Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens NHL Picks & Predictions 11/8/2018

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Bell Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to Bell Centre to play the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, November 8, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +113 and the Canadiens at -133.

Buffalo has a record of 7-6-2 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 43 goals and given up 44 goals for a point differential of -1. For the season they have an ATS record of 7-8-0 and an over/under record of 8-6-0. Montreal is 8-5-2 this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 48 goals and surrendered 45 for a goal differential of +3. Their record against the spread is 8-7-0 while their over/under record is 7-7-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 7-8-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 8-6-0 against the over/under this season

Important Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 8-7-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 7-7-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

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 Montreal Canadiens Injuries

11/07/18 RW Joel Armia Undisclosed is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo
11/07/18 RW Joel Armia Undisclosed is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo
11/03/18 LW Paul Byron Lower Body is out indefinitely
10/19/18 C Tomas Plekanec Back is out indefinitely
10/03/18 LW Nicolas Deslauriers Facial IR (10/03)
10/01/18 D David Schlemko Knee is out indefinitely
10/01/18 D Shea Weber Knee is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Jeff Skinner has accumulated 16 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 9 goals this year with 50 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 7 assists on the season and averages 17.6 minutes played per game. Jack Eichel averages 20.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 7% by scoring 4 goals on 59 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 17 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 4 wins and 6 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 342 shots against him and he's given up 31 goals. He's made 311 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Tomas Tatar has scored 13 total points this year for the Canadiens. He has 5 goals this season with 47 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 8 assists on the season and averages 16.8 minutes played per game. Max Domi averages 17.5 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 28% by scoring 9 goals on 32 shots. He has 7 assists, giving him a total of 16 points on the season. Carey Price has 5 wins and 4 losses this year in goal for the Canadiens. He has 312 shots against him and he's surrendered 31 goals. He's made 281 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 16 total points this season, which ranks them 16th in the NHL. They are 18th in the league in goals scored with 43 while they've given up 44 goals, ranking them 18th overall. They have had 56 power play opportunities and have scored 11 goals on those chances for a percentage of 20%. That is 17th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 45 power play opportunities and have given up 10 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 21st in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.72% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 13th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens are 8th in the NHL with a total of 18 points this year. They have 9 power play goals on 59 opportunities for a percentage of 15%. That ranks them 26th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 54 power play opportunities and have given up 9 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%. That is 7th in the NHL. As a team, the Canadiens are 10th in the league with 48 goals scored while they've given up 45 goals, which is 15th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.64%. As a team they give up 29 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 17th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.7%, as they've attempted 865 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 840 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.6% as they have 679 attempts while they have given up 636 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 10th in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 50.2% of the time, which is 16th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.8% for the season. That is 16th overall in the NHL. They have 446 face-off wins compared to 465 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49%. That ranks them 22nd in the league. On defense Buffalo has 270 hits and they have blocked 204 shots from the opposition, putting them 19th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canadiens are 5th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 55.6% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 44.4% for the season, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 430 face-off wins compared to 513 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 45.6%. That is 30th in the league. On defense Montreal has 415 hits and they have blocked 225 shots from the opposition, which is 7th in the league. Montreal is 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.2% as they've attempted 936 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 822 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.6% ranks 6th as they have 663 attempts while they have given up 597 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Montreal -133

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