Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 12/14/24

Betting on today’s Sabres and Capitals game? Catch the action at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, as the Capitals hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The over/under for this game is set at 6 goals, and the Capitals are the -1.5 goal favorites against the Sabres in a Eastern conference matchup.

BUFFALO SABRES VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5

This game will be played at Capital One Arena at 7:00 ET on Saturday, December 14th.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:

• Even though they are considered 1.5-goal underdogs, our projection points to a 4-3 win for the Sabres.
• We like the Sabres on the moneyline (+157)
• The Sabres are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Will Buffalo Win on the Road?

With a 2-1 loss to the Red Wings, the Sabres dropped to 11-14-4 this season. Buffalo took an early lead with a short-handed goal from Alex Tuch, but Detroit responded with two power-play goals in the second period.

The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, but the teams combined for only 3. As underdogs on the puck line, the Sabres failed to cover. All of Buffalo’s scoring came in the first period, while the Red Wings scored both of their goals in the second.

Buffalo’s offense came up empty in their 2-1 loss to Detroit, with Alex Tuch scoring their only goal on a shorthanded effort in the first period. The Sabres fired 32 shots on goal but failed to find the net again, with 13 giveaways adding to their struggles.

Tuch took five shots on goal, but none of his teammates managed to score. Buffalo was shut out on the power play and didn’t score in the second or third periods.

Buffalo’s defense gave up two goals, both coming on power plays in the second period. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recorded 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage. The Sabres’ defense also tallied 5 takeaways and 17 hits.

Are Washington Ready for a Home Win?

Washington’s latest game was a 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes, bringing their record to 20-6-2. The Capitals were underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 6 goals matched the pre-game line.

After falling behind 1-0, Washington scored twice in the first period to take the lead. However, the Hurricanes responded with three unanswered goals, including one with just 9 seconds left in the game.

Alex Ovechkin netted his 7th goal of the season with a power-play strike just 44 seconds into the game. Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal, coming at the 19:49 mark of the first period. The Capitals were held scoreless for the remainder of the game, finishing with 21 shots on goal.

Washington recorded 15 giveaways and picked up 3 assists, including Dylan Strome’s 13th of the season. John Carlson added his 7th assist, while Nic Dowd earned his 2nd assist on Duhaime’s goal.

Defensively, the Capitals will look to bounce back after allowing three straight goals in their previous game, including two in the 2nd period and one more in the 3rd. Goalie Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, but Washington’s defense will need to tighten up, as they’ve given up 44 shots on goal and recorded just 2 takeaways.