With the NHL season now in full swing, the Buffalo Sabres will take a trip to the Great White North to face off with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Join us for our NHL odds series, where our Sabres-Oilers prediction and pick will be unveiled.

Fresh off of a tough defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers at home, the Sabres will look for a quick rebound ahead of tonight's matchup. In the 4-3 loss, Buffalo was outshot 37-27 by Florida and could not complete a valiant effort to comeback as they finished one goal short of at least forcing overtime and finishing with one point. Regardless, sits at 1-1 on the season up to this point and will be in good shape if they can overcome the Oilers on the road.

After going farther in the postseason than they have in recent memory by reaching the Western Conference Finals last season, the Oilers once again have high expectations in large part due to the roster's talented makeup, and now that they are equipped with even more playoff experience. Thus far, Edmonton has an identical record as Buffalo with a record of 1-1 in their first two games of the new season. Despite falling short against the Flames 4-3 on Saturday, the Oilers should be well-rested as they prepare to do battle with the Sabres.

Here are the Sabres-Oilers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Sabres-Oilers Odds

Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-122)

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+100)

Over: 7 (+100)

Under: 7 (-122)

Why The Sabres Could Cover The Spread

On paper, this Sabres squad is a sneaky good team. Yes, they may be young and unproven, but the word around the city of Buffalo is that this group of players could be a dark horse to clinch a playoff berth this season. In their recent outing against the Panthers which proved to be a good test for this Buffalo crew, head coach Don Granato made some changes to his top lines in order to see what he was working with as the game progressed. The final result consisted of Alex Tuch being reunited with top-line members Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson, as the trio was a dominant force last season when they were responsible for a bulk of the Sabres scoring a year ago.

When it comes to whether or not Buffalo has a chance to cover the spread in this one, it will certainly fall on the shoulders of this line, especially with Thompson and Skinner both combining for a whopping 131 points during the 2021-2022 regular season. If this dynamic duo along with Tuch can get in a rhythm early, then they should possess a tremendous shot in keeping this one close.

Why The Oilers Could Cover The Spread

One of the more skilled hockey teams that the NHL has to offer, Edmonton would want nothing more for this upcoming duel with the Sabres to be a start of a hot streak that results in a plethora of victories. However, the Oilers need to come out with their hair on fire in front of the home crowd at Rogers Place to see that become a reality.

To begin, the Oilers' best chance at covering the spread tonight is to take advantage of the Sabres giving the start to goalie Stuart Skinner, who has yet to start a game so far this season. While Skinner came on in relief in Buffalo's latest outing and stopped 31 shots, beginning a game in net will be a different feel for the backup goaltender. Not to mention, but facing off with an Oilers offensive attack that is averaging a not-too-shabby four goals per game through their first two contests. Simply put, Edmonton's biggest advantage tonight will come from their ability to make crisp passes and find open lanes to get shots off.

Despite the offensive fireworks that could be on display later tonight, the Oilers need to tighten the screws defensively. In fact, the Oilers have trailed by at least three goals in the first 21 minutes of their two games and cannot afford to fall behind the eight-ball once again. While Edmonton's rallying prowess has been up to snuff, trailing by big amounts in the early goings of games is not a great recipe for success moving forward.

Final Sabres-Oilers Prediction & Pick

As intriguing as this matchup is this early into the season, don't be shocked if the Sabres come out and punch the Oilers in the mouth early. It is concerning that Edmonton has come out flat to begin the year and Buffalo seems to be an improved squad from a year ago.

Final Sabres-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Sabres +1.5 (-122)