Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 10/25/2018

Thursday, October 25, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, October 25, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at +110 and the Sabres at -143.

Montreal has a record of 5-1-2 this season. They are 1st in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 27 goals and given up 21 goals for a point differential of +6. For the season they have an ATS record of 5-3-0 and an over/under record of 3-4-0. Buffalo is 5-4-0 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 22 goals and surrendered 25 for a goal differential of -3. Their record against the spread is 5-4-0 while their over/under record is 5-4-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 5-3-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 3-4-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 5-4-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 5-4-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

10/19/18 C Tomas Plekanec Back is out indefinitely
10/03/18 LW Nicolas Deslauriers Facial IR (10/03)
10/01/18 D David Schlemko Knee is out indefinitely
10/01/18 D Shea Weber Knee is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

10/21/18 D Nathan Beaulieu Undisclosed is questionable
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely
10/04/18 C Sean Malone Knee is out indefinitely
10/03/18 C Johan Larsson Foot IR (10/03)

Player Spotlight

Max Domi has accumulated 8 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 2 goals this year with 17 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 17.3 minutes played per game. Paul Byron averages 15.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 22% by scoring 4 goals on 18 shots. He has 3 assists, giving him a total of 7 points on the season. Carey Price has 3 wins and 1 loss this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 159 shots against him and he's given up 15 goals. He's made 144 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has scored 9 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 3 goals this season with 38 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 8%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 20.6 minutes played per game. Conor Sheary averages 16.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 3 goals on 18 shots. He has 1 assist, giving him a total of 4 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 3 wins and 4 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 230 shots against him and he's surrendered 21 goals. He's made 209 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have 12 total points this season, which ranks them 6th in the NHL. They are 14th in the league in goals scored with 27 while they've given up 21 goals, ranking them 24th overall. They have had 34 power play opportunities and have scored 7 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 16th in the NHL. The Canadiens have allowed 27 power play opportunities and have given up 6 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 16th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.00% for the season. They allow 27 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 15th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 12th in the NHL with a total of 10 points this year. They have 6 power play goals on 34 opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That ranks them 20th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 28 power play opportunities and have given up 8 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 71%. That is 27th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 23rd in the league with 22 goals scored while they've given up 25 goals, which is 15th overall. They average 28 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.63%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 9th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.8%, as they've attempted 504 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 432 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 53.5% as they have 349 attempts while they have given up 303 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 7th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 56.3% of the time, which is 4th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 43.7% for the season. That is 28th overall in the NHL. They have 220 face-off wins compared to 282 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 43.8%. That ranks them 30th in the league. On defense Montreal has 227 hits and they have blocked 129 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 21st 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 10th in the NHL. They have 262 face-off wins compared to 289 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.5%. That is 27th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 177 hits and they have blocked 126 shots from the opposition, which is 12th in the league. Buffalo is 24th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.9% as they've attempted 480 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 523 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.2% ranks 22nd as they have 370 attempts while they have given up 397 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo -143

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