Chicago Blackhawks at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 3/17/2018

Saturday, March 17, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Chicago Blackhawks travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, March 17, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Blackhawks at -185 and the Sabres at +166.

Chicago has a record of 30-33-8 this season and on the road they have a record of 13-18-5-1. They are 7th in the Central Division. They've scored 201 goals and given up 213 goals for a point differential of -12. For the season they have an ATS record of 30-41-0 and an over/under record of 31-37-0. Buffalo is 22-36-12 including 10-20-5-2 at home this season. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 167 goals and surrendered 229 for a goal differential of -62. Their record against the spread is 22-48-0 while their over/under record is 32-34-0.

Valuable Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 30-41-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 31-37-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 22-48-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 32-34-0 against the over/under this season

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

12/27/17 GO Corey Crawford Concussion IR (12/26)
10/05/17 RW Marian Hossa Infection IR (10/03)
10/05/15 D Michal Rozsival Concussion IR (10/03)
03/10/18 LW Anthony Duclair Knee is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

03/09/18 RW Kyle Okposo Concussion is out indefinitely
03/08/18 C Kyle Criscuolo Shoulder is OUT 4-6 weeks
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)

Player Spotlight

Jonathan Toews has accumulated 49 total points this season for the Blackhawks. He has 19 goals this year with 204 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 30 assists on the season and averages 19.7 minutes played per game. Patrick Kane averages 20.4 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 25 goals on 252 shots. He has 42 assists, giving him a total of 67 points on the season. Anton Forsberg has 9 wins and 15 losses this season in net for the Blackhawks. He has 803 shots against him and he's given up 76 goals. He's made 727 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Sam Reinhart has scored 39 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this season with 155 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 21 assists on the season and averages 16.9 minutes played per game. Ryan O'Reilly averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 19 goals on 189 shots. He has 31 assists, giving him a total of 50 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 14 wins and 25 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 1,528 shots against him and he's surrendered 136 goals. He's made 1,392 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blackhawks have 68 total points this season, which ranks them 24th in the NHL. They are 19th in the league in goals scored with 201 while they've given up 213 goals, ranking them 12th overall. They have had 248 power play opportunities and have scored 39 goals on those chances for a percentage of 16%. That is 28th in the NHL. The Blackhawks have allowed 209 power play opportunities and have given up 40 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, putting them 14th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.26% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 19th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 31st in the NHL with a total of 56 points this year. They have 37 power play goals on 213 opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That ranks them 25th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 205 power play opportunities and have given up 43 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%. That is 21st in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 31st in the league with 167 goals scored while they've given up 229 goals, which is 4th overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.79%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 26th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Chicago is 4th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.1%, as they've attempted 4,657 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,117 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.2% as they have 3,284 attempts while they have given up 3,131 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 10th in the league. The Blackhawks start possessions in the offensive zone 56.5% of the time, which is 2nd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 43.5% for the season. That is 30th overall in the NHL. They have 2,178 face-off wins compared to 2,194 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That ranks them 13th in the league. On defense Chicago has 1,205 hits and they have blocked 986 shots from the opposition, putting them 22nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 51.6% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.4% for the year. That ranks them 7th and 20th respectively in the NHL. They have 2,170 face-off wins as opposed to 2,027 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.7%. That is 5th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 1,523 hits and they've blocked 949 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 28th in blocked shots. Buffalo is ranked 23rd in Corsi percentage with 48.1% as they've tried 3,781 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 4,080 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 23rd in the NHL at 48.3%, as they have 2,922 shots while they've given up 3,131 attempts on defense.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo +166

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