Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 3/29/2018

Thursday, March 29, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Detroit Red Wings head to KeyBank Center to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, March 29, 2018. The opening line for this contest has the Red Wings at +109 and the Sabres at -120.

Detroit has a record of 28-38-11 this year and away from home they have a record of 13-23-3-0. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They have tallied 199 goals and surrendered 239 goals for a point differential of -40. For the year they have an ATS mark of 28-49-0 and an over/under record of 32-43-0. Buffalo has a record of 24-40-12 including 11-23-5-2 on home ice this year. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 177 goals and have given up 250 for a goal differential of -73. Their record against the spread is 24-52-0 while their over/under mark is 33-38-0.

Valuable Detroit Red Wings Betting Trends

The Detroit Red Wings are 28-49-0 straight up this year

The Detroit Red Wings are 32-43-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 24-52-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 33-38-0 against the over/under this season

Key Detroit Red Wings Injuries

03/23/18 D Mike Green Back is out for season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

03/26/18 GO Linus Ullmark Undisclosed is "?" Thursday vs Detroit
03/17/18 C Jacob Josefson Lower Body is out indefinitely
03/08/18 C Kyle Criscuolo Shoulder is out for season
02/08/18 D Jake McCabe Shoulder IR (02/06)
01/27/18 D Zach Bogosian Hip IR (01/09)

Player Spotlight

Anthony Mantha has scored 43 total points this year for the Red Wings. He has 23 goals this season with 177 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 20 assists on the year and averages 17.3 minutes played per contest. Henrik Zetterberg averages 19.6 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by tallying 10 goals on 165 attempts. He has 39 assists, giving him a total of 49 points on the year. Jimmy Howard has 20 wins and 27 losses this season in goal for the Red Wings. He has 1,666 shots against him and he's surrendered 152 goals. He's made 1,514 stops for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Ryan O'Reilly has 53 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 20 goals this year with 205 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 33 assists on the year and averages 20.8 minutes played per contest. Sam Reinhart averages 17 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 20 goals on 172 attempts. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 43 points on the year. Robin Lehner has 14 wins and 26 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 1,540 shots against him and he's given up 140 goals. He's made 1,400 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Red Wings have 67 total points this year, which is 27th in the NHL. They've scored 199 goals while giving up 239 scores, which has them ranked 28th and 10th respectively. They have had 218 power play chances and scored 38 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That is 24th in the league. The Red Wings have given up 242 power play opportunities and surrendered 53 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, ranking them 22nd when short-handed. They average 30 shots per contest and as a team shoot 8.51% for the year. They allow 32 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is 24th in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 31st in the league with a total of 60 points this season. They have 39 power play goals on 228 chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 25th in the NHL. They've given up 216 power play opportunities and surrendered 48 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, ranking 23rd overall. As a team, the Sabres are 31st with a total of 177 goals scored while they've given up 250 goals this season, ranking 3rd in goals against. They average 31 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 7.54%. As a unit they give up 33 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them 27th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Detroit is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.6%, as they've attempted 4,232 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,476 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.2% as they have 3,266 attempts while they have given up 3,373 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 19th in the league. The Red Wings start possessions in the offensive zone 50.3% of the time, which is 17th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.7% for the season. That is 12th overall in the NHL. They have 2,287 face-off wins compared to 2,405 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.7%. That ranks them 22nd in the league. On defense Detroit has 1,538 hits and they have blocked 1,103 shots from the opposition, putting them 20th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 51.9% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.1% for the year. That ranks them 9th and 20th respectively in the NHL. They have 2,359 face-off wins as opposed to 2,192 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.8%. That is 5th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 1,659 hits and they've blocked 1,019 attempts from opposing offenses, ranking them 29th in blocked shots. Buffalo is ranked 22nd in Corsi percentage with 48.3% as they've tried 4,146 shots on goal while at full strength while they have surrendered 4,431 shots on net when they have a full team on the ice. Their Fenwick percentage is 23rd in the NHL at 48.4%, as they have 3,205 shots while they've given up 3,412 attempts on defense.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Detroit +109

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 Guy Bruhn