The Buffalo Sabres (1-3-0) and Washington Capitals (2-0-2) square off Friday for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop at Capital One Arena. Below, we analyze the Sabres-Capitals NHL odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Sabres at Capitals: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Sabres -130 (bet $130 to win $100) | Capitals +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
- Against the spread/ATS: Sabres -1.5 (+200) | Capitals +1.5 (-250)
- Over/Under: 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Sabres at Capitals: Projected starting goalies
Linus Ullmark (0-1-0, .905 SV%, 2.07 GAA) vs. Vitek Vanecek (1-0-1, .902 SV%, 2.97 GAA)
Ullmark is back traveling with the team after the death of his father, and he could be thrust into action in both meetings in D.C. with Carter Hutton dealing with an upper-body injury.
Regular No. 1 Ilya Samsonov reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, so Vanecek is expected to get the starting nod. He won’t have Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov or Dmitry Orlov in front of him. They were also placed on the COVID-19 list.
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Sabres at Capitals: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Sabres 3, Capitals 2
Money line (ML)
The SABRES (-130) are catching a big break with Ovie and Kuznetsov out of the lineup. Take advantage of the situation and back the team at full staff.
Against the spread (ATS)
A bet on the Sabres -1.5 (+200) is awfully tempting, and perhaps playing it very, very lightly isn’t a bad move. I am just not sure I feel good about Buffalo to win by two with Ullmark in the crease, as he is thrust into action following an emotional roller coaster on the personal side.
I’ll PASS, but playing it lightly isn’t the end of the world since the big guns for the Caps are on the shelf.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 6 (-120) is a good play at even-money, even though Buffalo ranks sixth in the NHL with 3.7 goals per game, and they’re 20th defensively with 3.0 GPG allowed. Still, Washington is shorthanded and might struggle to put the biscuit in the basket.
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