In their third head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins meet at TD Garden for an Atlantic Division showdown. The game will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 10 and it’ll air live on New England Sports Network.
Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-290) is currently favored over Buffalo (+245) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 money on the over and -115 on the under.
Boston is 33-19 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 8.9 units this season. That winning percentage, ranked third in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 44-38 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Of the team’s 52 games this season, 22 have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team’s 18-10 SU at home this year.
The Bruins have converted on 22.0 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Bruins have been called for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .925 save percentage and 25.4 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (22-13-4) has been the best goalkeeper for the Bruins this year. If Boston chooses to rest him, however, the team might turn to Anton Khudobin (11-8-8 record, .925 save percentage, 2.28 goals against average).
The Bruins will continue relying on leadership out of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. Pastrnak (51 points) has tallied 21 goals and 30 assists and has recorded two or more points in 11 different games this year. Marchand has 21 goals and 30 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 28 contests.
Over on the other bench, Buffalo is 15-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 20.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 54 regular season outings, 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the away team, the Sabres are 8-20 SU so far.
The Sabres have converted on just 17.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 78.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Buffalo’s skaters have been penalized only 3.6 times per game this season, 3.8 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.4 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 7.4 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Robin Lehner (.913 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Lehner is averaging 26.8 saves per game and has 12 wins, 29 losses, and seven overtime losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Sabres will be Jack Eichel, who has 22 goals and 31 assists this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes,
- Boston (3-2 in shootouts) has more experience this season in games decided by shootout. Buffalo fell short in its one shootout this season.
- The total has gone under in four of Boston’s last five outings.
- Boston has allowed 2.4 goals per game overall this season, but has allowed just 1.3 per contest over its four-game win streak.
- Over Boston’s last ten outings, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 6-1 in those games).
- This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Buffalo skaters have given out the 10th-most hits in the league (22.5 per game) while the Bruins have tallied the eighth-most (24.1).
