Timo Meier, Brent Burns, and the San Jose Sharks will do battle against Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in a cross-country showdown. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 27, and you’ll be able to see the game live on NBC Sports California.
San Jose Sharks at Buffalo Sabres Odds
Buffalo (+100) is entering this one as the underdog to San Jose (-120), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -125 for the under and +105 for the over.
Buffalo is 16-8 straight-up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 11.3 units this year. That winning percentage, the NHL’s fourth-best so far this season, is a welcomed turnaround from how the team performed during last year’s regular season (25-57). Of its 24 games this season, 12 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 8-3 SU at home this year.
The Sabres have converted on 20.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated sixth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.6 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 27.6 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Carter Hutton (11-7-1) has been the principal goalkeeper for Buffalo this season. If the Sabres, however, decide to give him a rest, head coach Phil Housley could go with Linus Ullmark (6-1-1 record, .926 save percentage, 2.52 goals against average).
Over on the visiting bench, San Jose is 12-12 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 14 of its games have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under the total and none have pushed. As a road team, the Sharks are 4-7 SU so far.
The Sharks have converted on 20.3 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully killed off 89.2 percent of all penalties.
Martin Jones (24.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose. Jones has nine wins, seven losses, and two OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .891 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average this year.
San Jose Sharks at Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Power plays and penalty kills may play a key role in the outcome of this matchup. The Sharks are 7-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-8 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Sabres are 7-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-5 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- San Jose is 0-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 3-0 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Buffalo’s last five games.
- San Jose skaters have averaged 8.2 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 7.9 giveaways per game (the 10th-fewest in the NHL).
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 9.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 8.5 giveaways per game (the 12th-fewest in the NHL).
