NHL Tuesday betting preview: Eichel to feast on reeling Senators
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We enjoyed a triumphant return to the ice Monday, sweeping the board for a substantial profit.
Our best bet, the Toronto Maple Leafs, was never in doubt. The Dallas Stars pushed us to 2-0 with an overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Vancouver Canucks capped things off by beating the defending Stanley Cup champions.
We're on a heater and we've got more winners tonight.
GOATs and scapegoats
There were no scapegoats on Monday night, since it's kind of hard to have one when you're perfect. Monday was chock-full of GOATs.
Frederik Andersen made 34 saves, Jamie Benn potted an overtime winner, J.T. Miller scored a pair, and Thatcher Demko edged Andersen with 36 saves against the St. Louis Blues.
Tuesday's bets
Buffalo Sabres -1.5 (+130)
No one really has fun visiting Buffalo, but the Ottawa Senators seem to have an especially unpleasant time. The Sens have lost three in a row and five of their last six against the Sabres south of the border. Ottawa allowed 18 goals in its last three road games in Buffalo while scoring two or fewer in seven of the team's last eight at KeyBank Center.
The Senators just plain stink on the road in general this season, having dropped their last seven outside Ottawa and 11 of their last 12. They're also playing this game on no rest in the midst of a 2-8 run on the second leg of back-to-backs, a spot where they're 6-18 over the past two seasons. Those are all pretty miserable numbers coming into a matchup with a Sabres team that's on an 8-3 run at home and already beat Ottawa 4-2 earlier this season when the Senators visited on no rest.
St. Louis Blues (+105)
I faded the Blues on Monday in Vancouver, but I like them Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. We're getting them at a deflated price because they just played, but the Blues have actually excelled on back-to-backs of late. They're 7-2 in the second leg over the last calendar year and 3-0 in that spot on the road this season. We also get the added bonus of Jordan Binnington starting after Jake Allen got the nod against the Canucks.
The Flames have lost three straight in at home to the Blues, scoring just three goals in those games, and they haven't been all that impressive at the Saddledome this season, posting a 5-6 record against Western Conference teams. Ride with St. Louis tonight at a discounted price.
Best bet
Jack Eichel over 0.5 plus-minus (+125)
No one slays the Senators quite like Eichel. OK, lots of players do these days, but Jack the Ripper seems to have a lot of fun when Ottawa comes to town. In three home games against the Sens in the last two seasons, Eichel has five goals and five assists. That's an outrageous 10 points in three contests. In a game that the Sabres should have no problem winning comfortably (see above and below), Eichel will likely be a driving factor for Buffalo.
To get him at a plus-minus over 0.5 should be easy. Even if he's not the one scoring the goals, he should be on the ice for a couple. In those three home games against Ottawa, Eichel was a plus-four, plus-two, and plus-two for a combined plus-eight.
Bonus plays: Sticking in the Eichel market, I'll be dabbling on Eichel to score two or more goals at +475, as well as the Eichel to score and Buffalo to win prop at +110. Getting him over 1.5 points at +125 isn't the worst bet in the world, either.
Find me in a ditch at the end of the night when Ottawa wins 3-0.
Trend of the night
The Senators are 0-4 in games started by Craig Anderson in 2020.
Rookie Marcus Hogberg has begun to take over between the pipes, with Anderson's appearances becoming more sporadic. The 38-year-old is winless in four starts in 2020 with an .862 save percentage and has allowed at least four goals against in each game. You can get the Sabres' team total over 3.5 goals at -110 and over 4.5 at +215.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.