Scoreboard	1	2	3	Odds
Ottawa Senators 39-35-7-1	1	0	0	+6.5
Buffalo Sabres 42-33-4-3	0	2	2	-124

Ottawa Senators vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, NHL Odds

Jeremy Perry
Last Updated: October 13, 2022

The Ottawa Senators will be taking on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday in a matchup of two teams who were among the worst in the NHL last season. This will be the first game of the new season for both of these squads as they look to get things started on the right foot.

Ottawa ended their preseason on a four-game winning streak while the Sabres won four out of their six preseason efforts. Neither of these groups had much success a year ago, but both are hoping that this is the year they can turn things around. Which of these two teams will be able to get their first win of the year?

This game is virtually a pick’em on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.5.

Senators vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds

The Senators are 5-1 in their last six games overall coming into this one and 6-2 in their past eight games against teams in the Atlantic Division. As for the total, they have watched the under cash out in five straight games when they get at least three days of rest before a contest. Also, they’ve beaten the Sabres in five out of their last six games.

On the other hand, Buffalo is 5-1 in their past six against teams in the Eastern Conference. For the total, the under has cashed out in five out of the last seven meetings between the Sabres and Senators. Luckily, Buffalo is listed as the underdog, with the underdog winning five out of the last six games against Ottawa.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa did quite a bit of retooling during the offseason. They lost players like Matt Murray, Chris Tierney, Connor Brown, Colin White, and Filip Gustavsson. However, they were able to add an equal amount of talent in guys like Claude Giroux, Cam Talbot, and Alex DeBrincat. On paper, this roster looks a bit stronger. And on top of that, this is a young squad that should continue to develop. However, we’ve yet to see what they look like out on the ice.

There is optimism in the air, which is why it’s important to go out there and pick up a win against the lowly Sabres. A loss – especially a non-competitive loss – would be a really sour start to the year for Ottawa.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres are in a similar situation as Ottawa. They lost Colin Miller, Cody Eakin, Aaron Dell, and Will Butcher in the offseason but then added Ilya Lyubushkin, Eric Comrie, Kale Clague, Riley Sheahan, and Chase Priskie to negate that. Buffalo ended their season last year well, by winning six of their final eight games, but it was another horrid campaign overall.

Buffalo’s roster is fairly young at the moment but that doesn’t mean they can’t be competitive throughout the year. Similar to Ottawa, fans, bettors and media want to see progress. A win at home against an Eastern Conference laggard would at least provide some hope as they get their new campaign started.