Ride with the Rebels Newsletter: 4/21

Record +/- 0U

*Odds taken from DraftKings

Chicago Blackhawks @ Los Angeles Kings (-1.5)

The playoff race is well underway in the NHL and Thursday night sees the LA Kings hosting the lowly Chicago Blackhawks in a pivotal game for postseason seeding.

With Vegas breathing down their neck in the playoff race, this LA squad needs to bank as many points as possible in these final four games. A matchup with the 27th-ranked Blackhawks could be exactly what they need.

The Kings are favorites on both the puck line (+110) and the moneyline (-225). The Over/Under stands at 6.5. The moneyline odds are a little rich for us, but getting positive odds on the puck line could be a steal.

LA is deeper than Chicago and has (albeit an aging) two-time Stanley Cup champ Jonathan Quick in net. Their center group of Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe and Philip Danault is formidable and they have a healthy mix of older veterans, who have been through the rigors of a playoff push, and young, talented prospects.

Chicago still has star power in Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, Seth Jones and, to a lesser extent, Jonathan Toews but their depth is inconsistent at best and their goaltending is a glaring weakness.

The Kings enter Thursday having won three of their last four games, including a 5-2 decision against the Blackhawks on April 12. We expect them to cover the puck line and extend their division lead over Vegas.

Rebels pick: LA Kings -1.5 (1U)

Golden State Warriors (-2) @ Denver Nuggets 

While one league prepares for the playoffs, another league is in the middle of the action. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors look to put a stranglehold on their first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

After winning the first two games in San Francisco 123-107 and 126-106, respectively, the Warriors have a chance to take a dominating 3-0 series lead.

They head into the night as two-point favorites (-110) and are -130 straight-up. The over/under is set at 223.

This is a matchup we don’t want to overthink. The Warriors are the better team and each game has reflected that. They’re 2-0 ATS and have a stronger starting five compared to the Nuggets. Jordan Poole, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are each averaging at least 20 points-per-game while Nikola Jokic is the only Nugget matching that.

Golden State is a machine right now and, while a road matchup will be tougher, we don’t see them falling apart with a 3-0 series lead for the taking.

Rebels pick: Golden State Warriors -2 (1.5U)