Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 12/29/2018

Saturday, December 29, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Boston Bruins travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, December 29, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Bruins at -125 and the Sabres at +113.

Boston has a record of 20-14-4 this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 107 goals and given up 101 goals for a point differential of +6. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-18-0 and an over/under record of 15-22-0. Buffalo is 21-12-5 this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 112 goals and surrendered 109 for a goal differential of +3. Their record against the spread is 21-17-0 while their over/under record is 19-18-0.

Valuable Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 20-18-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 15-22-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 21-17-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

12/28/18 RW David Backes Possible Suspension is doubtful Saturday vs Buffalo
12/27/18 D Charlie McAvoy Lower Body is questionable Saturday vs Buffalo

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/27/18 RW Jason Pominville Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Boston
12/27/18 D Nathan Beaulieu Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Boston
12/07/18 D Casey Nelson Upper Body is out indefinitely
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

David Pastrnak has accumulated 47 total points this season for the Bruins. He has 23 goals this year with 147 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 24 assists on the season and averages 19.3 minutes played per game. Brad Marchand averages 20 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 12 goals on 113 shots. He has 29 assists, giving him a total of 41 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 8 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Bruins. He has 518 shots against him and he's given up 46 goals. He's made 472 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has scored 49 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 15 goals this season with 163 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 34 assists on the season and averages 20.2 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 23% by scoring 26 goals on 114 shots. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 11 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 795 shots against him and he's surrendered 67 goals. He's made 728 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins have 44 total points this season, which ranks them 11th in the NHL. They are 20th in the league in goals scored with 107 while they've given up 101 goals, ranking them 29th overall. They have had 120 power play opportunities and have scored 32 goals on those chances for a percentage of 27%. That is 5th in the NHL. The Bruins have allowed 112 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 19th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 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 2nd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 6th in the NHL with a total of 47 points this year. They have 23 power play goals on 120 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 18th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 111 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 5th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 16th in the league with 112 goals scored while they've given up 109 goals, which is 20th overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.21%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 4th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Boston is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 2,262 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,117 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.6% as they have 1,745 attempts while they have given up 1,640 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 10th in the league. The Bruins start possessions in the offensive zone 54.8% of the time, which is 5th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.2% for the season. That is 26th overall in the NHL. They have 1,161 face-off wins compared to 1,151 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.2%. That ranks them 16th in the league. On defense Boston has 890 hits and they have blocked 477 shots from the opposition, putting them 29th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 20th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season, which is 12th in the NHL. They have 1,109 face-off wins compared to 1,209 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.8%. That is 27th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 686 hits and they have blocked 491 shots from the opposition, which is 25th in the league. Buffalo is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.9% as they've attempted 2,109 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,204 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.1% ranks 21st as they have 1,650 attempts while they have given up 1,713 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo +113

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