Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 10/20/2017

Friday, October 20, 2017

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Vancouver Canucks travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, October 20, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Canucks at -150 and the Sabres at +136.

Vancouver has a record of 2-2-1 this season and on the road they have a record of 1-0-0. They are 4th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 12 goals and given up 14 goals for a point differential of -2. For the season they have an ATS record of 2-3-0 and an over/under record of 2-3-0. Buffalo is 1-4-2 including 0-1-1 at home this season. They are 7th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 18 goals and surrendered 28 for a goal differential of -10. Their record against the spread is 1-6-0 while their over/under record is 4-2-0.

Valuable Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends

The Vancouver Canucks are 2-3-0 straight up this year

The Vancouver Canucks are 2-3-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 1-6-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 4-2-0 against the over/under this season

Key Vancouver Canucks Injuries

10/17/17 LW Loui Eriksson Knee IR (10/17)
10/15/17 C Cole Cassels Arm IR (10/03)
10/14/17 D Alexander Edler MCL IR (10/12)
10/07/17 F Brendan Gaunce Shoulder IR (10/03)

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

10/17/17 C Jacob Josefson Undisclosed is "?" Friday vs Vancouver
10/13/17 D Zach Bogosian Lower Body IR (10/15)
10/09/17 LW Evan Rodrigues Hand IR (10/03)
10/08/17 D Justin Falk Lower Body IR (10/03)

Player Spotlight

Brock Boeser has accumulated 4 total points this season for the Canucks. He has 2 goals this year with 7 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 29%. He has a total of 2 assists on the season and averages 16 minutes played per game. Thomas Vanek averages 14 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 18% by scoring 2 goals on 11 shots. He has 1 assist, giving him a total of 3 points on the season. Jacob Markstrom has 1 win and 2 losses this season in net for the Canucks. He has 123 shots against him and he's given up 12 goals. He's made 111 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Evander Kane has scored 10 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 5 goals this season with 39 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 5 assists on the season and averages 20.3 minutes played per game. Jason Pominville averages 16.4 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 33% by scoring 4 goals on 12 shots. He has 5 assists, giving him a total of 9 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 0 wins and 3 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 120 shots against him and he's surrendered 12 goals. He's made 108 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canucks have 5 total points this season, which ranks them 22nd in the NHL. They are 29th in the league in goals scored with 12 while they've given up 14 goals, ranking them 27th overall. They have had 25 power play opportunities and have scored 3 goals on those chances for a percentage of 12%. That is 25th in the NHL. The Canucks have allowed 19 power play opportunities and have given up 2 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 89%, putting them 4th in the league when short-handed. They average 28 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.63% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 11th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 24th in the NHL with a total of 4 points this year. They have 5 power play goals on 27 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 17th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 26 power play opportunities and have given up 5 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%. That is 13th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 15th in the league with 18 goals scored while they've given up 28 goals, which is 2nd overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.41%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 88%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Vancouver has a Corsi percentage of 48% as they've tried 253 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 274 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 24th in Corsi percentage. They are 24th in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 47.7% as they have 194 shots while they've given up 213 attempts on defense. The Canucks start possessions in the offensive zone 53% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47% for the year. That puts them 13th and 24th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 163 face-off wins as opposed to 142 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 53.4%. That is 8th overall in the NHL. On defense Vancouver has 73 hits and they've blocked 61 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 29th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 52.9% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.1% for the year. That ranks them 9th and 20th respectively in the NHL. They have 219 face-off wins as opposed to 220 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.9%. That is 17th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 152 hits and they've blocked 100 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 7th in blocked shots. Buffalo is ranked 18th in Corsi percentage with 48.8% as they've tried 391 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 410 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 17th in the NHL at 49.2%, as they have 300 shots while they've given up 310 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo +136

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