Online Betting OverviewA week prior to the All-Star break, the fans in Buffalo were asking for the heads of everyone in the Sabres’ organization especially general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff. But suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, the Sabres went on a run of games where it grabbed some much needed points. That run was followed by a four-game losing streak and the screams from the fans started again. But with moves made by Regier at the NHL trade deadline coupled by a seven-game streak where the team went 6-0-1 brought the fans to their feet. Now, as March Madness betting approaches, the Sabres are battling for a playoff spot and are in a situation that very few people expected the team to be in.
The Ottawa Senators have been an unlikely playoff contender as it has not been getting consistent goaltending. When the Ottawa goaltending, led by Craig Anderson, is on then it is great. But when Ottawa runs into goaltending issues then the team looks bad. The Senators have been able to score goals all season long but it has had to overcome goaltending inconsistencies to win games. Ottawa sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and has put a six-point cushion between itself and the eighth place Winnipeg Jets. But with several teams in the Eastern Conference making a late-season push, including the Sabres, the Senators need to keep winning to hold on to its playoff spot.
Buffalo Sabres
The story for the Sabres lately has been goaltender Ryan Miller. After a horrible start to the season, Miller has settled in for the stretch run and is playing well. The price per head sports experts point out that two of Miller’s shutouts this season came on last week’s western road trip. Miller had back to back shutouts where he faced a combined total of 82 shots on goal. If the Sabres want to make their playoff push successful, then the team is going to have to play better defense in front of Miller and start scoring more goals.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators finished last week with a 6-3-1 record in 10 games but was working on a two-game losing streak. The one consistency about the Senators is that its road record is almost identical to its home record. The Senators are 17-12-5 on the road and have been able to defend home ice fairly well. The Senators are still a big and physical team, which should give it an advantage over the smaller Sabres.
The Bottom Line
The games between these two teams are always entertaining. A bodog review of this rivalry shows some very spirited playoff series and chaotic regular season games. This one promises to be just as contentious, although it will be interesting to see how the Sabres play against a physical team like Ottawa now that big center Paul Gaustad is no longer on the Buffalo team.
Sports Betting blog Free Pick: Buffalo Sabres
