Thursday night belongs to hockey fans with two pivotal Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Buffalo Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of their tied series, while the Las Vegas Golden Knights visit the Anaheim Ducks in a potential closeout Game 6. Buffalo enters as -121 favorites after coach Lindy Ruff's goalie swap sparked a Game 4 victory.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Alex Lyon and delivered 28 saves on 30 shots, improving to 13-3-2 at home this season. The SportsLine model gives Buffalo a 55% chance to win. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights face a significant absence with Brayden McNabb suspended for his hit on Ryan Poehling. McNabb averages nearly 22 postseason minutes and leads Vegas defensemen with 23 hits.

The Ducks-Golden Knights matchup sits as essentially a coin flip at -110 each, with Anaheim's depth featuring seven players who reached 50 points this season. SportsLine projects a 53% chance for the Ducks. On the diamond, Los Angeles opens as -177 favorites over San Francisco, though Emmet Sheehan's ERA has risen from 2.82 to 4.79 while his fastball velocity dropped nearly 1.5 mph.

The Spurs-Timberwolves Game 6 Friday offers value with Minnesota at +160, despite San Antonio's defensive splits showing 106 points allowed per 100 possessions on the road versus 99.3 at home.