Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Picks & Predictions 10/27/2018

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Nationwide Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to Nationwide Arena to play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, October 27, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +170 and the Blue Jackets at -230.

Buffalo has a record of 6-4-0 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 26 goals and given up 28 goals for a point differential of -2. For the season they have an ATS record of 5-4-0 and an over/under record of 5-4-0. Columbus is 5-4-0 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 31 goals and surrendered 34 for a goal differential of -3. Their record against the spread is 4-4-0 while their over/under record is 4-4-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 5-4-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 5-4-0 against the over/under this season

Important Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 4-4-0 straight up this year

The Columbus Blue Jackets are 4-4-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

10/26/18 D Nathan Beaulieu Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Columbus
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely
10/04/18 C Sean Malone Knee is out indefinitely
10/03/18 C Johan Larsson Foot IR (10/03)

Key Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries

10/08/18 C Brandon Dubinsky None is OUT 4-6 weeks

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has accumulated 9 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 3 goals this year with 38 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 8%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 20.6 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 16.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 19% by scoring 5 goals on 26 shots. He has 2 assists, giving him a total of 7 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 3 wins and 4 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 230 shots against him and he's given up 21 goals. He's made 209 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Artemi Panarin has scored 9 total points this year for the Blue Jackets. He has 3 goals this season with 25 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 19.6 minutes played per game. Cam Atkinson averages 18.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 4 goals on 32 shots. He has 3 assists, giving him a total of 7 points on the season. Sergei Bobrovsky has 2 wins and 4 losses this year in goal for the Blue Jackets. He has 179 shots against him and he's surrendered 23 goals. He's made 156 saves for a save percentage of 87%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 12 total points this season, which ranks them 9th in the NHL. They are 22nd in the league in goals scored with 26 while they've given up 28 goals, ranking them 15th overall. They have had 38 power play opportunities and have scored 8 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 16th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 30 power play opportunities and have given up 8 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 73%, putting them 23rd in the league when short-handed. They average 26 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.20% for the season. They allow 29 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 9th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blue Jackets are 17th in the NHL with a total of 10 points this year. They have 6 power play goals on 36 opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That ranks them 22nd in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 28 power play opportunities and have given up 8 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 71%. That is 28th in the NHL. As a team, the Blue Jackets are 10th in the league with 31 goals scored while they've given up 34 goals, which is 8th overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.40%. As a team they give up 27 shots per game and have a save percentage of 88%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 24th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.9%, as they've attempted 480 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 523 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.2% as they have 370 attempts while they have given up 397 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 23rd in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 48.9% of the time, which is 22nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.1% for the season. That is 10th overall in the NHL. They have 262 face-off wins compared to 289 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.5%. That ranks them 27th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 177 hits and they have blocked 126 shots from the opposition, putting them 13th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blue Jackets are 6th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 54.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 45.1% for the season, which is 26th in the NHL. They have 246 face-off wins compared to 251 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.5%. That is 18th in the league. On defense Columbus has 106 hits and they have blocked 99 shots from the opposition, which is 30th in the league. Columbus is 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 54% as they've attempted 491 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 419 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 55.1% ranks 5th as they have 392 attempts while they have given up 320 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus -230

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