Bruins Hope To Gain Ground On Capitals In Matchup With Sabres

The Boston Bruins will try to bounce back from Sunday’s disappointing 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals when they play host to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night as heavy -550 moneyline favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Bruins and Sabres meet for the fourth and final time this season, with Boston claiming victory in all three previous matchups. The Bruins are 4-1 in their last five games against Buffalo, including a pair of victories while pegged as moneyline underdogs.

With just four weeks remaining in the NHL regular season Boston continues to chase the Capitals for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference, and enters Tuesday night’s Sabres vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden four points back of Washington, but holding two games in hand.

While their matchup with Buffalo provides a golden opportunity to gain ground on the Caps, the Bruins must also battle to stay ahead of the surging Ottawa Senators, whose recent 11-2 stretch has moved them to within five points of Boston with a game in hand.

The Bruins travel to Ottawa on Thursday night for a crucial battle with the Sens before heading south for weekend dates with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.

Over in the NBA, the Boston Celtics woke up on Tuesday morning tied with the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference after soundly beating the Philadelphia 76ers 108-89 on Monday night, easily covering as 8.5-point favorites on the NBA betting lines at the sportsbooks.

The win extended the Celtics’ current straight-up and against-the-spread win streak to five games, while improving their recent record to 10-3 SU and ATS in their last 13 games.

The Celtics hit the road for a two-game Western Conference road trip, starting with a Wednesday night visit with the Oklahoma City Thunder and followed by a date with the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.

Boston dropped a 109-94 decision to the Thunder in an early-season meeting, failing to cover as a heavy 7.5-point home favorite and extending its current SU and ATS losing streak against OKC to four games.

The Spurs also posted a SU and ATS win over Boston earlier this season, claiming a 111-89 victory as 7.5-point favorites. Like the Thunder, San Antonio has dominated the Celtics of late, going 6-0 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in their last six meetings according to the OddsShark NBA Database.

Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images