Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will do battle against Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in an Eastern Conference matchup. The puck drops at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 31, and fans at home can view the game live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Columbus is 44-34 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors this year. Through 78 regular season matches, 43 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just six have pushed. This 2018-19 Blue Jackets team is 22-16 SU on the road.
Columbus has converted on just 15.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it has successfully killed off 84.8 percent of all penalties..
With a .912 save percentage and 25.8 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (35-24-1) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus this season. Bobrovsky did just play last night, however, so the team could choose to rest him and turn to Joonas Korpisalo instead (9-16-3 record, .898 save percentage, 2.96 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Buffalo is 31-47 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 41 of its contests have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 20-18 SU as the home team.
The Sabres have converted on just 18.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties.
Carter Hutton has denied 28.0 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for the Sabres. Hutton has 17 wins, 31 losses, and five OT losses and has maintained a subpar .908 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average this year.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Eight of Buffalo’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 0-8 overall in those games.
- Penalties and power plays could play a critical role in the outcome of this one. The Blue Jackets are 22-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 37-27 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Sabres are 11-22 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 24-35 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Buffalo (5-3 in shootouts this season) has significantly more experience in games decided by shootout. Columbus has only participated in two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- The under has hit in four of Columbus’ last five games.
- Columbus has averaged 8.0 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 7.3 giveaways per game (the third-fewest in the NHL).
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 9.0 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.4 giveaways per game (ranked 11th in the NHL).
