Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 12/21/2018

Friday, December 21, 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 Friday, December 21, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +150 and the Capitals at -185.

Buffalo has a record of 20-10-5 this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 107 goals and given up 103 goals for a point differential of +4. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-15-0 and an over/under record of 19-15-0. Washington has a record of 20-10-3 this year. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 123 goals and surrendered 102 for a goal differential of +21. Their record against the spread is 20-13-0 while their over/under record is 19-12-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 20-15-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 20-13-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 19-12-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/19/18 RW Jason Pominville Undisclosed is questionable Friday vs Washington
12/19/18 D Nathan Beaulieu Undisclosed is questionable Friday vs Washington
12/16/18 D Lawrence Pilut Upper Body IR (12/16)
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

12/14/18 D Christian Djoos Lower Body is out indefinitely
11/09/18 D Brooks Orpik Lower Body is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 739 shots against him and he's given up 61 goals. He's made 678 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Jack Eichel has accumulated 46 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 14 goals this year with 152 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 32 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 25 goals on 107 shots. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 37 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Nicklas Backstrom has scored 40 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 30 assists on the season and averages 20.5 minutes played per game. Braden Holtby has 13 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 738 shots against him and he's surrendered 66 goals. He's made 672 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Alex Ovechkin averages 21.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 22% by scoring 29 goals on 134 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 43 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 18 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83% this year. That is 9th in the NHL. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.60% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%, which is ranked 6th in the league. The Sabres have 45 total points this season, ranking 6th in the NHL in offense. They are 14th in the league with 107 goals while they've given up 103 goals, which is 16th overall. They have had 110 power play opportunities and scored 21 goals on those chances for a percentage of 19%. That is 18th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Capitals are 4th with 123 goals scored while they are 19th in the NHL with 102 goals allowed this year. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 12.49%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 13th place in the league. The Capitals have a total of 43 points this year, which is 8th in the NHL. They have 26 power play goals on 104 opportunities for a percentage of 25%. That ranks their power play unit 6th. They've allowed 121 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75%, which is 27th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 22nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.8%, as they've attempted 1,937 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,033 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.2% as they have 1,522 attempts while they have given up 1,574 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 20th in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 48.7% of the time, which is 21st in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 1,034 face-off wins compared to 1,115 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That ranks them 23rd in the league. On defense Buffalo has 644 hits and they have blocked 459 shots from the opposition, putting them 23rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals are 18th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 49.6% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 50.4% for the season, which is 14th in the NHL. They have 939 face-off wins compared to 1,023 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.9%. That is 26th in the league. On defense Washington has 719 hits and they have blocked 505 shots from the opposition, which is 11th in the league. Washington is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2% as they've attempted 1,894 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,958 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.3% ranks 19th as they have 1,412 attempts while they have given up 1,453 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Washington -185

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