A look at the Buffalo Sabres' 26-34-11 record might suggest the 2021-22 campaign is yet another season to forget.

Veteran winger Kyle Okposo doesn't see it that way.

"It just feels like we're planting the roots a little bit, for this year," he said, according to The Buffalo News' Rachel Lenzi. "We have an attitude in there … I haven't talked about this with the guys, but I don't want the year to end. It's been so much fun, and I have a feeling that a lot of the guys in that room feel the same way."

The Sabres rank 25th in the NHL but look to be gearing up to end the season on a high note. They're 6-1-3 in their last 10 games, with victories over the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Carolina Hurricanes.

"There's no, 'let's just make it to the end and ride this thing out and get a couple wins.' It's go time every day," Okposo said.

He added: "That's a fun feeling to have, and the way that we're building relationships and the culture is going to be what carries over."

Okposo has one season left on a seven-year, $42-million pact. The 33-year-old has enjoyed a resurgent campaign with 41 points in 65 contests.

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Carey Price will travel with the Montreal Canadiens on their two-game road trip this week but won't play in either game, interim head coach Martin St. Louis announced Wednesday, according to TSN's John Lu.

The Canadiens play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and square off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Price has yet to play a game this season following the Canadiens' stunning run to last year's Stanley Cup Final. He underwent knee surgery in the offseason and entered the NHL's player assistance program in October.

The veteran goaltender was forced to restart his injury rehab in January as his recovery was slow to progress.

Price practiced with the team in mid-March and has occasionally been skating on his own. He participated in Tuesday's optional morning skate and stayed on the ice to work with the scratches and injured players afterward, according to Lu.

The 34-year-old was limited to just 25 regular-season games in 2020-21 and posted a .901 save percentage. He rebounded in spectacular fashion in the postseason, logging a .924 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average in 22 outings.

Montreal has struggled in his absence and sits last in the league with a 19-40-11 record, but the team's fortunes have improved greatly since St. Louis arrived in February.

The Canadiens' next home game is on April 11 against the Winnipeg Jets.

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Tuesday was a great night on the ice. Two of our three team bets came through while all three shot totals hit. In total, we went 5-1.

While there aren't any sides that stand out Wednesday night - at least before injury or goaltending news - I see value in a total and two props. Let's dive in.

Lightning (-140) @ Capitals (+115)

The Lightning and Capitals enter this game in a similar place. Both are coming off two defeats, including four-goal losses at home. They'll no doubt be looking to tighten up and get back on track as they jockey for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Despite all the firepower in this matchup, there's plenty of value on the under.

Washington has struggled to keep the puck out of the net over the last few games. That's not because of defensive issues, though. The Capitals have actually done a great job of suppressing chances for quite some time.

At five-on-five, only the Wild and Rangers have allowed high-danger chances at a lower rate than Washington over the last 10 games. The Capitals are keeping opponents away from the blue paint.

That's something the Lightning have excelled at all season long. While they haven't been as competent of late, the Bolts sit seventh in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes. The Capitals aren't far behind, placing 10th.

With both teams coming off embarrassing defeats, the coaches will likely be preaching the importance of tightening up. And each side has the ability to lock things down. We've seen that firsthand in their meetings this season.

The Lightning and Capitals have faced each other twice, combining for three goals in one game and five goals in the other. The low totals weren't due to stellar goaltending, either. The first meeting featured only 3.33 expected goals at five-on-five, while the second featured 2.89 expected goals. Simply put, there was nothing there in terms of chance volume.

Bet: Under 6.5 (-125)

Trevor Zegras over 2.5 shots (-112)

Zegras is cooking, especially on home ice. He's registered at least three shots on goal in six of his last eight games in Anaheim.

The Flames are a strong shot-suppression team, but there's plenty of reason to believe Zegras can stay hot in this game. He's hit the over in two of the Ducks' three meetings with Calgary thus far, falling one shot shy in the lone exception.

The Flames have also given up plenty of volume to centers of late. They've allowed 10.90 shots per game to centers since the beginning of March, good for 24th in the NHL. They don't rank bottom 10 in shot suppression against any other position during that period.

With Zegras averaging 5.7 shot attempts over the last 10 games compared to 4.5 for the season, it seems like a good time to jump on the train.

Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots (-112)

Eichel is one of the hottest shot generators in the NHL. He's been almost automatic of late, recording four shots or more in eight of his last 10 games, including his last outing against the Canucks.

With Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and many other key players out of the Golden Knights' lineup, Eichel is being asked to carry the load at even strength and on the power play. He's Vegas' best scoring threat, and the team is using him accordingly.

So long as the shot attempts continue - Eichel has averaged 6.2 during this hot streak - one almost has to back him each night at anything close to even money.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Every team has its price - whether it's to bet on or against. That said, you're going to have to make a very convincing argument to get me to fade the Florida Panthers.

Maybe that argument is that they've found themselves facing seemingly insurmountable deficits twice in the last week. Unfortunately for anyone brave enough to step in front of the Cats' wagon, they surmounted both. Down 6-2 in New Jersey through two periods, the Panthers scored four times in the third frame to force overtime and an eventual 7-6 win. Then on Tuesday night, they came back from 5-1 down to beat the Maple Leafs in overtime.

It's the highest compliment to the Panthers that - when down by four goals to a team as good as Toronto - they were deemed to have as high as a 5% win probability in some metrics. Florida's proven that you'll need to watch all 60 minutes (or more) of its games, as no deficit is safe for its opponents.

The recipe

Before the 2021-22 campaign, we devised a three-part series on how to use the regular-season point-total market to create team ratings, how to interpret home-ice advantage, and then how to use those to create your own moneylines.

This season's on-ice predictive metrics make up 80% of our total rating. Basing 20% of the ratings on preseason "priors" allows us to emphasize team metrics without going all-in on what's happened during this campaign, which is still a relatively small sample size that includes some tainted results from when COVID-19 ravaged lineups.

I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a side playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and 3% without travel.

How to use the guide

What follows is my fair price on the matchups (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I would need to bet each side. I just need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. You can establish your own threshold - you may decide on a higher cutoff for bigger underdogs, like 6%-7%. On games I've projected could be a near coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough to make a wager worthwhile.

Thursday, April 7

Compare the "Price to bet" column with the prices the market offered. From there, compile a list of bets. The only reason not to make a bet is if something is unaccounted for in our team ratings - like a star player being a surprise scratch - or if you've put a team on the "Do not bet" list.

After you make your bets, come back before puck drop on game night to see if line moves created a valuable bet that wasn't there before. At that point, compare the price of your opening bet to its late price to see how much closing-line value you may be getting.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.

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We have a tight battle at the top in our sixth edition of the 2021-22 Vezina Trophy Power Rankings. The final games of the season will play a massive role in who ends up with the coveted trophy.

5. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders

The Islanders have had a pretty miserable season from start to finish, but Sorokin has been one of their bright spots. New York's goalie of the future has proven in his second NHL campaign that he'll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. He ranks fourth in high-danger save percentage (.858), second in shutouts (six), and second in save percentage (.927). The Islanders have a few things to worry about this offseason, but their goalie situation isn't one of them.

4. Darcy Kuemper, Colorado Avalanche

One of the biggest question marks surrounding Kuemper coming into this season was whether he could stay healthy for the Avalanche. His 49 appearances so far this campaign are already the second most of his career, and he's just six off his personal best of 55. Not only has he remained healthy, but he's played superbly. It helps that he's backstopping the NHL's best team. However, Kuemper still has the fourth-most goals saved above average (24.93).

3. Jacob Markstrom, Calgary Flames

Markstrom is a big reason the Flames are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. He doesn't often have to bail his club out, but his steady play and reliability make it easier on the players in front of him. Markstrom leads the NHL with nine shutouts and has been as solid as can be all season long.

2. Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes

Andersen is in line to post the best numbers of his career. He's been a model of consistency all campaign, allowing more than three goals just six times and never more than four. Andersen is also neck and neck with Igor Shesterkin in pretty much every statistical category. Depending on how things play out over the season's final weeks, Andersen may be the only one with a compelling enough case to dethrone Shesterkin, who once looked like the clear runaway winner.

1. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers

Even after posting a sub-.900 save percentage in five of his last 10 games, Shesterkin's numbers this season remain spectacular. He still leads all goalies in almost every statistical category. If Shesterkin can string together a handful of solid starts to close out the campaign, the Vezina should be his. But voters will have a much tougher decision if he continues to play subpar hockey and his numbers come down a little more.

Honorable mentions: Thatcher Demko, Juuse Saros, Tristan Jarry

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe took the high road after his club suffered a stunning 7-6 defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

The Maple Leafs appeared to be cruising to a sixth consecutive win with a 5-1 lead in the second period, but Florida stormed back with five unanswered goals to set up a dramatic overtime victory.

"I'm going to focus on the fact that we played another good hockey game today," Keefe said, according to The Leafs Nation's David Alter. "We were bad in moments. You can't take a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. You can't give up a shorthanded goal from a clear shot from the blue line. You can't have your fourth line take a penalty. All those things we can't do in those moments."

Keefe continued: "This last little stretch we've been on where we played Florida at home, Boston on the road, Tampa last night, play Florida here. To me, I was looking to come out of this little segment of the schedule with a sense of where we're at as a team and whether we can compete with the very best in our division. And the answer is unequivocally yes."

Toronto is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games and sits three points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second spot in the Atlantic Division with one extra game played.

Florida appears well on its way to locking up the division with a franchise-record 104 points in the bank. The Panthers became only the third team in NHL history to record multiple four-goal comebacks in one season, according to ESPN. They have 23 comeback victories overall through 70 contests.

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Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher isn't happy seeing Ottawa Senators star Tim Stutzle consistently embellishing calls.

"More than half the games we've played against (Stutzle), he's laid on the ice and is right back out there next shift," Gallagher said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "He lays on the ice, he acts like he's hurt, he sells the call, he's on the ice that same power play. There's kids watching, we're role models, and if I was a teammate of his, I'd tell him to smarten up.

"It's just not a good look. Very talented player, very good player, (but) he needs to stop laying on the ice. It's embarrassing."

Stutzle was on the receiving end of a couple of incidents during Tuesday's 6-3 victory against Montreal. Nick Suzuki tripped Stutzle up on a knee-on-knee collision at the end of the second period to earn a two-minute minor.

The 2020 third overall pick has drawn 62 penalties between last season and this campaign, the third-most in the NHL. Stutzle, 20, has 27 goals and 45 assists in 121 career games.

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New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes will miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a low-grade MCL sprain to his left knee, the team announced Tuesday.

Hughes sustained the injury during Sunday's game against the New York Islanders.

The first overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft established himself among the league's best players this season. He scored 26 goals and added 30 assists despite being limited to 49 contests.

Hughes, 20, ranks first on the Devils in goals and second in points. The club is slated to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight year.

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