My selection is on the 'under' between Golden State and Las Vegas at 3 pm et on Saturday.

Golden State is thought to be one of the league's best defensive teams and certainly not one that prefers pushing the pace, yet here it checks in sporting a 7-3 o/u record on the season, including consecutive 'over' results over is last two contests. I think that's opening up value with the 'under' moving forward, beginning with this rematch against the Aces. Las Vegas' offense has been humming along to be sure, but it's been its defensive play that has impressed me most. The Aces have held five of nine opponentsn to fewer than 30 made field goals this season. Golden State does enter off consecutive games knocking down 30+ field goals itself but it has yet to complete that task in three straight games this season. The last meeting between these two teams came last Sunday and it crept into the 170's thanks to a late scoring flurry as the Valkyries desperately tried to extend proceedings in an eventual 10-point loss. Take the under (8*).

My selection is on Carolina over Vegas at 8 pm et on Saturday.

The Hurricanes have a game that travels exceptionally well, noting that they've gone 30-17 away from home this season, outscoring opponents by an average margin of 0.7 goals. In these playoffs, Carolina is a perfect 6-0 on the road where it has outscored the opposition by an average margin of 2.0 goals. It's also notable that the Canes check in off a win in Game 2. Victories have had a tendency to come in bunches for them in recent months as they've posted 10 different winning streaks dating back to January 4th, varying in length between two and nine games. Take Carolina (8*).

Eastern Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on Atlanta minus the points over Washington at 6 pm et on Saturday.

The knee-jerk reaction is probably to grab the generous helping of points with the Mystics on Saturday as they're fresh off a 90-72 dismantling of Chicago last time out while the Dream check in off a double-digit loss in Indiana two nights ago. We'll go the other way and lay the points with Atlanta, noting that it has yet to drop the cash in consecutive games this season while Washington has put together just one ATS winning streak, that coming in its first three games of the campaign back in early May. The Dream not only own the better overall record in this matchup this season but they've also faced the more difficult schedule by most metrics. Look for Atlanta to bounce back with a decisive victory at home. Take Atlanta (10*).

Interleague Total of the Year. My selection is on the 'over' between the Angels and Dodgers at 10:10 pm et on Saturday.

Last night's series-opener between these two teams was as low-scoring as it gets with the Dodgers prevailing 1-0. I expect nothing of the sort in Saturday's contest. Despite what we saw last night, the Angels actually rank fourth in the majors in xwOBA over the last week while the Dodgers sit 10th. Of course, on the season, the Dodgers are best in baseball in that category. They'll have a chance to tee off on Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz on Saturday. You have to wonder how much longer the Halos keep the right-hander in their starting rotation as he has logged a 4.78 FIP and 1.48 WHIP this season and checks in having allowed eight earned runs in just 6 1/3 innings of work over his last two outings. He has actually done a pretty good job of limiting the current Dodgers lineup but I think this is where they get to him, noting that no Dodger has seen him more than six times up until now. Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to draw low posted totals in his starts. We took advantage and won with the 'over' in his most recent outing, even though he actually pitched well, allowing only four hits over 5 1/3 shutout innings against the Phillies last Sunday. Current Angels hitters haven't seen much of Yamamoto but what they have seen, they've liked, going 4-for-13 (.308) with a 1.053 OPS. Neither bullpen has thrived recently. The Angels relief corps has posted a solid 2.96 ERA over the last week but a 1.44 WHIP. On the season, the Halos 'pen owns a 5.03 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with only six saves converted and 11 blown and it figures to play a fairly substantial role in this game given Kochanowicz's track record this season. The Dodgers 'pen has been terrific this season but has recorded a collective 5.23 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with one save converted and two blown over the last week. Take the over (10*).

My selection is on Edmonton plus the points over Ottawa at 7 pm et on Saturday.

I think the case can be made for the wrong team being favored in this matchup. The Elks carry a reputation with them as being one of the league's worst teams annually. We started to see the tide turn last year, however, as first-year head coach Mark Kilam got things turned around after a miserable start to the campaign. I like the improvements Edmonton made in the offseason but also like that they stuck with veteran QB Cody Fajardo to lead the offense after he had an encouraging 2025 campaign, throwing for 3400 yards, 14 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The RedBlacks will have a new starting quarterback in Jake Maier. He's bounced around a little bit in recent years and saw limited game action with the Roughriders last year. Ottawa will be without RB Greg Bell for this one while Edmonton has one of the league's best runners in RB Justin Rankin. I simply feel Ottawa lacks an identity right now with new head coach Ryan Dinwiddie taking over the reins. We'll grab the points with the visiting Elks. Take Edmonton (8*).

My selection is on the 'under' between Carolina and Vegas at 8 pm et on Saturday.

Game 2 of this series really had no business finding its way 'over' the total as it was a 2-0 game with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period before a wild finish. The first two games have gone 'over' the total but we do have a 'catalyst for change' in play on Saturday as the scene shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3. Note that Golden Knights home games have totalled an average of just 5.5 goals in these playoffs while Hurricanes road games have reached only 4.6 total goals on average. Carolina enters on a three-game 'over' streak but has posted just one streak lasting longer than that dating back to March 12th. Vegas has seen more than two straight games go 'over' the total just once since January 27th. Take the under (8*).