Scott Rickenbach
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs
Play: Under 6½
With each of these hockey clubs having scored 15 goals in their first two games, there had to be an over-adjustment by the odds makers here. That is precisely what has happened as this total is a 6.5 when the fact is that Chicago's defense has been excellent and plus goalie Corey Crawford has allowed just 1 goal in each of the two games. As for the Maple Leafs, they let a 5-1 lead get away versus the Rangers Saturday but I believe they've learned their lesson from that and let's not forget that Toronto allowed just 2 goals in their season opening win at Winnipeg Wednesday. I feel strongly that both teams, while happy to be 2-0 on the season, would be content to play a tight defensive-minded match on Monday evening and that is what we should see here. The last time these teams met it was a 2-1 win for the Blackhawks here at the Air Canada Centre in March. Even if this game doubles that (a 4-2 type game) we still get a win with the under and Frederik Anderson is a solid goalie who had a .918 save percentage last season and has that same impressive .918 mark in his career!
John Martin
Indians vs. Yankees
Play: Over 7½
Luis Severino allowed 3 earned runs, 5 base runners and 2 homers in 1/3 of an inning against the Twins in the AL wild card game. He looked extremely shaky and couldn't locate any of his pitches. With the season on the line again, I don't trust him to fare well here against the Indians. And I also don't expect Trevor Bauer to be as dominant as he was against the Yankees in Game 1. Now he has to face them on the road, and Bauer has posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 14 road starts this year. The OVER is 8-1 in Severino's last nine home starts.
Dave Price
Indians vs. Yankees
Play: Indians +151
The price on the Cleveland Indians today is too good to pass up. Trevor Bauer allowed 2 hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings of a 4-0 win over the Yankees in Game 1. Bauer has been dominant in the second half of the season, giving up 2 earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 13 starts, and 1 earned run or less in 8 of those. Luis Severino couldn't get out of the first inning against the Twins in the wild card game and certainly couldn't locate any of his pitches. Maybe he just can't handle the pressure because he's not used to it, while Bauer is. The Indians are 44-9 in their last 53 games overall. The Indians are 8-2 in Bauer's last 10 starts.