NHL Best Bets: Sabres vs. Capitals Game Picks

Two teams on the outside of the playoff picture looking in will collide tonight, with the Buffalo Sabres paying a visit to the Washington Capitals.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

The Washington Capitals are set to play for the second consecutive night after dropping a 5-3 decision to the New York Rangers yesterday. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres are coming off an impressive victory on Monday over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite playing for the second night in a row, the Caps are still listed as home favorites on the moneyline at -120, while the Sabres are priced at +100. These teams currently have the same amount of points, but both will be in tough to qualify for the postseason. 

This will be the third and final matchup between these teams, with the Sabres looking for the sweep after defeating Washington 5-4 and 7-4. There isn’t a lot of positivity stemming from either club at the moment, though, with both teams having posted a 4-5-1 record over their past ten games. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Sabres are expected to start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, while the Capitals should counter with Darcy Kuemper. The Sabres young netminder has posted a 15-10-3 record, paired with a .895 save percentage, while Kuemper is sitting at 20-21-5, along with a .912 save percentage. The Caps should have the advantage in net, but Luukkonen has still proven to be a goalie on the rise in this league. 

With Washington set to play for the second night in a row and the Sabres already having found immense success against the Caps in their season series, it’s hard not to look in the visitor’s direction. In addition, the Sabres have the more attractive price on the moneyline at +100, which warrants strong consideration. 

Best Bet: Sabres moneyline (+100) 

The Sabres and Capitals are very much opposites this season. Buffalo sits in third in the NHL in goals scored per game, while the Capitals are down in 19th. On the other end of the spectrum, the Capitals sit 13th in goals allowed per game, while the Sabres are all the way down in 26th. Over the Sabres past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals scored twice, while the Capitals have seen also had that transpire twice. With the two games this season between these clubs seeing nine and eleven goals scored, looking towards the over 6.5 tonight has some value worth backing at -132. 

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-132) 

There’s a lot of skilled young talent on this Buffalo Sabres team, and that’s helped create some value on the board in this contest. One player that’s continued to grow into a really solid player for Buffalo is Dylan Cozens, who’s tallied 27 goals and 31 assists in 65 games. Cozens has been playing some good hockey lately, and he will get rewarded on the scoresheet sooner rather than later. With a really nice matchup present tonight against a tired Capitals team, targeting Cozens to find the back of the net has some excellent value at +260. 

Best Prop: Dylan Cozens to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+260)