My Sabres vs. Canadiens predictions and NHL picks suggest another high-scoring thriller between these two offense-centric teams, with Lane Hutson continuing to cement himself as one of the league's best defensemen. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has taken his seemingly nonsensical omission from the American Olympic team personally.

The New York Islanders spent the last two weeks far away from home confirming their status as a fading playoff contender. The Buffalo Sabres barely had to leave the Eastern time zone to continue one of the most surprising in-season comebacks in memory.

The Islanders and Sabres may only be separated by two points in the standings, but the feeling around the teams is quite different right now. Buffalo is red hot, making a charge up the standings, and its new general manager has signaled that the club will be aggressive at the trade deadline as it tries to break a 14-season playoff drought.

The Islanders fell 4-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night and ended the seven-game road trip 3-3-1. Anthony Duclair potted New York’s only goal on the power play, while Ilya Sorokin made 21 saves on 24 shots against the Kraken.

The Nashville Predators lost 5-3 to the Buffalo Sabres at Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 20.

The Buffalo Sabres set out to start a new hot streak as they hit the road Monday afternoon for a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. The game is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage on TNT and streaming on-demand.

The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes meet Monday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET.

The Isles are 17-4-5 in games decided by a single goal including 8-4 in regulation. They are 5-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

The Islanders return home after a seven-game road trip and welcome the resurgent Buffalo Sabres to UBS Arena on Saturday. You can bet on any NHL game — or the NFL Playoffs — by using the FanDuel Sportsbook promo,

The Buffalo Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers in the first game of Wednesday’s TNT doubleheader. Buffalo enters this game in good form, and my Flyers vs. Sabres predictions expect this trend to continue. Read on for my NHL picks for Wednesday, January 14.