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sThe Buffalo Sabres hit the road as they visit the Ottawa Senators. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Sabres-Senators prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Sabres enter the game at 2-4 on the year. Last night they played at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Justin Barron opened the game with a goal just 2:56 into the game to give Montreal a 1-0 lead. Jeff Skinner would score on the power play to tie the game though just over four minutes later. After a scoreless second period, the Canadien would score two in the third, and take a 3-1 victory. Buffalo was stonewalled by Jake Allen in the game, having 36 saves in the game to hand Buffalo the loss.
Meanwhile, the Senators enter the game at 3-2 on the year. After an opening loss to the Hurricanes, the Senators would go on a three-game winning streak. They knocked off the Flyers, Lightning, and Capitals in dominating fashion. Last time out, it was a major loss though. While the Senators scored first with a goal on the power play, the penalty kill would be their undoing. They allowed three power-play goals for the Red Wings and would end up beating the Senators 5-2
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Sabres vs. Senators Odds
Buffalo Sabres: +146
Ottawa Senators: -178
Over: 6.5 (-150)
Under: 6.5 (+122)
How to Watch Sabres vs. Senators
Time: 6:45 PM ET/ 3:45 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Sabres Will Win
The Sabres have a lot of offense this year that is starting from the blue line. The team leader in points this year is Rasmus Dahlin, who is part of the top defensive pairing. He has six assists this year, with two of them coming on the power play. Meanwhile, Buffalo blue-liners have 11 assists this year with two goals. That accounts for 13 of the 38 points credited to Buffalo players this year.
Meanwhile, Dylan Cozens is second on the team in points this year. He has two goals and three assists, getting another assist last night. On the season while sitting on the top line of this Buffalo attack, he is joined by Jordan Greenway and Tage Thompson on the top line. Greenway has a goal and two assists this year. Tage Thompson scored his first goal of the year last night. He leads the team in shots with 29 this year but still has just one goal.
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Jeff Skinner, Casey Mittelstadt, and Alex Tuch sit on the second line. Skinner has three goals and an assist, with one coming last night. Meanwhile, Mittlestadt has a goal and three assists. Tuch has yet to score a goal this year but does have assists while shooting ten times this year.
Buffalo has been struggling on the power play, with just one goal in 16 chances before the game last night. They scored once on five chances last night. Still, they have been solid on the penalty kill this year. They allowed just their second goal on the man-down situation last night. They have killed 20 of 22 men down chances this year. Further, Buffalo can get a lot of shots on goal. They have over 30 shots on goal in half of their games this year, with 37 or more in each of the last two games.
The Sabres will send Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make his first start of the year in this one. Last year, he was 17-11-4 as a member of the Sabres. He was much better on the road last year. He was 9-4 on the road with a 3.16 goals-against average.
Why The Senators Will Win
The top line has been amazing for the Senators this year. It is led by Brady Tkachuk who has four goals and two assists this year. He has a goal and an assist on the power play as well. Tkachuk also is tied for the team lead with 21 shots this year. Meanwhile, Tim Stutzle is also tied for the team lead with 21 shots. He has four assists this year with two goals on the season. Two of the assets come on the power play. Claude Giroux also sits on the line with the,. He has a goal and four assists this year.
Meanwhile, the third line is also putting in a lot of points. Vladimir Tarasenko and Mathieu Joseph sit on that line and have been solid. Tarasenko has two goals on the year with four assists for a total of six points. Meanwhile, Joseph has two goals and two assists on the season.
The Senators have been solid in getting shots on goal this year. They have over 30 shots in four of five games this year, with 29 shots in the other game. The Senators have won the shot battle in four of five games as well. They have allowed over 25 shots just once this year, and it was 42 shots against the Carolina Hurricanes. On the power play, Ottawa has been solid. They have scored five times on the power play on 22 opportunities this year. Meanwhile, on the penalty kill they have allowed five goals on 21 chances this year. Last time out, they allowed three goals on five chances against the Red Wings.
Anton Forsberg will be in the net for the Senators tonight. He is 2-0 on the year with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. In his first game, he allowed two goals on 21 shots getting the win. Then last time out, he stopped 23 of 24 shots to get his second win of the year. Forsberg has been solid this year and will be looking to keep it going.
Final Sabres-Sentaors Prediction & Pick
The Senators are a great scoring team. They score over four goals per game, led by Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutcle. Meanwhile, the Sabres are not scoring as well. They are scoring just 2.4 goals per game this year. The Senators have the defense to shut down the Sabres shooting attack. Without enough shots on goal, Buffalo is not going to be able to score enough to stay in this game. Take the Senators to win with ease in this one.
Final Sabres-Senators Prediction & Pick: Ottawa Senators ML (-178)
