[Sports]
Two of the worst teams in the entire NHL go at it in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday night as the Buffalo Sabres hit the road to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Sabres are 14-24-3 on the season for 31 points giving them the third worst record in the league. According to a leading sports betting site, SportsBettingAcumen.com, they are three points better than the Hurricanes who are 12-24-4 for 28 points.
The first thing you’ll notice about this game is that the Carolina Hurricanes are a whopping -190 favorite. In theory, that seems excessive for two teams with relatively equal records.
But wins and losses only tell part of the story and the price is not only ‘right’ but represents a decent value on the home team. Carolina hasn’t exactly ‘turned it around’ but they’ve started to play better and can be counted on for a decent effort on most nights.
Jordan Staal has returned to the lineup after missing the entire first half of the season—his return to action against Montreal on December 29 represented the first time this season that the Hurricanes’ ‘top six’ had all played at the same time. Carolina has been playing decent defense allowing just 18 goals in their last 10 games. Their problem has been a lack of offensive punch—they’ve scored just 17 goals in their last 10 games.
Buffalo may have more points but this team is a ‘train wreck’. The Sabres have lost 5 straight and are 1-8-1 in their last 10 games. The most alarming thing about this Buffalo team is their statistical profile—they’re the worst team in the league in three of the four major statistical categories.
They’re ranked #30 in goals per game, goals against per game and on the power play. Their “best” statistical category is on the penalty kill where they rank #28.
Carolina is a talented team, albeit one that could use some more playmakers on offense. They’ve had a horrible injury situation this season but have continued to compete throughout. Note that Buffalo has a 4-13 record against opponents with losing records meaning that bad teams have been using them as a punching bag. Look for Carolina to do the same.
BET CAROLINA HURRICANES -195 OVER BUFFALO SABRES BET CAROLINA/BUFFALO OVER 5 +100
