Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders Prediction, 3/4/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs New York Islanders

Date: Thursday, March 4, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+150) Islanders (-182)

Barclays Center is the venue where Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders (12-6-4) will play the Buffalo Sabres (6-11-3) on Thursday. The Sabres open this game at +150 while the Islanders are coming in at -182. The total has been set at 5.5.

The Sabres will look to clean up some issues after taking a 3-2 defeat against the Rangers the last time they stepped on the ice. The Sabres didn't have a great showing offensively in the loss. In the game, they finished 2 out of the 24 shots they looked to score on. Moreover, they had 1 chance on the power play but weren't able to score. Buffalo recorded 7 penalty minutes for this game. The Corsi for the Sabres was 57 and the Corsi against when the final whistle blew was 33 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 63.3%. Their Fenwick was 41 and the Fenwick Against sat at 25, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 62.1%. They had 22 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 16 attempts to control the puck. When starting in the offensive zone they were at 58.3% and they had a PDO at even strength of 91.9 for this one.

Buffalo Sabres opponents have amassed 46 power play opportunities (31st in hockey) and have notched 9 goals in those chances. The Sabres have had 606 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .903. Buffalo has tried 595 shots and has a shooting percentage of 7.4%. When playing at even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 50 goals while notching 25 of their own. Buffalo has tallied 62 power play opportunities and they have scored 19 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 30.65%. For the year, they have earned 15 points and their points percentage is sitting at .375. Concerning their scoring capabilities, the Buffalo Sabres have accumulated 44 goals (31st in the National Hockey League) this year and have given up 59.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Carter Hutton. Opponents have notched 549 goals against Hutton in his pro hockey career and his goals against average is 2.69. Hutton has taken the ice for 227 games over the course of his NHL career. He has a save percentage of .910 in his 12,251 minutes in the crease. He has amassed an overall record of 94-84-27 and he started in 199 games. In his career, Hutton has 101 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .508. Hutton has had 6,091 shots against him and he has 5,542 saves.

When they were on the ice last, New York played the Devils in a matchup where the Islanders took home the victory by a score of 2-1. Their PDO at even strength was 107 and they earned an oZS percentage of 41.0%. They had 1 chance on the power play in this one but weren't able to score a goal. Their Fenwick rate came in at 50.0% by tallying a Fenwick of 32 and the Devils ending the game with a 32 Fenwick. The Islanders scored 2 goals out of the 20 shots on goal they tried. New York went home with a 47.0% Corsi rate. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that New York had and it could be said that this team has had better games.

The Islanders have earned 43 goals at even strength and 15 goals (14th in hockey) while on the power play. New York has taken 648 shots (15th in professional hockey) and has a shot percentage of 8.95%, while allowing the other team 618 shots. So far this season, the New York Islanders have 58 goals, 28 points, and a points percentage of .636. They have a tally of 61 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play rate of 24.59%. They have a penalty kill rate of 82.76% on their oppositions 58 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is 92.1%. They have permitted 49 goals to be scored by of a combination of 39 goals at even strength and 10 goals while they were shorthanded.

For the opposition you are likely to see Semyon Varlamov protecting the net. He is sitting with 14,039 saves out of the 15,330 shots tried, giving him a save percentage of .916. Varlamov has amassed a career record of 242-187-59 and has participated in 510 games. He has been a starter 487 games and has played for a total of 29,216 minutes. Varlamov's quality start percentage comes in at 55.9% and he has 272 quality starting assignments in his professional career. Opponents are averaging 2.65 goals/game and he has given up 1,291 goals overall.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo (+150)

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