who have a losing record, and two games against the 3-6 Islanders. 

Surprised the Islanders are a mid-sized road favorite against the Capitals? Shouldn't be because the spot and situation set up well for New York.

By the end of the season, the Rangers could prove dangerous. But right now the Rangers are somewhat vulnerable being one of the youngest teams in the league. The patient, well-coached, savvy Islanders are a bad first-game matchup for the Rangers.

These two teams just met on Tuesday in Minnesota. The Blue Jackets were playing for the eighth time in 13 days. The Wild edged them, 5-4. 

Now the fatigue situation is reversed. Columbus has been idle the past two days. Minnesota just played last night rolling past the Red Wings. This marks the Wild's third game in four days and fourth matchup in six days. The Wild's track record in these spots is very bad - 2-8 the past 10 times on zero rest and 2-11 the last 13 times when playing in a 3-in-4 situation. They also have a losing record on the road.

This is a crucial home matchup for the Blue Jackets, who hold a narrow two-point lead over the Hurricanes and Rangers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.