Frank Sawyer of Hollywood Sports Reviewed

FRANK’S CUTTING ROOM FLOOR FOR TUESDAY, 3/31:

My “Cutting Room Floor” plays are the situations I considered the closest to being worthy of investment but did not make the “final cut” for my official plays today for subscribers. The last play I cut for Tuesday is with the Carolina Hurricanes with the money-line versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Carolina (46-21-6) has lost two of their last three games after their 3-1 loss at home against Montreal on Saturday. The Hurricanes have won 8 of their last 10 games on the road after losing their last game. They have also won 18 of their last 27 games against teams with a winning percentage in the 51-60% range. Columbus (38-24-12) has lost three games in a row after their 4-3 loss against Boston on Saturday. The Bleu Jackets have lost 5 of their last 7 games at home after losing two or more games in a row. They have also lost 7 of their last 9 games at home when priced as a money-line underdog up to +150. Take Carolina with the money-line. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports is still on a 15 of 21 (71%) All-Sports run despite losing the Philadelphia-Miami Over in the NBA last night! Frank BOUNCES BACK in the NHL tonight where he is on an 8 of 9 (89%) NHL run with featured 25*/20*/10* plays to fuel his 20 of 28 (10%) NHL featured plays mark! Frank is also a 13 of 17 (76%) NHL sides run of underdogs and favorites never priced higher than -150 -- and now he furthers his 12 of 16 (75%) NHL Game of the Month/Year mark with his 25* NHL Game of the Month for Tuesday night! DO NOT MISS OUT!

At 7:07 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Detroit Red Wings (5) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (6). THE SITUATION: Detroit (39-26-8) has lost three of their last four games after their 5-3 loss at home against Philadelphia on Saturday. Pittsburgh (37-21-16) has won two of their last three games after their 8-3 victory in New York against the Islanders yesterday. 

REASONS TO TAKE THE RED WINGS WITH THE MONEY-LINE: Another month of March and another swan dive for Detroit, who have played themselves out of the postseason the previous two years. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Red Wings are just 6-7-2 — and their 86 points place them two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in a congested Eastern Conference race. Injuries and an unfavorable schedule have contributed to this team’s struggles. Top-line center Dylan Larkin missed five games earlier this month, and second-line center Andrew Copp missed another three contests. The sense of urgency is very strong for this team to end their postseason drought. General manager Steve Yzerman is in the seat despite his legendary status as a player for this organization. He helped build a dynasty in Tampa Bay — but the “Yzerplan” with his former team has not taken off. But Detroit should bounce back with a strong effort tonight as they have won 12 of their last 16 games on the road after losing their previous contest. They have also won 10 of their last 14 games when playing with two days of rest. Perhaps this team likes to play on the road because the pressure is less intense than in front of their home fans desperate to taste a return to their glory years as the Red Wings have won 8 of their last 10 games on the road when favored. John Gibson is their confined goaltender — and he has been outstanding when playing on the road. In his 23 starts on the road, he enjoys a 2.05 Goals-Against-Average and a .930 save percentage — and all four of his shutouts have been on the road. Those numbers all compare favorably to his 3.03 GAA and .880 save percentage in his 27 starts at home at Little Caesars Arena. Gibson’s +12.4 Goals Saved Above Expectation (GSAx) are the 13th most in the NHL. Pittsburgh is in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points — but Evgeni Malkin may not play tonight as he is listed as questionable with a hand injury. The Penguins have lost 8 of their last 13 games when playing a game without a day of rest. This is Pittsburgh’s third game since Saturday — and they have lost 6 of their last 9 home games when playing for the third time in four days. With Artur Silvos between the pipes last night, the Penguins finally confirmed within the last hour that they will turn to Stuart Skinner as their starting goaltender tonight — and he is someone we want to fade, especially when he is playing at home. Skinner has a 21-15-9 record with a 2.91 Goals-Against-Average and a .888 save percentage. Since being traded from Edmonton to Pittsburgh, he has a 10-7-5 record in 22 starts with a 2.88 GAA and a .885 save percentage. With both the Oilers and the Penguins, he has been less effective at home, where he has a 3.24 GAA and a .871 save percentage in 19 starts as opposed to his 2.68 GAA and a .899 save percentage in 26 starts on the road. Both his shutouts this season have been in his opponent’s rink. He is averaging +0.159 GSAx per 60 minutes, which is well behind Gibson’s +0.26 GSAx per 60 minutes mark this season. Pittsburgh has lost 10 of their last 13 home games as an underdog. 

FINAL TAKE: These two teams last played on January 3rd in Detroit, where Pittsburgh pulled off a 4-1 upset victory. The Red Wings have won 9 of their last 13 opportunities to avenge an upset loss at home — and they have won 6 of their last 8 games on the road when playing with revenge from a loss at home by three or more goals. 25* NHL Game of the Month with the money-line on the Detroit Red Wings (5) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (6). Best of luck for us — Frank.