Sports Betting

Handicappers May Want To Look At The Under

Just a week or so ago both the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres were looking like strong contenders to win their respective divisions in the Eastern Conference. However, both teams have fallen on hard times recently, with the Rangers losing three straight games and the Sabres having been defeated five times in a row.

Those skids have allowed their division rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators, to parlay their own strong play into a strengthened position in the standings. The Senators now look like they've wrapped up the Northeast Division title, while the Flyers have come all the way back to sit tied with the Rangers atop the Atlantic Division.

So Monday night's game between the Sabres and the Rangers could serve to get one of those two teams back on track, or at the very least put an end to their concerning losing streak. Handicappers will note that Buffalo has had the slight edge in the season series to this point, winning two of the three games, including their only meeting at Madison Square Garden (which is the site of Monday night's contest).

Another trend to note is that the Sabres and Rangers have played three low-scoring games against each other this season, and all turned out to be UNDER plays. In October, the Sabres picked up a 3-1 victory, the Rangers won 3-2 in their November meeting, and the Sabres came back with a 2-1 win at the end of January.

Those game results mirror the two teams' overall OU records on the season, as Buffalo goes into Monday night's game with a 27-41-2 OU mark, while New York sits at 29-40-2 on the season. However, during their current losing streak the Sabres' defense has been especially porous, as they've let in 21 goals in their past five games. As well, the Rangers have given up 13 goals in their last three games, all of which were losses.

The home team has been favored in all three Sabres/Rangers clashes this season, and expect handicappers to make the Rangers the choice on Monday. New York is 25-19 when listed as the fave this year, while Buffalo boasts an 18-13 record as the underdog. Overall, the Rangers are 22-8-6 at home, while the Sabres are 21-11-2 on the road. Both will be hoping to improve on those marks when the final buzzer goes on Monday.

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