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Wednesday's Best NHL Bets
By Covers.com

Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres (N/A)

The Buffalo Sabres have clawed their way back into the playoff picture, but would have loved to end their Western road trip with a win on Monday.

Buffalo fell 3-1 to Winnipeg, which was their first loss of the road swing.

"It was a big game," Sabres captain Jason Pominville told reporters. "We're aware of it. We could've been in the playoff picture with a game in hand, but it doesn't turn out that way. We made it a little hard on ourselves, but we've just got to get back to winning games and go back home and focus on the next one."

Goaltender Ryan Miller has been a huge part of Buffalo’s recent success. Monday’s defeat was the first time that the Sabres had lost in regulation since Feb. 16 and Miller was 3-0 with two shutouts last week.

After a slow start, Miller’s numbers are beginning to look more like what we’ve come to expect of him. He owns a 2.60 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage to go along with five shutouts this season.

Pick: Under

Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins (-210, 5.5)

It’s beginning to look like the Pittsburgh Penguins may have their captain, Sidney Crosby, back on the ice for the final push before the playoffs.

Crosby, who has been out of the lineup with concussion and neck problems, was cleared to take physical contact on Tuesday. That has everybody wondering when he might suit up for a game.

"No sooner than Sunday, I would say, but I’m not going to sit here and put a date on it. It would be total guesswork," he told the team's website." I just want to make sure I get through these days fine and that would be a great decision to make if I get to that point."

Meanwhile, the Penguins continue to roll along without him. They have won six straight and nine of their last 11.

Evgeni Malkin is leading the NHL with 81 points, while James Neal has been a huge addition to the offense. He has 30 goals, including  a team-high 13 on the power play.

Pick: Over