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.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3003″ ]
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ]
[betwidget_tipico]
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)
Stream the NHL all season on ESPN+, with your team’s out-of-market games, exclusive games, originals and more. Get ESPN+ now!
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.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
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.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Plus, try out the USA TODAY Parlay Calculator and please gamble responsibly.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]