Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

PNC Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to PNC Arena to play the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

Buffalo has a record of 8-19-7 this season and on the road they have a record of 4-9-5-0. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 72 goals and given up 114 goals for a point differential of -42. For the season they have an ATS record of 8-26-0 and an over/under record of 12-19-0. Carolina is 15-12-7 including 7-4-3-1 at home this season. They are 8th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 95 goals and surrendered 107 for a goal differential of -12. Their record against the spread is 14-19-0 while their over/under record is 16-15-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 8-26-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 12-19-0 against the over/under this season

Important Carolina Hurricanes Betting Trends

The Carolina Hurricanes are 14-19-0 straight up this year

The Carolina Hurricanes are 16-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

11/27/17 C Jacob Josefson Ankle IR (11/26)
11/17/17 D Taylor Fedun Lower Body IR (11/15)

Key Carolina Hurricanes Injuries

11/13/17 RW Lee Stempniak Hip IR (10/02)

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has accumulated 28 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 11 goals this year with 112 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 17 assists on the season and averages 20.6 minutes played per game. Evander Kane averages 20 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 14 goals on 142 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 31 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 7 wins and 14 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 754 shots against him and he's given up 65 goals. He's made 689 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Sebastian Aho has scored 23 total points this year for the Hurricanes. He has 7 goals this season with 94 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 16 assists on the season and averages 18.3 minutes played per game. Teuvo Teravainen averages 16.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 8 goals on 67 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season. Scott Darling has 8 wins and 10 losses this year in goal for the Hurricanes. He has 655 shots against him and he's surrendered 68 goals. He's made 587 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 23 total points this season, which ranks them 30th in the NHL. They are 31st in the league in goals scored with 72 while they've given up 114 goals, ranking them 4th overall. They have had 102 power play opportunities and have scored 13 goals on those chances for a percentage of 13%. That is 30th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, putting them 11th in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 6.86% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 26th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Hurricanes are 22nd in the NHL with a total of 35 points this year. They have 15 power play goals on 106 opportunities for a percentage of 14%. That ranks them 29th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 82 power play opportunities and have given up 20 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 76%. That is 29th in the NHL. As a team, the Hurricanes are 27th in the league with 91 goals scored while they've given up 106 goals, which is 12th overall. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.93%. As a team they give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 28th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo has a Corsi percentage of 48.3% as they've tried 1,852 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 1,985 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 24th in Corsi percentage. They are 17th in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 48.5% as they have 1,407 shots while they've given up 1,497 attempts on defense. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 52.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.2% for the year. That puts them 8th and 22nd in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,052 face-off wins as opposed to 993 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.4%. That is 10th overall in the NHL. On defense Buffalo has 797 hits and they've blocked 488 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 24th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Hurricanes start possessions in the offensive zone 58.3% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 41.7% for the year. That ranks them 1st and 30th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,050 face-off wins as opposed to 961 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 52.2%. That is 4th in the league. On defense Carolina has 627 hits and they've blocked 454 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 29th in blocked shots. Carolina is ranked 1st in Corsi percentage with 54% as they've tried 2,226 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 1,895 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 2nd in the NHL at 53.3%, as they have 1,645 shots while they've given up 1,441 attempts on defense.

Who will win tonight's Sabres/Hurricanes NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Carolina

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald