Posted at 11:45 AM EST odds are subject to change.

Pinnacle   -½ +120 BET365  -½ +135  SportsInteraction -½ +119 888Sport -½ +120

Buffalo -½ +135 over Washington

1:00 PM EST. Regulation only. If we knew which version of the Sabres we’d be getting, it would make things a lot easier but we don’t. Buffalo is capable of beating anyone at any time, just like they did this past week when they played back-to-back nights in Tampa and in Sunrise and swept that two-game set. The dangerous Sabres have won four or five after losing four straight. We’ll get behind Buffalo here not because we know which version will show up or whether or not the puck bounces its way but because it’s a decent situational play.

Washington played yesterday afternoon on ABC and played their hearts out in an attempt to snap a six-game losing streak. They whacked one of their biggest rivals, the Rangers 6-3 but don’t think for a second that the Caps dominated because they did not. They managed a mere 27 shots on net and buried six goals on one of the best netminders in the game. That’s hockey. For some perspective on puck luck, Pittsburgh fired away 23 shots in the first period yesterday on St. Louis and failed to bury a goal on one of the worst netminders in the game. That’s hockey. There is no crystal ball in the world that can predict how the puck will bounce, if a softy or two finds the back of the net or which goaltender will be on fire.

Washington will play the second game of back-to-backs here and its third game in four nights. It’s also back-to-back matinee affairs. It’s also the Caps fourth game since Tuesday, so it’s Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for the Caps. Additionally, this is the first game of a four-game trip for Washington but after this one stopover in Buffalo, they head out to sunny California for three games against Anaheim, San Jose and Los Angeles. A trip to California is something players can look forward to while a one-game stop in Buffalo prior is not. After an exhilarating win yesterday and a trip to California on deck, the very beatable Caps are in a difficult spot here while the streaky Sabres are in a peak as opposed to a valley.

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