Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators NHL Picks & Predictions 2/15/2018

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Canadian Tire Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres head to Canadian Tire Centre to take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, February 15, 2018. The opening line for this contest has the Sabres at +127 and the Senators at -140.

Buffalo has a record of 17-30-10 this year and away from home they have a record of 9-14-6-0. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They have tallied 137 goals and surrendered 188 goals for a point differential of -51. For the year they have an ATS mark of 17-40-0 and an over/under record of 26-28-0. Ottawa has a record of 19-27-9 including 12-11-5-3 on home ice this year. They are 7th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 147 goals and have given up 194 for a goal differential of -47. Their record against the spread is 19-36-0 while their over/under mark is 29-26-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 17-40-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 26-28-0 against the over/under this season

Important Ottawa Senators Betting Trends

The Ottawa Senators are 19-36-0 straight up this year

The Ottawa Senators are 29-26-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

02/11/18 C Jack Eichel Ankle is out indefinitely
02/08/18 D Jake McCabe Thumb IR (02/06)
01/27/18 D Zach Bogosian Hip IR (01/09)

Key Ottawa Senators Injuries

11/17/17 D Chris Wideman Hamstring IR (11/16)
02/13/18 D Dion Phaneuf Possible Trade left last game, is "?" Thursday vs Buffalo
02/13/18 C Nate Thompson Lower Body is "?" Thursday vs Buffalo
02/13/18 C Gabriel Dumont Ankle is upgraded to "?" Thursday vs Buffalo
02/07/18 LW Alexandre Burrows Suspension 10-game suspension (eligible to return 03/02 vs Vegas)
02/04/18 RW Bobby Ryan Finger IR (02/01)

Player Spotlight

Ryan O'Reilly has scored 43 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this season with 152 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 25 assists on the year and averages 20.4 minutes played per contest. Evander Kane averages 19.4 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by tallying 18 goals on 206 attempts. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the year. Robin Lehner has 12 wins and 21 losses this season in goal for the Sabres. He has 1,229 shots against him and he's surrendered 110 goals. He's made 1,119 stops for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Mike Hoffman has 38 total points this season for the Senators. He has 15 goals this year with 178 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 8%. He has a total of 23 assists on the year and averages 18.2 minutes played per contest. Erik Karlsson averages 26.3 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 4% by scoring 5 goals on 132 attempts. He has 32 assists, giving him a total of 37 points on the year. Craig Anderson has 15 wins and 17 losses this season in net for the Senators. He has 1,235 shots against him and he's given up 120 goals. He's made 1,115 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 44 total points this year, which is 30th in the NHL. They've scored 137 goals while giving up 188 scores, which has them ranked 31st and 4th respectively. They have had 174 power play chances and scored 31 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That is 23rd in the league. The Sabres have given up 173 power play opportunities and surrendered 37 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, ranking them 22nd when short-handed. They average 31 shots per contest and as a team shoot 7.82% for the year. They allow 32 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is 27th in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Senators are 29th in the league with a total of 47 points this season. They have 28 power play goals on 169 chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 27th in the NHL. They've given up 162 power play opportunities and surrendered 41 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%, ranking 29th overall. As a team, the Senators are 27th with a total of 147 goals scored while they've given up 194 goals this season, ranking 3rd in goals against. They average 30 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 8.88%. As a unit they give up 33 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them 29th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo has a Corsi percentage of 48.5% as they've tried 3,093 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,287 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 21st in Corsi percentage. They are 19th in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 48.5% as they have 2,372 shots while they've given up 2,518 attempts on defense. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 52.8% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.2% for the year. That puts them 5th and 22nd in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,764 face-off wins as opposed to 1,665 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.4%. That is 9th overall in the NHL. On defense Buffalo has 1,273 hits and they've blocked 769 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 26th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Senators start possessions in the offensive zone 50.3% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.7% for the year. That ranks them 17th and 14th respectively in the NHL. They have 1,733 face-off wins as opposed to 1,610 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.8%. That is 5th in the league. On defense Ottawa has 1,325 hits and they've blocked 924 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 3rd in blocked shots. Ottawa is ranked 30th in Corsi percentage with 47.2% as they've tried 3,103 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,466 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 29th in the NHL at 47.4%, as they have 2,295 shots while they've given up 2,542 attempts on defense.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo +127

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