Can the Washington Capitals Sweep the Season Series Against the Buffalo Sabres?

The Washington Capitals will travel to the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Friday evening to take on the Buffalo Sabres in an Eastern Conference game. The Sabres are currently sixth in the Atlantic Division (22-33-8, 52 points) while the Capitals are fourth in the Metropolitan Division (35-19-10, 80 points) so far this season. This is the third and final regular-season game between these teams with Washington winning both games, including a 3-2 shootout road win back on December 11. 

These teams have a couple of solid players on both sides of the ice so it will be an interesting game. Let’s take a closer look into the Capitals and the Sabres to determine where we should be betting this game. 

Washington Capitals’ Experienced Wing Play Should Control the Ice Here

The Capitals are being led by left winger Alex Ovechkin as he is fourth in the NHL in goals and tied for seventh in the sport in points with 76 points (40 goals, 36 assists) and has scored six points in his last five games on the ice. As a team offensively, they are scoring 3.28 goals on 31.5 shot attempts right now. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been struggling this season as he has an 18-9-4 record with 2.95 goals allowed per game and a .900 save percentage. Washington has been doing well defensively as a unit as they are giving up 2.78 goals on 29.2 shots right now. 

Buffalo has been struggling a little bit on the offensive side of the ice as they are averaging 2.62 goals on 29.8 shots this season. Right-winger Tage Thompson is currently tied for 31st in the sport in goals as he has recorded 46 points (25 goals, 31 assists) and has posted four points in his last four games. On the defensive side of things, the Sabres are allowing 3.48 goals on 34 shot attempts as of this writing. Goalie Dustin Tokarski has been struggling as he is 6-9-4 with a .906 save percentage and 3.09 goals allowed per game. 

Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres Betting Prediction

Looking at the offensive output provided in the last few games, Washington is averaging four goals in their previous five games while Buffalo is scoring 1.7 goals in their last three games. These teams are both doing similar things both on the power play and on the penalty kill this season thus far. The Capitals are 34-30 against the spread this season while the Sabres are 34-28 against the spread up to this point. Go with the Sabres to cover the puck line as a home underdog in this game.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.