Tampa Bay Lightning (44-28-8) vs Buffalo Sabres (38-37-6)
Monday, April 15, 2024 at 7:00 pm
My selection is on Buffalo over Tampa Bay at 7:05 pm et on Monday.
While the Sabres have been eliminated from playoff contention, they ended up closer than you might think to clinching a spot in the postseason, sitting just five points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo dropped the first game of its two-game Florida jaunt with a 3-2 defeat against the Panthers in Sunrise on Saturday but I look for it to bounce back here. Tampa Bay is already locked into the first Wild Card spot in the East and enters this contest off consecutive losses. It will wrap up its regular season with a home game against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Buffalo is 2-1 in this series this season and has won its last two stops in Tampa. It's hard not to like the return being offered with the upstart Sabres here. Take Buffalo (8*).