Sticks & Stacks

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at a trio of American League games that suggest runs might be hard to come by. In Detroit, pitcher Joey Wentz makes his major-league debut against a light-hitting Oakland A’s squad. None of their three games this season have come close to hitting today’s over; neither Jen nor Shawn see any reason why this matchup would be any different. The red-hot Houston Astros, owners of an eight-game winning streak, cruise into Minnesota to face the Twins. Former ‘Stro Carlos Correa will miss the rematch with his old team thanks to an injured finger, but his new team carries some surprising value nevertheless. The Texas Rangers host the Kansas City Royals in baseball’s early nightcap, but with the Royals throwing a “Johnny Wholestaff” game this evening, do they even stand a chance on the road? Take a quick trip around the baseball betting and DFS world with Shawn and Jen on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Four of the Stanley Cup Playoff series will play tonight and each one is currently tied at two games apiece. With that as the backdrop, Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) give their betting picks and leans for each. The guys start with Boston and Carolina, where winning on home ice has been the script thus far. Then they head north to Toronto where the defending Stanley Cup Champion Lightning will try to steal another on the road. The Blues and Wild will battle in Minnesota where Nate expects a high-scoring game. And they wrap it all up with the Kings and Oilers in Edmonton where the heavily-favored Oilers mean the guys have to get creative to find value bets.

As baseball turns its calendar to May, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) start their day in Cleveland, where are the Guardians send former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber to the mound against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and pitcher Kevin Gausman, who’s racked up a ridiculous 41 strikeouts this season without giving up either a home run… or even a single walk. Shawn likes both pitchers to keep dealing, while Jen thinks the surprising Guardians’ bats will stay hot. In Houston, sparkplug second baseman Jose Altuve is back, and hard-luck starter Luis Garcia looks to get things back on track against the struggling Detroit Tigers. Finally, the pair look to Arizona, where the surprising Diamondbacks host the even more surprising Colorado Rockies. C.J. Cron has become one of the league’s preeminent sluggers, but can the Rockies’ offense still hit on all cylinders away from Coors Field? They may not need to; the D-Backs are only hitting .191 on the season. Take a quick trip around the baseball betting and DFS world with Shawn and Jen on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) check in on the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after each of the four series they discuss had interesting opening games. In New York, the Rangers lost to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in a triple-overtime, despite goaltender Igor Shesterkin saving nearly 80 – yes, 80 – shots. Does he have enough left in the tank to help the Rangers even the series? The Washington Capitals ambushed the top-seeded Florida Panthers in the Sunshine State during Game 1 of their series, and Shawn thinks the veteran Caps have enough talent to do it again. Nate, however, has a player prop for the Panthers. The Calgary Flames won a tightly contested, 1-0 shutout over the visiting Dallas Stars; Shawn thinks that goals will remain hard to find in Game 2, but Nate notes that each of their regular-season matchups hit the over. Our hosts wrap up in Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche welcomed the visiting Nashville Predators to a 5-0 first period en route to a 7-2 laugher. Now finally healthy, Nate and Shawn try to find opportunities in what the books think will be another one-sided affair. Take a quick trip around the hockey betting and DFS world with Shawn and Nate on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) look at three Tuesday night matchups as the Stanley Cup playoffs begin, while explaining why they’re sitting one out to learn more in Game 1. In New York, the Rangers host an experienced Pittsburgh Penguins team, but that team’s also going into the series without goaltender Tristan Jarry due to injury. For Nate and Shawn, it’s not about whether the Blueshirts will win; merely by how much. In Florida, it’s much the same. The Panthers’ offense is the league’s best, and despite the presence of 50-goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin, it looks like an uphill climb for the Washington Capitals. Nate has a couple of player props to offset the one-sided lines for Tuesday’s tilt. They wrap up in Colorado, where the Avalanche have been on cruise control for weeks. Now finally healthy, there’s still a risk that rust has crept in. That would be a bigger problem if Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros was available, but he’s not – and may not be for the entire series. Shawn picks an unsung Avalanche skater to come up big. Take a quick trip around the hockey betting and DFS world with Shawn and Nate on "Sticks & Stacks!"

As Major League Baseball’s weekend series begin, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at a trio of intriguing matchups, starting in Chicago, where the underachieving White Sox are off to a slow start. Lucas Giolito takes the hill against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, who rank among baseball’s top five in almost every major offensive category. Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani lead the way, of course, but outfielders Taylor Ward and Brandon Marsh are off to red-hot starts. Noah Syndergaard takesthe heat to a White Sox club that’s inexplicably lost nine of its last 10 games. In St. Louis, the Cardinals host the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are off to a better start than most expected, but at 8-12, they’re still in last place in the NL West. 40-year-old Adam Wainwright starts for the Cards, and Jen’s sticking with his steady hand against a D-backs team that’s batting (gulp) .178 on the season. They finish in Oakland, where the embattled A’s find themselves at a respectable 10-9, and Frankie Montas has the pitching edge against the visiting Guardians, but with Jose Ramirez obliterating opposing pitching, and the possible return of rookie sensation Steven Kwan from a hamstring injury, the Guardians have at least a puncher’s chance. Take a quick trip around the baseball betting and DFS world with Shawn and Jen on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) try to find value in the regular season’s final days, but with playoff teams resting stars and eliminated teams looking like they’re ready for summer vacation, our hosts have to get creative. Nate finds a parlay that gets him into plus territory, while Shawn picks out two games that still have playoff ramifications. The pair also take a look ahead at conference champion futures – and they (surprisingly) both agree on the best bet. Take a quick trip around the hockey betting and DFS world with Shawn and Nate on "Sticks & Stacks!"

As the NHL’s regular season enters its final week, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) look at a seismic matchup between the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division, as the New York Rangers (108 pts) host the Carolina Hurricanes (112). The Rangers have a game in hand, so a win tonight would make the race drum-tight. The 'Canes, however, have won four straight and look to extend their streak while taking a stranglehold on the division. The Minnesota Wild (109 pts) have an equally important game on Tuesday, but their opponent is far less concerning. The Arizona Coyotes (51 pts) are the Western Conference’s worst, but the Wild can’t take that for granted in a home game that they need to keep pace with the St. Louis Blues (109 pts). Nate and Shawn have different picks for goal-scorers in this one-sided affair. Speaking of the Blues, they’re in Colorado to take on the Avalanche (116 pts), who clinched the West’s best record over a week ago. The Blues might be playing the Avs at the right time, however – due to a combination of non-COVID illnesses, injuries, and players resting, Colorado’s lost four straight regulation games; their longest such skid since 2019. Take a quick trip around the hockey betting and DFS world with Shawn and Nate on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Leading into the weekend, hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Jennifer Piacenti (@jenpiacenti) look at a trio of Major League Baseball games; and in all of them, runs might be at a premium. In Detroit, the Tigers host the Colorado Rockies, who are off to one of baseball’s most surprising starts. Slugger C.J. Cron has plenty of pop, but while Kris Bryant’s batting a robust .349, he has yet to hit a homer this season. The road is usually Colorado’s Kryptonite; can pitcher Tarik Skubal keep them at bay? In Houston, Justin Verlander takes the mound, sporting a nice 0.69 ERA while striking out 15 in 13 innings in the season’s early going. The problem is that his offense, now without Jose Altuve, isn’t backing him up. Facing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays, it’s unlikely that Verlander can keep putting up zeroes, but betting against the two-time Cy Young winner is… bold. Shawn decides to try it, anyway. Finally, the pair look at an AL Central matchup between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox. The Sox haven’t been good on the road thus far, but the Twins have been equally bad at home. The White Sox’s Michael Kopech is the better starter tonight, but this won’t be a shutout; whose bats will show up in Minny? Take a quick trip around the baseball betting and DFS world with Shawn and Jen on "Sticks & Stacks!"

Only a few playoff spots have yet to be claimed in the NHL, so hosts Shawn Drotar (@sdrotar) and Nate Lundy (@natelundy) start off with a couple of parlays in the Eastern Conference and a futures bet on the league’s awards as the regular season’s end comes into focus. Moving out West, Nate and Shawn look at the Calgary Flames, who look to claim at least a share of the Pacific Division crown with a win over visiting Dallas. The Stars are hanging onto the conference’s final wild-card spot by their fingernails, and they need the win even more, but on the second night of a road back-to-back, do they have enough left in the tank to hold off the Flames and their legion of 30-goal scorers? Our hosts finish up in Los Angeles, where the Kings need to keep winning to hold pursuing Vegas at bay in their division; if the Kings were to finish fourth in the Pacific, they could easily miss the playoffs entirely. Fortunately, they’re visited on Thursday night by a Detroit Red Wings team that has nothing to gain with a win of their own. Take a quick trip around the hockey betting and DFS world with Shawn and Nate on "Sticks & Stacks!"