Buffalo Sabres vs San Jose Sharks NHL Picks 10/19/2019

Saturday, October 19, 2019

SAP Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

SAP Center is the venue where Martin Jones and the San Jose Sharks (3-4-0, 7th in the Pacific Division) will play the Buffalo Sabres (6-1-1, 1st in the Atlantic Division) on Saturday. The Sabres open this game at +149 while the Sharks are priced at -165. The O/U opens at 6.5. The Sabres cover 71.4% of the time, having gone 5-2 SU. San Jose covers 42.9% of the time, going 3-4 straight up.

The Buffalo Sabres were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 3 - 0 win against the Los Angeles Kings in their previous game. The Sabres offense showed they have some room for improvement in the victory. In this matchup, they earned a goal on 3 out of the 24 shots they tried. Moreover, they had 3 power play opportunities and scored 1 goal out of those chances. Buffalo racked up 6 penalty mins in this game. The Corsi for the Sabres sat at 34 and the Corsi against was 70 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 32.7%. Their Fenwick was 23 and the Fenwick against was 49, which means they earned a Fenwick percentage of 31.9%. They took 17 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 28 attempts to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 36.1% and they had a PDO of 112.5 for this game. Concerning opponent stats, the Los Angeles Kings tallied a total of 47 shots. They had a total of 6 penalty mins and they tallied 3 power play attempts.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres have 13 total points this season, which ranks them 1st in the NHL. They are 3rd in the league in goals scored with 29 while they've given up 18 goals, ranking them 21st overall. They have had 31 power play opportunities and have scored 11 goals on those chances for a percentage of 35%. That is 3rd in the NHL. The Sabres have allowed 24 power play opportunities and have given up 5 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 18th in the league when short-handed. They average 31 shots per game and as a team shoot 11.84% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 93%. That puts them 4th in the league in stopping the puck.

The San Jose Sharks faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes in a game where the Sharks earned a win by a final score of 5 - 2. For this game, San Jose wound up with a 33.8% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 24 while the opposition had a Corsi of 47. Their Fenwick percentage was 32.0% with a Fenwick of 16 and the Hurricanes having earned a 34 Fenwick at even strength. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that San Jose played and it was an excellent showing for this outing. Their PDO was 113.7 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 58.3%. The Sharks notched 5 goals out of the 22 shots on goal they took. They had 4 power play attempts in this outing and scored 2 out of those opportunities. Regarding the opposition, the Hurricanes had 4 power play opportunities but were not able to use the chance to their advantage. San Jose conceded 38 shots on goal and the Hurricanes ended up with a total of 8 penalty mins.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sharks are 23rd in the NHL with a total of 6 points this year. They have 5 power play goals on 26 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 20th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 24 power play opportunities and have given up 2 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 92%. That is 4th in the NHL. As a team, the Sharks are 22nd in the league with 18 goals scored while they've given up 24 goals, which is 10th overall. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.82%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 20th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Buffalo is 22nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.1%, as they've attempted 304 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 328 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.5% as they have 223 attempts while they have given up 237 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 21st in the league. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 46.8% of the time, which is 20th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 53.2% for the season. That is 11th overall in the NHL. They have 155 face-off wins compared to 177 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 46.7%. That ranks them 26th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 113 hits and they have blocked 91 shots from the opposition, putting them 3rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sharks are 1st in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 62% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 38% for the season, which is 31st in the NHL. They have 147 face-off wins compared to 147 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That is 17th in the league. On defense San Jose has 125 hits and they have blocked 58 shots from the opposition, which is 27th in the league. San Jose is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.9% as they've attempted 241 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 252 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 47.1% ranks 22nd as they have 173 attempts while they have given up 194 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink