Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres NHL Point Spread Picks 2/23/2019

Saturday, February 23, 2019

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Washington Capitals travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, February 23, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Capitals at -139 and the Sabres at +107.

Washington has a record of 34-20-7 this season. They are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. They have scored 202 goals and given up 192 goals for a point differential of +10. For the season they have an ATS record of 33-27-0 and an over/under record of 31-26-0. Buffalo has a record of 28-24-8 this year. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 167 goals and surrendered 185 for a goal differential of -18. Their record against the spread is 28-31-0 while their over/under record is 31-26-0.

Valuable Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 33-27-0 straight up this year

The Washington Capitals are 31-26-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 28-31-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 31-26-0 against the over/under this season

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

02/21/19 RW Kyle Okposo Concussion is questionable Saturday vs Washington
02/21/19 D Marco Scandella Undisclosed is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Braden Holtby has 21 wins and 15 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has 1,342 shots against him and he's given up 123 goals. He's made 1,219 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 70 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 43 goals this year with 238 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 27 assists on the season and averages 20.9 minutes played per game. Nicklas Backstrom averages 20.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 13 goals on 131 shots. He has 43 assists, giving him a total of 56 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Jeff Skinner has scored 54 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 36 goals this season with 196 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 18 assists on the season and averages 18.7 minutes played per game. Linus Ullmark has 13 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 860 shots against him and he's surrendered 78 goals. He's made 782 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Sam Reinhart averages 18.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 14 goals on 131 shots. He has 38 assists, giving him a total of 52 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have allowed 206 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79% this year. That is 22nd in the NHL. They average 30 shots per game and as a team shoot 11.11% for the season. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 14th in the league. The Capitals have 75 total points this season, ranking 9th in the NHL in offense. They are 7th in the league with 202 goals while they've given up 192 goals, which is 9th overall. They have had 179 power play opportunities and scored 39 goals on those chances for a percentage of 22%. That is 10th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Sabres are 24th with 167 goals scored while they are 14th in the NHL with 185 goals allowed this year. They average 32 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.57%. They give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 12th place in the league. The Sabres have a total of 64 points this year, which is 17th in the NHL. They have 32 power play goals on 180 opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That ranks their power play unit 19th. They've allowed 160 power play opportunities and have given up 28 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, which is 6th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Washington is 25th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48%, as they've attempted 3,476 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,773 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.4% as they have 2,617 attempts while they have given up 2,794 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 22nd in the league. The Capitals start possessions in the offensive zone 49.8% of the time, which is 19th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 50.2% for the season. That is 13th overall in the NHL. They have 1,619 face-off wins compared to 1,930 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 45.6%. That ranks them 31st in the league. On defense Washington has 1,407 hits and they have blocked 979 shots from the opposition, putting them 2nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 17th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.9% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.1% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 1,775 face-off wins compared to 1,829 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.3%. That is 21st in the league. On defense Buffalo has 1,093 hits and they have blocked 742 shots from the opposition, which is 31st in the league. Buffalo is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.9% as they've attempted 3,390 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,402 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.9% ranks 17th as they have 2,654 attempts while they have given up 2,660 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo +107

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