Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 2/18/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Washington Capitals

Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, DC

TV: NBC Sports Washington

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+155) Capitals (-188)

Carter Hutton and the Buffalo Sabres (4-6-2) travel to Capital One Arena on Thursday where they'll meet the Washington Capitals (7-4-3). The Sabres open this contest at +155 while the Capitals are coming in at -188. The over/under is set at 6.5.

The Sabres had a rough game after their 3-0 defeat against the Islanders in their previous contest. The Sabres had an offensive game that was below their expectations in the loss. In the game, they went home without being able to finish on any of the 20 shots they put on goal. Additionally, they had 2 chances on the power play but weren't able to score. Buffalo had 4 penalty mins for this game. The Corsi for the Sabres was 49 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 40 which means they had a Corsi percentage of 55.1%. Their Fenwick came in at 31 and the Fenwick against was 29, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 51.7%. They amassed 16 face-off wins when at even strength and lost on 20 opportunities to take control of the puck. When starting in the offensive zone they were at 57.9% and they had a PDO at even strength of 85.0 in this one.

In reference to their scoring, the Buffalo Sabres have accounted for 29 goals (30th in pro hockey) so far this season and have allowed 37. For the season, they have recorded 10 points and their points % is .417. Buffalo has accumulated 43 power play chances and they have scored 13 goals out of those tries, garnering them a percentage of 30.23%. When playing at even strength, the Sabres have conceded 32 goals while notching 16 as an offensive unit. Buffalo has taken 363 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 8.0%. The Sabres have had 357 shots attempted against them and have earned a save percentage of .896. Buffalo Sabres opponents have tallied 27 power play opportunities (31st in pro hockey) and have come away with 5 goals in those attempts.

Protecting the goal for this matchup will be Carter Hutton. Hutton has played in 224 games during his hockey career. He has accumulated a mark of 94-82-26 and got the start in 197 games. Opponents have scored 539 goals against Hutton in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 2.67. Hutton has had 6,008 shots taken against him and has accrued 5,469 saves. His save percentage currently is at .910 for his 12,091 mins played. Throughout his time in hockey, Hutton has earned 100 quality starts and his quality starts rate sits at .508.

In their last outing, Washington faced the Penguins in an outing where the Capitals took home the victory by a final of 3-1. Their PDO was 107 and their percentage of oZS was 61.5%. They had 5 opportunities on the power play in this outing but were not able to net one. Their Fenwick rate was 53.6% by earning a Fenwick of 30 and the Penguins finishing with a 26 Fenwick. The Capitals earned 3 goals of the 42 shots on goal they were seeking. Washington went home with a 50.0% Corsi rate. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Washington had and you can say they had a mediocre outing.

This season, the Washington Capitals have earned a total of 49 goals, 17 points, in addition to a points percentage of .607. They have permitted 50 goals to be scored by way of 41 goals at even strength and 9 goals while they were shorthanded. The Capitals have earned 38 goals at even strength and 11 goals (15th in pro hockey) while on the power play. They have a tally of 36 opportunities on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 30.56%. Washington has attempted 413 shots (21st in hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 11.86%, while allowing their opponents 448 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 81.25% on the other teams 48 power play tries, and their save percentage is currently 88.8%.

Across the rink you will find Vitek Vanecek defending the net. Vanecek has earned a lifetime mark of 6-3-2 and has participated in 12 games. Vanecek's rate of quality starts sits at 41.7% and he has made 5 quality starts in his pro career. He has recorded 346 stops out of 382 shots attempted, which gives him a percentage of .906. His opposition is averaging 3.06 goals per game and he has relinquished 36 goals altogether. He got the starting nod in 12 games and has played for a total of 705 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Washington (-188)

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