When the online betting for The Masters starts to wind down on Sunday April 11, so will the regular season in the NHL. The sportsbooks will be closed on another season, and the online sports betting for the playoffs will begin. But before we can do an NHL game preview on the playoffs, there is one more pre-playoff heavyweight battle taking place in the regular season.
Second place in the Eastern Conference has been an ongoing battle between the Pittsburgh Penguin, New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. While the Sabres have owned the second spot in the conference for the least amount of time, they are still in the mix.
The sports betting in the NHL this season has focused mainly on the Washington Capitals, but second place in the Eastern Conference gives home ice advantage up to the conference finals, and that is something definitely worth fighting for.
The Sabres have already announced that they will more than likely rest superstar goaltender Ryan Miller in their last two games of the regular season. Forward Jochen Hecht is out with an upper body injury and backup goaltender Patrick Lalime will start even though he just got done with a bout of the flu. Winger Thomas Vanek is expected to play the last two games of the season which should give the Sabres some needed scoring punch.
The Devils may continue to play goaltender Martin Brodeur as he has been very hot lately with two shutouts in his last three games, and the Devils need to keep Brodeur’s momentum going. The Devils are extremely happy with their pick up of scoring machine Ilya Kovalchuk, and they may rest him some in these last couple of games to prepare for the playoffs. The Devils other scoring machine Zach Parise may also see limited ice time as the Devils prepare for the playoffs.
There is a lot at stake in these last two games for both teams. Not only are the Devils fighting for second place in the conference, but they are also in a battle with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Atlantic division. The Devils and the Penguins have identical regular season records and this battle promises to come down to the last game.
The Sabres are a better home team than away team and they would benefit from second place in the conference. The only team they would not have the upper hand with as far as home ice goes is the Capitals. But the Sabres are guaranteed to be no lower than third in the conference as they have clinched the Northeast division. The Devils could fall to fourth if they do not continue to win. These last two games mean a lot to the Devils.
The Sabres are still without Patrick Kaleta, Jochen Hecht and Tim Connolly. Even with those players out of the lineup the Sabres are finding ways to win. But with a queasy Patrick Lalime in net, and the Sabres looking towards the first round of the playoffs, the focus will not be on the New Jersey Devils.
Pick: New Jersey Devils 6-2