Despite being without some of their key weapons, the Florida Panthers are still 3-3 on the season and could see the return of some of their heavy hitters tonight when they host the struggling Seattle Kraken in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers center, Sam Bennett, has yet to take the ice this year but did practice on Thursday. He says he feels great and is a game time decision for tonight. When the line of Bennet, Tkachuk and Verhaeghe get together they are a scoring machine. Florida could also see the return of captain Aleksander Barkov, who has been out with the flu among others. Seattle is off to a slow start. They are just 2-6 thus far and 1-4 on the road.
TONIGHT’S PICK: FLORIDA PANTHERS
Friday MLB Pick
The World Series will kick off tonight in Arlington and in case you didn’t know, the Texas Rangers will be pitted against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tonight’s expected starters will be Zac Gallen for the D-backs and Nathan Eovaldi for the Rangers. Eovaldi is the reason the Rangers are where they are. He is a perfect 4-0 in the postseason with a 2.42 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and is 3-0 in his career against Arizona with a 2.78 ERA. Gallen has struggled this postseason. He is 2-2 with an elevated ERA of 5.24, a 1.48 WHIP, and was shaky at best in his last two turns in the NLCS, yielding 9 runs on 14 hits and 5 homers to the Phillies with both starts resulting in losses. Texas just knocked off the World Champs, which carries a lot of weight. They have Nathan Eovaldi getting the nod and the best skipper in the business, Bruce Bochy, calling the shots. What more could you ask for?
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS
Thursday NCAA Football Pick
The Syracuse Orange will look to get back on track tonight when they visit the Virginia Tech Hokies. The 4-3 Orange have lost 3 straight but they were idle last week so coach Babers has had plenty of time to iron out their issues. The 3-4 Hokies were also idle last week and are coming off an impressive 30-13 win over Wake Forest so they will have confidence going into this one. However, the Q can move the ball and are averaging 413 yards per game. They score more the VT, give up less, have won the last two meetings, and are getting 3 points.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SYRACUSE ORANGE +3
Wednesday NHL Pick
The struggling 1-3-1 Washington Capitals will look to get back on track when they visit The Rock tonight and the 3-1-1 New Jersey Devils. After last night’s 4-1 home loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington has now lost 3 straight and have been outscored 13-4 over that span. The Devils took care of business last night, downing the Montréal Canadiens, 5-2, north of the border and have now won 2 straight, finding the back of the net 10 times over the 2 wins. Washington is expected to have Hunter Shepard between the pipes. He will be making his NHL debut and that could be a problem the way New Jersey is scoring. The Caps are not the dominant team they use to be and the Devils have won the last three meetings. It’s never a walk in the park when you have to face the great Alex Ovechkin, and the Devils won’t come cheap, but they are the better team and should come out on top.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Tuesday MLB Pick
Yesterday the Arizona Diamondbacks got to Aaron Nola early and the Snakes went on to a 5-1 victory to force a game seven tonight in the NLCS. The expected starters for tonight are Ranger Suárez for the Phillies and Brandon Pfaadt for the D-backs. Pfaadt is 0-0 in the postseason with a 2.13 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP over 12-2/3 frames. Suárez has been dealing. He is 1-0 with an ERA of just 0.64, a WHIP to match at 0.64 over 14 frames, and is a perfect 3-0 in his career in playoff games with a 0.94 ERA. The Phillies were 1-7 yesterday with runners in scoring position, which is not a recipe for a win, but that won’t happen tonight. The D-backs have made a great run but the Phillies are the better team, by far, on the diamond tonight. They are also at home, have their fans behind them, and if you have ever been to Citizens Bank Park, you get it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Monday MLB Pick
With a win today at Citizens Bank Park over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Philadelphia Phillies will win their second straight National League pennant. Today’s expected starters are Aaron Nola for the Phillies and Merrill Kelly for the D-backs. Nola has been almost unhittable in the postseason, going 3-0 with an ERA of only 0.96 and a 0.75 WHIP. Kelly is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Philadelphia is a perfect 6-0 in the postseason at home, outscoring their opponents 39-8. You know Citizens Bank Park will be electric and Philly fans will be geared up for this one.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Sunday MLB Pick
The Texas Rangers face elimination tonight at Minute Maid Park, with the Houston Astros holding a 3-2 lead in the ALCS, but don’t throw the towel in on Texas just yet. The Rangers will have Nathan Eovaldi on the hill. He has delivered all season long and that has carried over into the postseason where he is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.86. On the flip side, the Astros are expected to counter with lefty Framber Valdez and he has been struggling. In the postseason, Valdez is winless, at 0-2, with a bloated ERA of 11.57, a 2.57 WHIP, and the ‘Stros are 0-5 in his last 5 home starts. The Rangers had Game 5 in the bag but let it slip away. That won’t happen tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS RANGERS