Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Sunday’s Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL betting odds and lines, with hockey picks, tips and predictions.

The Buffalo Sabres (1-3-1) are on the road to face the Washington Capitals (3-0-2) for a 3 p.m. ET puck drop Sunday. Below, we analyze the Sabres-Capitals 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 Saturday at 10:42 p.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: -110 | U: -110)

Sabres at Capitals: Projected starting goalies

Linus Ullmark (0-1-1, 2.44 GAA, .906 SV%) at Vitek Vanecek (2-0-1, 2.90 GAA, .898 SV%)

Ullmark is expected to be the starter in the second end of the back-to-back with G Carter Hutton dealing with an injury and unlikely to be ready. Ullmark kept the Sabres in Friday’s opener in D.C., allowing three goals on 32 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss.

Vanecek allowed three goals on 27 shots in the shootout win, shutting down the Sabres for the final 21:11 of regulation and overtime, too. His save against C Sam Reinhart in the shootout sealed the victory. Vanecek started in place of G Ilya Samsonov, who is away from the team due to COVID-19 protocol.

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Sabres at Capitals: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Sabres 4, Capitals 3

Money line (ML)

The SABRES (-130) came up short by a 4-3 count Friday despite the fact the Capitals were without LW Alex Ovechkin, C Evgeny Kuznetsov and D Dmitry Orlov due to contact tracing.

If you bet the Sabres Friday and were stung in the shootout, you have to forget about it and roll the dice on them again. It’s a golden opportunity for the Sabres to pick up a road win with the Caps missing two of their top players and their No. 1 netminder.

Against the spread (ATS)

The Sabres -1.5 (+200) are a tempting play if you want to try to double up, but let’s just focus on them getting the win first. They’ll have a hard enough time doing that, let alone winning by 2 goals. Friday’s result left a sour taste in my mouth, personally. I know you’re supposed to take it game-by-game and forget about a tough loss, but sometimes it’s hard to forget when the wound is still fresh. AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER  6 (-110) is the lean in this rematch as the Sabres look to return the favor. The Over is 4-1-1 in the past six meetings in the nation’s capital, including Friday’s total of 7 goals. And we don’t exactly have Dominik Hasek vs. Olaf Kolzig in net for this one, either.

Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

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Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Friday’s Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL betting odds and lines, with hockey picks, tips and predictions.

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.

Get some action on this game or any NHL matchup with a legal, online bet at BetMGM in CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV. Risk-free first bet up to $500, paid in free bets. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

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.

Want some action on this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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