Pro Pond Hockey

The Buffalo Sabres can move one step closer to the Stanley Cup Finals if they can defeat the Carolina Hurricanes at home Friday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Oddsmakers like the Sabres in this one, opening the line at 140 in favor of Buffalo.

Last time out, at HSBC Arena against Buffalo, the Hurricanes as underdogs lost to the Sabres 4-3. The game was an over play. The Sabres took a 2-1 series lead with the win.

Daniel Briere scored a pair of goals for Buffalo in the Game 3 win and now has seven playoff markers. He leads the Sabres in playoff scoring with 17 points.

This game is likely to come down to the Hurricanes's execution on offence. They rank 3rd in the league in scoring and look to sustain their 3.5 goals per game average against the Sabres's #10-rated defensive unit.