"If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck." So it goes in the second round of these NHL playoffs, which to date has seen one "over" result after another...all six of them, in fact, including Game 1 of this series in Big D two nights ago. The Stars blew a 3-0 lead in that one, though flurries of goals have been common in these playoffs for the Avs, who now have 32 of them thru their first six in the postseason, and all Colorado results landing "over" in that span. The Dallas offense can answer, however, in a faster-paced matchup than the opening round vs. VGK. Play Avs-Stars "Over"

Those who were on the "over" in Game 1 of this series can feel a bit aggrieved after the pace stalled later in the 4th Q. All after the game was trending "over" much of the way on Tuesday...that is until Jason Kidd cleared his bench midway thru the final stanza, and an amateurish display by the Mav reserves who helped conspire for that scoreline to land on 212 instead of the mid-to-high 220s as that game was headed. As long as the Mavs aren't so far behind that Kidd decides to rest Luka and Kyrie again in the late going, look for this scoreline to look more like some of the explosive results we saw in earlier meetings. Play Mavs-Thunder "Over"

We have taken note of the improved efforts lately from the White Sox, as some of the well-traveled pitchers in Pedro Grifol's beleaguered rotation have started to produce. Including ex-Nat Erick Fedde, who in fact posted a very respectable 2.40 ERA in April, while the Pale Hose bullpen has plugged some earlier leaks. Still, the Chisox offense, though upgraded lately, cannot be trusted to help out too much, and Cleveland starter Ben Lively (2.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP in four starts) has been performing much better than anticipated. Play Cleve-Chisox "Under"

Thus far in the second round, no sign of the venerable NBA Playoffs zig-zag that reappeared earlier in first-round games. And this would seem one of the least-likely zig-zag candidates in the various Game 2s of the second round, as the Cavs looked completely outgunned in the opener on Tuesday. In fact, Cleveland has looked outgunned on the road this entire postseason, losing and failing to cover all four to date at Orlando and Boston, and not scoring more than 96 points in the process, either. It won't help if rim protector Jarrett Allen is out again (as expected; ribs), and the surging Celtics have allowed fewer than 100 points in all but one of six games in these playoffs. Play Celtics

It's not like the first round (especially late in that round) in these Stanley Cup playoffs, as all six of the games to date in the second round have landed on the "over" side. Though, in truth, the Canes weren't as much a participant in the spate of "unders" in the first round, with Rob Brind'Amour seeing thirteen different goal-scorers in the seven playoff games to date. A bit worryingly, however, Frederik Andersen hasn't been as sharp in goal as he was for much of March and April, stopping only 107 of 121 shots across the past four games (.884 saves...down from his .932 in the regular season), and the Rangers have scored four in each of the two games thus far. Play Rangers-Canes "Over"

When playing the Run Line, it's nice to have an offense that can slug. Such as the Yankees in the first two games of this midweek set vs. what has become their personal punching bag, the Astros, losers now of nine straight to the Pinstripes, surrendering nine runs last night after ten on Tuesday. In Wednesday's 9-4 win, all among Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge homered for NY, upping the Yanks to 25-13 and dropping Houston to 12-24. Roniel Blanco has been serviceable on the mound for the Astros, but the bullpen has leaked, and Marcus Stroman off of a solid effort on the mound for Aaron Boone. NY is outscoring foes 31-13 in the current 5-game uptick. Play Yankees on Run Line

We suppose it depends upon the Pacers fan to judge Tyrese Haliburton's very subpar 6-point effort in Monday's Game One, as some might blame Haliburton for the close loss, while others could suggest that Indy stull scored 117 points and had a chance to win in the last 30 seconds even as Haliburton had an off-night. We are relatively sure that the top scorer on the league's highest-scoring team (ever) will show up tonight, however, as both teams seemed to get the looks they wanted in Game One, especially Jalen Brunson with another 43 points. Mitchell Robinson's absence doesn't help NY's interior defense, either. Note the Knicks' current 16-3 "over" run. Play Pacers-Knicks "Over"

It looks like a course correction in the Stanley Cup playoffs, at least on the "totals" side. The second round has started differently than the end of the first round, where low-scoring games would abound; not so much thus far in Round 2, as all three games thus far have landed on the "over" side. Florida wasn't as much involved in the spate of "unders" in the first round vs. the Lightning, but nonetheless saw the Bruins explode for three goals in a seven-minute span of the second period on Monday en route to a 5-1 win. The Panthers didn't lack for chances, firing 39 shots at Jeremy Swayman, and too much firepower on ice here for the teams not to score. Play Bruins-Panthers "Over"

The oddsmakers seem to be assuming that the NHL zig-zag will resurface in this Game 2 at Sunrise. Except that the zig-zag hasn't worked all that well in this postseason, and all of the pressure is on the host Panthers not to fall behind 2-0 before heading to Boston later this week. The Bruins can play loose again tonight with a 1-0 series lead, and they looked quite enthused on Monday with a chance to redeem themselves from last spring's bitter playoff exit vs. Florida. Jim Montgomery might be well-advised to keep sticking with GK Jeremy Swayman, too, as he's posted a 1.42 GAA in seven playoff starts. Play Bruins on Money Line

It's about time! We've been waiting for the Rays to turn things around and this looks to be the week, with five straight wins on this homestand. It figured that Tampa Bay would begin to turn the corner when Randy Arozarena woke up at the plate, and that he has, with three homers in the last five games, including last night as the Rays continued to dominate the Chisox. Speaking of the Pale Hose, they're now 3-16 on the road, and even a couple of decent efforts of late from ex-Mariner Chris Flexen won't cause us to abandon the go-against-the-Sox mindset. It's also time for Aaron Civale (6.14 ERA) to straighten out on the mound for Kevin Cash. Play Rays on Run Line

Considering that the Phils have won 18 of 21, and romped in the opener of this series last night when chasing Blue Jays ace Jose Berrios, the RL price temps again this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Especially as the Phillies have won in the last six starts made by Aaron Nola, who compiled a 2.06 ERA in April after a rough outing to start the season in late March vs. the Braves. The Blue Jays have also lost the last three games started by Chris Bassitt, who has not impressed greatly this season (5.45 ERA). Play Phillies on Run Line

We don't expect this series to pace like the Stars' opening-round grinder against VGK, which featured only five goals across the last two games combined and a succession of low-scoring battles. We're not sure Godzilla and King Kong combined could slow down the Avs, who scored at least five goals in each of their games in the first-round romp past Winnipeg, when Jared Bednar saw 12 of his players score goals. All of those games vs. the Jets went "over" and did each of the regular-season meetings vs. the Stars, so hang onto your hats in Big D tonight! Play Avs-Stars "Over"

While we didn't necessarily see offensive explosions from either of these teams in the first round, that wasn't the case in their regular-season meetings that all landed 221 or higher...much higher, in fact (the other three clashes all landed 245 or higher). Included were a couple of real lambastings each way with scorelines like 146-111 (Dallas) and 135-86 (OKC) as defense was never really featured in any of the four regular-season meetings. Matchups suggest we might see something similar, with Luka Doncic scoring 34 pg (his season avg.) vs. OKC this season, and the Thunder often hurt the Mavs despite SGA scoring only 22 pg across the four meetings. Play Mavs-Thunder "Over"

We'll assume there will be more scoring in this series than we saw in Cleveland's opening-round matchup vs. the pace-conscious Magic. Keep in mind that all of the regular-season meetings between the Cavs and Celtics landed above the 207.5 posted for tonight, and Cleveland will be less than whole defensively if rim protector Jarrett Allen continues to be sidelined. Boston's offense began to hum pretty good in the opening round vs. Miami, scoring at a 110 pg clip, and that included a subpar effort in Game 2 and calling off the dogs in Game 5, when Boston was already on 98 points and ahead by 32 into the 4th Q (the game ended 118-84). Play Cavs-Celtics "Over"

The Rangers are moving into Rodney Dangerfield territory here, winning every time thus far in the postseason but still looking for a bit more respect from the oddsmakers and wagering public that have made them a slight underdog for tonight's Game 2. The NHL version of the "Playoffs Zig-Zag" is not always as pronounced as it has been in the NBA, and the Canes might want to begin worrying a bit about GK Frederik Andersen, who has not looked as sharp in recent outings (stopping only 72 of 82 shots the past three games) as he did after being reactivated in early March into April. Note ten different Rangers have scored for Peter Laviolette in the playoffs. Play Rangers on Money Line