Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals Predictions, Picks & Odds

• The Sabres added touch isn’t ready yet
• Buffalo gets a shot in the arm
• Washington needs a turn of the tide

Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals Odds

Neither of these teams are riding high at the moment. However, the Buffalo Sabres do have a major cloud lifted from above their heads. It was a pretty dark cloud at that too. The Sabres finally sent Jack Eichel packing last week in a blockbuster deal that brought hometown favourite Alex Tuch into the mix. The former Golden Knight superstar is still a few months away from making his debut, but if nothing else, the Sabres can now solely focus on hockey and not more questions about Jack Eichel’s return.

The Washington Capitals are currently amidst a three-game losing skid. They need to make the bleeding stop and nothing helps more than a little break to look in the mirror and reassess. The Caps have had a pair of days off since losing 2-1 to the Flyers on Saturday. The added good news for Washington is that they are unbeaten in six of seven at home thus far this season too at 3-1-3. So, if there was ever a time to turn the tides, Monday night aesthetically looks like a great opportunity for the Caps.

Meanwhile, Buffalo is sporting a four-game losing trend of their own. As mentioned though, momentum could be in their favour with the new kid in the mix. With that said, as mentioned before, Tuch is not in the lineup just yet, but without Jack Eichel, the Sabres are what they are. They’re a team that’s in the middle of the pack and knows what they have to offer. They don’t need to think about their captain who’s being “held out” of the mix. Without that distraction, this team should be able to fly free of negative headlines.

Sabres Tuch and Roll

The Sabres have a laughable 1-3-1 record away from their home ice so there’s just as much on the line for them in this one as the Caps. We believe Buffalo will be able to buck their downward trend a little sooner than Washington though. Some could call it a hunch, some might call it a feeling, but Buffalo has an opportunity here to change the narrative.

They’ve been slowly winning back hearts and minds in their hometown thanks to some overperforming and exceeded expectations under new head coach Don Granato. The Alex Tuch debut is at least a few months away, but the way this team can play moving forward now free of Jack Eichel questions and headlines should look pretty liberated. We expect this Sabres team to come out flying on Monday.

Caps Are Free-Falling Early

Alex Ovechkin needs to give his guy’s heads a shake. They’ve dropped four of their last five with three of those games being decided by just one lone goal. This team has lost it’s finishing mentality and needs to get their ship righted asap before they fall even further behind. The team currently sits fifth in the Metropolitan Division and seventh in the East.

What the Caps have going in their favor is they currently sit 27th (aka 6th best) in the league in total penalty minutes with just 82 on the season. This is good news because the Sabres have one of the sharpest power plays in the league. The more the Caps can keep that Buffalo extra attacker off the ice, the better they’ll be in this one.

Looking at the Trends

The Over may be a good looking wager with the Sabres going 3-0-3 hitting the O through their last six. The Caps, meanwhile, have won only seven of their last 26 against Eastern Conference teams.

How to Watch Buffalo vs Washington