The Florida Panthers knocked off the Buffalo Sabres yesterday, 4-1, in a matinée at KeyBank Center and tonight they will make the short trip to Scotiabank Arena for a meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have been outstanding on their home ice, with a record of 15-3-4, and they will be well-rested tonight, having not played since falling to the Bruins, 4-3, on Saturday. Florida is 10-14-1 on the road, will be playing back-to-back games, and on zero days’ rest, the Panthers are 0-4 in their last 4. Toronto has won 8 of the last 9 meetings with Florida at Scotiabank Arena and I expect that trend will continue tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Month: January 2023
Monday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons will host the Cleveland State Vikings tonight and it won’t be a walk in the park but the Mastodons should cover the 5.5. PFW is 7-2 in Fort Wayne and they can light up the scoreboard, especially on their home court. At Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, they are averaging 84.4 points per game and allowing 62.9. The Vikings are averaging 64.6 points per game on the road and allowing 64.4 Edge Mastodons. The Vikes do not cover. They are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 overall and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 against a team with a winning record.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PURDUE FORT WAYNE MASTODONS -5½
Sunday NFL Pick
The Buffalo Bills will be hosting their archrival, the Miami Dolphins, in today’s AFC Wild Card game. Buffalo is laying a lot of chalk, 13.5 points, but they should cover the number. The Bills have won 7 straight, are 7-1 in their last 8 in Orchard Park, and 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 home games against the Dolphins. The temperature at kickoff will be 28oF and Miami does not fare well in cold weather. Since 2008, the Fins are just 7-14 when the mercury dips below 34oF and they are 0-4 ATS in the last 4 playoff games. Miami is expected to start third string QB Skyler Thompson, who has thrown for just 534 yards with 3 interceptions, and the Bills stellar defense will be licking their chops. On the flip side, QB Josh Allen has thrown for 4,283 yards with 35 TDs and should have no problem threading the needle against a Dolphins defense that ranks 27th against the pass.
TODAY’S PICK: BUFFALO BILLS -13½
Saturday NHL Pick
The Washington Capitals will have payback on their minds tonight when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Capital One Arena. The two clubs met on Wednesday in Philly, with the Flyers coming out on top, 5-3. In Wednesday’s matchup, the Capitals were sloppy and made too many mistakes and you can bet coach Laviollette won’t let that happen again tonight. The Capitals are 13-6-3 at home and despite Wednesday’s loss to the Flyers, they have owned them. Washington is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall and the home team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings. The Caps won’t come cheap but should come out on top tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Friday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The Siena Saints will have their 6-game winning streak on the line tonight when they visit the Niagara Purple Eagles. The Saints, who are first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, had better be clicking on every cylinder if they want to make it 7. Niagara is no pushover. They are third in the MAAC and a perfect 5-0 at Gallagher Center. At home, they are averaging 71.8 points per game and have a stingy defense that is allowing just 58.8 on their home court. Siena is 4-3 on the road, averaging 69.0 points per game and surrendering an average of 69.3. The last time these teams met was in Lewiston back in March of 2022 and Niagara rolled to a 74-52 victory. The Purple Eagles are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 home games against a team with a winning record and the home team is 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings. Niagara is currently getting 2 in this one and is worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES +2
Thursday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The Youngstown State Penguins will take it on the arches tonight to the Motor City for a matchup with the Detroit Mercy Titans. The Penguins are 12-5, sit in the third spot in the Horizon League, and are 4-2 in conference play. The Titans are currently in the ninth spot in the Horizon League, just 6-11 overall, and 2-4 in conference play. Youngstown State can score, averaging 84.9 points per game as opposed to Detroit’s 74.8. The Titans have lost 3 straight and 6 of their last 7. The Penguins are by far the better team. They are 5-1 in their last 6 and should take care of business tonight. The line is currently Youngstown State -1 with a money line of only -120.
TONIGHT’S PICK: YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS M/L
Wednesday NHL Pick
After knocking off the Ottawa Senators 3-0 on Monday, the Nashville Predators will stay north of the border tonight and visit Scotiabank Arena and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonight’s game won’t come easy, with Toronto at 14-3-4 at home, but Nashville has been smoking hot. The Preds have won 4 straight, are 4-0 in their last 4 against the Eastern Conference, and are 5-1 in their last 6 road games. Nashville is on a roll and at +170, how do you not take at shot on the Predators?
TONIGHT’S PICK: NASHVILLE PREDATORS