The Buffalo Sabres play a must win game tonight, Friday April 23, as the Boston Bruins are in town to close out the Sabres. The Bruins won Game 4, 2-1 (OT) as -122 home favs and lead the series 3-1. NHL oddsmakers at SBGGLOBAL.com have the Sabres as -160 moneyline home favorites over the Bruins (+135) with the over/under set at 5 goals . Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: 2010 NHL Playoffs: Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Bruins Game 5 Odds & Prediction in now at SBGGLOBAL.com
The Bruins have won three straight to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the East. They outscored the Sabres 10-6 while rookie goalie Tuukka Rask has been great with a league-leading 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage . At least a half-dozen Bruins are playing their best hockey of the season, Dennis Wideman, Matt Hunwick, Milan Lucic, Vladimir Sobotka, Michael Ryder, Dan Paille, and Blake Wheeler are getting it done. Patrice Bergeron leads the series with two goals and four points. Four Bruins have three points, Recchi, Ryder, Zdeno Chara and Hunwick. Patrice Bergeron should have been a Selke Trophy nominee. "He plays against the No. 1 center every shift of the year, home and away. No one else does that," Recchi said. Say what you want about Boston’s Miroslav Satan, hero of Game 4 with a goal in double overtime, but he's plus-20 for his career and has scored 363 regular-season goals. He has 17 Stanley Cup Playoff goals and 46 points in 75 playoffs and is even on the plus-minus scale.
The Sabres have scored the first goal in all four games and they must score the first goal and then strike again and again while they have the Bruins on the run early. The Sabres were the NHL's 10th-best power-play team during the regular season but they are 0-for-14 in the series. The Sabres were a better team at full strength, penalty killing and on the power play during the regular season. Goalie Ryan Miller is down 1-3 with a 2.26 GAA and needs to be at his best tonight. "If they can win three, we can win three," said Miller , who made 36 saves in 87 minutes, 41 seconds of a double overtime game Wednesday. "It starts with just winning one, get ourselves back on track." The Sabres added toughness with Cody McCormick and he did a good job, getting an assist, drawing a penalty and throwing plenty of checks until Chara crushed him, really crushed him, in the third period. McCormick continued to play a good game, but he wasn't the bully thereafter that he had been.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Under is 10-2-1 in the last 13 meetings in Buffalo.
- Under is 5-1-3 in the last 9 meetings.
- Bruins are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Favorite is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Home team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Bruins are 6-14 in the last 20 meetings in Buffalo.
- Sabres are 5-1 in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Sabres are 4-1 in their last 5 games as a home favorite.
Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Bruins
When: Friday April 23, 2010 7:00 PM ET
Line: SBGGLOBAL.com
Pick: Sabres -160
Point-Spreads.com 2010 NHL Playoffs: Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Bruins Game 5 Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: I think the Sabres will play all out and Ryan Miller will step it up. Be sure to get your 2010 NHL Playoffs: Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Bruins Game 5 Odds & Predictions in now at SBGGLOBAL.com and receive up to 20% in Sign-up Bonuses and start winning today!
