NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Wednesday, December 11:

After 11 games last night, we can relax with two early games on the NHL card tonight. While the games themselves aren’t the most compelling, watching the Rangers and Sabers in Buffalo is like preparing to witness a train wreck. Both teams are in free fall and desperately need a win. The Rangers were booed off the ice at MSG on Monday after losing 2-1 to Chicago and are probably happy to get on the road. The Sabers have lost seven straight games and blown multiple-goal leads in consecutive games. The Senators were a model of inconsistency in Ottawa and face a team from Anaheim tonight that should be a win, but they’ve already lost their only meeting this season to the Ducks. It’s time for Ottawa to get some wins and put an end to the Brady Tkachuk trade rumors. Have fun with the games. Here are the NHL predictions for tonight.

7:00 p.m. ET

Tonight in Buffalo, two teams that desperately need a win meet. The visiting Rangers have picked up just two wins in their last 10 games and have failed to bring any of the games they lost in overtime to at least a “loss” point. They are now out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The Blueshirts are coming off a 2-1 loss to the 31st ranked team on home ice^stThe Blackhawks, ranked in first place, were rightly booed off the ice by the MSG faithful. From a betting perspective, going on the road could be a good thing. The Rangers have conceded overs (1.5) in the first half on the road in eight of their 12 games and that’s a good match for the Sabres, whose home games have conceded overs (1.5) in 10 of their 16 games. Early goals were also a trend in games involving New York. In nine of Rangers’ last 11 games, a goal was scored in the first ten minutes of the opening period.

Sometimes numbers lie or don’t tell the whole story. The numbers show that Buffalo has collected nine points out of a possible 20 in the last 10 games, which is far better than what its opponent achieved tonight. The Sabers went to overtime in two of their last three games and three times overall during this seven-game break. Buffalo has lost 7 games in a row and has blown multi-goal third-period leads in consecutive games. Monday’s 6-5 shootout loss to the Red Wings was the fifth time the Sabers have “hunted” a goalie this season, yet they only have one win (1-2-2). Equally bizarre in this seven-game losing streak is that Buffalo has only trailed once after the first 20 minutes (5-1-1). This season, the Sabers have only trailed twice on home ice after one period of play (10-2-4).

The Sabers won their only meeting this season, defeating the Rangers 6-1 at MSG. Six or more goals have been scored in seven of the last ten meetings at the Garden, while the opposite was true in the games in Buffalo. Nine of the last ten goals have come by six or fewer. Five of the last eight competitions went into overtime.

Buffalo’s JJ Peterka has scored three goals in six games against New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers’ Will Cuylle has scored goals in back-to-back games and scored New York’s only goal when the teams met in November.

NHL Predictions: Rangers/Sabres 1^st Period over 1.5 (-125) – 1 unit
Rangers/Sabres goal in the 1st^st 10 – Yes (-145) – 1 unit
Saber 1^st Period ML (+105) – 1 unit
Rangers/Sabres Regulation Draw (+320) – ¼ unit
JJ Peterka any time goal (+235) – ¼ unit
Will Cuylle score at any time (+320) – ¼ unit

7:30 p.m. ET

These two teams met 10 days ago in Anaheim, with the Ducks winning with a 4-3 shootout victory. Frank Vatrano scored two goals for the Ducks. Brady Tkachuk scored two goals for Ottawa, just two of his 12 shots on goal in the game. Yes, 12 shots on goal. It is the second time this season that Tkachuk has had 12 shots on goal in a game. It was the Ducks’ only win in their last five games. Anaheim is ranked 30th^Th on offense and has scored two goals or fewer in six of his last eight games.

The Senators suffered a 4-2 loss at home to the New York Islanders despite outscoring New York 31-13. Tim Stutzle was involved in both of Ottawa’s goals and has three goals and 13 points in his last nine games. His 34 points and 24 assists led the team in both categories.

Let’s get to some important numbers. The Ducks (6-0-5) are the only team in the NHL still trailing after 20 minutes. The Ducks are coming off a loss to Montreal and the teams that have lost to the Canadiens this season have gone 7-3. Ottawa’s Adam Gaudette is tied with Brady Tkachuk for the Senators’ team lead in goals, while Gaudette is (+375) in all-time goals and Tkachuk is (+120). I have to grab the value with Gaudette. An Anaheim player is valuable when it comes to the Shots on Goal prop. Defenseman Olen Zellweger has had three shots on goal in four consecutive games. It’s available now at a whopping plus-money price.

NHL Predictions: Anaheim Ducks 1^st Period ML (+150) – 1 unit
Adam Gaudette Anytime Goal (+375) – ½ unit
Olen Zellweger Over 2.5 SOG (+160) – 1 unit
Tim Stutzle Over ½ assist (-145) – 1 unit
Brady Tkachuk Over 4.5 SOG (+105) – 1 unit