Buffalo Sabres vs Arizona Coyotes Predictions, NHL Picks 2/29/2020

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Arizona Coyotes

Date: Saturday, February 29, 2020

Location: Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ

TV: FAZ+/MSGB

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+153) Coyotes (-170)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Darcy Kuemper and the Arizona Coyotes (31-27-8, 5th in the Pacific Division) host the Buffalo Sabres (29-26-8, 6th in the Atlantic Division) at Gila River Arena on Saturday, February 29, 2020. The Sabres open this contest at +153 while the Coyotes are priced at -170. The over/under opens at 5.5. The Sabres are covering 45.2% of the time, having gone 28-34 SU. Arizona covers 42.6% of the time, going 26-35 straight up.

The Buffalo Sabres come into the game with a record of 29 wins and 26 defeats, which puts them at 6th in the Atlantic Division. So far this year, they have converted a total of 183 goals which is 11th in the Eastern Conference and 21st in the NHL. Their goal differential is -11, which puts them at 23rd in the NHL. The Sabres currently have a total of 66 pts, which is 24th in the NHL and 13th in the conference. When looking at shots at the opposing goalie, they currently have a total of 1,839 which is 15th in the Eastern Conference and 30th in the NHL. As a group, Buffalo currently has a total of 1,113 hits which means they are averaging 17.7 per game. They currently have a total of 610 blocks for this season. Protecting the goal for Buffalo is Carter Hutton from Savonlinna, Finland. He is 34 years old and has totaled 1,601 mins in net this year. Hutton is conceding an average of 3.18 GAA which has him ranked 27th among East goalies and 56th in the NHL among goaltenders. For the season, he has given up 85 goals. He's earned a save % of .898 which has him ranked 29th among East goalies.

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The Buffalo Sabres were on the losing side of the ice with a 3 - 2 loss against the Colorado Avalanche in their previous game. The Sabres had an offensive game that was below their expectations in this defeat. In this matchup, they netted 2 of the 33 shots they looked to score on. They also had 2 power play opportunities but weren't able to net one. Buffalo racked up 6 penalty mins for this outing. The Corsi for the Sabres sat at 48 and the Corsi against was 65 which means they had a Corsi percentage of 42.5%. Their Fenwick was 36 and the Fenwick against sat at 42, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 46.2%. They won 20 face-off wins and lost 25 tries to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 46.9% and they had a PDO of 103.6 for this matchup. In discussing stats from the opponent, the Colorado Avalanche racked up 34 shots. They had a total of 4 minutes in the box and they tallied 3 power play attempts.

The Coyotes will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the current year they sit with 31 wins and 27 losses. Regarding goal differential, they are ranked 6th in the Western Conference and 15th in the NHL with +5. They have compiled a total of 177 goals for the year which has them sitting at 11th in the conference. Arizona has a save % as a team of .920 which has them 2nd in the NHL, which means chances to score may be limited. They have a team shooting percentage of 8.5% putting them at 14th in the West. In goal for Arizona is Darcy Kuemper who is having an average campaign by allowing 2.17 GAA and that has him ranked 1st among Western Conference goalies and 1st in the NHL among goaltenders. In the 1,576 mins he's been on the ice this year, he's given up 57 goals. He holds a save percentage of .929, which places him at 2nd among Western Conference goalies and 4th in the NHL among goaltenders.

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The Arizona Coyotes squared up with the Florida Panthers in an outing where the Coyotes ended up losing by a mark of 2 - 1. For this outing, Arizona wound up with a 53.9% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 62 and the other team having a Corsi of 53. They had a Fenwick percentage of 56.2% by notching a Fenwick of 50 and the Panthers ending the game with a 39 Fenwick. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Arizona played and it tells us that they didn't have their best game. Their PDO at even strength was 95.7 and they earned an oZS percentage of 55.0%. The Coyotes scored 1 goal out of the 38 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 1 power play attempt in this outing but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal. As for the opposition, the Panthers had 2 power play attempts and used that advantage to score 1 goal. Arizona gave way to 26 shots on goal and the Panthers ended up with 4 penalty mins.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo (+153)

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