It's hard not to like the Penguins with the way their playing right now. Pittsburgh is a stellar 14-7-4 away from home this season and has won three-straight on this road trip. Goalie Stuart Skinner is red-hot, going 6-0-1 with a 1.34 GAA during that span. Vancouver has lost 12 of its last 13 games and is a dismal 5-15-3 at home. Look for the Pens to keep it rolling on Sunday.

I love this Devils team and they enter Sunday 5-1 in their last six games. Seattle is on the opposite end of the spectrum, losing five of its last six. New Jersey has also dominated this series of late, winning six straight. During that span, the Devils held Seattle to two goals or less each time. I'll back the Devils to win their fourth straight on this road trip.

This is a tough spot for the Penguins. I gave out Pittsburgh last night and noted goalie Stuart Skinner was hot. Skinner held Calgary to one goal and is now 6-0-1 in his last seven starts. However, it doesn't look like we'll get a Skinner revenge game in his return to Edmonton. After consecutive starts, the Penguins are expected to use Arturs Silovs in net tonight. Pittsburgh is playing its third straight road game and the Calgary/Edmonton back-to-back is always tough. The Oilers have won eight of the last nine meetings with all the victories coming by 2+ goals. Also, 14 of Edmonton's last 16 wins have been by 2+ goals. I played -1 at BetRivers but would also bet -1.5 for a half unit.

I like the Penguins in this spot. Pittsburgh is 12-7-4 on the road and one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the NHL. That's key here because Calgary has been the league's worst 5-on-5 team in the month of January. Stuart Skinner draws his second straight start in net for the Pens and he's been hot of late, going 5-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA and .931 save percentage in his last six starts. Pittsburgh has won four of its last five road games. I like that trend to continue tonight in Calgary.

I had the Rangers on Saturday and I'm going back to them here. This is a tough spot for Minnesota playing its fourth straight road game. The Wild have scored just four goals in the first three and things won't get any easier on Monday against New York's defense. I'll back the Rangers at -120 to win their second straight game.

I'm going to buy low here on the Rangers after losing three straight. Defense hasn't been the issue. New York allowed just five goals in those losses and only none overall in six games this season. Montreal has won three straight, all by one goal. The Rangers have been good away from home early in the year, beating Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and losing to Toronto 2-1 in OT. I think there is some value with New York at plus money.

I thought we had a good look in Game 4 with Mikko Rantanen over 2.5 SOG but three of his shots missed, and we landed on two. Despite scoring just once, I thought Dallas' offense performed better in Game 4 with Roope Hintz back in the lineup. They moved the puck well and got good looks but Stuart Skinner has been a wall in the last three games, stopping 86 of 88 shots. I do think Skinner is playing a bit over his head and I expect the Stars to fight hard at home with their season on the line. I laid -1 at plus money with all four games in the series being decided by 3+ goals but like Dallas ML too.

Mikko Rantanen attempted only three shots in the last two games and he hasn't scored in six straight. That won't cut it for Dallas' $96 million man. The Stars have scored just once since their 5-goal outburst in the third period of Game 1. With the season essentially on the line Tuesday, I expect Rantanen to once again be a big factor in Dallas' offense. Rantanen has attempted at least three shots on goal nine times so far in the playoffs. With the Stars' offense sputtering and top center Roope Hintz likely out again in Game 4, look for Rantanen to be a lot more aggressive.

Those who follow my picks regularly know I'm a patient bettor. I wait for spots and strike. Sometimes that works out, sometimes I kick myself. The Panthers in Game 3 is an example of the latter. I was so close to playing Florida, I actually started a writeup, then pulled back. Here was the first line, "This looks like a sweep." Well, that hasn't changed with the Panthers up 3-0. This is just a bad matchup for Carolina. The Panthers swept them in the 2023 EC Final and are now 14-5 in the last 19 meetings. I'll lay -162 early before the number moves. I think the line closes around -180.

I almost pulled the trigger on Edmonton in Game 2 but decided to wait until they returned home. I think the Oilers are the best overall team in the NHL. Whether or not they win the Stanley Cup will ultimately come down to goaltending. That wasn't an issue in Game 2 when Stuart Skinner stopped all 25 shots. Dallas' center Roope Hintz might miss Sunday's game and he is a huge loss for their offense. I expect a spirited effort from the Stars but think Edmonton prevails at home to take a 2-1 series lead.

I took Winnipeg in Game 5 because I thought the Jets were in a great spot at home. They are not in a great spot on the road, where Winnipeg is 0-5 in the playoffs. Connor Hellebuyck was fantastic in Game 5, stopping all 22 shots. However, the road has been a different story for Hellebuyck in the playoffs were he is allowing just under 6.0 goals per game. I think the Stars are the better team in this series and I like Dallas to close it out at home on Saturday night.

The Jets’ playoff road woes continued when they dropped both games in Dallas. Winnipeg is now 0-5 away from home this postseason, getting out-scored 25-8. Luckily for the Jets, they return home for Game 6 where Winnipeg is 35-8-4 this season. Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is happy to be back on home ice. Hellebuyck has been shelled on the road in the playoffs, but is 5-1 with a 1.99 goals against at Canada Life Centre. Winnipeg is getting killed on the power play in this series (1-of-16) but they have played well in 5-on-5. I expect a big effort from Hellebuyck and the Jets in a must-win game at home. I think Winnipeg forces a Game 6.

I really like Toronto in this spot. This feels like a seven-game series and I expect the Leafs to continue the trend of the home team winning all four games. Joseph Woll will be in goal again for Anthony Stolarz and while Woll lost Game 4, I think he is coming off the best performance of his career with 35 saves on 37 shots. It's Toronto's offense that needs to get going after getting blanked in Game 4. I expect that to happen. The Leafs scored a total of 13 goals in the first three games. I like Toronto in Game 5, then I'll probably come back with Florida in Game 6. Would anyone be disappointed if this series goes seven games?

I'm a little surprised we are getting the Oilers at -120 in Game 3. Edmonton is the hottest team in the NHL Playoffs right now and this feels like it might be a sweep. The Oilers were a minute away from going down 3-1 to the Kings in Round 1. Since that dramatic comeback, Edmonton has won six straight. Vegas losing Game 2 in OT puts them in a tough spot. The Oilers have out-shot the Golden Knights 65-50 in the two games but Vegas is winning the power plays, three goals to zero. If Edmonton can clean that up, I think they go up 3-0 in front of a raucous home crowd Saturday night.

I'm taking the Jets in a must-win game at home where they are 34-8-4 this season. I expect this series to go seven games with the home teams having a lot of success. The first game was pretty even across the board, although the Jets did have seven more shots on goal and 22 more hits. I'll take Winnipeg to even up the series then look to back Dallas in Game 3 at home.