Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals NHL Picks & Predictions 2/24/2018

Saturday, February 24, 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, February 24, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +197 and the Capitals at -220.

Buffalo has a record of 18-32-11 this season and on the road they have a record of 10-14-7-0. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 146 goals and given up 200 goals for a point differential of -54. For the season they have an ATS record of 18-43-0 and an over/under record of 27-30-0. Washington is 34-20-7 including 20-9-2-0 at home this season. They are 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 189 goals and surrendered 183 for a goal differential of +6. Their record against the spread is 34-27-0 while their over/under record is 35-25-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 18-43-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 27-30-0 against the over/under this season

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 34-27-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 35-25-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

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

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

Ryan O'Reilly has accumulated 44 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this year with 165 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 20.6 minutes played per game. Evander Kane averages 19.4 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 20 goals on 227 shots. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 40 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 13 wins and 22 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 1,332 shots against him and he's given up 119 goals. He's made 1,213 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has scored 68 total points this year for the Capitals. He has 36 goals this season with 256 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 32 assists on the season and averages 20 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 19.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 15 goals on 113 shots. He has 30 assists, giving him a total of 45 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 28 wins and 13 losses this year in goal for the Capitals. He has 1,414 shots against him and he's surrendered 128 goals. He's made 1,286 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 47 total points this season, which ranks them 30th in the NHL. They are 30th in the league in goals scored with 146 while they've given up 200 goals, ranking them 4th overall. They have had 184 power play opportunities and have scored 32 goals on those chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 25th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 183 power play opportunities and have given up 38 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 21st in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.78% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 28th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals are 7th in the NHL with a total of 75 points this year. They have 39 power play goals on 183 opportunities for a percentage of 21%. That ranks them 8th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 203 power play opportunities and have given up 41 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That is 18th in the NHL. As a team, the Capitals are 9th in the league with 189 goals scored while they've given up 183 goals, which is 12th overall. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.81%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 19th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo has a Corsi percentage of 48.2% as they've tried 3,301 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 3,549 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. That ranks them 23rd in Corsi percentage. They are 22nd in the NHL in Fenwick percentage with 48.4% as they have 2,538 shots while they've given up 2,710 attempts on defense. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 52.3% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.7% for the year. That puts them 9th and 20th in the league in zone percentages respectively. They have 1,876 face-off wins as opposed to 1,794 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.1%. That is 10th overall in the NHL. On defense Buffalo has 1,368 hits and they've blocked 839 attempts from opposing offenses, which is 26th in the league.

Advanced Statistics

The Capitals are 20th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 49.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 50.5% for the season, which is 11th in the NHL. They have 1,814 face-off wins compared to 1,804 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50.1%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Washington has 1,348 hits and they have blocked 874 shots from the opposition, which is 20th in the league. Washington is 26th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.7% as they've attempted 3,374 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,706 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 46.8% ranks 30th as they have 2,489 attempts while they have given up 2,832 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Washington -220

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