The Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators have both been eliminated from playoff contention, but Wednesday's matchup between the NHL's two worst teams is not without meaning.

A regulation loss for the Sabres, dead last in the overall standings with 62 points, will secure the franchise the top lottery odds for the third time in five years. 

The Sabres are currently three points back of the Senators, who sit in the 30th spot, with three games remaining for both teams. Buffalo can't finish higher than 30th, while the Senators could climb to as high as 27th - a five-per-cent swing in the lottery odds - with three straight wins.

The Senators will be without captain Erik Karlsson on Wednesday night since he did not travel with the team on Tuesday. Ottawa is 2-8 in their previous 10 games and have the second-worst road record in the NHL this season with one more win than the Montreal Canadiens.

The Sabres, meanwhile, will be playing their final home game of the season and have already secured the league's worst record on home ice at 11-24-5 through 40 games.

Despite owning the best odds twice, the Sabres have never won the draft lottery. In 2015, they were jumped by the Edmonton Oilers, who selected current NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid.

Below are the draft lottery standings entering Wednesday night's play:

 

2018 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY ODDS

RK Team PTS Games Remaining % Chance at No. 1 pick
1 Buffalo Sabres 62 3 18.5
2 Ottawa Senators 65 3 13.5
3 Montreal Canadiens 69 2 11.5
4 Arizona Coyotes 69 2 9.5
5 Vancouver Canucks 70 2 8.5
6 Detroit Red Wings 72 2 7.5
7 Edmonton Oilers 74 2 6.5
8 Chicago Blackhawks 74 3 6.0
9 New York Islanders 76 2 5.0
10 New York Rangers 77 2 3.5
11 Carolina Hurricanes 81 2 3.0
12 Calgary Flames 82 2 2.5
13 Dallas Stars 90 2 2.0
14 Florida Panthers 90 3 1.5
15 St. Louis Blues 92 3 1.0