The online betting surrounding the Buffalo Sabres has picked up considerably since the Olympics made Ryan Miller an American hero. But all of the Olympic silver medals in the world cannot seem to help the Sabres out of their funk. The Sabres are 2-2 since the Olympic break, and the US sportsbook reviews still has the Sabres as 10 to 1 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
The Minnesota Wild are fighting for their playoff lives, and they are not putting up much of a fight. The Wild currently sit seven points out of a playoff spot in the 12th spot in the Western Conference. They have lost three of their last four games and are not putting up any numbers to give any indication that the trend will stop. The odds makers have the Wild at 100 to 1 to win the Stanley Cup, and that is being generous.
This NHL game preview centers on defense, and this is where the new Greatest American Hero comes into play. While you are doing your March Madness betting, take some time to compare the goaltenders for the Sabres and the Wild to find out where the key to this game lies.
It is no secret that Ryan Miller has been propping the Buffalo Sabres up since their play took a nose-dive in late December. The team shows no emotion and only rare bursts of energy during any given game. But with Miller in net, that seems to be enough to keep the Sabres on top of the Northeast division.
The Sabres and the Wild have almost identical offensive totals. The Sabres average 2.67 goals per game while the Wild average 2.71. In 5-on-5 play the Sabres have scored 117 goals while the Wild have scored 116. The offensive production for each team is a wash, so it is the goaltending that has been the difference this season.
Ryan Miller is ranked number one in the league in save percentage. He stops more shots that he gets than any other goalie in the league. Minnesota
The game comes down to how much pressure each team can put on the other team's goalie, and if the goalie will crack. Ryan Miller gets flustered easily when people are allowed to bang into him in his crease. There has been more than one occasion where Miller has been pulled due to his own frustration. Backstrom is fairly steady in net as far as pressure goes, but he lets in too many easy goals.
The Sabres shoot at the net a lot during a game. They have almost 200 more shots on goal this season that the Wild. The Sabres can create pressure when they want to, and the Sabres are the kind of team that can get on an offensive roll in their own building with the crowd behind them.
If the momentum is still with the Sabres then this game will be a roll. If the Wild put up a fight, this could be a close game.
Pick: Buffalo
