Two clubs that many consider to be the two weakest in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres face off at the KeyBank Center for a divisional tilt. Sportsnet 360 will showcase the game, and the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 4.
Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres Odds
With a moneyline of -130, Buffalo enters the matchup as the favorite. The line for Ottawa sits at +110, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 over, +100 under).
Ottawa is 27-52 straight up (SU) and has lost 20.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 79 regular season matches, 42 of its games have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and none have pushed. The Sens are 11-27 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Ottawa has converted on just 17.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 25th in the NHL. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off only 75.6 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Sens have been sent to the penalty box 3.4 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 2.7 per game over its last ten games. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 6.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .898 save percentage and 27.4 saves per game, Craig Anderson (23-33-6) has been the top option in goal for Ottawa this season. If Ottawa decides to rest him, however, they could turn to Mike Condon (6-25-5 record, .902 save percentage, 3.25 goals against average).
Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Senators. Karlsson (62 points) has tallied nine goals and 53 assists, and has recorded multiple points 18 times. Stone has 20 goals and 42 assists to his name (and has notched a point in 39 games).
Buffalo is 25-54 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 38 of its matches have gone under the total, while 36 have gone over and just five have pushed. It’s 11-29 SU at home this season.
The Sabres have converted on just 18.7 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.6 percent of all penalties.
Sabres skaters have been whistled for penalties 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 2.6 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Robin Lehner (26.7 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Sabres. Lehner has 14 wins, 39 losses, and nine OT losses to his name and has registered a subpar .908 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average this season.
Jack Eichel (25 goals, 37 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Sabres.
Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Buffalo is 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 2-7 in shootouts.
- The total has gone over in three of Buffalo’s last five games.
- Ottawa has managed 26.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Buffalo has been attempting 32.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Five of Ottawa’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-5 in those games.
- Ottawa skaters have accounted for the league’s sixth-most hits per game (24.1).
