It is an Atlantic Division clash as the Buffalo Sabres visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Sabres-Maple Leafs prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Sabres enter the game at 29-29-4 on the year, sitting sixth in the Atlantic Division. They have won five of their last seven games and last time out faced the Winnipeg Jets. The Sabres struck first on a JJ Peterka power-play goal, but the Jets would tie it before the end of the period. In the second, the Sabres took the lead again, on an Eric Robinson goal. Still, the third period was a disaster. The Sabres gave up four goals, including two empty net goals, as they fell 5-2.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 35-18-8 on the year, sitting third in the Atlantic Division. They have won nine of their last 11, and last time out they faced the Boston Bruins. The Bruins controlled the early part of the game, scoring twice in the first period, and then adding a goal in the second. In the third period, John Tavares scored to make it 3-1, but Pavel Zacha would score his second of the game to close the door on a comeback as the Bruins won 4-1.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Sabres-Maple Leafs Odds
Buffalo Sabres: +1.5 (-150)
Moneyline: +158
Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+125)
Moneyline: -192
Over: 6.5 (-114)
Under: 6.5 (-106)
How to Watch Sabres vs. Maple Leafs
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Sabres Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Sabres sit 23rd in the NHL in goals per game this year, at 2.94 goals per game on the season. They are led at the forward position by Casey Mittelstadt. He leads the team in assists this year and points. Mittelstadt has 14 goals and 33 assists, for 47 total points. He has not been a factor in the power play though, with just two goals and six assists this year. Meanwhile, another one of the Sabres' most potent point options comes from the blue line. Rasmus Dahlin comes into the game with 15 goals and 31 assists, good for 46 total points. He has five goals and 13 assists on the power play.
The leading goal scorers for the Sabres are JJ Peterka and Jeff Skinner. Peterka comes into the game with 20 goals this year, plus 18 assists, having him tied for fifth on the team with 38 total points. The best scoring option on the power play has been Jeff Skinner. Eight of Skinner's 20 goals have come on the power play, while four of his 20 assists have also come in those situations. That gives Skinner 40 points, tied for third on the team with Alex Tuch. Tuch comes into the game with 17 goals and 23 assists on the year.
The Sabres's power play has struggled this year sitting 26th in the NHL with a 16.9 percent success rate. The Sabres are 19th in the NHL on the penalty kill this year with a 78.8 percent success rate.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to start in goal in this game. Luukkonen comes in at 19-16-2 on their with a 2.46 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. He did just play back-to-back games, and the Sabres are about to play back-to-back again. Therefore, he may not start in this one, which would place Eric Comrie in the goal. He is just 1-6-0 on the year with a 3.87 goals-against average and a .868 save percentage.
Why The Maple Leafs Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Maple Leafs come into the game second in the NHL in goals per game this year, coming in with 3.61 goals per game. Auston Matthews leads the team in goals this year. He comes into the game with 53 goals on the year and added 26 assists. That places Matthews second on the team in points with 79. Further, he has been solid on the power play, with 15 goals and nine assists in those situations. Meanwhile, William Nylander is first on the team in points this year. He comes into the game with 33 goals and 50 assists, good for 83 points on the year. Like Matthews, he has been solid on the power play, coming away with nine goals and 22 assists on the power play. Further, he has three goals and an assist short-handed.
Mitchell Marner sits third on the team in points while sitting third in goals and tied for the lead in assists. He comes into the game with 24 goals on the year and 50 assists. Six of the goals and 17 of the assists are on the power play this year. Further, the Maple Leafs get a lot of help on the offensive side of things from the blue line. Morgan Rielly comes into the game with seven goals on the year, while also sitting third on the team with 38 assists. That gives him 45 total points on the year, with 16 on the power play. He has just one goal on the power play but does have 15 assists.
The Maple Leafs are second in the NHL on the power play, sitting with a 27.7 percent success rate when up a man. Still, they have struggled on the penalty kill this year, coming in with just a 77.7 percent success rate, good for 22nd in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs are also about to embark on back-to-back games. Most likely Ilya Samsonov will be in goal. He is 15-5-6 on the year with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage. If it is not him, it will most likely be Joseph Woll. He is 9-6-1 on the year with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
Final Sabres-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick
Both teams in this game have the same weak spots in their overall play. Neither of them is good at defending against high shot totals, and both can get some suspect goalie play at times. Further, the bot struggles on the penalty kill. The Maple Leafs are a much better power-play team though, and are a better offense overall. They have more depth than the Sabres and can score from multiple lines. While the offense struggled last time out, that will not happen in this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Sabres-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Maple Leafs ML (-192)
Follow Us
Subscribe