Dan Kaiser - Betting Expert

The Winnipeg Jets are 18-8-0,and second in the Central will take on the Buffalo Sabres who are fifth in the Atlantic, at 11-12-2. Both teams are on a four game losing streak. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck has posted a 2.16 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Winnipeg’s offense is putting up 3.65 goals per game, ranking fifth in the league. The Sabers are putting up 3 goals a game on offense. Netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukonen has a .906 save percentage plus 2.69 goals allowed per game. Winnipeg is 9-6-0 on the road this season while Buffalo is 6-7-1 at home. Winnipeg is the better team and will ride with them in this one.

Play on Winnipeg. This is a 4% play.

The Detroit Red Wings head to the Great White North to take on the Ottawa Senators. Detroit is fifth in the Atlantic Division at 10-11-4. Ottawa is 10-12-2 and is second to last in the Atlantic Division. The Ottawa Senators were 3-1-0 versus the Red Wings in 2023-24. Detroit is on a three-game losing streak. Detroit has lost two goaltenders over the last two weeks. They are down to Ville Husso and 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa in the net. They have allowed 4.33 goals a game over the losing streak. For the season, they are putting up 2.60 goals per game. Ville Husso is 0-2-1  with a goals against average of 4.90 and a save percentage of .818. The Senators have lost seven of their last nine. Ottawa ranks 21st overall in goals allowed. Linus Ullmark will start in net. He is 5-7-2 in 15 games with a goals against average of 3.07 and a save percentage of .888 this season. The Ottawa Senators are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games versus the Red Wings at home. Detroit allows fifth most shots on net and is down to their third and fourth netminders. Ottawa is ninth in shots allowed and needs their goaltenders to do their jobs. Detroit is hampered by their goaltending injuries and I will be on the Senators in this one.

Play on Ottawa. This is a 3% play.

The Seattle Kraken go on the road to take on the New York Islanders. Seattle is 12-13-1 while New York is 9-10-7. The Seattle Kraken had a 2-0-0 record versus the Islanders in 2023-24. 

Seattle ranks 17th in goals allowed, allowing three goals per game.  They have struggled in the net over the last five games, allowing 4.2 goals per game but gave up just two to Carolina in their last game. The Kraken allows the eighth least amount of shots per game. Joey Daccord will likely get the start in net. Joey Daccord is 11-6-1 in 18 games with a goals against average of 2.53 and a save percentage of .912. The New York Islanders are coming off a 2-1 loss to montreal. They have lost seven of their last nine. New York is 28th overall in scoring. Ilya Sorokin will likely start against the Kraken. He is 6-6-4 in 16 games with a goals against average of 2.48 and a save percentage of .916 this season. Joey Daccord is 1-0-0 in 1 game with a goals against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .917 versus the Islanders in his career. The Islanders and the kraken have gone under in 5 of the last 7 games between the two. Ilya Sorokin has a 2-2-1 record in 5 games with a goals against average of 1.79 and a save percentage of .939 versus the Kraken in his career. Both teams have struggled to score goals so I am looking for a low scoring game.

Play on the under. This is a 4% play.

The #8 Purdue Boilermakers take on the Penn State Nittany Lions to open the Big 10 season. Purdue has started the season 7-1, with their loss coming at the hands of Marquette. They have won three in a row since that loss. Purdue is putting up 78.8 points per game, on 49.9% shooting from the field and 42.1% from deep. Penn State had won their first six games of the season before losing to Clemson. The bounced back with a win over Buffalo last time out. Penn State has not been tested early as they have played one of the easiest schedules in the country. This has allowed them to put up 91.3 points per game, on 52.2% shooting from the field and 38.1% from deep. According to KenPom, the Nittany Lions has played the 339th-toughest strength of schedule. The one game they stepped up in class resulted in their only loss so far. With a line this small I am on Purdue to win this game.

Play on Purdue. This is a 3% play

Green Bay and Detroit have both gone under in six of their 12 games with one push. The Packers have gone over the total in three of their five road games this season. The Lions have split their six games at home when it comes to the total. Three of the last five meetings have stayed under the total. Detroit won the first game 24-14 with a total of 48.5. The Lions are the second-best defense in the league, allowing only 16.9 points per game. The Packers are 10th (20.0). Detroit is the top third-down defense and second-best red-zone defense while Green Bay is 11th and 20th. These teams also have two of the top five rushing offenses. Green Bay will look to run the ball against a banged up Lions offense and also trying to keep the ball away from the Lions offense. The Lions just love to run the ball down your throat.

Play on the UNDER. This is a 4% play

We have a NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. Detroit won back in November 24-14. Green Bay is 9-3 this season and two games behind Detroit in the NFC North. They are on a three-game winning streak. Jordan Love has thrown for 2,518 yards with 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Packers are giving up 20.0 points per game, which is ninth in the NFL. Despite injuries piling up on the defensive side, the Lions are still 11-1 this season with a game lead over Minnesota and two over Green Bay in the NFC North. They have won 10 in a row after losing to Tampa Bay in week two. The Lions are putting up 31.9 points per game. Jared Goff has thrown for 2,982 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. It is just not all offense for the Lions as they have the second-best defense, allowing 16.9 points per game this season. The Lions have won 10 in a row with an average margin of victory of 15 points. Green Bay has a solid run game and will look to utilize it to slow down the Detroit offense. Detroit has a two-headed monster at running back and can move the ball just as efficiently through the air. Green Bay has been a trendy pick and I see why with the Lion's defense being racked by injuries. I just can’t step in front of the Detroit train right now as they have to continue winning as it is a dogfight for the NFC North crown. Play on Detroit. This is a 3% play.