First things first: I like UNC and the under in the national championship game.

Now on to other moneymaking matters: play the under in Red Wings games for at least their next three games and possibly their last game of the season in Chicago. (You don’t know who they’ll hold out of the lineup in that last game, which is why I say that.)

The reason is simple.

After a three-game losing streak in which the Wings were outscored 11-7, the players met Friday after a grueling practice and decided it was time to get into playoff mode. Playoff mode for Detroit means taking care of your own end first and the scoring will take care of itself after with the Wings’ star-laden roster.

You can check out the story here to see what I mean.

The good news for bettors is Detroit’s goaltending has been the only thing softer than the economy there these days. Coach Mike Babcock has been yo-yoing between Ty Conklin and Chris Os-not-so-good and the guy who works the goal light has never been so excited.

But Babcock has said he’s starting Osgood in the playoffs and it’s time for his team to do a better job in front of him. If you want to see your team play good defense, throw a crappy goalie in nets.

If you saw Detroit’s game Sunday afternoon against Minnesota, you saw the Wings force the Wild to a lot of outside shots and few scoring opportunities.

It would have been a 3-1 final had Osgood not set up Cal Clutterbuck for a one timer into an open net near the end of the first period. The five goals fell under the 5 ½-goal total.

Tonight the Wings are seeing a six-goal total in Buffalo and -105 juice on the under (Betjamaica). With Buffalo desperately trying to make the playoffs, the Sabres can’t afford to be sloppy in their own end either.

I jumped on the under earlier this morning and it looks like a solid wagering opportunity for the rest of the week.