8* Montreal (7:05 ET): The Wild are struggling mightily right now as they've opened 1-5 SU. The end of a three-game swing through Eastern Canada is probably NOT the time we'll see them "get right," even though this happens to be an opponent they have defeated NINE straight times. That nine-game losing streak is probably not lost on those in the Habs' locker room as they too are looking to bounce back from a loss. Hosting Tampa Bay, the Canadiens lost 3-1 Tuesday even though they had a 34-22 edge in shots on goal. This being their fourth consecutive home game, the spot is so much better for Montreal here and they're playing w/ some serious revenge to boot.

For a team that's lost four of its first six games, the Canadiens have played better than you might think. They've only been outscored by two goals. Their first two losses both came past regulation and were on the road. Finishing this homestand w/ a .500 record would seem imperative as they'll hit the road twice this weekend, including a rematch in Minnesota. The goals allowed side of the ledger has been a bit of a problem so far for the Habs w/ them allowing at least three goals in every game. But here they'll be facing one of the league's lowest scoring teams (just 14 goals in six games). Only one time has the Wild scored more than twice in a game this year and they lost 7-4.

Other than their one win, which was 2-0 over an Ottawa team that is really bad, Minnesota has had major issues stopping their opponents from scoring. In five losses this year, they've allowed 25 goals. Not sure what HC Bruce Boudreau is doing sitting some of his key forwards in every game. What we do know is this Montreal losing streak to Minnesota dates back to December 2014. It's not like the Wild have been substantially better these last five years, so really the head to head streak makes little sense. Look for the Habs to snap in tonight. 8* Montreal

10* Over South Alabama/Troy (8:00 ET): South Alabama has not done much scoring in recent weeks. They've managed a total of only 43 points the L4 games, all of which have stayed Under. The Jaguars have hung tough in losses to the likes of Nebraska (35-21), LA Monroe (30-17) and Ga Southern (20-17), covering the spread in all those games. But still, their only win was against a FCS team (37-14 over Jackson State). The last time we saw USA, it was a play for us (+10) vs. Ga Southern. They covered the entire game before eventually losing in double overtime. This Wednesday matchup w/ Troy should at least lead to an increase in scoring, taking into account Troy's full body of work. Take the Over.

Troy's last two games have both been losses and they've given up 92 points in them. Before we go dismissing last week's effort as a product of facing Missouri (allowed 42 points), realize that they allowed 50 the previous week to Arkansas State and that was here at home. There was another game where they allowed 47 (to Southern Miss). If you take out games against Campbell (FCS) and Akron (worst team in FBS?), then the Trojans' defense has given up an average of 46.3 points and 542 yards per game. Missouri actually scored and gained less than both Southern Miss and Arkansas State did. On the bright side, Troy did score at least 35 points in every game before facing Mizzou. They hit 485 total yards each of those first four games.

So it's pretty reasonable to expect Troy to go back to scoring a ton of points this week now that they're not up against a SEC defense. South Alabama's defense is allowing 400 YPG and that number goes way up if you take out the first two games. They've allowed 30+ pts in four of their six games. Something about that Troy-Missouri game that needs to noted is that Troy allowed all 42 pts in the first half! Mizzou QB Kelly Bryant got hurt on the final throw of the 1H and the Tigers did nothing offensively (didn't have to) coming out of the break. So there is hope for the struggling USA offense in this one. Last year, it was a 38-17 Troy win in Mobile w/ the teams combining for almost 800 total yards of offense. The road team has won 4 straight in the "Battle for the Belt," but w/ Troy having won 10 of its last 12 Sun Belt home games that streak probably ends here. It should be a high-scoring game. 10* OVER South Alabama/Troy

10* Under Predators/Knights (10:05 ET): Vegas is looking like one of the league's better teams in the early going, which was expected. They are our call to win the Pacific Division this year and they've started 4-2 w/ 24 goals scored. The season started w/ a home and home sweep of rival San Jose, followed by two straight losses to Boston and Arizona. But the Golden Knights have bounced back w/ convincing wins over Calgary and Los Angeles where they notched 11 goals. Whether or not the team is successful tonight vs. Nashville remains to be seen, but we like the goal scoring pace to slow down a bit here. Take the Under.

The Preds are perennially one of the better teams in the Western Conference. They won the Central Division LY, but were then unceremoniously bounced in the 1st round of the playoffs by Dallas. This year has seen them start 3-2, but the "real story" is how high-scoring the games have been as all five have seen at least seven total goals scored. Their last one resulted in a 7-4 loss to the Kings. The Over is now 5-0 in all Nashville games this season, a trend worth noting as it's likely to come to an end a lot sooner rather than later. Vegas is often a difficult place for the visiting team to score, so tonight seems like just as good a spot as any for the Predators to see their first Under of the 2019-20 campaign.

This will be Nashville's 4th ever venture into Sin City and the previous results demonstrate what we were talking about earlier, that being it's hard to score when you're visiting here. The Predators have managed just three goals in the three previous trips here. But the big issue for Nashville right now has been the goaltending as they have an overall save percentage of .861, which is 29th out of 31 teams. That'll improve over time w/ Pekka Rinne between the pipes. Vegas has one of the top save percentages in the league (.928) as Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 69 of the 74 shots he saw in the L2 games. One area where the Knights will regress is the power play, which was a perfect 3 for 3 against the Kings. That will be difficult, if not impossible, to repeat. 10* Under Predators/Knights

10* Houston (4:05 ET): The Astros have a luxury no other team has and that's three aces in the starting rotation. While Zack Greinke has started twice and failed this postseason, it's been just the opposite for Cy Young contender Gerrit Cole, who was 2 for 2 in the LDS vs. Tampa Bay. Cole started Games 2 & 5 of that series and allowed just ONE run in 15 2/3 IP. This is nothing new for him as his TSR the L15 starts is 15-0 and he hasn't actually lost a decision since right before Memorial Day. It's been just ridiculous as Cole has 11 straight outings w/ 10+ K's and in the last seven he has an ERA of 0.87 and a WHIP of 0.60. No way we're betting against him, even in Yankee Stadium. We like the Astros in this series anyway.

If Cole doesn't win the Cy Young, it will be teammate Justin Verlander that does. Verlander started in the Astros' Game 2 victory and held the Yankees in check, allowing just two runs in 6 2/3 innings. Of course, it took 11 innings for Houston to win the game, but win they did (by score of 3-2) thanks to Carlos Correa's walkoff HR. Cole has faced the Yankees only one time in 2019 and it was back in April. He allowed 3 runs in 7 IP and the Astros got the 6-3 win. If you're worried about him having to pitch at Yankee Stadium, don't be. Surprisingly, the Yankees average FEWER runs per game at home than they do on the road.

The Astros have won 80% of Cole's starts this year, which is really impressive when you consider he's started 35 times. The Yankees have won 75% of Luis Severino's starts, but he's only started four times. Severino, the Game 3 starter, threw four shutout innings against the Twins in the LDS. He's yet to go more than 5 innings this year. Like Game 2 was, this will be another instance of the Yankees turning to the bullpen as needed while the Astros will ride their starter. As impressive as the Yankees' bullpen (and offense) can be, we still trust Cole more. The Astros are 21-5 this season when playing w/ a day off. Look for them to go up 2-1 in the series. 10* Houston

9* Chicago (8:35 ET): We're looking at a couple of very different starts to the season here w/ the Oilers and Blackhawks. Edmonton is 5-0, one of three remaining unbeatens in the league (Buffalo, Colorado). That's not something we saw coming as the Oilers finished w/ just 78 and 79 pts respectively the L2 years, putting them near the bottom of the Western Conference. It seems like forever ago that this team had its breakout campaign (103 pts in 2016-17) as superstar Conor McDavid had almost been toiling in obscurity, wasting his best years on a non-contender. Maybe ths year is going to be different? Regardless, we're fading Edmonton tonight in a must-win spot for the opponent.

The Blackhawks are 0-2-1. They join New Jersey and Minnesota as the only three teams in the league yet to have tasted victory this season. The reason for Chicago having played only three game so far is that they opened the season in Prague (Czech Republic). They had a full five days off before they played again and obviously still haven't won. But all three losses have been by one goal, including an OT defeat at the hands of Winnipeg Saturday. Since losing 4-3 to the Flyers in Prague, it's been B2B losses at home. The home opener against San Jose saw the Blackhawks blow a 1-goal advantage FOUR times before losing 5-4. The overtime loss to the Jets was even worse as they wasted an early 2-0 lead, which included a short-handed goal.

It speaks volumes that a winless team is favored to beat an undefeated one, even on home ice. Furthermore, we've seen the ML get steamed up. So Chicago definitely appears to be the "sharp" side in this Monday night matchup as most (rightfully) seem a bit wary of the Oilers at this point. One thing is for certain and that's they're not going to be able to maintain a 17.1 shooting percentage moving forward. Averaging 4.4 goals on just 25.8 shots per game is a real "Houdini act" if you know what we mean. Also, Edmonton has had to come from behind in all five wins! Both Chicago goaltenders have a good history when facing the Oilers. 9* Chicago

10* Green Bay (8:20 ET): Believe it or not, the Lions have won and covered all four games w/ the Packers the L2 seasons. Of course, those weren't particularly great years for Green Bay. Two years ago, Aaron Rodgers missed a large chunk of the season and the team went just 7-9 SU. Last year proved to be the swan song for former HC Mike McCarthy who was shown the door after a 6-9-1 SU finish, which was one less win than the previous year despite having Rodgers the entire time. But 2019 promised to be different. With Matt LaFleur now in charge, we were relatively high on the Packers and sure enough, they've raced out to a 4-1 SU start and lead the NFC North. They've already picked up key division wins over the Bears and Vikings. Now they face the Lions, who are a surprising 2-1-1 and off a bye. We don't have any doubt who the better team is here. Some nice line value now thanks to the move. Lay the short number.

The week before the bye saw the Lions lose a tough one to the Chiefs, 34-30. Maybe that's why some bettors seem interested in them this week. But despite playing KC tough for four quarters, we still have our doubts about the long-term success of this Detroit team. The defense is giving up over 400 YPG, which is something that only five other teams can say. They really struggle against the pass, giving up 280.8 YPG through the air, which ranks 30th and could obviously be a problem facing the likes of Rodgers, who has had some big MNF game in the past. Rodgers comes in w/ a streak of four straight MNF games w/ 300+ yards. A big reason the Lions struggle against the pass is they don't rush the passer all that well.

Both teams have played mostly close games. In fact, all four Detroit games have been decided by 4 pts or less. But Green Bay's performance last week was more impressive than anything Detroit has done this season. The Packers led Dallas by as many as 28 as they moved to 4-1 SU and ATS. They ended up beating the Cowboys by 10. Green Bay's only loss this year was their last home game, a Thursday night matchup w/ Philadelphia where the offense still gained nearly 500 total yards. Where the spread is now, oddsmakers are basically saying these teams are even w/ the Pack getting credit for homefield advantage. We'd have GB favored by 3.5 on a neutral field, so there's definitely value taking them at this number at home. 10* Green Bay

6* Run Line St. Louis (7:38 ET): Please note that this is a run line play only where we are backing the Cardinals +1.5. A starter the caliber of Jack Flaherty getting 1.5 runs seems like a nice deal, even having to lay this much juice. Ironically, we took the +1.5 against Flaherty when he started Game 2 of the LDS vs. Atlanta. Though he pitched well in that game, giving up only three runs in seven innings, the Cardinals lost that game 3-0. But Flaherty didn't even need to pitch well in his 2nd LDS start. That's because by the time he threw his first pitch, he had been handed a historic 10-0 lead! That was Game 5, which the Cards went onto win 13-1. Flaherty still did his part, giving up just one run and four hits in six innings. We'll back him here via the run line.

Flaherty has certainly done his part down the stretch for St. Louis. He's given them 10 consecutive quality outings. During that time, he's allowed just 11 runs and 37 hits w/ 85 K's (only 12 walks). It's not often you get the opportunity to take a pitcher of this caliber +1.5. Now Flaherty will be opposed by Stephen Strasburg, who is in the midst of his own dominant stretch. But Flaherty does have a lower ERA and WHIP over the course of the entire season. Washington was the favorite coming into the series and is obviously now in an even stronger position after taking the first two games in St. Louis. Were the Nats to lose here, we'd strongly consider backing them in Game 4. We're willing to say they won't win by more than one run Monday.

St. Louis has lost B2B games for the second time in these playoffs. The first time was Games 2 & 3 vs. Atlanta. We then backed them in Game 4, which they won in extra innings. They've lost three in row just twice since the All-Star Break and the only team to beat them three in a row was the Dodgers (all in LA). We agree w/ the notion of Washington being favored in this series, but Flaherty +1.5 is too good to pass up. Obviously, the Cardinals are going to have to discover some offense. Assuming they do, advantages in fielding and in the bullpen should be enough to carry them to a Game 3 victory. At the very least, they'll lose by only one run. Washington has scored only five runs in two games. 6* Run Line St. Louis (+1.5)

9* San Jose (10:05 ET): Terrible spot for Calgary tonight. It's not just the second game of a back to back (lost 6-2 in Vegas last night), but also their third road game in four nights. It's not been a great start for the club that had the most points in the Western Conference last year. Not surprised by that; they were expected to regress some. Because it's the second night of a B2B, the Flames have to go w/ a backup goalie for the first time this year. It's Cam Talbot, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason. The former Oilers' netminder wasn't particularly effective last year, turning in an .889 save percentage. He was 11-17-3 in 30 starts.

San Jose started 0-4, but was able to notch two points w/ a 5-4 win over Chicago Thursday. Credit the return of Patrick Marleau, who had missed the first four game. Marleau, who is in his second tour of duty here in San Jose, scored twice. It was a rusty Blackhawks team the Sharks were facing Thursday as Chicago had not played since opening its season in Prague. Now its a very different situation for the opponent, who is playing w/o rest. Yet both situations are conducive to the Sharks winning. They are 6-2 the L8 times hosting Calgary and not all those games were a situation as good as this.

This is only San Jose's second home game. The first was a loss to Vegas, something they can converse about w/ Calgary, who just lost to the Golden Knights last night. It was not a strong 60 minutes of hockey, which should be apparent from the final score of 6-2. It was the third time in five games that the Flames surrendered at least four goals. San Jose isn't as bad as it looked the first four games and having Marleau back is huge. 9* San Jose

8* Pittsburgh (8:20 ET): It's been nothing short of a disastrous start to the season for the Steelers, who are down to their third string QB Devlin Hodges, an undrafted player from a FCS school It's not like Hodges didn't succeed in College. He was actually the Player of the Year in 2018 as he finished his four-year career at Samford w/ the most passing yards in FCS history! Don't be surprised if the Steelers' offense actually ends up performing better with Hodges operating under center. Mason Rudolph obviously wasn't the answer, yet I thought the Black & Gold actually performed admirably in LW's 26-23 OT loss to Baltimore. That was the Steelers' third loss by four points or less. So they've been a competitive team. Take the points Sunday night.

We faded the Chargers last week as well. They were laying a similar spread to winless Denver and lost outright, 20-13. The offense turned the ball over three times and gained only 246 total yards. While Philip Rivers will be making his 214th consecutive start (213 more than Hodges) and RB Melvin Gordon is back, the Chargers are far from full strength right now. TE Hunter Henry might return. But four of the five offensive lineman have three or less years experience and there's a new center. There are just a ton of injuries on both sides of the ball for this team. Turnovers have been a problem as they have 2+ in three of five games. The Chargers' only win in regulation this year came against Miami.

With injuries to the receivers, Rivers averaged just 4.4 yards per completion last week. Again, the Miami game was the only one where the LA offense scored more than 24 pts in regulation. So they're a shaky favorite in this spot. Pittsburgh's defense has allowed just 175 and 277 total yards the last two games. Hodges is obviously a total Wild Card entering this game, but we're willing to bank he's no liability. Incredibly, QB's making their first career start this year are a perfect 7-0 ATS! The Steelers are 6-1-1 ATS as an underdog the L2 seasons and it's not like the Chargers have any kind of real homefield advantage. They are just 6-12-1 ATS at home since returning to LA. 8* Pittsburgh

10* Houston (8:08 ET): Homefield advantage certainly wasn't enough to save the Astros last night as they fell 7-0 to the Yankees here at Minute Maid Park. In our Game 1 analysis, we'd hyped that advantage as being pretty significant, but Houston simply could not put anything together at the plate (just three hits for the game) and the Yankees poured it on late. Thankfully, another advantage the Astros have is their tremendous starting pitching. They can now turn to Justin Verlander for Game 2, which of course is still at home. We don't see the Astros suffering the same fate as the Cardinals over the NLCS, that being losing both games at home. Home team bounces back tonight.

Verlander is one of the co-favorites for the AL Cy Young, along w/ teammate Gerrit Cole (who is slated to go in Game 3). So despite the disappointment of losing Game 1, the Astros are by no means "down and out." Verlander is 22-7 this season (36 starts) w/ a 2.66 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He started twice in the LDS vs. Tampa Bay and was a -230 favorite both times. Unfortunately, he lost the second time, which was on the road. He lasted only 3 2/3 IP and gave up four runs. He was on short rest too. But we see him bouncing back from that. In Game 1 of the LDS, here at home, Verlander tossed seven shutout innings of one-hit ball. Two years ago in the ALCS, Verlander won both of his starts against the Yankees and posted a 0.56 ERA. He's made six career postseason starts vs. the Yankes and never lost one (4-0), posting a 2.33 ERA w/ 41 K's.

By the way, last night was just the 5th time all season that the Astros were shutout and first since June. They're 3-1 off the previous four, allowing a total of just six runs in those games. They are also still 63-22 at home this year. The Yankees will turn to James Paxton, who has a 12-0 TSR since the start of August. But despite that tremendous amount of team success, Paxton is in no way as dominant as Verlander, at least over the long-term. On the road, he has a 4.33 ERA and 1.403 WHIP. His lone LDS start in the sweep of the Twins came at home. Paxton is accustomed to pitching in this ballpark due to his time spent in Seattle, but he also allowed five runs in just 4 IP his lone appearance here w/ the Yankees (that was back in April). All signs point to the Astros bouncing back tonight. 10* Houston