Scott Rickenbach

Scott "The Bulldog" Rickenbach NHL Rotation #9 Sunday Free Pick OVER the total in Chicago Blackhawks vs Toronto Maple Leafs @ 7:05 ET - Both teams off disappointing losses by a 3-2 count yesterday that came in the shootout. That said, each game fell under the total and each team looking to do a little more in the offensive zone tonight after coming up just short last night. The Blackhawks have won each of their past two home games and have scored 5 goals in each so they've got plenty of confidence on home ice for this one. The Maple Leafs, of course, are loaded with firepower (especially with their captain John Tavares now back as well). Toronto's homestand was rather low-scoring but 4 of their past 5 road games have totaled at least 7 and the only one that fell short of that totaled 6 goals. In other words, look for plenty of offensive production tonight with both these hockey clubs in a back to back which also puts stress on the defense and the goal-tending situation. The over is 3-1 when the Maple Leafs are playing the 2nd of a back to back this season and there have only been 24 unders the last 64 times that the Blackhawks have played a home game in which the total was posted at 6 or more goals. Free Pick OVER the total in Chicago

Puck Line Punisher - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line +1.5 goals -125 @ Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - The Bruins are banged up and struggling. Yes the Flyers are in a back to back spot right now but they're riding the momentum of another win last night and they have a pair of off days on deck after this one. Plus Philadelphia used Brian Elliott between the pipes last night and that means #1 goalie Carter Hart gets the start here. The Bruins #1 goalie Tuukka Rask is struggling so Boston will likely go with their #2 netminder Jaroslav Halak. So by taking the Flyers at +1.5 goals we also get added value here should this game be decided by a single goal. A one-goal game would not surprise here considering that 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games have been tied at the end of regulation! Certainly the Bruins have a potent offense and are looking to bounce back but the best way to stifle a strong offense is a goalie that is capable of putting up a stone wall when he is "on" and Carter Hart is in another one of his "on" cycles for the Flyers. He has won his last 3 starts and is ready to go here. Again, the Bruins a little dinged up and though their most recent win was by a 2-goal margin over Pittsburgh they actually trailed that game 4-3 in the 3rd and it was a crazy finish that resulted in it ending 6-4. Plus, since that time, Boston has lost two straight games. The Flyers have a great shot at the upset here and if they do fall short don't be surprised if it is by just a single goal and that puts us into the win column here. Note that in the last 7 meetings between these teams the road team has had ONE loss that came by more than single goal. 10* PHILADELPHIA +1.5 goals

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #719 Sunday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (+) vs UTSA Roadrunners @ 3:30 ET @ Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, FL - The Roadrunners were a very streaky team last season. They have lost their first 3 games this season, including back to back games here in the Sunshine Slam and I don't see them turning it around here playing a 3rd game in 3 days. Granted, Delaware is in the same situation in terms of 3 games in 3 days but they are 3-0 on the season and really "feeling it" right now. Conversely, UTSA came into this season knowing their backcourt of Jackson and Wallace were going to be the key. Both have logged heavy minutes in each game the past two days and neither guy is shooting well this season. Both are struggling from beyond the arc too. The trademark of this Fightin' Blue Hens team is defense so, the point is, it is highly unlikely that Jackson and/or Wallace get going to day. Look for the Blue Hens to stay hot here while the Roadrunners continue to struggle as they just can't get their shots to fall right now. Grab the defensive-minded dog here against a Runners team that is very offensively-challenged when Jackson and Wallace are out of sorts and that is certainly the case right now. 10* DELAWARE

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #538 Sunday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (-) vs Charlotte Hornets @ 6:05 ET - The 76ers are off 3 straight losses but all were on the road and this included time without Joel Embiid too. Yes, Ben Simmons is out now but they were without him at Denver on Friday and still led that game by 21 points in the 4th quarter and yet lost. So what happens now? The fired up Sixers are back at home and hosting a Hornets team that they are fully capable of also building a 21-point lead against. The difference is that Charlotte is not Denver and plus this game is at Philly. Look for the 76ers to build that huge lead and then never take the foot off their gas here. Adding to the value is that the Hornets are in a back to back here as they were home against New Orleans last night. It was yet another loss too last night for a bad Charlotte team and the 76ers are in need of taking a team behind the woodshed for a beating. The Hornets should provide the perfect punching bag. This is just the 3rd home game of the season for the Sixers. They won the first two games by an average margin of 18 points per game. I look for this one to be decided by close to 20 points as well. 10* PHILADELPHIA

Playoff Game of the Year - Rickenbach CFL Rotation #823 Sunday 10* Top Play Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+) @ Calgary Stampeders @ 4:30 ET - Revenge for the Blue Bombers after last year's Western Division Final propelled the Stamps to the Grey Cup. I like the fact that Winnipeg is the better team on both side of the ball when it comes to the ground game. The Blue Bombers have a very strong rushing attack and also are adept at stopping the run. I know the Stampeders are a great passing team but Winnipeg can move the ball down the field through the air in a hurry too. Also, the Stamps have some injury issues at wide receiver. The Blue Bombers also got a boost with the return of Zach Collaros at QB in the final week of the regular season. Note that he has a personal 3-game winning streak when facing Calgary. Also, Winnipeg still has a "running QB" option too since they also have Chris Streveler and he saw plenty of action this season during the time Collaros was out. I love having the points here too because after about 3 to 6 inches of snow fell last night and this morning the forecast here is temperatures to remain right around 12 degrees fahrenheit or -11 celsius during this game. It is going to be another all-out war between these all-too familiar foes and note that 14 of Calgary's 18 games this season (including 7 in a row entering the playoffs) have been decided by 7 or less points! The Blue Bombers went 6-1 ATS this season as an underdog. The Stampeders went 2-11 ATS this season as a favorite. 10* WINNIPEG

Total of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #263 Sunday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Green Bay Packers vs Carolina Panthers @ 4:25 ET - The Packers are off a disappointing road loss at Los Angeles against the Chargers. However, Green Bay is now back at home and has a bye week on deck. To say the Packers are going to go "all out" here doesn't even fully describe just how strong of a performance I am expecting from the GB offense in this one. That coupled with the fact that their defense ranks among the worst in the NFL is why I am backing the over big in this one. The over is 12-2 the last 14 times the Packers have hosted an NFC South team. Also, Carolina allowed only 20 points at home last week but they were fortunate as the Panthers gave up 431 yards in that game but benefited from 3 turnovers. Carolina gave up over 300 yards passing that game and their run defense is among the worst in the NFL. For that matter, so too is the Packers. So if both defenses have to respect the run here that, in turn, opens up great opportunities in the passing game. The Panthers offense has been resurgent under QB Kyle Allen since he took for Cam Newton. Of course Aaron Rodgers has been huge again for the Packers this season. Of course is it mid-November and it is Wisconsin so the weather is going to be cold this afternoon but it will not be brutal. Also, no precipitation expected and winds in the 10 to 15 mph range means weather should not have an impact on this game. Another strong O/U stat in addition to the 12-2 mentioned above is that Carolina is 13-1 to the over when they are on the road and facing a team with a winning percentage of .651 or greater. Combined edge of 25-3 here in terms of systems favoring the over and I will take it as I expect both teams to struggle to get stops in this one. 10* OVER the total in Green Bay

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #270 Sunday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Steelers (+) vs Los Angeles Rams @ 4:25 ET - Great spot for a home dog here. So far the teams that have played in London this season, entering this week, have gone 0-4 ATS. Yes, even though those teams get a bye week after the trip to London it still seems to take a lot out of them. Not only have they gone 0-4 ATS they have also gone 0-4 SU with the average margin of defeat being 18 points! Now I am not saying that the Steelers are going to steamroll the Rams just because of those numbers but what I am saying is that Pittsburgh is going to be a very tough home dog in this spot and I expect the Rams to be less than 100% here just like the Bears, Raiders, Buccaneers and Panthers were after their bye week that followed their London trips. The Steelers have plenty of momentum here as they have won 3 straight games and 4 of their last 5. In fact, since a season opening loss to the Patriots, Pittsburgh has not been blown out in any of their games. After the embarrassing loss at New England, the Steelers have gone 4-3 and the 3 losses have come by an average of 3 points with no margin of defeat more than 4 points. You can see why I am liking the points here! Also, Los Angeles enters this game off back to back blowout wins but those victories came against Atlanta and Cincinnati. Those two teams have a combined ONE win between them this season. That is note worthy here because, prior to that, the Rams had lost 3 straight games (2 of the games against tougher competition) and Pittsburgh is certainly no slouch.  The Steelers have covered 14 of last 18 as a home dog and 5 of last 6 in non-conference games. 10* PITTSBURGH

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #271 Sunday 8* Minnesota Vikings (+) @ Dallas Cowboys @ 8:20 ET - Nice set up here for a defensive-minded road dog. The Vikings are off a tough loss at Kansas City as they lost on a 44 yard field goal as time expired. Minnesota is on regular rest here while the Cowboys are on short rest. Even though Dallas is at home for this one, keep in mind they were in East Rutherford, NJ on Monday night taking on the Giants. That was not only a divisional win for the Cowboys, it also was more of a hard fought win than what the final score would indicate as it was a 1-point game heading to the 4th quarter. One thing I like about fading Dallas here is that they have truly struggled outside the division against better teams. Keep in mind the only two times they've really been tested in a non-divisional game this season they lost at New Orleans and then followed that up by losing at home to the Packers. In terms of some ATS support here. Dallas, is 2-7 ATS in their first game after facing the Giants. Also, the Cowboys are 0-7 ATS when off a Monday night game. Under Jason Garrett, the Cowboys are 2-10 ATS when they are favored off a divisional game and facing a team with a winning record. The Cowboys beat MIke Zimmer and his Vikings in Minnesota in 2016 in their most recent meeting. In games 9 through 12 of a season, when the Vikings are off a SU loss and playing with revenge they are 10-2 ATS! Entering this season the Vikings under Mike Zimmer were also 11-2 ATS when facing an opponent off a double digit ATS cover. Before their tight loss at KC last week, the Vikes had won 4 straight games all by double digits! 8* MINNESOTA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #252 Sunday 8* Tennessee Titans (+) vs Kansas City Chiefs @ 1 ET - Mahomes is back this week at QB for the Chiefs but, undoubtedly, there will be some rust. Also, a start on the road at Tennessee is not exactly the top choice a QB would have either. The Titans defense is certainly a respectable one and the entire team is coming into this one with their ears pinned back. Tennessee is off a 10-point loss at Carolina last week despite the fact they outgained the Panthers by 61 yards. Kansas City is off a home win versus the Vikings that came on a game-winning 44-yard field goal. It was a hard-fought win, to say the least, and now the Chiefs are on the road this week. We have reached the 2nd half of the season and in games 9 through 12 of a season, when KC has a winning record and is favored against an opponent that is coming off a road game, the Chiefs have gone 1-7 ATS! The Titans, when facing an opponent with a winning percentage of .601 or greater that is off an ATS win, have gone 8-1 ATS! Motivation off a loss, home field, and the Titans are catching a rusty Mahomes at QB as he will be adjusting after all that time off. 8* TENNESSEE

NHL Network Rout - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #15 Monday 10* Top Play Arizona Coyotes Money Line (+) @ Washington Capitals @ 7:05 ET - The NHL is no exception. On any given night in any of the big 4 professional sports leagues, any team can rise up for the win because these are professionals and they play with a lot of pride. In this case you have an Arizona team that is a scrappy hard-nosed team that is entering this game off 3 straight losses. They are taking on a Capitals team that is the hottest team in the NHL this season. Washington is on home ice here too and yet they opened up as low as a -165 favorite in this one. The odds makers are sharp folks. They know what they are doing. Of course that looked easy to take the Caps and the line got driven up nearly -200 on Washington. It has since settled back down as some sharp money is now coming in on the underdog Coyotes in this one. Why? Hungry teams when games in a situation like this and this one is set up perfect for an upset. Arizona comes in very hungry and viewing this game as a chance to knock off the 2018 Stanley Cup champs on their own ice. The Capitals come into this game rather complacent as they are off a huge win versus the Golden Knights Saturday in a game that was a rematch of those 2018 Stanley Cup finals. Also, Washington has a big divisional game on deck against the upstart Flyers. That said, this is looks like a flat spot for the Caps while the fact is the Yotes are going to bring their A game here. Twice they had a 2-goal lead in their home loss to Minnesota and yet they let the game slip away. They are fired up here and are very dangerous dog as, Saturday notwithstanding, they are generally very tough to come back on once they get the lead on you and I look for the Coyotes to get an early jump in this one. 10* ARIZONA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #731 Monday 10* Top Play Drake Bulldogs (+) @ Cincinnati Bearcats @ 7 ET - Even though the Bulldogs will be without Tremell Murhpy this season, this is still a solid Missouri Valley team that is capable of hanging around withing single digits of the Bearcats in this one. Yes, Drake faced an out-classed foe in their season opener but the fact they knocked down 17 of 29 three pointers is a good sign that the Bulldogs shooters are dialed in. Cincinnati is off an opening loss to Ohio State so they faced much tougher competition and that had a little something to do with their 4 of 21 shooting performance from 3-point land. However, the Bearcats struggles with the outside shot could loom large here because you know the Bulldogs are likely to bring an intense effort here with a rare shot at knocking off a "top tier" team. Drake wants to make the most of this opportunity while the Bearcats are simply looking at this game as a "win and move on to bigger things" type of game. Look for the scrappy Bulldogs to keep this one much closer than many are expecting. The Bulldogs are 15-3 ATS off a game in which they were a home favorite. Cincinnati is 1-5 ATS when off a road loss. 10* DRAKE

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #553 Monday 10* Top Play Memphis Grizzlies (+) @ San Antonio Spurs @ 7:35 ET - Both teams off ugly losses but part of the reason that the Grizzlies got blasted was that they were in the 2nd night of a back to back. Memphis made the decision NOT to play their leading scorer Ja Morant AND also Brandon Clarke (back) did not play. Though Clarke's back has been an ongoing issue I really believe his absence was more of a maintenance thing than anything else and so I expect him back tonight even though he is listed as questionable. Of course Morant will for sure be back in action tonight. This Spurs team is nothing like the San Antonio teams of the past and for them to be favored by double digits here is a little aggressive in my opinion. They just haven't been consistent on the defensive end and LaMarcus Aldridge is coming off a horrible game. Again, both teams off ugly losses but the Spurs had just as many three pointers as Boston in San Antonio's Saturday loss. As for Memphis, they saw red hot Dallas have 6 more threes than them (18 points) in the 16 point loss. This is a stat I like to look at as sometimes hot 3 point shooting does teams in. Grizzlies won the rest of the game by 2 points even being down 2 players. The Spurs lost their game by 20 points inside the arc. Something to think about for sure and I don't see Memphis losing this game by anything more than single digits. I look for a hard-fought game with plenty of intensity from the Grizzlies as well. 10* MEMPHIS

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #273 Monday 10* Top Play Seattle Seahawks (+) @ San Francisco 49ers @ 8:15 ET - The Seahawks SU record in primetime games under Pete Carroll is an incredible 27-5 with one tie. They have also won 80% of their Monday night games with Carroll as they've been victorious in eight of ten. Of course it looks enticing to back the undefeated 49ers and lay less than a TD but in typical contrarian fashion I am grabbing the points here. I feel Seattle has a great shot at the upset here and that means great value in this one. Though the Seahawks kicker has been less than stellar this season, note that the San Francisco kicking situation could be even worse off here as they have injury concerns. In a game projected to be a rather tight back and forth divisional battle, don't be surprised if the kicking game plays a role here and Seattle actually holds the edge here based on the Robbie Gould injury situation as he has been downgraded to doubtful for this one. Keep in mind, other than the Niners huge win over the Panthers two weeks ago, their other 3 games since mid-October have seen them score an average of just 19 points per game. San Francisco is 6-13 ATS as a home favorite while the Seahawks enter this game having covered 5 in a row as a divisional road dog! In fact, Seattle enters this game with a perfect 4-0 SU record on the road this season too! The Seahawks are scoring an average of 28.5 points per game away from home this season. Seattle's D had a poor game last week but clearly they were looking ahead to this game. Also, the Seahawks strength on D is their rushing defense and the Niners strength on offense is the ground game so this one sets up well for the Seattle D to have a bounce back game in a key divisional showdown. The Seahawks can move within a half game of the division lead by winning this game and they have a bye on deck so they're definitely going the full sixty in this game. Great underdog value in this one. 10* SEATTLE