New York Islanders at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 12/31/2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The New York Islanders travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, December 31, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Islanders at +115 and the Sabres at -140.

New York has a record of 20-13-4 this season. They are 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 111 goals and given up 101 goals for a point differential of +10. For the season they have an ATS record of 20-17-0 and an over/under record of 13-21-0. Buffalo is 21-12-6 this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 114 goals and surrendered 112 for a goal differential of +2. Their record against the spread is 21-18-0 while their over/under record is 19-19-0.

Valuable New York Islanders Betting Trends

The New York Islanders are 20-17-0 straight up this year

The New York Islanders are 13-21-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 21-18-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-19-0 against the over/under this season

Key New York Islanders Injuries

12/29/18 C Jordan Eberle Undisclosed IR (12/29)
12/19/18 D Thomas Hickey Upper Body IR (12/19)
10/04/18 C John Stevens Undisclosed is out indefinitely
10/04/18 RW Matt Lorito Undisclosed is out indefinitely
10/01/18 LW Andrew Ladd Undisclosed is out indefinitely

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/29/18 C Zemgus Girgensons Upper Body is out indefinitely
12/07/18 D Casey Nelson Upper Body is out indefinitely
10/04/18 C Scott Wilson Leg is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Anders Lee has accumulated 27 total points this season for the Islanders. He has 14 goals this year with 98 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 17.5 minutes played per game. Josh Bailey averages 17.5 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 8 goals on 65 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 30 points on the season. Thomas Greiss has 12 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Islanders. He has 641 shots against him and he's given up 53 goals. He's made 588 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Jeff Skinner has scored 39 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 26 goals this season with 118 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 22%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 18.2 minutes played per game. Jack Eichel averages 20.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 9% by scoring 15 goals on 164 shots. He has 34 assists, giving him a total of 49 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 11 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 837 shots against him and he's surrendered 70 goals. He's made 767 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Islanders have 44 total points this season, which ranks them 15th in the NHL. They are 19th in the league in goals scored with 111 while they've given up 101 goals, ranking them 30th overall. They have had 112 power play opportunities and have scored 18 goals on those chances for a percentage of 16%. That is 23rd in the NHL. The Islanders have allowed 109 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 21st in the league when short-handed. They average 28 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.64% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 4th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 7th in the NHL with a total of 48 points this year. They have 23 power play goals on 123 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 18th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 115 power play opportunities and have given up 19 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%. That is 6th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 16th in the league with 114 goals scored while they've given up 112 goals, which is 20th overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.16%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%. That is 6th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

New York is 25th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.1%, as they've attempted 1,929 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,164 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.3% as they have 1,431 attempts while they have given up 1,595 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 25th in the league. The Islanders start possessions in the offensive zone 47.7% of the time, which is 26th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 52.3% for the season. That is 5th overall in the NHL. They have 996 face-off wins compared to 1,095 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.6%. That ranks them 30th in the league. On defense New York has 931 hits and they have blocked 569 shots from the opposition, putting them 9th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 22nd in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.3% for the season, which is 11th in the NHL. They have 1,133 face-off wins compared to 1,236 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.8%. That is 26th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 706 hits and they have blocked 503 shots from the opposition, which is 26th in the league. Buffalo is 23rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.6% as they've attempted 2,159 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,279 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.7% ranks 21st as they have 1,688 attempts while they have given up 1,776 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo -140

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