Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 12/15/2018

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Capital One Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to Capital One Arena to play the Washington Capitals on Saturday, December 15, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +170 and the Capitals at -230.

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 18-13-0 and an over/under record of 16-14-0. Washington is 18-9-3 this season. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 112 goals and surrendered 92 for a goal differential of +20. Their record against the spread is 18-12-0 while their over/under record is 17-11-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 18-13-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 16-14-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 18-12-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 17-11-0 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 Washington Capitals Injuries

12/13/18 D Christian Djoos Lower Body is questionable Friday vs Carolina
12/13/18 RW Tom Wilson Concussion is upgraded to questionable Friday vs Carolina
11/09/18 D Brooks Orpik Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has accumulated 39 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 10 goals this year with 139 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 29 assists on the season and averages 20.2 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 23% by scoring 22 goals on 97 shots. He has 10 assists, giving him a total of 32 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

Nicklas Backstrom has scored 38 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 10 goals this season with 64 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 28 assists on the season and averages 20.5 minutes played per game. Alex Ovechkin averages 21 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 22% by scoring 25 goals on 116 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 12 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 681 shots against him and he's surrendered 59 goals. He's made 622 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 42 total points this season, which ranks them 4th in the NHL. They are 16th in the league in goals scored with 98 while they've given up 92 goals, ranking them 20th overall. They have had 103 power play opportunities and have scored 19 goals on those chances for a percentage of 18%. That is 18th 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 9th 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 Capitals are 7th in the NHL with a total of 39 points this year. They have 25 power play goals on 93 opportunities for a percentage of 27%. That ranks them 4th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 108 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That is 22nd in the NHL. As a team, the Capitals are 4th in the league with 112 goals scored while they've given up 92 goals, which is 21st overall. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 12.64%. 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 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 26th 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 Capitals are 20th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.1% for the season, which is 12th in the NHL. They have 861 face-off wins compared to 927 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.2%. That is 24th in the league. On defense Washington has 638 hits and they have blocked 454 shots from the opposition, which is 12th in the league. Washington is 22nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.5% as they've attempted 1,679 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,783 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.4% ranks 24th as they have 1,248 attempts while they have given up 1,329 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington -230

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink