Online Sports Betting Overview
Unlike betting on March Madness, which is a relatively limited time frame, the NHL season is a long schedule. The sportsbook promo experts know that teams which struggle early in the season can find themselves at the top of the standings come playoff time. That is why the betting services like to wait before really determining who the Stanley Cup favorites are. The Washington Capitals are 13-2 favorites to win the Stanley Cup and, after the recent run they have been on, they are sure to improve their chances dramatically when the playoffs actually begin.
The Buffalo Sabres have been battling to hold on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference for weeks. After some timely wins, and a few key losses by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, the Sabres have jumped into seventh place in the conference and have their sights set on sixth place Montreal. Both of these teams need this important Eastern Conference game to improve their place in the standings. But it could be a key injury that keeps Washington within striking distance of first place in the conference.
Buffalo Sabres
In a recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller took a hard slapshot to the collarbone just below the mask and just above where his body equipment ends. Miller finished the game which wound up being a 4-3 loss for the Sabres, but he did not answer the bell for the following night against the New York Rangers. Back-up goaltender Jhonas Enroth stepped in and won a tough 1-0 game against the New York team. But the Washington Capitals are a different kind of team than the Rangers. Enroth was bothered a little by the Rangers, but the Capitals will crash the net all night long and the Buffalo defense seems unable to do anything about it. Without Miller, the Sabres could be in serious danger of losing this important game.
Washington Capitals
Even though the Washington Capitals are 7-2-1 in the last 10 games, and are sitting at 99 points for the season, there appears to be goaltending troubles brewing in DC again. Starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov has been wildly inconsistent recently. In his last five starts he is 1-2-1, and in the start he did not finish he was pulled after allowing three goals in the first period. Michal Neuvirth has had a shutout recently, but he followed that shutout up with a four-goal against performance. The goals are coming pretty easily for the Capitals, and that is why the team keeps winning. But the Caps need some solid answers in net as they move into the playoffs.
The Bottom Line
The Sabres just do not have the defense necessary to protect Jhonas Enroth from the Washington Capitals offense. To be honest, the Sabres do not have the defense to protect Ryan Miller from the Washington offense. The Caps will be in Enroth’s face all night long, and there is very little the Buffalo defense will be able to do about it.
Pick: Washington Capitals
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