Free Picks: Service Plays for Sunday, March 30

DUNKEL INDEX

NCAAB

Kentucky vs. Michigan
The Wildcats take on Michigan in the Elite 8 tonight and come in with a 6-1-1 ATS record in their last 8 games versus Big Ten opponents. Kentucky is the pick (-2) according to Dunkel, which has the Wildcats favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Kentucky (-2).

Game 717-718: Connecticut vs. Michigan State (6:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 68.539; Michigan State 76.169
Dunkel Line: Michigan State by 7 1/2; 136
Vegas Line: Michigan State by 5 1/2; 140
Dunkel Pick: Michigan State (-5 1/2); Under

Game 719-720: Kentucky vs. Michigan (5:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kentucky 74.663; Michigan 70.139
Dunkel Line: Kentucky by 4 1/2; 147
Vegas Line: Kentucky by 2; 141
Dunkel Pick: Kentucky (-2); Over

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Kentucky -2FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Michigan Wolverines shot the lights out against Tennessee and yet they had to hang on to win the game by just two points. Tennessee had a huge advantage with their size, but some quick questionable foul calls took that advantage away early in the game. Kentucky is also going to have a huge advantage in the paint and Michigan will not have an answer for Julius Randle. I don't expect the Wolverines to shoot that well again in this game and Kentucky is peaking at just the right time. Lay the points.

Rob VincilettiFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail BlazersSERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Portland Trail Blazers -1.5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Blazers have big revenge here. They have lost the last 5 in the series and the last 3 to Memphis all by double digits. So why would tonight be any different? Well for started Portland is home off a solid win by 17 in Chicago and should start to pick it up off a 5 game road trip. Also we note that rested Conference home teams that covered as a road dog of 7 or more points with 15 or less turnovers have covered 90%, vs an opponent that lost and failed to cover as a road dog of 4 or less while scoring 90 or more. The Blazers are 7-1 off a dog win and 16-4 at home when the total is 190 to 195. Memphis blew the lead in Golden St in their last game and may have a tough time getting focused for a team they have beaten handily the past few Games.

Rob Vinciletti's Featured Package

Jim FeistFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Indiana Pacers at Cleveland CavaliersFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Cleveland CavaliersFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Indiana Pacers still are the best in the East witha 52-21 record and won their matchup with 2nd seeded Miami a few days ago, 84-83. The Pacers then followed that with a lackluster performance at Washington, losing 91-78. It was the club's third loss in their last four games. But what is even more shocking is that the Pacers have been absolutely horrible covering spreads, going 3-18 ATS their last 21 games. On the road it hasn't been much better, as the Pacers are just 7-19 ATS their last 26 away contests. Moreover, since the All-Star game, the Pacers have been allowing as many points as they are scoring. I also wonder how much the Pacers will be into tonight's contest as they face the Western leading San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night, putting the club in a tough back-to-back spot. Yes, the Pacers have won the last nine games in this series straight up. But who could fault them for looking past the lowly Cavs to their showdown with the Spurs tomorrow night. The Cavaliers have been without guard Kyrie Irving since March 16. However, Dion Waiters has stepped up and averaged 24 ppg for the Cavaliers who have covered eight of their last nine games. By virtue of playing in a weak Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers (29-45) are actually just 3 1/2 games back of 8th place Atlanta for a playoff spot. Plucky Cavaliers have all the incentive in today's contest while the Pacers likely have their eyes on tomorrow's game in Indianapolis against the Spurs. I'll take the points with a Cleveland team that could pull out a shocking upset win here on Sunday.

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Minnesota Timberwolves at Brooklyn NetsSERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: Brooklyn NetsFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Barclay Center plays host to an NBA non-conference clash Sunday night where hometown Brooklyn takes on Minnesota with the Nets looking to avenge a 30-point loss suffered the opening month of the season. The good news for the Nets is their 5-0 SUATS mark in the last five games on this floor versus Western Conference foes. With Minny off a 36-point romp over the Lakers, and just 7-26 SU and 13-19-1 ATS in games after taking on the Beach Boys, and also looking dead ahead to a multi-revenger with e Clippers, we'll say at home with the hosts tonight. We recommend a 1-unit play on Brooklyn.

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Rangers at OilersFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Pick: OverFOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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Looking to jiggle his lineup combinations, New York coach Alain Vigneault is likely to do some personnel shuffling tonight at Edmonton. Expect a different look to the Rangers lines at Rexall Place this evening as Vigneault tries to light a fire underneath Martin St. Louis, acquired in a trade deadline deal from Tampa Bay but without a point in five straight games. Vigneault is expected to move St. Louis back to a line with former teammate and center Brad Richards and left wing Carl Hagelin. The shift would put St. Louis back at his natural right wing position after playing on the left with Rick Nash and Derek Stepan. Vigneault also likely opts in goal for Cam Talbot, giving Henrik Lundqvist a well-deserved night off. Note that the host Oilers have gone "over" in 7 of their last 10 games.

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Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland CavaliersFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Indiana Pacers -5½FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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I'm recommending a play on the Pacers minus the points on Sunday afternoon. Indiana has a date with the Spurs next, but there's no look-ahead in this one with the Pacers looking to rebound from a 91-78 loss to Washington on Friday. That result did not surprise us at all as we backed the Wizards on these pages. The Cavaliers are off an 11-point loss to Brooklyn and will face the Pacers with a lot of problems in the backcourt. Kyrie Irving and C.J. Miles are both out and this gives the Pacers "just what the doctor ordered" before facing the Spurs on Monday night. Indiana has taken nine straight meetings from the Cavaliers and they have covered six of the last eight meetings. More of the same. I'm recommending a play on the Pacers minus the points.

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Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando MagicFORFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Orlando Magic +5FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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A great situational play here.
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Toronto just locked up a playoff spot and while it’s still trying to take down the Atlantic Division title, with a game at the two-time defending champions tomorrow night, I think tonight’s contest sets up as a classic “look ahead/letdown spot” for it.
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This is also a double revenge game for Orlando which has dropped both games to the Raptors, both SU and ATS.
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And don’t look now but the lowly Magic come into this contest with momentum and confidence after back-to-back wins, 95-85 over the Pacers on Tuesday and 110-105 over the Bobcats in OT on Friday.
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Orlando outrebounded Charlotte 57-36, including 19-9 on the offensive glass.
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The Magic have actually averaged over 107 points during a 6-1 stretch in front of the home town crowd vs. foes from the Eastern Conference.
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And note that this is a spot that the Magic have absolutely dominated in for bettors all year, whopping and near-perfect 9-1 ATS as a home underdog in the 3.5 to 6 points range (also note that Orlando is a profitable 7-6 ATS this season off an upset win as an underdog).
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Consider a second look at the home side in this one.

Tom Grassi

Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic
Play: Orlando Magic +5

The Toronto Raptors take the court after two straight victories against Boston, though Friday night’s win was a tight two-point decision on their home court. They face an Orlando Magic team that’s been a solid home underdog over the past 10 weeks, the two most recent coming within the last week with outright victories over Portland and Charlotte, respectively.

The Magic has covered 12 of their last 15 home games, holding a 9-3 ATS mark when getting points. Tonight’s line puts them in a true sweet spot, since they’ve been able to cover nine of the ten times they’ve been in that pointspread range.

Toronto’s struggle against Boston was in contrast to their much easier win two nights before in Beantown. Expending that much effort to beat a team has long been costly in the Raptors’ next outing, since they’ve failed to cover two out of every three games for more than a decade in that situation.

Two-thirds of the early money has been placed on Toronto, but the line has yet to move. Whether or not that means the Sharps are backing Orlando remains to be seen, but given the numbers working against the Raptors, we prefer to take the points.

Jeffrey James

Michigan +1.5

I know Kentucky has looked very impressive but this is the perfect time for them to have a let down. They really stole their last game against arch-rival Louisville and a team this young will still be on a high off of that game so look for Michigan to be able get off to a good start here. Michigan is a very talented team in their own right but nobody will be talking about them. Look for Michigan to get the lead and stay with it all the way through to advance to their 2nd consecutive Final Four.

Jeff Scott Sports

3 Unit Play

Michigan State/ UConn Under 139: Just can't see it coming all that close to 140 points. The UConn/ ISU games should have stayed way under the total, mainly because UConn did not run and i expect them to really slow the pace here as well. This is the Elite 8 and the winner has a chance to go to the Final 4.Saturday showed that teams seem not likely to run as much and I don't see the Huskies doing that here. They will look to rely on a defense that has been pretty stingy all year and has allowed just 67.3 ppg on neutral courts this year. The Spartans have also been solid on defense as they have allowed 68 ppg on neutral courts and just 65.7 ppg overall. The Spartans will look to run, but UConn didn't let a powerful ISU offense run and they wont allow Sparty to do so here either. UConn does not want a shootout. I see this one in the lower 130s at best.

Jimmy Boyd

Connecticut +5½

The Huskies have been one of the most underrated teams in the country all season. This is a team that handed Florida one of its two losses this season. UConn also has one of the best defenses in the country. They have held opponents to a mere 64 points per game on the year. Another big reason for the Huskies success has been their ability to play smart basketball. UConn is not a team that turns the ball over very often, and they rarely find themselves in foul trouble.

There is no denying the fact that Michigan State is a great team when they are healthy, but I don't think they are good enough defensively to beat the Huskies by a margin large enough to cover this spread. Over their last five games the Spartans have surrendered 68 points per game. Nobody has had an answer for Shabazz Napier this season and I expect him to be a thorn in the side of the Spartans. Napier is coming into this matchup averaging 17.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 4.9 assists per game. He is one of just 10 players in the entire country that has posted a triple-double this season.

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SAN DIEGO +104 over Los AngelesFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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The Dodgers are definitely the hunted the season. Los Angeles has baseball’s top payroll and every team will be gunning for them. There is no question that the Dodgers have appeal here, as they’ve already played two real games and won them both with Hyun-Jin Ryu throwing a five-inning, two-hit gem in the second game. That game was last Saturday night at 10:00 PM EST so it was seen at a somewhat normal time for baseball fans in the US to be able to watch. What they saw was the Dodgers scoring runs and Ryu pitching well. Now the oddsmakers have made the Dodgers a very short price against a team that rarely gets seen by anyone not living in San Diego. It’s also the Sunday Night ESPN “real” opener and the small price on the popular Dodgers is a curious one. We say be cautious. Opening the season in Australia and coming back to the US is not an easy trip and the Dodgers may suffer because of it. On a pure stuff level, Ryu doesn’t stand out with his 91 mph fastball and 80 mph change-up being his main offerings. His rookie season at this level went about as well as could have been expected but the second time around for a pitcher that doesn’t have overwhelming stuff is often far less successful.
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Even if Ryu pitches well here, the Padres still have a very good shot of winning with Andrew Cashner on the mound. Cashner showcased his high ceiling in his 2013 mini-breakout: 175 IP, 3.09 ERA, 1.13 WHIP. While his overall skills didn't quite support those surface stats, he got better late in the season, a good sign for a pitcher with a history of shoulder issues. His four-seam fastball velocity increased more from the first half to second half than all but two starters in the NL and its surge helped him increased his swinging strike % from 7% in the 1H to 10% in the 2H. Given his high groundball rate, these spikes could be the precursor to a full breakout in 2014. Cashner has filthy stuff and is worth backing as a pooch at home almost every time. No exception here.
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Milwaukee Over 80 Wins -105FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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It’s not customary for us to play overs in MLB totals for the simple reason that totals do not take into account the injuries that occur throughout the season. Every team will suffer through some, especially to their pitching staff but we see a number here on the Brewers that is based on last year’s performance and that’s a mistake we can take advantage of.
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Even though the NL Central features Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis, the Brewers can compete with all three and should contend for the division. Poor health hampered the Brewers in 2013, months before Ryan Braun drew his suspension and that has us banking on better luck in the season ahead. When healthy, five of the Brewers eight position players are in the top 10 in the league. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy, shortstop Jean Segura and center fielder Carlos Gomez are all outstanding players that could crack the lineup of any team in baseball. Braun, who is moving to right field after playing the past six seasons in left, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez are the other two players’ one must consider top 10 in the Major Leagues at their positions. Neither Scooter Gennett nor Khris Davis will have rookie status entering this season but still come in way under the radar. Both these guys are potential all-stars. Davis slugged .596, fourth-best among Major Leaguers with more than 50 plate appearances while Gennett batted .324 in 69 games and played near flawlessly in place of Richie Weeks at second base. Gennett is also a base stealer.
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Speaking of Weeks, he had an off-year last season by batting .209 with 10 jacks in 399 plate appearances before surgery in August to repair a torn hamstring. He will earn $11 million in 2014, the final guaranteed season of his four-year, $38.5 million contract, and has an $11.5 million vesting option that will become guaranteed if he has 600 plate appearances in 2014 and is healthy at the end of the season. We all know how well players perform in their final year of a contract and if Weeks returns to form, one can only imagine how dangerous an offense this will be. Even without Weeks, the Brewers are still dangerous. That brings us to the ever important pitching staff.
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Signing Matt Garza required the richest free-agent contract in Brewers history and pushed the budget beyond previous estimates. Principal owner Mark Attanasio said the move gave the Brewers their best depth of starting pitching in his 10 years at the helm. If Garza takes the mound for 30-plus starts, his $12.5 million average annual salary (before incentives) will look pretty good. The projected other starters will be Yovani Gallardo, Kyle Lohse, Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada. Gallardo had an off-year a season ago but still has outstanding stuff and has already been named the opening day starter because of a strong spring. Right-hander Wily Peralta made some hidden gains in the second half of 2013 with more K’s, better control and a 49% ground ball rate. With a mid-90s fastball and dominant slider, Peralta has the raw tools to become a dominant pitcher if he can make some gains against LH batters. Marco Estrada went 7-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 21 starts in 2013. A hamstring injury cost him a third of the season. When he returned he had a dominant second half in 2013, which mirrored superb 2H in 2012, so he's showed plus-plus ability twice.
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The Brewers pen ranked fifth out of the 30 Major League teams with a 3.19 ERA in relief despite John Axford losing the closer's role one week into the season. This year there are some changes but the pen is no worse than it was a year ago and any one of a number of prospects could easily step up and play a major role. In the end, we’re suggesting the Brewers have a sneaky shot to win this division and unless a ton of things go wrong, they should easily play .500 ball.
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Atlanta Under 87 Wins -113FOR FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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If you’re on board with this under jump on it ASAP because as soon as the Braves starting rotation is firmly identified, this number or the juice on it is going to drop faster than the value of a Bitcoin. It is our belief that the Braves are the league’s most overvalued team based on a pedigree in the past two decades that is hard to match. However, Atlanta’s starting pitching is in serious trouble and Brian McCann is in New York, leaving Evan Gattis calling the shots behind the plate. In one of the more fascinating stories of the 2013 season, Gattis emerged from nowhere to hit 12 HR in April and May. He finished strong with six more bombs in September. With McCann now out of the way, is Gattis legit? Below average contact and a lack of line drives kept his average well below xBA. A .250 BA is a reasonable expectation. Gattis' mediocre plate skills and 2H fade prompted the Braves to go out and get Ryan Doumit so even they aren’t sure. A team with high expectations without a proven catcher is a team in trouble (see Toronto Blue Jays last season with J.P Arencibia calling the shots, who is almost the mirror image of Gattis).
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At the other positions the Braves aren’t in bad shape at all but some inevitable injuries to guys like B.J. Upton, Justin Upton, Dan Uggla, Chris Johnson, Jason Heyward or Freddie Freeman will expose the Braves lack of depth. Season win totals do not take injuries into consideration and there is no question that some of the Braves veteran players will suffer some. Even if everything goes peachy for every single position player in Atlanta, this number is going to be difficult to pass because of their lack of pitching.
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When healthy, Kris Medlen is one of the best pitchers in the National League. Unfortunately, health is proving elusive for the Braves' pitcher. A partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow suffered on March 9, has him out before the season even begins. The Braves have not announced what the status of Medlen is, as they await a second opinion on his pitching elbow. He has already had one Tommy John surgery back in 2010 and a second one appears inevitable. In other words, and you can take this to the bank, he’s done for this season and his career is in doubt as the track record for pitchers having two elbow reconstruction surgeries borders on bleak.
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Brandon Beachy may be headed for his second Tommy John surgery also. He had arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow in September to help clean out some scar tissue from the first and left a game early this week (March 13) with biceps soreness. Not only is Beach still trying to overcome the hurdles that come with Tommy John surgery, there are issues with the biceps tendon in the upper arm/labrum region and more doubts creep into the picture. That’s two down for the Braves, leaving Julio Teheran, Gavin Floyd, Mike Minor, Earvin Santana, Alex Wood, Freddy Garcia, Zach Stewart and few other pitchers vying for three rotation jobs. Minor and Teheran are locks to be the first two starters but after that, it’s a bunch of rejects and castoffs. Yeah, that includes Santana. Santana is an “old” 31-years of age with a ton of mileage on his arm. His control has never been that good and he had already started regressing by June of last year. Pay more attention to his 3.90-4.30 xERA skills foundation and not the dart throw of ERA. Santana is only a year removed from a 5.16 ERA (4.99 xERA) and 1.27 WHIP. The Braves starting rotation is in deep trouble and we’re jumping on this under before the true reports on Beachy and Medlen (that they are both out for the year) are revealed.

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Tampa Bay +101 over DETROITFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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There are two possible opportunities in this game and we’re going to cover them both. Jonas Gustavsson is the confirmed goaltender for the Red Wings here. The Lightning have not named their starter yet but if Ben Bishop is confirmed and we’ll update as soon as that information is available, we’re playing the Bolts. If Anders Lindback is the confirmed starter, we’re playing the game over the total (see write-up) and will pass on playing the Bolts. So, to recap, if Bishop starts, we’re playing Tampa and if Lindback goes, we’re playing it over 5½.
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Detroit is coming off a huge win over the Maple Leafs last night in Toronto. The Red Wings have shown a lot of razzle and dazzle lately with odd man rushes, highlight reel goals and some nifty setups but that is not going to get it done on most night against quality clubs. Defensively and in net, the Red Wings are not close to being in the same class as Tampa Bay or many other teams above them in the standings. Detroit has allowed four goals or more against in three of its last four and in nine of its past 14 games. The blueprint for defeating them is not a complicated one, as prepared teams will slow them down by jamming up the neutral zone and not allow them to gain steam into the offensive end. The Red Wings love to play the give-and-go game but a physical and well-coached team like the Lightning will slow them down while likely creating plenty of scoring chances of their own.
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Very quietly, Tampa Bay has picked up points in 11 straight games and it’s no coincidence that they have gotten hot since Steven Stamkos returned to the lineup. The Bolts have scored three goals or more in every one of their last 11 games. Tampa’s power-play is on fire right now with 10 PP goals in its last 31 opportunities. Tampa rolls out three strong scoring lines and its fourth line of Ryan Malone, B.J. Crombeen and Nate Thompson is the best fourth line in the NHL. Wickedly talented and gaining steam, the Bolts are a nightmare matchup for the Red Wings and we plan to take full advantage.
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Tampa Bay/DETROIT Over 5½FREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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We’re playing the over in this game only if Anders Lindback is the confirmed starter for the Bolts and we’ll update our play as soon as that info is available. There are three or four goaltenders in this league that should be backups in the minors and we pointed out one in Dan Ellis yesterday. Add Tim Thomas and add Anders Lindback to that list and Lindback may be the worst of them all. When he’s in net, the Lightning are not playable under any circumstance because he can’t stop pucks. Lindback is 5-12-2 this season with a save % of .878, which is the league’s worst for any goaltender that has appeared in at least 15 games. Only once over his last nine starts has Lindback had a save percentage over .900. Detroit has enough goal scorers to put at least three behind him and that’s if he has a great game by his own standards.
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We know that Jonas Gustavsson is starting for the Red Wings and his only asset is that he’s a huge body between the pipes. Aside from that, Gustavsson’s positioning is questionable, he’s slow on his feet and he gives up more rebounds than the Philadelphia 76ers. Gustavsson has not played in 23 days when he was the winning goaltender in a 7-4 win over the Devils. Gustavsson has recorded save percentages of .840, .821, .892, .886, .826, .727 and .840 in seven of his last 12 starts. Trust us, if he were any good or if Mike Babcock had any faith in him whatsoever, he would be playing way more games because Jimmy Howard has been mostly awful the entire season. With all the firepower in this game, with two of the NHL’s worst goaltenders and with one of the NHL’s worse defenses (Detroit), this one has all the makings of a high scoring game.
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Calgary +130 over OTTAWAFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. The Senators are coming off a 5-3 win over Chicago and that victory has them overvalued here. That score was an extremely flattering one to the Senators, as they were badly outplayed and outshot again, this time by a count of 49-29. That was the Senators fourth win in their last 15 games. Over their past 10 games, the Sens have allowed the following shot totals in seven of their last 10 games: 49, 41, 38, 44, 48, 42 and 49. Overall, they have allowed the second most shots on net per game in the league and that puts them in the same category as Toronto, Buffalo, Washington and Edmonton. Ottawa has not won consecutive games since early February and they are 1-10-2 in afternoon games this season. The bottom line is that Ottawa is an extremely careless team with a weak defense that has no value whatsoever as a favorite over the Flames.
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Calgary has been one of the NHL’s hottest teams over the past 24 games. The Flames have won 16 of those games and they’ve also won three of their last four with only loss over that span occurring against the Ducks, 3-2. The Flames just ended the Rangers 5-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory over them and they have recent wins over San Jose, Dallas and Anaheim. The Flames’ work ethic remains one of the best in the game. They relentlessly go after every loose puck while each skater plays their heart out every shift. They’ve been such a tough out for weeks now and it’s no fluke. Calgary is also getting outstanding goaltending from Karri Ramo. Calgary’s 39 goals scored over the past nine games is the highest total in the league over that span. As a pooch in this range and with at least a 50% chance or greater of winning, Calgary holds all the value in this one because they can be trusted to play hard, they’re in much better form and they absolutely want it more.
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Washington +104 over NASHVILLEFREE SERVlCE PLAYS VlSlT THESPREAD.COM
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OT included. Not considering goaltenders when wagering on the NHL is equivalent to not considering pitchers when wagering on baseball. Goaltenders are the deciding factor in at least 70-80% of all NHL games and that makes the Capitals and instant play here. Braden Holtby was the starting goaltender for Washington yesterday in Boston despite the fact that Jaroslav Halak has been very good since coming over from St. Louis. Caps Coach, Adam Oates knew he had a difficult game in Boston so he rolled the dice and lost with Holtby but likely would have wasted an effort from Halak had he used him yesterday. Saving Halak for this much easier game against Nashville was well thought out strategy by Oates and one that could very well pay off. Washington’s last five games have occurred against Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Los Angeles again and Boston. Those are four Stanley Cup contending teams and the Capitals picked up points in four of those games mostly because Halak was outstanding. Washington now takes a huge step down in class when facing both the Predators as a team and Pekka Rinne in net.
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Rinne missed four months of the season after getting injured back in October. He’s played in just 20 games this year and only played in 43 games last year. This is the fourth consecutive year that both his GAA and save percentage have dropped. Once considered elite, Rinne can’t even be considered adequate anymore. He’s allowed 11 goals against in his last two games on just 57 shots. Om March 21, Rinne allowed four goals against on 18 shots against Calgary. He has posted save percentages of .759, .857, .778, .808 and .846 in five of his last six games. Nothing more needs to be broken down here. Whether it's facing Rinne or Hutton, we get a tag on the Caps with a huge edge between the pipes and that’s value at its best.
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