Sports Handicapper Dan Kaiser's Picks & Predictions

The St. Louis Blues go on the road to take on the Florida Panthers. St. Louis is sixth in the Central Division at 15-15-3, while Florida is second in the Atlantic Division at 20-11-2. The Florida Panthers were 1-1-0 against the Blues in 2023-24. This is the second game of a back-to-back for the Blues after losing 3-1 yesterday to Tampa Bay. The Blues have lost five of their last seven. The Blues are 26th overall in scoring, putting up just 2.55 goals per game. Joel Hofer is expected to get the call in net for the Blues. He is 7-3-0 with a goals against average of 2.83 and a save percentage of .905 this season. The Panthers have won five of their last seven. The Panthers rank second overall in scoring with 3.58 goals per game. Their goaltending ranks  28th in save percentage and 25th in goals allowed, allowing an average of 3.18 goals per game. 

Starting in net for the Panthers will likely be Sergei Bobrovsky. He is 15-6-1 with a goals against average of 2.88 and a save percentage of .892 this season. The St. Louis Blues have an over/under record of 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Bobrovsky excels against bad offenses and I don’t think the Panther will score enough on their own to put this one over.

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The Hoosiers held their opponents to 17 points per game this season. The Hoosiers prefer long drives with an equal mix of run and pass on the offensive side. The Irish are also led by their defense. Notre Dame is third in the country in scoring defense. Both teams scored just 15 points in their losses this season. The Irish like to control the ball on the ground. I don’t see a lot of big plays from either offense and look for a tight low-scoring game. The forecast calls for sub-freezing temperatures and potential lake-effect snow. Cold and snowy conditions make passing riskier which will put more focus on the running game and long sustained drives. I like this game staying under the number.

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The College Football Playoffs kicks off on Friday with a battle for Indiana. The Indiana Hoosiers head North to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend. The eighth-ranked Hoosiers finished the season at 11-1, while the fifth ranked fifth Irish also finished at 11-1 including 10 in a row, Indiana has to be one of, if not the biggest surprise this season under first year coach  Curt Cignetti. Indiana’s only loss was to Ohio State on the road. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 2827 yards with 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions. They used a three mas rushing attack that amassed over 1700 yards and 24 touchdowns. Indiana is ranked second in scoring offense as well as #1 in red zone offense.  On the defensive side, they are sixth in scoring defense. They are second against the run and 13th against the pass. Notre Dame suffered an embarrassing upset loss to Northern Illinois early in the season but won ten in a row since. The Irish relied on their rushing attack that averaged over 6 yards a carry and registered 40 touchdowns. Jeremiah Love had 978 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jadarian Price added 792 yards and added 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Riley Leonard rushed for 792 yards and 14 touchdowns and he threw for 2092 yards with 16 touchdowns with five interceptions. The Irish rank third in scoring defense. They are 29th against the run and third against the pass. On the offensive side, they rank third in scoring offense. They are second in the country in rushing and 96th through the air. 

Indiana is 8-1 against Power Four Conference teams this year and 3-1 on the road. The Irish are undefeated against Power Four Conference teams this season and 4-0 against ranked opponents. The Irish rely on the run but Indiana has the second ranked rush defense. The Irish’s top running back suffered an injury in his last game and his availability will be key for the Irish. Indiana is tops in the country in red zone offense. The Irish rank 27th in the red zone. The forecast calls for frigid temperatures and possible lake-effect snow, conditions that will play more to a rushing attack from both teams. Keeping this game low-scoring and close. Take the points in this one.

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I will be looking at the total when The Montreal Canadiens are on the road to take on the Detroit Red Wings.  times last season, with Detroit winning three of the four matchups. Montreal ranks 23rd in goals per game and last in shots per game. They have scored three or fewer goals in nine of their last 10 games. There defense isn’t any better as they rank 31st in goals against per game and 25th in shots against per game. Detroit's offense hasn’t been much better as the rank 25th in goals and 31 in shots per game. They have scored two or fewer goals in five of their last 10 games. On the defensive side, they are 24th in goals against and 28th in shots against per game. Neither team is prolific in finding the back of the net. I can’t see either team scoring a lot in this one.

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We have the StaffDNA Cure Bowl with a matchup between the Ohio Bobcats and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.   The Bobcats finished the season at 10-3 finishing on a six game win streak and the Mac Championship. The Gamecocks finished 9-4 and a win in the Conference USA Championship. The Bobcats are led by Parker Navarro who has thrown for  2,169 yards with 12 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He has also rushed for  943 yards and 15 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they are allowing 17.5 points per game. The Gamecocks are led by quarterback Tyler Huff, who has thrown for 2,179 yards with 13 passing touchdowns to six interceptions. On the defensive side, they are giving up 25.8 points per game. These defenses have shown the ability to slow their opposition offenses down. The Bobcats have given up just 8.2 points in their previous five games while they are allowing 14.0 points in their last three games played. I look for both teams to try and establish the ru and I don’t see a lot of big plays through the air. Take the under in this one. 

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We have the StaffDNA Cure Bowl with a matchup between the Ohio Bobcats and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.   The Bobcats finished the season at 10-3 finishing on a six game win streak and the Mac Championship. The Gamecocks finished 9-4 and a win in the Conference USA Championship. The Bobcats are led by Parker Navarro who has thrown for  2,169 yards with 12 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He has also rushed for  943 yards and 15 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they are allowing 17.5 points per game. The Gamecocks are led by quarterback Tyler Huff, who has thrown for 2,179 yards with 13 passing touchdowns to six interceptions. On the defensive side, they are giving up 25.8 points per game.  The Ohio Bobcats are the better team overall and have pne of the best defenses in college football. The Bobcats averaged 36.0 points in last five games while Jacksonville State out up 30.0 points in their previous three games.  Huff struggled down the stretch and I look for the Bobcats to cause him problems in this one.

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