Ottawa Senators vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview, and Odds

A pair of Atlantic Division teams looking to the future as the regular season winds down take the ice in search of a win in Western New York. The Ottawa Senators are on the road as they make the trip to face the Florida Panthers Thursday night. Ottawa downed Carolina 3-2 at home in their previous contest Monday night. Buffalo comes in off a 6-2 pasting on the road by New Jersey in the second game of a back-to-back situation in their previous game Tuesday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, the Senators own a 7-3 advantage and have taken two straight. That includes a 3-1 home win in the most recent matchup on January 1.

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Ottawa Senators Seeking Third Straight Win

Ottawa won their second straight game as they took care of Carolina on home ice Monday night, though it was too little, too late for their playoff hopes. The Senators entered Wednesday night 39-35-7 on the season and were sixth in the Atlantic Division standings, 48 points behind the Bruins for the division lead. They have been eliminated from playoff contention. Ottawa is tied for 17 in offense as they average 3.16 goals per game to this point of the season. The Senators are tied for 20 in goals against as they allow an average of 3.28 goals per contest this year. Ottawa is 9 with the man advantage as they have cashed in 23.4% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Senators are 14 in penalty killing as they successfully navigate 80.1% of their shorthanded situations this season.

Against Carolina, Ottawa started strong, let Carolina back into the game, and then earned the win late to make it two straight wins. The Senators held a 10-9 edge in shots on goal in the opening period of play and took a 2-0 lead to the dressing room after 20 minutes of play. Claude Giroux opened the scoring with his 33 goal of the season at 5:51 off assists from Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. Later in the period, Stutzle made it a 2-0 game with his 38 goal of the year at 17:26 with Giroux and Tkachuk drawing the assists on the marker. Ottawa was outshot 12-8 in the second period of play and they were outscored 1-0 to narrow their margin to 2-1 after 40 minutes. In the third period, the Senators were outshot 12-10 with both teams scoring once, leaving the hosts with the lead as time expired. After Carolina tied the game, Giroux scored his second of the game and 34 of the season at 9:37 to give the Senators a lead. That goal held up as the game-winner and Giroux finished the night with 1,001 career points. Mads Sogaard made 27 saves for the Senators, who were outshot 32-29, in the win. He is expected to get the start in goal again here.

Buffalo Sabres Try to Close Season Strong

Buffalo had won three straight and five of their previous six games before getting whomped by the Devils on the road Tuesday night. The Sabres entered Wednesday fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 40-33-7 mark, 46 points behind the Bruins for the top spot. They have been eliminated from playoff contention, extending the league’s longest playoff drought to 12 seasons. For the season, Buffalo is 4 in offense as they are averaging 3.55 goals per game on the season. The Sabres are tied for 27 in the league in goals against as they allow 3.65 goals per contest this year. Buffalo is 8 in power play success as they cash in 23.5% of their chances with the man advantage. The Sabres are 28 in the league in penalty killing as they successfully get through 73% of their shorthanded situations on the year.

Against New Jersey, Buffalo was a bit gassed from playing the second game of a back-to-back and it showed as they were waxed by the Devils. That defeat eliminated them from playoff contention. The Sabres saw the shots even at 10 in the opening period of play but they trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. In the second period, Buffalo held a 15-9 advantage in shots on goal but they were outscored 2-1 to trail 3-1 at the second intermission. After falling behind 2-0, Jeff Skinner got Buffalo on the board with his 34 goal of the season at 6:55 off assists from Casey Mittelstadt and Alex Tuch. The Sabres gave up a goal later in the period to restore their two-goal deficit. Buffalo was outshot 13-11 in the third period and outscored 3-1 to wind up with the loss. After giving up a goal to trail 4-1, Mattias Samuelsson got the Sabres back within two with his second goal of the year at 13:15 off an assist from Tuch. That was as close as Buffalo would get as the Devils piled on with a couple empty net goals to secure the decision. Devon Levi made 24 saves for the Sabres, who held a 38-30 edge in shots on goal, in the loss. Ukka-Pekka Luokkonen is expected to get the start in goal for this contest.

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Both teams are playing out the string on seasons that fell short of the ultimate goal. The Senators added a bunch of weapons to their attack but their goaltending proved to be a major letdown, which is why they are on the outside looking in for the postseason. Buffalo took major steps forward this season as their young core improved mightily from last season. The Sabres, much like Ottawa, struggled when it came to keeping the puck out of their net. If Levi can build off his limited action in the final week of the season, the Sabres could break that drought next season. In this game, the Sabres are playing their third game in four nights here against a rested Ottawa team. That’s enough to give the Senators the slight advantage in this contest.

Prediction: Ottawa Senators +120

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Full-Game Total Pick

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Ottawa has seen the under post a 41-39-1 mark in their 81 games in relation to the total this season entering Wednesday night. The Senators have posted an average total of 6.44 goals per game on the season though that number drops slightly to an average of 6.20 goals per game as the visiting team. Buffalo has seen the over post a 45-31-4 mark on the season, in part due to their offense and also a series of injuries in net. The Sabres have been good offensively this season though their defensive zone work has been inconsistent at best. Buffalo sees an average of 7.20 goals per game, a number that rises to 7.53 goals per game in their home contests. They have really struggled defensively as the home team as they post a four-goal per game average in those games. Six straight meetings between these teams have ended up short of the mark. With nothing to play for here, look for that trend to continue here.

Prediction: Under 7

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.