NHL Hockey
2008-01-04 - Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres
A Sports Betting Pick by zamboni
The Ottawa Senators (25-10-1-3) travel to Buffalo tonight to face-off against the Sabres (19-16-1-2).The Senators have dropped a couple of games in a row, but still remain the number 2 team in the NHL standings. Ottawa has an awesome away record with 13 wins in 19 games away from home this season, including 7 of the past 9 road games. They lost their latest road game to the Washington Capitals, a team that has given the Senators some trouble in recent years.
One thing you will notice about the Senators, is they do have a tendency to get a little complacent against teams they should beat. However, they seem to get up for games against the better teams in the NHL, particularly away from home. For example, the Senators have tasted victory in their last 6 games on the road against teams with winning home records.
Ottawa will get some additional defensive help tonight as they welcome back Anton Volchenkov. Volchenkov is a brilliant shot blocker and one of the top defensive, defensemen in the game.
The Senators have performed well against the Sabres in the past 2 seasons, winning 7 of the past 9 head to head contests. It was Ottawa who quickly dispatched of the Sabres in the playoffs last season, winning 4 of 5 in the series.
The Buffalo Sabres find themselves in a bit of a funk right now, losing their last 4 games.
Consistency has been a problem for the Sabres all year and scoring can be their biggest problem on any given night. They can score 5+ goals for 3 straight games, then score a total of 5 goals over then next 3. In their last 3 games, they have scored a total of 4 goals. Some of their star players have just not produced as expected this season. Vanek and Afinegenov have scored a combined total of 18 goals over 38 games this season.
I will go with the better team in the Ottawa Senators tonight. Despite their recent setbacks to the Capitals, the Senators have been a more consistent team than the Sabres. Ottawa has a great road record and the Sabres have been struggling to find the net of late, something that Ottawa has not been prone to this season.
The Pick :
Ottawa Senators
