Sens, Habs continue push for playoffs, Flames aim to close gap on Blues in the West

Sens on TSN: Sabres at Senators

The Ottawa Senators have secured at least a point in four of their previous five games to pull seven points clear of the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race.

With the eighth-easiest remaining strength of schedule on tap, Ottawa’s odds to make the playoffs are off the board at FanDuel this morning.

The Senators are -196 to beat the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night. 

How Far Will The Senators Go?

 Fortunately, Ottawa will not have to play Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs. Based on their results against the Sabres this season, they’d prefer any other opponent. The Senators have lost all three head-to-head meetings and have been outscored a combined 12-3.

Senators Struggles Versus Sabres

FanDuel Odds Tracker

Date       Result                     Odds To Win

11/5       Sabres win 5-1              -108               

1/9          Sabres win 4-0              +126

3/25       Sabres win 3-2              +132

If you started with a $10 bet on Buffalo to beat Ottawa in November and rolled it over on the Sabres to win the next two meetings, then you would be up to $100.99. Buffalo is +162 to pull off the upset win tonight.

Habs on TSN: Panthers at Canadiens

The Habs snapped a five-game winless drought with a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers as a +265 underdog on Sunday. That win combined with the New York Islanders losing back-to-back games in regulation led to Montreal’s odds to make the playoffs getting cut from +240 to +168 – now +170. Tonight, they’ll try to do the improbable with a home-and-home sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Habs are +158 to beat the Panthers tonight.

Eastern Conference - To Make The Playoffs

FanDuel Odds Tracker

                                GP   Points     Odds

Senators                73   84           OTB

Canadiens             73   77           +172 <<

Rangers                 74   77           +190

Blue Jackets          72   75           +360

Islanders                73   74           +830

Red Wings             73   74           +1200

The Islanders odds to make the playoffs ballooned from +320 to +800 following the back-to-back regulation losses over the weekend. The Isles have dropped five in a row and host the Lightning tonight.

Eastern Conference Wild Card Race Spotlight

FanDuel Odds Tracker

Panthers -192 at Canadiens +158

Sabres +162 at Senators -196

Lightning -172 at Islanders +142

Red Wings +146 at Blues -178

Flames Aim To Close Gap On Blues In The West

The Calgary Flames beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 as a +215 underdog last night to gain two points on the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Wild Card race.

Calgary is five points out of a playoff spot with two games in hand on St. Louis heading into tonight’s game versus Utah. The Flames are +152 to win again tonight.

Western Conference - To Make The Playoffs

FanDuel Odds Tracker

                                GP   Points     Odds

Wild                        75   88           -1200

Blues                      75   87           -430

Flames                   73   82           +255 <<

Canucks                 74   81           +900

Utah                       74   78           +4000

Calgary’s odds to make the playoffs were cut from +400 to +255 following last night’s win. Flames fans will be cheering for the Detroit Red Wings to slow down the hottest team in the NHL tonight as the Blues have won nine in a row and are an NHL-best 15-2-2 since the 4 Nations Face-Off.