Ottawa at Buffalo

It would take something just short of a miracle for either of these teams to make the playoffs. The Sabres are off a long trip to the West Coast and they salvaged four points out of a possible 10, allowing a total of 18 goals, or 3.6 per game. Ottawa isn't showing any quit, going 5-3 in their past eight games, and they've scored five goals in back-to-back wins over the Oilers and Devils. The Senators are 23-20 in their last 43 trips to Buffalo, and own a dazzling 18.1% ROI in the 43 games. There isn't much distance between these teams in terms of talent, and the Senators have a long successful history here. Make the play on Ottawa.