The NHL provides us with a two-game slate on Wednesday, February 1, before we hit the All-Star break, and here you can check out the best Hurricanes vs. Sabres betting pick and odds.

Carolina will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set when they visit Buffalo at KeyBank Center. The Sabres are -155 moneyline favorites on Jazz Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These conference rivals will meet for the second time this season; the Hurricanes won 5-3 in Carolina.

Hurricanes take Boston’s scalp

The Carolina Hurricanes (32-9-6-2, 21-28 ATS) are playing very nice hockey at the moment; they are on a five-game winning streak after the most recent 4-1 home victory over the Boston Bruins. It was a fully-deserved win against the best team in the NHL, and the Hurricanes are now 2nd in the Eastern Conference with 72 points, nine behind the Bruins and two more than the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Carolina got to a 3-0 lead early in the third period after Sebastian Aho, Paul Stastny, and Seth Jarvis scored goals for the Canes. Boston did cut a deficit but Jordan Staal put the final nail in the Bruins’ coffin with a shorthanded empty-netter. Thus far in the campaign, Martin Necas leads the Hurricanes in points with 45 (G 21, A 24); Sebastian Aho is right behind with 44 (G 21, A 23), and Andrei Svechnikov chips in 39 points (G 19, A 20).

Antti Raanta (12-2-3) is expected to start at the goal against Buffalo as Frederik Andersen is a confirmed goalie against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. The 33-year-old is allowing 2.55 goals per game this year with a .897 SV% and two shutouts.

LW Max Pacioretty (Achilles) and RW Ondrej Kase (concussion) are out indefinitely. D Jaccob Slavin (lower body) is questionable to play on Wednesday in Buffalo.

Sabres fell short of the Wild in the shootout

The Buffalo Sabres (26-19-3-1, 28-21 ATS) were on a five-game winning run but couldn’t make it six straight after falling 3-2 in the shootout against the Minnesota Wild on the road. The Sabres now returned home from a four-game road trip, on which they registered three wins over Dallas, St. Louis, and Winnipeg. Buffalo will play the next two games at home and then will hit on a three-game road trip.

The Sabres had a 1-0 and 2-1 lead in Minnesota thanks to goals from Jack Quinn and Zemgus Girgensons, but the hosts managed to force overtime and later win in the shootout as all three of the Wild’s penalty-takers found the back of the net. This year, Tage Thompson is the best Sabre and the 5th best player in the NHL in terms of points with 68 (G 34, A 34). Rasmus Dahlin contributes 55 (G 14, A 41) and Alex Tuch has 54 points (G 23, A31).

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (13-5-2) is a probable goaltender for Buffalo against the Hurricanes on Wednesday. The 23-year-old is conceding 3.27 goals per contest this season along with a .901 SV% and no shutouts.

C Dylan Cozens (undisclosed) and D Mattias Samuelsson (lower body) are questionable to feature against the Canes on Wednesday.

Trends:

Carolina:

N/A

Buffalo:

  • 5-1 in the last six overall
  • 4-1 in the last five games playing on three or more days of rest

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres Pick

Carolina is coming to Buffalo a night after facing the Kings at home, and while the Canes will be playing the second game of a back-to-back set, the Sabres had more than enough time to rest and prepare for this tilt. Buffalo has the best offense in the NHL that is scoring 3.76 goals per game, while Carolina’s offense scores 3.27 goals per contest. The Hurricanes do have a stronger defense, but I don’t think it will help them much in this one.

Pick: Take the Sabres to win (-155)

The Total

Carolina allowed more than three goals just twice in the last eight games, and even though I have faith in Buffalo’s high-scoring offense, it’s going to be challenging to score more than three goals against the defense that concedes 2.61 goals per game. The Canes displayed some excellent offensive performances of late, scoring 3+ goals in each of the previous five games. Over is 16-5-5 in the last 26 H2H meetings; Over is 10-3 in the Hurricanes’ previous 13 overall, Over is 6-1 in Carolina’s last seven road games, while Over is 16-5-1 in the Sabres’ previous 22 vs. Metropolitan Division rivals.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)