A couple of teams squaring off for the first time this season, the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues take the ice at the Enterprise Center. Fox Sports Midwest will broadcast this East-West matchup, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 27.
Buffalo Sabres at St. Louis Blues Odds
Buffalo (+115) is playing the role of underdog to St. Louis (-135), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -105 money on the over and -115 on the under.
Buffalo is 21-16 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 8.8 units this season. Through 37 regular season contests, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2018-19 Sabres team is 9-10 SU on the road.
Buffalo has converted on 18.6 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it has successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Buffalo has been sent to the penalty box just 3.5 times per game in the 2018-19 season, 3.8 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.6 per game over its last five games as the visiting team. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .917 save percentage and 28.0 saves per game, Carter Hutton (13-12-2) has been the best option in goal for Buffalo this year. If it chooses to rest him, however, the team might roll with Linus Ullmark (9-4-3), who has a .922 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average this year.
Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Sabres. Eichel has 48 points on 14 goals and 34 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 17 different games. Skinner has 26 goals and 12 assists to his creditand has registered a point in 25 games.
On the other side of the ice, St. Louis is 14-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its outings have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 8-11 SU at home this season.
St. Louis has converted on 21.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
The Blues have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, and 4.8 per game over their past ten outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays 10.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Jake Allen (25.1 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for St. Louis. Allen has 12 wins, 16 losses, and four OT losses and has registered a mediocre 3.09 goals against average and a fairly-weak .900 save percentage this season.
Ryan O’Reilly (13 goals, 19 assists) will pace the attack for the Blues.
Buffalo Sabres at St. Louis Blues Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in three of Buffalo’s last five games.
- Extra-man opportunities may have a critical role tonight. The Sabres are 9-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-9 when they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Blues are 6-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-11 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- St. Louis is ranked 13th in the NHL with 7.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it has averaged 8.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Buffalo is ranked 29th overall with 5.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as it has averaged 7.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.4 takeaways over its last five.
- Buffalo might hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 11-8 in games decided by one goal, while St. Louis is 4-9 in such games.
