NHL Hockey Betting: Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres

This is the only game on the board today which makes the Buffalo Sabres the closest thing to a Canadian team in action. In some ways, it’s only fitting that we treat them as a Canadian team today. It’s not much different than the way Toronto area fans treat the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Toronto is just 2 hours and 20 minutes from Buffalo up the Queen Elizabeth Way. So it’s only fitting that Canada ‘adopt’ Buffalo and the Sabres on a day when none of the teams North of the Border are in action. In fact, depending on what happens in the two remaining days of regular season hockey the Sabres could finish tied with the Ottawa Senators as the ‘Canadian team’ with the best record.

The Sabres have been playing very well down the stretch and bring a 6-2-2 record in their last ten games into this matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets were considered one of the league’s most disappointing teams last year but have somehow managed to be even more disappointing this year. Last year, the Jackets were ravaged by injuries early though played well late in the campaign. In fact, the expectation was that they’d be a playoff level team in 2015-2016. That didn’t happen and in many ways the injury situation was even worse. Columbus started the year 0-7-0 and that cost head coach Todd Richards his job. The team brought in veteran bench general John Tortorella and he stopped the bleeding, though the jury is still out on what positive effect–if any–he had the rest of the way. His future is uncertain as well. Bottom line–this year’s Blue Jackets are even worse than last year’s.

Buffalo is putting a nice team together. They need to address a few areas particularly their goaltending where there are plenty of doubts about Robin Lehner’s viability as a starting NHL netminder. Tonight they’ll get a look at Jason Kasdorf in net. He makes his debut at the pro level following a four year career at US college hockey powerhouse RPI.

Buffalo is the better team and they sure look to care more at this stage of the season.

BET BUFFALO SABRES -115 OVER COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS