Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 11/23/2018

Friday, November 23, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, November 23, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at +104 and the Sabres at -136.

Montreal has a record of 11-7-4 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 72 goals and given up 75 goals for a point differential of -3. For the season they have an ATS record of 11-11-0 and an over/under record of 12-9-0. Buffalo has a record of 14-6-2 this year. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 70 goals and surrendered 62 for a goal differential of +8. Their record against the spread is 14-8-0 while their over/under record is 12-9-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 11-11-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 12-9-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 14-8-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 12-9-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

11/12/18 RW Joel Armia Knee is out indefinitely
11/07/18 LW Paul Byron Lower Body IR (11/07)
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

11/21/18 D Marco Scandella Undisclosed missed last game, is questionable Friday vs Montreal
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

Carey Price has 7 wins and 5 losses this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 488 shots against him and he's given up 51 goals. He's made 437 saves for a save percentage of 90%. Max Domi has accumulated 26 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 11 goals this year with 47 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 23%. He has a total of 15 assists on the season and averages 17.8 minutes played per game. Tomas Tatar averages 16.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 9 goals on 59 shots. He has 8 assists, giving him a total of 17 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has scored 25 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 5 goals this season with 89 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 6%. He has a total of 20 assists on the season and averages 19.7 minutes played per game. Carter Hutton has 10 wins and 6 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 507 shots against him and he's surrendered 42 goals. He's made 465 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Jeff Skinner averages 17.4 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 21% by scoring 15 goals on 71 shots. He has 8 assists, giving him a total of 23 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have allowed 71 power play opportunities and have given up 15 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79% this year. That is 19th in the NHL. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.08% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%, which is ranked 25th in the league. The Canadiens have 26 total points this season, ranking 8th in the NHL in offense. They are 8th in the league with 72 goals while they've given up 75 goals, which is 4th overall. They have had 80 power play opportunities and scored 11 goals on those chances for a percentage of 14%. That is 28th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Sabres are 13th with 70 goals scored while they are 21st in the NHL with 62 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.97%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 7th place in the league. The Sabres have a total of 30 points this year, which is 4th in the NHL. They have 13 power play goals on 72 opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That ranks their power play unit 21st. They've allowed 63 power play opportunities and have given up 11 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, which is 5th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 7th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 1,345 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,255 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.7% as they have 955 attempts while they have given up 929 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 11th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 54.2% of the time, which is 6th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.8% for the season. That is 26th overall in the NHL. They have 639 face-off wins compared to 754 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 45.9%. That ranks them 30th in the league. On defense Montreal has 563 hits and they have blocked 326 shots from the opposition, putting them 7th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 17th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.7% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 635 face-off wins compared to 684 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.1%. That is 24th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 414 hits and they have blocked 289 shots from the opposition, which is 22nd in the league. Buffalo is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.7% as they've attempted 1,229 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,244 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.1% ranks 16th as they have 958 attempts while they have given up 955 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo -136

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