Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins Prediction, 1/1/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins

Date: Saturday, January 1, 2022

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: NESN

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+251) Bruins (-308)

TD Garden is the location where the Boston Bruins (14-10-2) will try to beat the Buffalo Sabres (10-17-5) on Saturday. The odds on this game have Buffalo at +251 and Boston opens at -308. The over/under has been set at 6.

The Buffalo Sabres will need a bounce back game after taking a 4-1 defeat against the Islanders in their previous outing. Buffalo earned 4 penalty mins in this contest. The Sabres didn't have their best offensive outing in this loss. Moreover, they had 2 chances with the advantage and were able to score 1 goal. In the matchup, they tallied a score on 1 out of the 37 shots they put on goal.

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Concerning their scoring capabilities, the Buffalo Sabres have earned 84 goals (22nd in pro hockey) over the course of the season and have allowed 111. For the year, they have tallied 25 points and their points percentage is .391. Buffalo skates onto the rink with 79 power play chances and they have notched 15 goals during those advantages, giving them a percentage of 18.99%. While playing at even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 94 goals while earning 69 on offense. Buffalo has tried 944 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 8.9%. The Sabres have had 1,097 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .899. Buffalo Sabres opponents have 79 power play tries (28th in the league) and have a total of 17 goals in those chances.

The player between the pipes for this game is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Opponents have notched 28 goals against Luukkonen in his NHL career and his goals against average is 2.89. Luukkonen has participated in 10 games throughout his pro hockey career. His save percentage is at .921 for his 582 mins played. He has a record of 3-6-1 and he was named the starter in 10 games. For his career, Luukkonen has tallied 6 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .600. Luukkonen has seen 355 shot attempts taken against him and has amassed 327 saves.

In their last game, Boston went up against the Islanders in a game where the Bruins took the loss by a final score of 3-1. The Bruins tallied 1 goal out of the 41 shots on goal they took. They had 3 power play opportunities in this outing but weren't able to notch a goal.

The Bruins have accumulated 52 goals at even strength and 18 goals (14th in hockey) while on the power play. Boston has put up 929 shots (22nd in the league) and has a shot percentage of 7.53%, while allowing the other team 775 shots. For the season, the Boston Bruins have earned 70 goals, 30 points, and a points percentage of .577. They have recorded 76 power play chances and they have earned a power play rate of 23.68%. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 81.01% on their opponents 79 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 91.2%. They have granted a total of 68 goals to be scored by of a combination of 53 goals at even strength and 15 goals while they were shorthanded.

For the opposition you are likely to see Jeremy Swayman in net. His opposition is averaging 1.96 goals per contest and he has surrendered 47 goals altogether. Swayman's quality start percentage sits at 75.0% and he has accumulated 18 quality starting assignments in his professional career. He got the starting nod in 24 games and has racked up 1,440 minutes. Swayman has accrued a lifetime mark of 14-8-2 and has participated in 24 games. He has accrued 610 saves out of 657 shots attempted, which gives him a save percentage of .928.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Boston (-308)

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