Florida Panthers at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 1/3/2019

Thursday, January 3, 2019

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Florida Panthers travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, January 3, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Panthers at +105 and the Sabres at -130.

Florida has a record of 17-15-6 this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 124 goals and given up 134 goals for a point differential of -10. For the season they have an ATS record of 17-21-0 and an over/under record of 21-14-0. Buffalo is 21-13-6 this season. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 115 goals and surrendered 115 for a goal differential of 0. Their record against the spread is 21-19-0 while their over/under record is 19-20-0.

Valuable Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 17-21-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 21-14-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 21-19-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 19-20-0 against the over/under this season

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

12/13/18 C Vincent Trocheck Ankle is out indefinitely
10/23/18 C Derek MacKenzie Shoulder is out indefinitely
01/01/19 C Nick Bjugstad Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo

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
01/01/19 C Jack Eichel Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Florida

Player Spotlight

Aleksander Barkov has accumulated 39 total points this season for the Panthers. He has 15 goals this year with 100 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 24 assists on the season and averages 23.2 minutes played per game. Evgeni Dadonov averages 19 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 17 goals on 113 shots. He has 18 assists, giving him a total of 35 points on the season. Roberto Luongo has 8 wins and 7 losses this season in net for the Panthers. He has 517 shots against him and he's given up 53 goals. He's made 464 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Jack Eichel has scored 49 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 15 goals this season with 164 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 9%. He has a total of 34 assists on the season and averages 19.8 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 21% by scoring 26 goals on 122 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 39 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 13 wins and 12 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 869 shots against him and he's surrendered 72 goals. He's made 797 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Panthers have 40 total points this season, which ranks them 20th in the NHL. They are 13th in the league in goals scored with 124 while they've given up 134 goals, ranking them 5th overall. They have had 140 power play opportunities and have scored 39 goals on those chances for a percentage of 28%. That is 3rd in the NHL. The Panthers have allowed 115 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 19th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.56% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%. That puts them 30th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 11th in the NHL with a total of 48 points this year. They have 24 power play goals on 125 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 19th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 117 power play opportunities and have given up 19 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. That is 5th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 18th in the league with 115 goals scored while they've given up 115 goals, which is 18th overall. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.96%. 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

Florida is 9th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 2,271 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,119 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.2% as they have 1,744 attempts while they have given up 1,600 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 7th in the league. The Panthers start possessions in the offensive zone 51.5% of the time, which is 12th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.5% for the season. That is 20th overall in the NHL. They have 1,185 face-off wins compared to 1,236 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.9%. That ranks them 20th in the league. On defense Florida has 801 hits and they have blocked 519 shots from the opposition, putting them 26th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 20th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 49.1% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 50.9% for the season, which is 12th in the NHL. They have 1,164 face-off wins compared to 1,262 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48%. That is 25th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 716 hits and they have blocked 514 shots from the opposition, which is 28th in the league. Buffalo is 21st in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.8% as they've attempted 2,224 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,335 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 48.8% ranks 21st as they have 1,737 attempts while they have given up 1,821 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo -130

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