Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 10/4/2018

Thursday, October 4, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Boston Bruins travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, October 4, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Bruins at +110 and the Sabres at -105.

Boston had a record of 50-20-12 last season and on the road they had a record of 22-12-7-3. They finished 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They scored 270 goals and gave up 214 goals for a point differential of +56. For the season they had an ATS record of 55-39-0 and an over/under record of 42-46-0. Buffalo finished with a record of 25-45-12 including 11-14-3-1 at home last season. They were 8th in the Atlantic Division. They scored 199 goals and surrendered 280 for a goal differential of -81. Their record against the spread was 25-57-0 while their over/under record was 39-38-0.

Valuable Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins were 55-39-0 straight up last year

The Boston Bruins were 42-46-0 against the over/under last season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres were 25-57-0 straight up last year

The Buffalo Sabres were 39-38-0 against the over/under last season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

10/01/18 C Patrice Bergeron Back is probable Wednesday vs Washington
10/01/18 D Torey Krug Foot is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

10/01/18 C Johan Larsson Foot is questionable Thursday vs Boston
10/01/18 D Zach Bogosian Lower Body is questionable Thursday vs Boston

Player Spotlight

Brad Marchand accumulated 85 total points last season for the Bruins. He had 34 goals last year with 182 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 19%. He had a total of 51 assists on the season and averaged 19.7 minutes played per game. David Pastrnak averaged 18 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 35 goals on 246 shots. He had 45 assists giving him a total of 80 points on the season. Tuukka Rask had 34 wins and 14 losses last season in net for the Bruins. He had 1,513 shots against him and he gave up 125 goals. He made 1,388 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Sam Reinhart scored 50 total points last year for the Sabres. He had 25 goals last season with 188 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He had a total of 25 assists on the season and averaged 17.1 minutes played per game. Ryan O'Reilly averaged 20.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 24 goals on 230 shots. He had 37 assists giving him a total of 61 points on the season. Chad Johnson had 10 wins and 16 losses last year in goal for the Sabres. He had 962 shots against him and he surrendered 105 goals. He made 857 saves for a save percentage of 89%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins had 112 total points last season, which ranked them 4th in the NHL. They were 6th in the league in goals scored with 270 while they gave up 214 goals, ranking them 29th overall. They had 258 power play opportunities and scored 61 goals on those chances for a percentage of 24%. That was 4th in the NHL. The Bruins allowed 245 power play opportunities and gave up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 3rd in the league when short-handed. They averaged 33 shots per game and as a team shot 9.99% for the season. They allowed 29 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 91%. That put them 9th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres were 31st in the NHL with a total of 62 points last year. They had 49 power play goals on 257 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranked them 20th in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 235 power play opportunities and gave up 52 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That was 22nd in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres were 31st in the league with 199 goals scored while they gave up 280 goals, which was 3rd overall. They averaged 31 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 7.78%. As a team they gave up 33 shots per game and had a save percentage of 90%. That was 29th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Boston was 2nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 52.7%, as they attempted 4,909 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 4,404 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 52.8% as they had 3,732 attempts while they gave up 3,332 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 2nd in the league. The Bruins started possessions in the offensive zone 55.1% of the time, which was 3rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 44.9% for the season. That was 29th overall in the NHL. They had 2,577 face-off wins compared to 2,501 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.7%. That ranked them 10th in the league. On defense Boston had 1,914 hits and they blocked 1,072 shots from the opposition, putting them 30th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo was 21st in the league in Corsi percentage last season with 48.6%, as they tried 4,489 shots on net at full strength while giving up 4,750 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 48.6% as they had 3,473 attempts while they gave up 3,668 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 22nd in the NHL. The Sabres started possessions in the offensive zone 52.6% of the time, which was 9th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 47.4% for the season. That was 23rd overall in the NHL. They had 2,539 face-off wins compared to 2,388 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 51.5%. That ranked them 7th in the league. On defense Buffalo had 1,767 hits and they blocked 1,082 shots from the opposition, putting them 29th overall.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo -105

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