Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins NHL Picks & Predictions 12/16/2018

Sunday, December 16, 2018

TD Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Bruins on Sunday, December 16, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +125 and the Bruins at -155.

Buffalo has a record of 19-9-4 this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 98 goals and given up 92 goals for a point differential of +6. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-13-0 and an over/under record of 16-15-0. Boston is 17-11-4 this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 88 goals and surrendered 84 for a goal differential of +4. Their record against the spread is 17-15-0 while their over/under record is 11-20-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-13-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 16-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 17-15-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 11-20-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/13/18 D Marco Scandella Vertigo is questionable Saturday vs Washington
12/13/18 C Patrik Berglund Illness is questionable Saturday vs Washington
12/07/18 D Casey Nelson Upper Body is out indefinitely
12/05/18 D Jake McCabe Upper Body IR (12/05)
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

12/14/18 LW Jake DeBrusk Upper Body is questionable Sunday vs Buffalo
11/29/18 D Kevan Miller Throat is out indefinitely
11/22/18 C Patrice Bergeron Upper Body is out 4-6 weeks
11/16/18 D Zdeno Chara Lower Body is out indefinitely (will return 12/17)

Player Spotlight

Jeff Skinner has accumulated 32 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 22 goals this year with 97 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 23%. He has a total of 10 assists on the season and averages 18.1 minutes played per game. Jack Eichel averages 20.2 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 7% by scoring 10 goals on 139 shots. He has 29 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 666 shots against him and he's given up 54 goals. He's made 612 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Brad Marchand has scored 33 total points this year for the Bruins. He has 10 goals this season with 92 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 23 assists on the season and averages 19.9 minutes played per game. David Pastrnak averages 19.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 21 goals on 128 shots. He has 18 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 8 wins and 6 losses this year in goal for the Bruins. He has 455 shots against him and he's surrendered 38 goals. He's made 417 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 42 total points this season, which ranks them 5th in the NHL. They are 16th in the league in goals scored with 98 while they've given up 92 goals, ranking them 22nd overall. They have had 103 power play opportunities and have scored 19 goals on those chances for a percentage of 18%. That is 19th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 94 power play opportunities and have given up 17 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 10th in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.54% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 6th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins are 12th in the NHL with a total of 38 points this year. They have 26 power play goals on 101 opportunities for a percentage of 26%. That ranks them 6th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 95 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%. That is 23rd in the NHL. As a team, the Bruins are 24th in the league with 88 goals scored while they've given up 84 goals, which is 30th overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.52%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%. That is 2nd in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.3%, as they've attempted 1,790 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,840 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.9% as they have 1,406 attempts while they have given up 1,413 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 18th in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 49.1% of the time, which is 19th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.9% for the season. That is 13th overall in the NHL. They have 948 face-off wins compared to 1,026 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48%. That ranks them 25th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 594 hits and they have blocked 427 shots from the opposition, putting them 23rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Bruins are 7th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 53.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46.1% for the season, which is 25th in the NHL. They have 962 face-off wins compared to 975 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.7%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Boston has 724 hits and they have blocked 410 shots from the opposition, which is 27th in the league. Boston is 10th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51% as they've attempted 1,881 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,809 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.9% ranks 12th as they have 1,451 attempts while they have given up 1,399 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Boston -155

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