Minnesota vs Buffalo Odds, NHL Betting Lines and Preview

With about 20 games left to play in the NHL regular season, there are a lot of races that hang very much in the balance. As you might expect, many of those races have playoff implications, and one of the most intriguing can be found in the Wild Card in the Western Conference. The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche are tied in points, and look as though they are going to be scrapping it out for that final spot for the remaining few weeks of the season. The Wild hold the tie-breaker right now, and are desperately clinging to the final playoff spot. They will be looking to open up a little bit of a gap when they head into Buffalo to face Sabres in a Saturday afternoon matinee game. Buffalo are all but out of playoff contention, but they still represent a tricky opponent for the Wild. You can see all the updated NHL lines spread for this one over in our NHL odds page.

How To Bet The Minnesota Vs Buffalo NHL Odds, TV & Game Info

When: Saturday, March 5 at 1 PM EST Where: First Niagara Center, Minnesota TV: FSN and MSGB NHL Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild (30-25-10) are on a very good run at the moment, and have gone 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. They have now won 3 in a row, and are putting on something of a defensive show with only 5 goals given up in those games. Defense really hasn’t been a major problem for the Wild this season, as they are top 10 in goals allowed per game average. Things have been a little tougher on the offensive end of the ice, so they have to be very happy with the 6 goals they took off the Avalanche earlier in the week. Minnesota have had a good record against the Sabres over the past few seasons, but they did lose the earlier meeting with them this season. The Wild are averaging 2.6 GPG, and are giving up 2.5 GPG.

Why bet on the Buffalo Sabres

It has been offense that has been the Achilles heel for the Buffalo Sabres (26-31-8) this season, which isn’t really that much of a surprise. They are basically exactly where everyone thought they would be at this stage of the season, but they have also proven to be a very tough team to take out. The Sabres are coming into this one on the heels of a 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames, but I don’t really see them matching that offensive outburst against a much better Wild defense. Buffalo are just 12-17-4 at home this season, and are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games overall. They are averaging 2.4 GPG, and are giving up 2.6 GPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It was Buffalo who came away with the 3-2 win the last time they faced the Wild, but I really don’t see them doing the double. Minnesota are playing some good hockey right now, and I like them to edge this one. Minnesota Wild 3 Buffalo Sabres 2