Xam’s Daily Gems:
Washington/Michigan Over 55.5 Points -110
Both teams boast powerful offenses that can score at will. Michigan has run through running back Blake Corum all year, but QB J.J. McCarthy has proven to be capable as well. Against Alabama, the Wolverines looked out of sorts all night, but still managed to score 27 points. Washington has had issues defensively this year. They have surrendered 28 or more points in 5 of their last 7 games. That includes some iffy offenses such as Stanford and Utah. On the other side of the ball, Michael Penix Jr. is playing at an extremely high level. All he’s done in the last 2 games is torch the Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns. He’s shown to have a great connection with both Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze. Of course, Washington hasn’t faced a defense like Michigan. Tbe key will be protection. If Penix can be protected, he should be able to find his playmakers. On the other side, expect Michigan to be much sharper offensively than they were against Alabama. Washington doesn’t have the same defensive capabilities, so Michigan should be more successful on offense in this game.
Rangers Money Line -150
The Rangers have been dominant at home this year, coming into this game with a 13-5 record. The Rangers have struggled with inconsistency between the pipes, but Igor Shesterkin is better than he’s played. The Rangers also boast elite offensive personnel. They’ve scored 3 or more goals in 8 of their last 9 games. They should also be pretty well rested for this game, as they’ve only played once since January 4th. The Canucks are a good team, but they have been significantly worse on the road compared to at home. Vancouver is 11-7-2 on the road. The key for the Rangers is getting off to a good start. The Canucks know how to score, so guys like Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Mika Zibanejad need to be up to the task.