Sabres Look to Feast on Struggling Sharks in San Jose

The Sabres roll into SAP Center on Tuesday night to face a Sharks team that's become the NHL's favorite punching bag, and Buffalo should be licking their chops. San Jose's rebuild is in full swing, meaning they're icing a roster that's long on youth and painfully short on experience closing out games against legitimate competition.

Buffalo comes in with offensive weapons that should have a field day against a Sharks defense that's been leakier than a rusty bucket. The Sabres' top-six forwards have the speed and skill to exploit San Jose's defensive breakdowns, which happen with alarming frequency. This is the kind of game where Buffalo's power play could pad some stats—the Sharks' penalty kill has been charitably described as "a work in progress."

The real question isn't whether Buffalo can win, but whether they'll take care of business with the urgency this gift-wrapped opportunity demands. The Sabres have their own consistency issues, occasionally sleepwalking through games they should dominate. But even a mediocre Buffalo effort should be enough against a Sharks squad still figuring out which end of the ice to defend.

DarkHorse hasn't posted a pick yet, but this one smells like Sabres regulation all day long. Lay the lumber if the price is right.