The Buffalo Sabres playoff hopes are looking bleaker and bleaker. The Sabres have lost 4 straight, 6 of their last 7, and are now 7 points back of the New York Islanders for the final wild card spot in the East. It won’t get any easier for Buffalo tonight when they make the short trip to Toronto for a matchup with the Maple Leafs. Toronto is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They have won 2 straight, 6 of their last 8, and are a force at home. At Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs are 24-6-4, have won both meetings with the Sabres this year, and Buffalo is a dismal 7-20 in their last 27 trips to Toronto. The Leafs won’t come cheap but are still worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Sunday NHL Pick
The Vegas Golden Knights will be a road favorite tonight when they visit the Saint Louis Blues, and so they should be. The Golden Knights have won their last two games, both on the road, against two of the league’s best. Thursday they took down the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, which is not easily done, and last night they blanked the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-0, in Raleigh. Vegas is now an impressive 18-7-5 on the road, have won 5 of their last 6, and are 5-2 in their last 7 in St. Louis. As for the Blues, they have also won their last two but those wins came against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks; nothing to pump your chest over. The Blue have lost 4 of their last 5 at Enterprise Center, are 11-5 in their last 16 overall against Vegas, and even if backup goalie Jiri Patera is between the pipes for the Golden Knights, the Blues will still have their hands full.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Saturday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The Atlantic 10’s best, the VCU Rams, will meet the #4 ranked Saint Louis Billikens today in conference tournament play at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Rams were once again dominant in their last outing, winning easily over Davidson, 71-53. The Billikens are a dangerous team and that was evident in Thursday’s win against George Mason with their 82-54 blowout of the Patriots. Today however, they had better be clicking on every cylinder. The Rams stingy defense will keep the Billikens offense in check, that is a given, and VCU has won both meetings with St. Louis this year in convincing fashion. The line is VCU -3.5 or 4, depending on where you shop, with the money line around -175. Consider the Rams on the money line.
TODAY’S PICK: VCU RAMS M/L
Friday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The San Diego State Aztecs were not at their best yesterday against the Colorado State Rams but still found a way to win and that is what elite teams do. Tonight SDSU will face the San Jose State Spartans in the Mountain West tournament at their home away from home, Thomas & Mack Center. San Diego has owned San Jose over the years and this year has been no different. In their last meeting on January 28th, the Aztecs routed the Spartans, 72-51, and if they contain the Spartans’ standout Omari Moore as they did in the last meeting, they will cruise to an easy victory.
TONIGHT’S PICK: SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS -8½
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The next blog will be posted on Friday, March 10th. Good luck with your picks!
Tuesday NHL Pick
What has happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning? They have lost 5 straight and were outscored 27-11 during that span, which is very uncharacteristic for a team that is averaging 3.5 goals per game. The good news for the Bolts is they return home tonight to face the 24-28-11 Philadelphia Flyers. Tampa owns one of the best home records in the league, at 22-5-4, and are 13-4 in their last 17 at Amalie Arena against the Flyers. Cooper will have his boys ready and Stamkos and company get back on the rails tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Monday Men’s NCAA Basketball Pick
The Youngstown State Penguins and the Northern Kentucky Norse will square off in the Horizon Conference tournament tonight at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Youngstown State is #1 in the Horizon League and can light it up. They are averaging 83.5 points per game as opposed to #4 ranked Northern Kentucky’s 67.8. These teams last met on February 4th, with the Penguins winning in a rout, 74-56. The line has moved from Youngstown State laying 2.5 to 3.5 and who knows where it will end up? Money line it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS M/L