San Jose at Buffalo

Buffalo's 8-7 home win against Tampa Bay this past Sunday may have been the game of the year in the NHL. Certainly, it was the most exciting. The Sabres scored three unanswered goals in the final nine minutes to pull out the victory. There were five fights, 100 penalty minutes, and a postgame scrum. Buffalo survived all that and is now in first place in the Atlantic Division. Heady stuff for a team that hasn't made the playoffs during the past 14 seasons. It also puts Buffalo in a huge letdown spot here against the much-improved Sharks, who are sitting one point out of a Western Conference wild card spot. San Jose has been at its best in an underdog role. The Sharks have won 11 of the past 18 times when they've been an underdog. The Sharks are the only team Buffalo has yet to face this season. The Sabres have Eastern Conference foe Washington on deck. This is a tremendous spot for San Jose, and with two of the league's youngest, most talented up-and-coming squads, I'm expecting a close contest. Take the Sharks with big moneyline value.