The Buffalo Sabres (33-28-5) meet the Washington Capitals (32-29-7) on Wednesday at Capital One Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Sabres vs. Capitals odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Sabres picked up a 4-3 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday, snapping an 0-3-1 skid. It was also the team’s first victory away from home since Feb. 24 in Tampa (0-2-0).
The Capitals suffered a 5-3 setback Tuesday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, and Washington is now just 1-2-1 in its last 4 games.
Buffalo posted a 7-4 victory at KeyBank Center when these teams last met on Feb. 26. The Sabres also posted a 5-4 overtime win at Capital One Arena on Jan. 3.
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Sabres at Capitals odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:10 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Sabres +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Capitals -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Sabres +1.5 (-240) | Capitals -1.5 (+175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)
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Sabres at Capitals projected goalies
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (15-10-3, 3.54 GAA, .894 SV%) vs. Charlie Lindgren (12-8-2, 2.74 GAA, .905 SV%)
Luukkonen allowed 2 goals on 26 shots last time out in a 2-1 loss in overtime against the Rangers Saturday. He has failed to pick up a win in his past 3 outings, but he has allowed just 5 goals on 65 shots in the past 2 turns. His most recent win came Feb. 26 in Buffalo against the Capitals.
Lindgren’s last appearance came in relief of a shaky G Darcy Kuemper on Feb. 26 in Buffalo. The Minnesota native allowed 2 goals on 18 shots in a period and a half of work. He has allowed 3 or fewer goals in each of his past 19 appearances since Nov. 26.
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Sabres at Capitals picks and predictions
Prediction
Sabres 4, Capitals 3
Moneyline
The SABRES (+100) roll into D.C. with a little renewed confidence after the road victory against Toronto on Monday. Buffalo has had the number of the Capitals all season, outscoring Washington 12-8 in the first 2 meetings. The road team has cashed in 6 of the past 8 meetings in this series, too.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Sabres +1.5 (-240) will cost you nearly 2 1/2 times your potential return, and that’s just too much risk for not enough reward if you require a little insurance and can’t bring yourself to play them straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
The OVER 6.5 (-120) is the lean, but play a half-unit play at most.
The Over has cashed in 6 of the past 7 meetings between these teams in Washington and is 6-1-1 in the past 8 meetings overall.
The Over is also 8-2-1 in the past 11 games for the Sabres when working on a single day of rest and is 9-3-2 in the past 14 games for the Caps against Atlantic Division foes.
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