Ben Burns

THE PLAY: Boston Bruins -125

Though their chances are extremely remote, the Bruins are still mathematically alive for a playoff spot. They know that's unrealistic though. However, I'm still expecting them to play hard. The Bruins weren't happy with their effort last game and are looking for improvement today. 

Here are some of the quotes from Boston players and coaches:  Elias Lindholm: "It was embarrassing. The compete level was nowhere to be found. ... We deserved to obviously get booed. Second period is the worst I've seen us play this year."

Pavel Zacha: "You can't play only one good period a game and win. That's something we have to learn from. We had to play better, especially at home for our fans. It just wasn't good enough."

Joe Sacco: "We need a better showing. We need to be able to dig in more and respond from a game that we're obviously not happy with. ... We have players that are still getting accustomed to how we play and whatnot, but that doesn't matter."

While the Sabres are still fighting hard, they've got nothing at all to play for. They're respectable at home but just 9-22 on the road. Look for a determined effort and a win for the home team. 

Ben Burns is WagerTalk's #1 NHL Handicapper this season and he's also Wagertalk's #1 Overall Handicapper in 2025. 

THE PLAY: Utah Hockey Club -105

The Canucks are off a big 6-2 win vs. Chicago last night. Utah had yesterday off. If the Canucks had lost last night, I wouldn't want to go against them tonight. However, they're often not quite as hungry, when playing their second game in two days, after winning the first leg. In fact, I've got them at 0-4 this season, losing on 11/27, 11/27, 01/03 and 02/27, after having won the previous day. Let's go Utah. 

Ben Burns is WagerTalk's #1 NHL Handicapper This Season. He's 8-0 his past eight and 32-13 on the year.