Xam’s Daily Gems:
Bruins Money Line -170
The Bruins are playing like the best team in hockey right now. They are currently the number 1 seed in the entire league. That is in large part to their dominance at home, where they’re 12-3-3. The Devils have been better on the road this year than at home, but that will usually even itself out over the course of the season. The Bruins have been able to score all year, but that is particularly true at home, where they average 3.5 goals per game at TD Garden. The last time these two teams played, the Bruins won 5-2 in front of their home fans. The Devils have given up a lot of goals recently. They’ve given up 34 in their last 10 games. They’ve given up 5 or more goals in 3 of those games. If the Bruins can contain guys like Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Tyler Toffoli, they should be able to do enough to get the win.
Steelers/Bills Over 38.5 Points -110
The Bills couldn’t have been much more inconsistent this year, but they were great offensively at home. They averaged over 28 points per game at home during the season. Today, they’ll face the Steelers without argubaly the best defender in the league, T.J. Watt. The Bills were able to pummel very good defenses at home, like the Cowboys and Jets. The wind will be significantly less than when the game was originally scheduled to be played. Josh Allen is used to these conditions and should be able to produce. The question is what Mason Rudolph and the Steelers can do. Their offense has been better with Rudolph under center, but they’ll need to score today to win. They have the weapons to do something on offense. If the Bills handle their business early, it’ll force the Steelers to throw to catch up. If that happens, we can potentially get some turnovers and short fields.
Eagles Money Line -156
It’s hard to have any faith in the Eagles right now. However, this is still the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last year. Even with number 1 wide receiver AJ Brown out, they have plenty of talent. The Eagles will likely try and run the ball early and often. That’s their best chance for success tonight. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, haven’t looked particularly good recently. They got blasted by the Saints at home and barely beat the Panthers last week to clinch the NFC South. QB Baker Mayfield also isn’t 100% healthy. The Eagles should be fine offensively. The key will be whether or not the defense can hold up. They’ll likely give up some yards, but if the Eagles can keep the Bucs out of the endzone, they should be able to get it done and set up a showdown with the Lions in the Divisional Round.
Josh Allen Over 227.5 Passing Yards
Josh Allen has the arm and strength to throw the ball when it’s windy and cold. He’s played in plenty of games like this. He averaged over 240 passing yards per game at home this season. The Steelers will be without T.J. Watt today, so Allen should have more time to throw the football. The Bills have plenty of weapons that Allen can exploit. The key will be the Steelers keeping it close. The Bills may end up sitting on the ball if they have a comfortable lead in the 2nd half. If the game is close, expect Allen to do what he does and sling the ball around.
James Cook Over 62.5 Rushing Yards -110
James Cook had a great year for the Bills, but he was even better at home. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry at home this season. He always seemed to have the trustworthiness of the team, as he averaged just under 15 carries per game at home. However, he became even more trusted as the season went along. He averaged over 19 carries in the last 3 games the Bills played at home. The Steelers will likely focus on stopping Josh Allen and the dynamic passing game, which should open up holes for Cook to exploit. If the Bills have a lead as expected, as the game progresses, he should get even more touches to try and salt the game away.
D’Andre Swift Over 61.5 Rushing Yards -110
Swift had a very good year in his first season in Philadelphia. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He averaged over 14 carries per game in the regular season. In a game where the Eagles won’t have their top wideout and will likely just try to get back to basics, it wouldn’t be surprising if Swift is the focal point of the offense. He showed tremendous burst and speed at times during the season. The Eagles have one of the top offensive lines when they are playing right, and Jalen Hurts suffered a finger injury last week on his throwing hand. The gameplan of the Eagles can very well be to key on the run and left the big guys upfront do their thing.