The lowly Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets may not be going to the playoffs as they currently sit in two of the final three spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but their matchup on Friday night is offering a ton of value for NHL betting buffs looking to increase their annual betting bankroll. Now let’s find out why!
Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Odds Pick
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, February 19, 2016 Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio TV: FS-O Radio: XM 219 Stream Option: Fox Sports Ohio Opening NHL Odds: TBAWhy Bet The Buffalo Sabres Odds
The Sabres (23-28-2-5, 39-19 ATS) had their two-game winning streak snapped in their 2-1 shootout loss against Ottawa on Tuesday night. The Sabres have not scored in their last 14 shootout opportunities and have only put two goals in the back of the net on 21 shootout attempts this season. “We played great and we did a lot of really good things,” said Sabres center Jack Eichel after Buffalo outshot Ottawa 39-26 while having its winning streak stopped at two games. “I think this one falls on me. I have a breakaway in overtime and if I want to be the player I want to be, that’s got to go in the back of the net. “I get a chance in the shootout and not being able to finish there, I mean that’s real disappointing. I’ve got to start to figure something out here.” The good news coming into this matchup however, is that Buffalo has been pretty solid on the road this season in going 12-12-1-3.Why Bet The Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
The Blue Jackets (23-28-4-3, 32-26 ATS) had their own two-game winning streak snapped in their heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss against Boston on Tuesday but have still won four of their last six games. Columbus scored their only goal on a first-period penalty shot by center Alexander Wennberg. Blue Jackets’ rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped 28 shots in his 10th consecutive start in place of injured starter Sergei Bobrovsky. “We played well enough for one point,” Korpisalo said, “but not well enough for two. However we played, it wasn’t good enough.” Columbus head coach John Tortorella was ticked off about the overtime breakdown that led to Eriksson’s goal. “The thing that (ticks) me off is we just give them a free one,” Tortorella said. “After how hard we worked, how patient we were in the third period, our work on the boards, just grind away … and we give ’em a free one. It’s frustrating. It’s a simple three-on-three, man-on-man, and we just screw it up.”