New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 9/29/2017

Friday, September 29, 2017

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New York Islanders travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, September 29, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Islanders at +105 and the Sabres at -130.

New York had a record of 41-29-12 last season and on the road they had a record of 19-17-5. They finished 5th in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 241 goals and gave up 242 goals for a point differential of -1. For the season they had an ATS record of 41-41-0 and an over/under record of 42-37-0. Buffalo finished with a record of 33-37-12 including 20-15-6 at home last season. They were 8th in the Atlantic Division. They scored 201 goals and surrendered 237 for a goal differential of -36. Their record against the spread was 33-49-0 while their over/under record was 37-38-0.

Valuable New York Islanders Betting Trends

The New York Islanders were 41-41-0 straight up last year

The New York Islanders were 42-37-0 against the over/under last season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres were 33-49-0 straight up last year

The Buffalo Sabres were 37-38-0 against the over/under last season

Key New York Islanders Injuries

9/12/2017 Alan Quine C Upper Body
8/14/2017 Shane Prince C Ankle

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

9/26/2017 Jake McCabe D Shoulder
9/26/2017 Evan Rodrigues RW Hand
9/24/2017 Alexander Nylander LW Lower Body
9/18/2017 Marco Scandella D Hip
9/15/2017 Sean Malone C Hip

Player Spotlight

John Tavares accumulated 66 total points last season for the Islanders. He had 28 goals last year with 260 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He had a total of 38 assists on the season and averaged 20.4 minutes played per game. Jordan Eberle averaged 16.8 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 8% by scoring 16 goals on 198 shots. He had 31 assists giving him a total of 47 points on the season. Jaroslav Halak had 12 wins and 9 losses last season in net for the Islanders. He had 885 shots against him and he gave up 75 goals. He made 810 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel scored 57 total points last year for the Sabres. He had 24 goals last season with 241 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He had a total of 33 assists on the season and averaged 20 minutes played per game. Rasmus Ristolainen averaged 26.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 3% by scoring 6 goals on 183 shots. He had 39 assists giving him a total of 45 points on the season. Robin Lehner had 23 wins and 26 losses last year in goal for the Sabres. He had 1,910 shots against him and he surrendered 152 goals. He made 1,758 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Islanders had 94 total points last season, which ranked them 17th in the NHL. They were 10th in the league in goals scored with 241 while they gave up 242 goals, ranking them 8th overall. They had 234 power play opportunities and scored 35 goals on those chances for a percentage of 15%. That was 28th in the NHL. The Islanders allowed 227 power play opportunities and gave up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 11th in the league when short-handed. They averaged 30 shots per game and as a team shot 9.72% for the season. They allowed 32 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 91%. That put them 17th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres were 26th in the NHL with a total of 78 points last year. They had 57 power play goals on 233 opportunities for a percentage of 24%. That ranked them 1st in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 237 power play opportunities and gave up 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That was 25th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres were 25th in the league with 201 goals scored while they gave up 237 goals, which was 10th overall. They averaged 30 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 8.07%. As a team they gave up 34 shots per game and had a save percentage of 92%. That was 4th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

New York was 25th in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 47.5%, as they attempted 4,574 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 5,049 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 47.9% as they had 3,395 attempts while they gave up 3,686 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 26th in the league. The Islanders started possessions in the offensive zone 50.2% of the time, which was 17th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 49.8% for the season. That was 12th overall in the NHL. They had 2,261 face-off wins compared to 2,480 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 47.7%. That ranked them 25th in the league. On defense New York had 2,126 hits and they blocked 1,363 shots from the opposition, putting them 1st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres started possessions in the offensive zone 48.7% of the time while their defensive zone percentage was at 51.3% for the year. That ranked them 21st and 4th respectively in the NHL. They had 2,445 face-off wins as opposed to 2,484 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 49.6%. That was 12th in the league. On defense Buffalo had 1,872 hits and they blocked 1,121 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 18th in blocked shots. Buffalo was ranked 28th in Corsi percentage with 47.2% as they tried 4,416 shots on goal while at full strength while they surrendered 4,939 shots on net when they had a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage was 27th in the NHL at 47%, as they had 3,384 shots while they gave up 3,818 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo -130

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