Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, and the Buffalo Sabres will face off against Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, and the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in an East-West matchup. The opening faceoff will be at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, December 3, and it can be caught live on Fox Sports Tennesse.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Nashville Predators Odds
The Predators (-180) are tabbed as the big favorites over the Sabres (+160), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
Netting 3.4 units for moneyline bettors, Nashville is 18-9 straight up (SU) overall this year. That winning percentage, the NHL’s third-best so far in the early season, hasn’t moved much from what the team managed during the 2017-18 season (53-29). 14 of its 27 matches have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just one has pushed. This year, the team’s 10-5 SU at home.
The Predators have converted on just 16.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all penalties.
Sporting a .934 save percentage and 25.2 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (12-6-1) has been the top goalkeeper for Nashville this season. If the Preds, however, choose to give him the night off, the team may turn to Juuse Saros (7-4-4 record, .891 save percentage, 3.29 goals against average).
Buffalo has netted 10.6 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 17-10 straight up (SU). Through 27 regular season matches, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while another 13 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As the visiting team, the Sabres are 8-7 SU so far.
The Sabres have converted on 19.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all penalties.
Carter Hutton (.917 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Hutton is averaging 28.2 saves per game and has 12 wins, eight losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
Buffalo Sabres at Nashville Predators Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner \u2013 Predators, O/U \u2013 Under
Betting Notes
- A majority (66.7 percent) of Nashville’s wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 12-4 overall in such games. 7 of Buffalo’s 17 wins (41.2 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- Penalties and power plays could be extremely important in the outcome of this matchup. The Sabres are 7-5 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-6 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, in total. The Predators are 9-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-5 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five outings.
- Buffalo has averaged 9.4 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.0 giveaways per game (ranked 12th overall).
- Nashville is ranked 16th this season with 9.8 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed recently, as the team’s averaged 11.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 12.8 giveaways over its last five.
