The Buffalo Sabres (6-22-4) travel to meet the Boston Bruins (16-8-5) Saturday for a 1 p.m. ET puck drop at TD Garden. Below, we analyze the Sabres-Bruins odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
Sabres at Bruins: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 4:07 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Sabres +325 (bet $100 to win $325) | Bruins -400 (bet $400 to $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Sabres +1.5 (+110) | Bruins -1.5 (-135)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Sabres at Bruins: Projected starting goalies
Dustin Tokarski (0-3-0, 4.11 GAA, .890 SV%) vs. Jaroslav Halak (7-4-3, 2.25 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 SO)
Tokarski continues to handle the No. 1 duties with Linus Ullmark still dealing with a lower-body injury, and Jonas Johansson having been traded to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Sabres are in the midst of a 16-game winless streak, and they are starting to unload some veterans, too. The team dealt Eric Staal to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.
Halak is looking to bounce back after coughing up four goals on 21 shots in Thursday’s overtime loss against the Islanders. He has dropped three of his past four starts, but that one win during the span was a 4-1 victory March 18 in Buffalo.
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Sabres at Bruins: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Bruins 4, Sabres 1
Money line (ML)
As you would expect, betting against a team on a 16-game winless streak is expensive. The Bruins (-400) will cost you four times your potential return, which is not a recommended play.
Yes, Buffalo hasn’t won since Feb. 23 in New Jersey, but you can’t risk that kind of dough. AVOID.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The BRUINS -1.5 (-135) will even cost you some juice on the puck line, but they’re a much better play at this price point. I’ve been playing puck lines against the Sabres +1.5 (+110) rather frequently during their skid, cashing most nights.
Four straight losses by Buffalo have been by two or more goals, and they have dropped 10 of the past 12 by two or more goals. That means the favorite is hitting plenty of puck lines against the Sabres lately.
Playing the alternate line of BRUINS -2.5 (+140) is worth a roll of the dice, too.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5.5 (-120) is worth a look, but I’d go lightly on this one. The Sabres offense has been toothless and showing no signs of breaking out.
However, they have allowed four or more goals in four straight, including the last meeting with Boston on March 18. The B’s could easily handle six goals on their own, so just be careful.
Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
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