Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils Prediction, 2/20/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021

Location: Prudential Center in Newark, NJ

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+110) Devils (-121)

MacKenzie Blackwood and the New Jersey Devils (6-3-2) host the Buffalo Sabres (4-7-2) at Prudential Center on Saturday. The Devils open this matchup at -121 while the Sabres are coming in at +110. The O/U is set at 5.5.

The Sabres were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 3-1 defeat against the Capitals in their previous contest. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 45.8% and they had a PDO of 94.1 for this matchup. They had 16 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 18 attempts to control the puck. Their Fenwick came in at 34 and the Fenwick against finished at 32, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 51.5%. The Corsi for the Sabres came in at 40 and the Corsi against was 46 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 46.5%. Buffalo accrued 4 minutes in the box for this matchup. They also had 2 chances with extra men on the ice and were able to score 1 goal. The Sabres had a below average offensive performance in the loss. For the game, they were able to notch a goal on 1 of the 23 shots they put on net.

Buffalo Sabres opponents have totaled 28 power play tries (31st in pro hockey) and have a total of 6 goals in those attempts. The Sabres have had 378 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .894. Buffalo has tried 386 shots and has a shooting percentage of 7.8%. While playing at even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 34 goals while getting 16 themselves. Buffalo is sitting with 45 power play opportunities and they have notched 14 goals out of those tries, giving them a percentage of 31.11%. For the current campaign, they have 10 points and their points percentage is .385. In reference to their scoring capabilities, the Buffalo Sabres have earned 30 goals (31st in pro hockey) on the year and have allowed 40.

The man protecting the net in this game is Linus Ullmark. Opponents have tallied 282 goals versus Ullmark in his career and his goals against rate is 2.80. Ullmark has taken the ice for 105 contests throughout his NHL career. His save percentage currently sits at .911 for his 6,051 minutes between the pipes. He has an overall mark of 44-44-12 and he has started in 100 games. In his career, Ullmark has compiled 56 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .560. Ullmark has seen 3,173 shot attempts taken against him and has recorded 2,891 saves.

In their last game, New Jersey faced off against the Bruins in an outing where the Devils took home the win by a tally of 3-2. New Jersey wound up with a 49.4% Corsi rating. This Corsi percentage speaks to the kind of game that New Jersey played and you might say they have had worse games. Their Fenwick rate was 49.1% by way of having a Fenwick of 28 and the Bruins finishing with a 29 Fenwick at even strength. They had a PDO at even strength of 109 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 53.4%. The Devils netted 3 goals out of the 26 shots on goal they pursued. They had 4 chances on the power play in this outing but weren't able to finish one of them with a goal.

The Devils have earned 27 goals at even strength and 4 goals (28th in hockey) while on the power play. New Jersey has put up 330 shots (31st in the league) and has a shooting percentage of 9.39%, while allowing their opponents 356 shots. So far this season, the New Jersey Devils have tallied 31 goals, 14 points, and a points percentage of .636. They have recorded 32 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 12.50%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 64.86% on the other teams 37 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is currently 92.1%. They have granted a total of 28 goals to be scored by way of 15 goals at even strength and 13 goals while they had less men on the ice.

On the other side of the ice you will find Mackenzie Blackwood defending the net. His opponents are averaging 2.66 goals/game and he has given up 189 goals in total. Blackwood's percentage of quality starts comes out to 59.4% and he has accumulated 41 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. He has started in 69 games and his ice time sits at 4,258 minutes. Blackwood has accrued a lifetime mark of 36-24-9 and has been in goal for 75 games. He has compiled 2,113 stops out of 2,302 shots attempted against him, giving him a save percentage of .918.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo (+110)

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