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Morning Coffee: A FanDuel best bet for Wednesday’s NHL double-header
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There are 10 NHL teams with odds to make the playoffs available to bet on at FanDuel this morning.
The stakes will be high for those 10 teams as they make their final push to the postseason over the remaining three weeks of the regular season.
Last night, the Washington Capitals gained a critical point on the Detroit Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot with a 4-3 win in overtime.
The Capitals’ odds to make the playoffs went from -115 to -250 at FanDuel.
On the flip side, Detroit’s odds to make the playoffs lengthened from +110 to +250.
A little further down that list, you’ll find the Buffalo Sabres at 18-to-1 odds.
The Sabres are eight points back of Washington for the final Wild Card spot with one more game played.
That leaves Buffalo in a desperate spot with zero room for error with 10 games remaining on its schedule.
Tonight, the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators in another must-win game.
I’ve circled that contest as another opportunity for a FanDuel Best Bet.
This is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday, March 27th, 2024.
A FanDuel Best Bet For Wednesday’s NHL Double-Header
The Sabres managed to secure just four of a possible 10 points on a five-game road trip that took them through Western Canada last week.
That run included a 4-1 loss to Detroit that made it clear that this year’s team was not ready to compete for a playoff spot.
After back-to-back losses to the Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo salvaged a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Sunday night that kept their slim hopes alive at the end of their road trip.
After a couple of days off, the Sabres kick off a five-game home stand tonight against the visiting Senators.
For as bad as things have looked at times for Buffalo, they have put together some impressive efforts over the past month, including a 3-2 win over the Oilers on home ice on March 9th.
In fact, the Sabres have won five of their previous six games on home ice, including three in a row.
That stretch includes wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, New York Islanders, Edmonton, and Detroit.
Tonight, they will host a team that has really struggled on the road this season in Ottawa.
The Senators are 11-20-2 as the visiting team this season.
Road wins over the Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, and the Islanders this month make that record look better than it was heading into March when they dropped games against the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks on the West Coast.
Only four teams have a worse overall record than Ottawa, with the Ducks and Sharks both on that short list.
Coming off back-to-back wins over New Jersey and Edmonton, I’m banking on a bit of a letdown from the Senators tonight against a desperate opponent.
The Sabres won’t make the playoffs, but I also think they have enough fight left in them to beat Ottawa on home ice in a must-win game.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has posted a 2.05 goals against average and a .920 save percentage on home ice this season.
He’s allowed seven goals in two starts versus the Senators, but Buffalo still won both of those games.
Ottawa’s recent wins over the Devils and the Oilers mean we get a decent number backing the Sabres as a favourite on home ice.
I’ll lock in Buffalo to win outright at -137 as my FanDuel Best Bet for Wednesday’s NHL slate.