Blue Jackets vs Sabres Predictions, Picks, Betting Tips 2/13/2020

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2020

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: No TV

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (-127) Sabres (+115)

Total/Over-Under: 6

Carter Hutton and the Buffalo Sabres (25-24-8, 6th in the Atlantic Division) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (30-17-10, 4th in the Metropolitan Division) at KeyBank Center on Thursday, February 13, 2020. The Blue Jackets open this game at -127 while the Sabres are coming in at +115. The total is set at 6. The Blue Jackets are covering 52.6% of the time, having gone 30-27 SU. Buffalo is covering 42.9% of the time, going 24-32 straight up.

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this matchup with a record of 30 wins and 17 losses, putting them at 4th in the Metropolitan Division. So far this year, they have racked up a total of 148 goals which has them at 14th in the conference and 26th in the league. Their goal differential is +11, putting them at 11th in the league. The Blue Jackets have compiled a total of 70 points, which has them at 8th in the league and 6th in the conference. With regard to shots at the opposition, they have compiled a total of 1,824 which has them at 6th in the East and 10th in the league. As a team, Columbus has racked up a total of 1,110 hits which means they have an average of 19.5 per game. They have compiled a total of 766 blocks for the year. Protecting the net for Columbus is Elvis Merzlikins from Riga, Latvia. He is 25 years old and has racked up 1,428 mins protecting the net this year. Merzlikins is giving up an average of 2.19 GAA which has him ranked 3rd among Eastern Conference goaltenders and 4th among goaltenders in the NHL. Over the course of this season, he's given up 52 goals. He holds a save percentage of .930 which has him ranked 2nd among Eastern Conference goaltenders.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets had a rough game after their 2 - 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game. The Blue Jackets offense left a lot to be desired in the defeat. In this game, they converted 1 out of the 32 shots they put on goal. They also had 3 power play attempts but weren't able to net one. Columbus ended up with 10 penalty minutes for this game. The Corsi for the Blue Jackets was 46 and the Corsi against was 45 which means they earned a Corsi percentage of 50.5%. Their Fenwick was 37 while the Fenwick against was 35, which means they had a Fenwick percentage of 51.4%. They won 24 face-off wins at even strength and lost 19 tries to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts came in at 43.1% and they had a PDO at even strength of 95.9 for this game. Concerning opponent stats, the Tampa Bay Lightning racked up 30 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 10 minutes in the box and they tallied 3 power play attempts.

The Sabres will be the team on the other side of the ice and for the season they sit with 25 victories and 24 losses. In connection with goal differential, they are currently sitting 13th in the East and 24th in the league with -15. They have earned a total of 161 goals for this year which has them at 12th in the conference. Buffalo has a team save percentage of .900 which is good for 21st in the league, which means there should be some chances to score. They have a team shooting percentage of 9.7% putting them at 10th in the conference. In net for Buffalo is Carter Hutton who is having a bad year by giving up 3.18 goals per contest and that has him ranked 26th in the East and 55th in the NHL among goalies. In the 1,302 minutes he has played this year, he has surrendered 69 goals. He's earned a save % of .896, which has him ranking 28th in the East and 56th in the NHL among goalies.

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The Buffalo Sabres faced the Detroit Red Wings in a game where the Sabres got the victory by a score of 3 - 2. For this game, Buffalo had a 48.8% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 41 while the opposition had a Corsi of 43. Their Fenwick percentage was 46.0% by earning a Fenwick of 29 and the Red Wings having earned a 34 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Buffalo had and you could say that they didn't play great, but weren't awful either. They had a PDO of 112.7 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 50.4%. The Sabres converted 3 goals of the 25 shots on goal they tried. They had 3 power play opportunities in this one but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. Concerning their opponent, the Red Wings had 3 power play chances but weren't able to take advantage of it. Buffalo conceded 29 shots on goal and the Red Wings earned a total of 6 minutes in the box.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo (+115)

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