Buffalo Sabres at Minnesota Wild NHL Picks & Predictions 1/4/2018

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Xcel Energy Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to Xcel Energy Center to play the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, January 4, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +166 and the Wild at -185.

Buffalo has a record of 10-20-9 this season and on the road they have a record of 5-10-6-0. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 86 goals and given up 129 goals for a point differential of -43. For the season they have an ATS record of 10-29-0 and an over/under record of 15-21-0. Minnesota is 21-16-3 including 13-4-2-0 at home this season. They are 5th in the Central Division. They've scored 115 goals and surrendered 114 for a goal differential of +1. Their record against the spread is 21-19-0 while their over/under record is 21-17-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 10-29-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 15-21-0 against the over/under this season

Important Minnesota Wild Betting Trends

The Minnesota Wild are 21-19-0 straight up this year

The Minnesota Wild are 21-17-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

11/17/17 D Taylor Fedun Lower Body IR (11/15)
01/01/18 D Victor Antipin Illness is "?" Thursday vs Minnesota

Key Minnesota Wild Injuries

01/02/18 RW Nino Niederreiter Lower Body is "?" Thursday vs Buffalo

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has accumulated 35 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 15 goals this year with 130 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 20.4 minutes played per game. Evander Kane averages 19.9 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 15 goals on 162 shots. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 9 wins and 14 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 903 shots against him and he's given up 76 goals. He's made 827 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Jason Zucker has scored 28 total points this year for the Wild. He has 15 goals this season with 98 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 17.3 minutes played per game. Eric Staal averages 18.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 17 goals on 116 shots. He has 18 assists, giving him a total of 35 points on the season. Alex Stalock has 7 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Wild. He has 510 shots against him and he's surrendered 43 goals. He's made 467 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 29 total points this season, which ranks them 30th in the NHL. They are 31st in the league in goals scored with 86 while they've given up 129 goals, ranking them 5th overall. They have had 118 power play opportunities and have scored 15 goals on those chances for a percentage of 13%. That is 30th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 119 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 13th in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.13% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 24th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Wild are 16th in the NHL with a total of 45 points this year. They have 23 power play goals on 121 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 17th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 156 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 4th in the NHL. As a team, the Wild are 17th in the league with 115 goals scored while they've given up 114 goals, which is 20th overall. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.79%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 13th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo has a Corsi percentage of 48.1% as they've tried 2,116 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,286 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 24th in Corsi percentage. They are 22nd in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 48.2% as they have 1,619 shots while they've given up 1,739 attempts on defense. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 52% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 48% for the year. That puts them 9th and 21st in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,208 face-off wins as opposed to 1,146 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.3%. That is 9th overall in the NHL. On defense Buffalo has 928 hits and they've blocked 547 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 24th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Wild start possessions in the offensive zone 47.4% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.6% for the year. That ranks them 27th and 4th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,211 face-off wins as opposed to 1,190 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.4%. That is 17th in the league. On defense Minnesota has 693 hits and they've blocked 648 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 2nd in blocked shots. Minnesota is ranked 31st in Corsi percentage with 45.7% as they've tried 2,055 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 2,446 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 29th in the NHL at 47%, as they have 1,595 shots while they've given up 1,798 attempts on defense.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Minnesota -185

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