Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Washington Capitals (41-20-7) visit the Buffalo Sabres (29-31-8) Monday at KeyBank Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Capitals-Sabres sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Capitals at Sabres: Projected starting goalies

Braden Holtby vs. Carter Hutton

Holtby has won four of his last five starts and last stopped 26 of 28 shots in a key road win over the rival Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday. The veteran is 25-14-5 on the season with a .897 save percentage and 3.14 goals against average.

Hutton has dropped his last four starts after what seemed to be a late-season resurgence. He allowed three goals in each outing and faced 30 or more shots in just two of the four games. He has a .898 SV% and 3.18 GAA for the season.


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Capitals at Sabres: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 9:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Capitals 5, Sabres 2

Moneyline (ML)

The Sabres (+145) have lost six in a row and aren’t worthy of a wager while heading quickly toward postseason elimination. The CAPITALS (-175) remain atop the Metropolitan Division and are getting more profitable odds than they should in this matchup. Washington is 23-10-2 on the road for the season, and while it’s just 4-4-2 across its last 10 games, the Caps beat the Penguins 5-2 last time out.

Buffalo is 19-11-4 at home in 2019-20 but now just 3-7 across its last 10 games. The Sabres fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers for their fifth straight loss by multiple goals. Back the Capitals to win outright as a safe play, but there’s better value to be had on the puck line.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Capitals to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $5.70.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Double down on the CAPITALS (-1.5, +150) and back them to win by at least 2 goals at plus-money. Washington is just 33-35 ATS overall but 22-13 on the road. Buffalo is 36-32 ATS overall but just 17-17 on home ice.

As noted above, the Sabres have dropped five straight by multiple goals and six straight overall. The Capitals also claimed a 6-1 victory in the season’s first head-to-head meeting, Nov. 1.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER 6.5 (+120) as a value play. The Caps are 7-3 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games. The Sabres are 4-4-2 against the O/U over the same span, but the season’s first meeting topped Monday’s projection. Washington will add to Hutton’s recent troubles, while Buffalo will need just a couple goals to help push this one Over the number.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 275-254

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