Thursday, February 16, 2017

First Niagara Center

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Colorado Avalanche travel to First Niagara Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, February 16, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Avalanche at +166 and the Sabres at -185. The over/under has been set at 5.

Colorado comes into this matchup having played 54 games. They have an overall record of 15-37-2 and on the road they have a record of 8-18-1. Currently they are 7th in the Central Division. They've scored 109 goals and given up 184 goals for a point differential of -75. The Avalanche have an overall record of 2-8-0 in their last 10 games. For the season they have an ATS record of 15-39 and an over/under record of 22-23-9. Buffalo shows up with a record of 24-23-10 including 13-10-4 at home this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 141 goals and surrendered 161 for a goal differential of -20. The Sabres have a record of 4-5-1 in their last 10 contests. Their record against the spread is 23-33 while their over/under record sits at 24-28-5.

For expert handicapping advice on this game check out our NHL expert handicapper tips.

Nathan MacKinnon has accumulated 38 total points this season for the Avalanche. He has 12 goals this season with 183 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 20 minutes played per game. Matt Duchene has averaged 18 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 15 goals on 116 shots. He has 18 assists giving him a total of 33 points on the season. Calvin Pickard has 9 wins and 17 losses this season in net for the Avalanche. He has had 853 shots against him and has given up 82 goals. He has made 771 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Kyle Okposo has accumulated 38 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this season with 138 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 19 minutes played per game. Sam Reinhart has averaged 17 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 12 goals on 127 shots. He has 24 assists giving him a total of 36 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 15 wins and 16 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has had 1,282 shots against him and has given up 97 goals. He has made 1,185 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

The Avalanche have 32 total points this season. They have scored 109 goals while giving up 184 goals. They have had 168 power play opportunities and have scored 25 goals on those chances for a percentage of 15%. The Avalanche have allowed 200 power play opportunities and given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. They average 28 shots per game and as a team are shooting 7.14% for the season to this point. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%.

The Sabres have a total of 58 points on the season. They have 39 power play goals on 169 opportunities thus far for a percentage of 23%. They have allowed 171 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 74%. As a team, the Avalanche have a total of 141 goals scored while they've given up 161 goals to this point. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.37%. As a team they give up 34 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%.

Colorado has a Corsi percentage of 47.5% as they've attempted 2,790 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,079 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is at 47.2% as they have 2,099 attempts while they've given up 2,346 shots on the defensive end. The Avalanche start possessions in the offensive zone 48.6% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.4% for the season. They have 1,768 face off wins compared to 1,535 losses, meaning their faceoff win percentage is 53.5%. On defense Colorado has 1,199 hits and they've blocked 733 shots from the opposition.

Buffalo has attempted 3,034 shots at full strength and they've given up 3,486 attempts, meaning their Corsi percentage is at 46.5% for the season. In terms of Fenwick percentage, they currently are at 46.2% as they have 2,296 shots while they've given up 2,674 attempts on defense. The Sabres have an offensive zone percentage of 47.6% and their defensive zone percentage is 52.4% so far this season. They have a faceoff win percentage of 50.3% as they've compiled 1,734 face off wins this season and they have suffered 1,710 face off losses. On defense Buffalo has blocked 812 shot attempts and they have 1,370 hits as a unit.

Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends

The Colorado Avalanche are 15-39 straight up

The Colorado Avalanche are 22-23-9 against the over/under

Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 23-33 straight up

The Buffalo Sabres are 24-28-5 against the over/under

Colorado Avalanche Injuries

12/04/16 D Erik Johnson Fibula out indefinitely
02/14/17 RW Rene Bourque Concussion "?" Thursday vs Buffalo
01/26/17 GO Semyon Varlamov Hip out for season

Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/31/16 C Johan Larsson Wrist out for season
11/12/16 C Cody McCormick Blood Clot out indefinitely
02/14/17 LW Evander Kane Illness "?" Thursday vs Colorado
02/10/17 D Cody Franson Foot out indefinitely
02/10/17 C Zemgus Girgensons Abdominal out indefinitely
02/04/17 LW William Carrier Knee out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo -185

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