Buffalo Sabres at Vancouver Canucks NHL Picks & Predictions 1/18/2019

Friday, January 18, 2019

Rogers Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Buffalo Sabres travel to Rogers Arena to play the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, January 18, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +100 and the Canucks at -120.

Buffalo has a record of 24-17-6 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 137 goals and given up 140 goals for a point differential of -3. For the season they have an ATS record of 23-23-0 and an over/under record of 24-21-0. Vancouver is 21-21-6 this season. They are 5th in the Pacific Division. They have scored 138 goals and surrendered 151 for a goal differential of -13. Their record against the spread is 21-26-0 while their over/under record is 21-22-0.

Valuable Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 23-23-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 24-21-0 against the over/under this season

Important Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends

The Vancouver Canucks are 21-26-0 straight up this year

The Vancouver Canucks are 21-22-0 against the over/under this season

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/07/18 D Casey Nelson Upper Body is out indefinitely

Key Vancouver Canucks Injuries

01/16/19 C Elias Pettersson Knee is questionable Friday vs Buffalo

Player Spotlight

Sam Reinhart has accumulated 43 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 10 goals this year with 97 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 10%. He has a total of 33 assists on the season and averages 18.5 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 20% by scoring 30 goals on 150 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 44 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 14 wins and 14 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has 932 shots against him and he's given up 82 goals. He's made 850 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Brock Boeser has scored 29 total points this year for the Canucks. He has 15 goals this season with 109 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 14 assists on the season and averages 19.1 minutes played per game. Bo Horvat averages 20.9 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 17 goals on 138 shots. He has 20 assists, giving him a total of 37 points on the season. Jacob Markstrom has 18 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Canucks. He has 1,079 shots against him and he's surrendered 99 goals. He's made 980 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 54 total points this season, which ranks them 14th in the NHL. They are 17th in the league in goals scored with 137 while they've given up 140 goals, ranking them 14th overall. They have had 145 power play opportunities and have scored 25 goals on those chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 22nd in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 134 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%, putting them 9th in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.05% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 9th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canucks are 20th in the NHL with a total of 48 points this year. They have 27 power play goals on 156 opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That ranks them 21st in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 157 power play opportunities and have given up 34 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That is 23rd in the NHL. As a team, the Canucks are 16th in the league with 138 goals scored while they've given up 151 goals, which is 9th overall. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.93%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 21st in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.3%, as they've attempted 2,637 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,708 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.4% as they have 2,063 attempts while they have given up 2,116 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 20th in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 50.4% of the time, which is 17th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.6% for the season. That is 15th overall in the NHL. They have 1,391 face-off wins compared to 1,483 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.4%. That ranks them 22nd in the league. On defense Buffalo has 857 hits and they have blocked 592 shots from the opposition, putting them 31st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canucks are 23rd in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 48.8% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 51.2% for the season, which is 11th in the NHL. They have 1,394 face-off wins compared to 1,484 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.4%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense Vancouver has 1,064 hits and they have blocked 719 shots from the opposition, which is 5th in the league. Vancouver is 25th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.8% as they've attempted 2,533 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,768 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.3% ranks 23rd as they have 1,914 attempts while they have given up 2,049 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Vancouver -120

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