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Two weeks ago, this game would have been nothing special. The general assumption would have been that the Buffalo Sabres would have continued to roll over, as it had done for the previous month, and just allow the Boston Bruins to walk out of the FirstNiagaraCenterwith a win. But right before the All-Star break, something clicked in the Buffalo Sabres and the team has gone 3-0-1 in its last three games. That stretch includes a 1-0 loss to the Eastern Conference leading New York Rangers which had to go to a shoot out to be decided. The pay per head sportsbook experts are not sure what has happened to the Sabres, but the fans inBuffalo are not complaining.
The Bruins, on the other hand, have looked very human as of late. Bostonis 5-4-1in the last 10 games and has been losing back to back games a lot more lately. Goalie Tim Thomas is still maintaining his status as the best in the league, but he has shown more vulnerabilities lately. But the Bruins have a few things working in its favor for this game. The most notable advantage the Bruins have is that Buffalo’s top scorer, Thomas Vanek, will be out of this game due to an upper body injury. That means that the Bruins can focus more on a physical game to try and get the Sabres off balance early on. According to the bookie software, the Sabres are 11 points out of a playoff spot and desperately need this win. The Bruins intend to counteract that desperation with solid defensive play.
Buffalo Sabres
Goaltender Ryan Miller recently passed Dominik Hasek as the goalie with the most wins in Sabres’ history when the Sabres came back for a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Islanders. The Sabres seem to be skating more but the team is still making careless mistakes that a team likeBostonwill exploit. Even in its comeback win over the Islanders, the Sabres were giving up the puck and making ill-advised blind passes to the center of the ice. The Sabres need to improve on its passing if it wants to beat a team likeBoston.
Sabres’ head coach Lindy Ruff took a tumble in practice on Monday and cracked three ribs. The bench boss is expected to be at practice Tuesday and will be coaching on Wednesday. It is just another in the long line of injuries the Sabres have suffered this season.
Boston Bruins
Sportsbook reviews of the last few Bruins’ games show thatBoston has not been nearly as physical as it has been in the past. The Bruins got back to the physical play against the Washington Capitals on Super Bowl Sunday and walked away with a 4-1 win. Goalie Tim Thomas has improved his play recently and is4-1-0 in his last five starts. But prior to that, Thomas was struggling. In that five game stretch, Thomas has one win where he allowed five goals. It has certainly been an up and down season for the Boston Bruins.
The Bottom Line
The Sabres showed a lot of heart against the Islanders, but fans are still anxious to see what the team does as the NHL trade deadline 2012 approaches. The Bruins stumbled a little just prior to the All-Star break, but seem to be back on track.
Pick: Boston Bruins
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