The Buffalo Sabres (37-31-7) visit the Florida Panthers (39-31-7) Tuesday. Puck drop from FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Fla., is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Sabres vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Sabres have 81 points with 7 regular-season games remaining, currently 5 points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the remaining wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo is also 4 points back of Florida, another team giving chase, with 2 games in hand, so this is a must-win game for both sides.
Buffalo is making a late run, picking up 9 out of a possible 10 points in the last 5 games (4-0-1), including 2 straight road victories.
Florida pounded the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 last time out on Saturday, and it won 3 in a row to complete a 4-game road trip, outscoring Toronto, Montreal and Columbus by a combined 15-4.
The last time these teams met in Sunrise, the Sabres skated away with a 3-1 win on Feb. 24. In fact, the road team has won all 3 matchups this season, with Florida winning in Buffalo on both Oct. 15 and Jan. 16.
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Sabres at Panthers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 11:23 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Sabres +165 (bet $100 to win $165) | Panthers -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Sabres +1.5 (-155) | Panthers -1.5 (+125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Sabres at Panthers projected goalies
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (17-11-4, 3.61 GAA, .892 SV%) vs. Alex Lyon (6-3-1, 3.24 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO)
UPL is projected to get the nod in this crucial game. The Finn was solid last time out, allowing just 3 goals on 42 shots in a 6-3 win at Philadelphia Saturday.
If Luukkonen isn’t in the blue ice, it might be rookie Devon Levi, who won his pro debut Friday in a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers. He was getting the look with Craig Anderson dealing with an upper-body injury, unavailable to play in the front-end of a back-to-back set.
Lyon is confirmed to start Tuesday. He has been red-hot, winning 3 straight starts on the recent road trip, including a 21-save shutout in Columbus on Saturday.
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Sabres at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 4, Sabres 2
Moneyline
The Panthers (-200) are a little too expensive to play straight up, costing 2 times your potential return.
This is an important game, and Florida has the benefit of playing on home ice. Of course, that’s another reason to be cautious, as the road team has won all 3 meetings this season. The Panthers are 11-4 in the last 15 games inside the Atlantic, and 69-29 in the past 98 games at home dating back to last season, a winning percentage of .704.
PASS, and look to the puck line instead.
Puck line/Against the spread
The PANTHERS -1.5 (+125) halted a 4-game losing skid with 3 straight wins to close out the recently completed road trip. It won the final 2 games in Montreal and Columbus by a combined 12-2, easily covering the puck line as the favorite.
As a favorite on the puck line, Florida has a 5-4 mark in the last 9 outings. Instead of risking nearly 2 times your return straight up, roll the dice on the puck line instead.
Over/Under
UNDER 7 (-105) is the best bet here.
While the Over is 6-2-2 in the last 10 games for the Sabres, the Under is 8-1 in the last 9 after Buffalo scored 5 or more goals in the previous outing.
In addition, the Under is 2-0-2 in the last 4 meetings in this series, while going a strange 1-0-4 in the last 5 games overall for the Panthers.
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