Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 3/7/2019

Thursday, March 7, 2019

United Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to United Center to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, March 7, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +110 and the Blackhawks at -130.

Buffalo has a record of 30-28-8 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 186 goals and given up 209 goals for a point differential of -23. For the season they have an ATS record of 30-36-0 and an over/under record of 37-27-0. Chicago is 27-30-9 this season. They are 7th in the Central Division. They have scored 219 goals and surrendered 249 for a goal differential of -30. Their record against the spread is 27-39-0 while their over/under record is 44-18-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 30-36-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 37-27-0 against the over/under this season

Important Chicago Blackhawks Betting Trends

The Chicago Blackhawks are 27-39-0 straight up this year

The Chicago Blackhawks are 44-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

03/05/19 C Vladimir Sobotka Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Chicago
03/04/19 D Jake McCabe Upper Body is out 4-6 weeks

Key Chicago Blackhawks Injuries

03/05/19 LW Drake Caggiula Concussion is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo
02/07/19 C David Kampf Foot is out 3-4 weeks

Player Spotlight

Sam Reinhart has accumulated 58 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this year with 146 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 40 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 36 goals on 220 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 58 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 16 wins and 18 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 1,178 shots against him and he's given up 105 goals. He's made 1,073 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Patrick Kane has scored 94 total points this year for the Blackhawks. He has 40 goals this season with 277 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 54 assists on the season and averages 22.5 minutes played per game. Jonathan Toews averages 21 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 29 goals on 180 shots. He has 38 assists, giving him a total of 67 points on the season. Corey Crawford has 7 wins and 15 losses this year in goal for the Blackhawks. He has 779 shots against him and he's surrendered 80 goals. He's made 699 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 68 total points this season, which ranks them 22nd in the NHL. They are 21st in the league in goals scored with 186 while they've given up 209 goals, ranking them 10th overall. They have had 197 power play opportunities and have scored 38 goals on those chances for a percentage of 19%. That is 17th in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 169 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 5th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.60% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 13th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Blackhawks are 25th in the NHL with a total of 63 points this year. They have 44 power play goals on 201 opportunities for a percentage of 22%. That ranks them 10th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 191 power play opportunities and have given up 52 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 73%. That is 31st in the NHL. As a team, the Blackhawks are 9th in the league with 219 goals scored while they've given up 249 goals, which is 2nd overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.34%. As a team they give up 35 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 30th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 14th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.9%, as they've attempted 3,756 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,766 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50% as they have 2,934 attempts while they have given up 2,935 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 17th in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 51% of the time, which is 16th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49% for the season. That is 16th overall in the NHL. They have 1,915 face-off wins compared to 2,030 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.5%. That ranks them 24th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 1,222 hits and they have blocked 831 shots from the opposition, putting them 31st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Blackhawks are 11th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 48% for the season, which is 22nd in the NHL. They have 1,909 face-off wins compared to 1,942 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.6%. That is 20th in the league. On defense Chicago has 1,061 hits and they have blocked 854 shots from the opposition, which is 28th in the league. Chicago is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2% as they've attempted 3,790 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,906 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 47.8% ranks 25th as they have 2,791 attempts while they have given up 3,052 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago -130

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