by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Apr 28, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Where to watch: NESN, MSG-B
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bruins -330, Sabres +260
BetMGM: Bruins -350, Sabres +260
Caesars: Bruins -333, Sabres +260
Season record
Sabres: 31-38-11
Bruins: 50-25-5
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 24-13-0 run over the last month in the NHL. The last week of the NHL season is here before we get cracking to playoff coverage. Who's going to clinch the last two wild-card spots in the West? Who's going to go into the postseason with all the momentum from the Eastern Conference? We can't wait to find out, and we know you can't wait to get going, either, with our tremendous expert picks. Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Sabres - Bruins preview and analysis
I am 100 percent convinced the Buffalo Sabres are going to have us believing in them next year, for better or worse, and that has at least the people of Buffalo excited or the fact that they should be. They have a young core, a future captain who loves to be there (as long as he gets his preferred surgery) and a goalie pipeline that most teams would die for.
And if they can reel off a victory against the Boston Bruins on Thursday and push their winning streak to five games, it’ll be one of the better stories to end the season that we can think of. And more importantly, should the Vegas Golden Knights miss the playoffs, I guess we can say the Sabres won the Jack Eichel trade this year.
One team doesn’t have much to play for except slim hopes for the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division, but it’s likely that the Bruins will end up with one of the wild card spots and have a date with Carolina in the first round. They’re three points back of Tampa Bay with two games remaining.
For the Sabres, they’re just playing for pride. More than likely, they’re going to get two lottery picks unless the Golden Knights magically end up in the top 10, and they’re closing the season strong with a good prospect coming their way with their own pick.
Buffalo is coming off a 5-3 win against the New York Islanders to extend their season-long winning streak of four games. Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist each, putting up 26 goals during their winning streak. Jack who? Really, the offense has been humming along that well.
"It's tough to really put a single thing that's given us success," Skinner said of the offense. "I think each night it's different. Sometimes it's a combination of things, but the fact that it is consistent is probably the best thing for us to grab on to because it's hard to be like that on a consistent basis.
"I think it just comes down to winning battles, if you have to take one part of it. Obviously, you have to make plays and we've got skilled guys, so that's going to come out. To me, it's about winning battles and working together and reading off guys."
The Sabres have been doing just that; winning battles, being the first to pucks, while letting the young guys take the reins right now. Alex Tuch is going to be the captain of this team one day and when it does, they may throw a party for him right outside the arena.
Meanwhile, the Bruins are going back to the playoffs with the same roster as last year, some tweaks here and there, but still as dangerous should they be clicking on all cylinders. Boston is coming off a 4-2 win over the red-hot Florida Panthers in which two of those goals came within a span of six seconds. Erik Haula and Taylor Hall scored to essentially put the game out of reach.
"We did a good job with [checking Florida]," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I don't think we gave up much. Certainly in the first period they got some good looks. They didn't look like they had their usual jump, to me, tonight. … I certainly liked the way our team performed, even offensively. I thought we generated a lot."
Prediction
The Bruins don’t really have much to play for, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they go into this one with a little bit off the gas. Buffalo playing for pride is the bigger play here, and if the line is consistent with the thinking, an upset at a decent number could be had here. Sabres win 4-3
Betting trends
Sabres are 8-17 against division opponents this season.
Sabres are 6-22 the past three seasons when playing five or less games in 14 days.
Bruins are 16-7 following a division game this season.
Projected lines
Sabres:
Jeff Skinner -- Tage Thompson -- Victor Olofsson
Peyton Krebs -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Alex Tuch
Rasmus Asplund -- Dylan Cozens -- Kyle Okposo
Anders Bjork -- Zemgus Girgensons -- Vinnie Hinostroza
Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power -- Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson -- Casey Fitzgerald
Craig Anderson
Jeff Skinner -- Tage Thompson -- Victor Olofsson
Peyton Krebs -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Alex Tuch
Rasmus Asplund -- Dylan Cozens -- Kyle Okposo
Anders Bjork -- Zemgus Girgensons -- Vinnie Hinostroza
Mattias Samuelsson -- Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power -- Henri Jokiharju
Jacob Bryson -- Casey Fitzgerald
Craig Anderson
Bruins:
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall -- Erik Haula -- David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic -- Charlie Coyle -- Craig Smith
Nick Foligno -- Tomas Nosek -- Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm -- Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton
Jeremy Swayman
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall -- Erik Haula -- David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic -- Charlie Coyle -- Craig Smith
Nick Foligno -- Tomas Nosek -- Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm -- Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton
Jeremy Swayman
Statistical leaders
Sabres:
Points: Tage Thompson -- 67
Goals: Tage Thompson -- 37
Assists: Rasmus Dahlin -- 40
Goalie: Craig Anderson -- 17-12-2, 3.15 GAA, .897 SV%
Bruins:
Points: Brad Marchand -- 78
Goals: David Pastrnak -- 39
Assists: Brad Marchand -- 46
Goalie: Jeremy Swayman -- 23-13-3, 2.37 GAA, .915 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
