The Buffalo Sabres begin a three-game western road trip as they face the Colorado Avalanche. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Sabres-Avalanche prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Sabres enter the game sitting at 12-14-3 on the year. That currently placed them in sixth place in their division, as they have struggled as of late. In their last seven games, they have come away with just two wins. Last time out, the Sabres faced the Coytoes. Kyle Okposo got the first goal of the game, to give the Sabres the 1-0 lead. While Michael Kesserling scored to tie it up in the second, the Sabres would score three times in the period, to take a 4-1 lead into the intermission. In the third, the Coyotes got one back on a short-handed goal, but Rasmus Dahlin finalized the victory with an empty net goal as the Sabres won 5-2.

Meanwhile, the Avalanche come in at 17-9-2 on the year but also have had some recent struggles. The Avalanche has also lost five of their last seven games as well. Last time out, they faced the Calgary Flames. It was a great comeback for the Avalanche in that game. They were down 1-0 after a goal from Nazem Kadri, but the Avalanche scored in the third to tie it up. In the second, the Avalanche took the lead with a power play goal from Cale Makar. Still, the Flames would score two straight to take the lead. The Avalanche tied it up at the 14:57 mark but would give up two more goals in the second to be down 5-3. In the third, the Avalanche scored three times and took a 6-5 victory.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Sabres-Avalanche Odds

Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-134)

Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+112)

Over: 6.5 (-114)

Under: 6.5 (-106)

How to Watch Sabres vs. Avalanche

Time: 10:00 PM ET/ 7:00 PM PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Sabres Will Cover The Spread

The Sabres continue to struggle to score this year, sitting 25th in the NHL this year in goals per game at 2.90 goals per game. The leading points man this year is the blue-liner, Rasmus Dahlin. He comes in with seven goals and 16 assists on the year for 23 points. He also has two goals and five assists on the power play. Still, his pushing the pace has its downfalls. Dahlin comes in with a .08 rating on the year. Casey Mittelstadt comes in one point behind Dahlin on the year. He comes into the game with six goals on the year, while also having a team-high 16 assists. This gives him 22 points for the year.

The leading goal scorers this year are Jeff Skinner and JJ Peterka. Skinner comes in with 12 goals this year and ten assists for his 22 points, tied for second on the team. He also has five goals on the power play this year.  JJ Peterka comes in with 12 goals and nine assists this year, good for 21 points.  Fifth on the team in points is Alex Tuch, who is still out. The Sabres are missing eight goals and nine assists this year with him missing time. Meanwhile, Tage Thompson is back, but his three-game points streak since returning to the line-up was broken last time out.

On the power play, the Sabres sit 26th in the NHL with a 14.0 percent conversion rate and just 12 power play goals on the year. They have been much better on the penalty kill, sitting 11th in the NHL with an 81.7 percent success rate.

The expectation is the Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be back for this game. On the year, he is 6-5-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Last time out, he allowed just two goals on 29 shots but did take the loss. He was expected to come back last game, but he was not fully healthy yet. He is therefore expected to return to the line-up in this game.

Why The Avalanche Will Cover The Spread

While the Sabres have struggled to score this year, the Avalanche have not. They are fifth in the NHL this year with 3.54 goals per game on the season.  The team leader in points this year is Nathan MacKinnon. He comes into the game with 12 goals and 27 assists, good for 39 points this year. He has a goal and 11 assists on the power play. MacKinnon does not lead the team in goals or assists this year though. Mikko Rantanen leads the way in goal this year, coming into the game with 13 on the season. With his 13 goals, he has 21 assists, and he has 314 points, which is third on the team. Rantanen has also been great on the power play, with three goals and ten assists when man-up this year.

The team leader in assists, and second on the team in points, comes from the blue line. Cale Makar comes into the game with eight goals this year and 28 assists, giving him 36 points. He has four goals and ten assists on the power play. Further, fellow blue liner Devon Toews has also been good on the offensive side of the ice. He comes into the game with four goals and 11 assists on the year for 15 points.

On the power play, the Avalanche are 19th in the NHL in conversion rate, sitting at 18.7 percent with 20 goals on the year. They are one of the best on the penalty kill this year though, sitting sixth in the NHL with an 85.6 percent success rate.

Alexander Georgiev is expected to start in goal tonight. He leads the NHL in wins with a 14-7-1 record on the year. He also has a 3.00 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage on the season. The last time out was a struggle though. In the game with hthe Glames, he allowed five goals on 16 shots before being pulled. He did not take the loss though as the Avalanche came back and won the game.

Final Sabres-Avalanche Prediction & Pick

The Sabres hope to pull off the upset in this one, but that may be difficult. They do not have the best defensive unit, and the Avalanche are averaging over 3.5 goals per game this year. While the Avalanche are not the best on the defensive side of things, they are good enough to slow down a poor Buffalo attack. They will score plenty in this game, and cover with ease.

Final Sabres-Avalanche Prediction & Pick: Avalanche -1.5 (+112)