Posted at 10:00 AM EST. Odds are subject to change.

Buffalo -1½ +229 over Utah

7:00 PM EST. Utah is coming to town at the end of a five-game road trip, and that is not exactly the time you want to be living out of a suitcase and trying to keep your legs fresh. There is only so much hotel food, airport coffee, and time-zone hopping a hockey team can take before the road starts looking like a punishment rather than a profession. The Mammoth have been on the move long enough, and now they have to finish the trip against a Buffalo team playing on home ice.

This is where we want Buffalo to put its foot down. The Sabres need to bring the pressure early, make Utah defend, and turn this into the kind of night where the visitors are counting the minutes until they can get back home. We are not interested in Buffalo sneaking out a one-goal win and leaving us sweating over an empty-net situation. We are taking the beefed-up price because we trust in the Sabres to win this game with some authority. Utah has been living on the road, and Buffalo has a chance to make that final stop a miserable one.

Of course, Buffalo has to do its part. We need a full sixty-minute effort, smart puck management, and enough finish around the net to turn the advantage into a multi-goal victory. The end of a long road trip is a spot where the home team can make life uncomfortable, and we like the Sabres to take advantage. No overtime drama, no last-minute escape act from Utah. Let’s get the job done in regulation and cash the puck line.

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