NHL Picks: Buffalo, Montreal Face Off in Cross-Border Battle

The NHL has two games on this Tuesday night slate. The league schedule is set up for busy days on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 

Tuesday night could be a wild one. Let’s look at possible back-to-back scenarios, focusing on these teams, which are on the front end of back-to-back games:

• Buffalo Sabres
• Montreal Canadiens
• New York Rangers

Let’s get to work.

Montreal And Buffalo Go Back And Forth Tonight?

The Buffalo Sabres should be a better team, but their goaltending and team defense often get them in trouble. 

It is early, but Buffalo, after another good start, has slipped below .500. This is a broken record because it has happened several times in the past decade. The Sabres have lost eight straight games to drop to 7-11 on the season. At some point, other options have to be explored.

The expected goaltender matchup on Tuesday night will be Sabres’ Craig Anderson vs. the Habs’ Jake Allen. 

Both goaltenders are at .500, which is something few would expect. Anderson has been the better goalie at the tender “young” age of 41. 

The Sabres again are entertaining, with offense coming from Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson. However, on most nights it is not enough to overcome the mistakes. Montreal is in the same boat, with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield leading the way. On the other hand, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis seems to bring out the best in his depth. It has made all the difference in the early going.

There is an expectation of a better performance from both teams tonight. Then again, earlier in the season these teams played a rather listless 3-2 contest that Montreal won. This would be the night.

Will the New York Rangers' Get Revenge Against the Los Angeles Kings?

The one thing about hockey is that revenge can come quickly. At Gambling.com, the New York Rangers were a betting darling as the season started. With a 9-6-4 mark, things are far from disastrous but not ideal, as New York continues its road trip tonight in Los Angeles against the Kings.

New York has altered wins and losses over their past five contests, going 3-1-1. That is not so bad. What has been bad? Their offense still needs to be more consistent. New York scored six times in the third period against Detroit, then went ice cold in Nashville. It took the Rangers 35 minutes to wake up versus Arizona, and the offense got chilled again in Seattle and even San Jose.

Los Angeles is in a frustrating situation. Their youth has been their most significant asset.

However,  their goaltending and special teams have been big reasons they are only three games above .500 (11-8-2). Neither goalie has performed well.

Despite that, New York is still a slight road favorite in the -115 range. Yes, the Rangers will be motivated for many reasons. Hopefully, there will be an early confirmation, but expect Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick to be the goalies. Also, the Over here will stay at 6.0. It is not going to move unless something dramatic happens.

Some Picks To Consider

• Montreal Canadiens 3-way at +130
• Cole Caufield shot and point props
• New York and Los Angeles Under 6.0 goals at -105
• Igor Shesterkin save prop and the Rangers’ moneyline

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

All odds are from BetMGM Sportsbook.