Scott Rickenbach Free Sports Picks & Handicapper Review

Game of the Week - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #11 Thursday 10* Top Play Edmonton Oilers Money Line (+) @ Minnesota Wild @ 8:05 ET - The Oilers are off a disappointing homestand but have actually been better on the road than at home this season. I like the fact too that Edmonton battled back to tie Buffalo and earn a point in their 3-2 OT loss Sunday and then on Tuesday they battled back to tie the Hurricanes after a falling into a 3-0 hole. Carolina then on to win the game 6-3 with 3 very late goals but that final score was not indicative of how the game really played out. Look for the Oilers to avoid an early hole here and get revenge for a 3-0 loss at Minnesota in their most recent meeting two months ago. It is payback time here and, unlike Edmonton, the Wild are coming off earning a very fortunate point in their most recent game. They got a point in the shootout loss against Anaheim Tuesday but Minnesota dug a 2-0 hole and was outshot 14-1 early on and really never recovered. The Wild simply did not play well but got away with it and still earned a point they really didn't deserve. I like fading teams when they're off a game like that and Edmonton also is extra hungry here plus motivated by revenge. Look for a strong road win for the determined Oilers in this one. Edmonton has the edge on the penalty kill and also a huge edge on the power play in comparison with Minnesota. The Wild had lost 4 of last 6 to the Oilers before the big win in mid-October. Edmonton is off back to back losses but is a PERFECT 4-0 this season when off consecutive defeats! Conversely, Minnesota has already had a 4-game losing streak and 3-game losing streak. The Wild enter this game off B2B losses as well. The Oilers are 8-2 this season when off a loss by a multiple goal margin in their prior game. 10* EDMONTON

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #3 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Tampa Bay Lightning vs Boston Bruins @ 7:05 ET - Both teams off low-scoring games but the last 3 meetings between these clubs have gone 3-0 to the over. Those 3 games all totaled 7 or more goals and, in fact, two of the three totaled 9 goals! The Bruins are starting #1 netminder Tuuka Rask here as they used back-up goalie Juroslav Halak yesterday. However, that may not be such a good thing as Rask actually has allowed a total of 7 goals in his last two starts. Also, Rask has allowed 13 goals in his last 3 starts against the Lightning! As for Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, he is off a great start at Florida. However, prior to that start, he had allowed 4 or more goals in 3 of his last 5 starts. The hungry Bruins enter this game on a losing streak and will pepper him with shots in this one. Vasilevskiy has allowed 7 goals on 54 shots in his last two starts against the Bruins. The Lightning saw their game with the Panthers total just 3 goals but their 3 prior games totaled 23 goals! Look for a lot of scoring (again in this match-up) as when Boston and the Bolts get together we have seen plenty of success in the offensive zone for each club. 10* OVER the total in Tampa Bay

TNT Annihilation - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #523 Thursday 10* Top Play Philadelphia 76ers (+) @ Boston Celtics @ 8:05 ET - Boston is in a back to back spot here. Also, Kemba Walker scored 44 points last night at Indiana and the Celtics still lost the game! That doesn't bode well for what to expect tonight from Boston as Walker only scored 12 points and made just 4 of 18 shots when he faced the 76ers defense in the season opener. The Sixers have the rest edge here and the health edge too. The Celtics have been without Marcus Smart (eye) and now the recently activated Gordon Hayward might miss tonight's game after taking a shot to the head in last night's game against the Pacers. Philadelphia has won 7 of its past 8 games. The Celtics are undefeated at home but there is a reason this game is priced the way it is! Philly is playing some of its best basketball of the season and they are the healthier team here plus have the rest edge. Also, I am expecting a huge game from former Celtic Al Horford in his first game back at Boston since going to the Sixers. This is an early season battle for the top spot in the division and I love being a contrarian and going against a Celtics team that is 11-0 at home this season. Boston is favored by the slimmest of margins in this one with good reason. Upset time! 10* PHILADELPHIA

Thursday Night NFL Total of the Year - Rickenbach NFL Rotation #301 Thursday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Baltimore Ravens vs New York Jets @ 8:20 ET - The Jets secondary is banged up and that is bad news here. That's because the Ravens enter with the #1 rushing attack in the NFL thanks in large part to the running ability of QB Lamar Jackson. But if he can also attack downfield through the air that means this Jets defense is going to struggle all night long. Also, I don't see the Ravens taking their foot off the gas in this one as they are still highly motivated to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC post-season. Baltimore is off a "grinder" type game against the Bills in which both teams struggled to move the ball very well. That was in windy Buffalo and the Bills are known for their defense. The Jets have respectable numbers on defense this season too but they are banged up right now and I expect the Ravens to take advantage. At the same time I do expect the Jets offense to enjoy some success. Baltimore's defense has had to step up big against quality teams in recent weeks. Don't be surprised if there is a bit of a let up here as they now take on a weaker foe and on a short week. It is simply hard to maintain that high-level intensity and physicality in a situation like this and the Ravens were truly taken to the wire by the Bills last week. The Jets have won 4 of 5 games so they have some confidence in terms of moving the football and playing winning football. They'll score quite well here but I don't foresee New York being able to get many stops on defense. The Ravens are scoring an average of 35 points per game in their last 7 games. Also, the weather will be chilly but light winds and no precipitation in Baltimore tonight. A beautiful night for football. The Jets have won 4 of 5 games and scored an average of 31 points in the 4 victories. Look for a surprising number of points in this game and I see it soaring over the total. The over is 3-0 this season when the Jets are off consecutive ATS losses. The over is 6-1 in the Ravens last 7 games against AFC East opponents. More of the same expected here. 10* OVER the total in Baltimore