New Jersey Devils vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 2/25/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New Jersey Devils vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG+

Odds/Point Spread: Devils (-105) Sabres (-115)

KeyBank Center is the site where Linus Ullmark and the Buffalo Sabres (6-8-2) will take on the New Jersey Devils (6-6-2) on Thursday. The line on this game has the Devils coming in at -105 and the Sabres are at -115. The O/U has been set at 5.5.

The Devils will look to clean up some issues after taking a 4-1 defeat against the Sabres their last time out. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 65.7% and their PDO was 93.5 for this game. They accounted for 26 face-off wins when at even strength and were beaten on 23 opportunities to gain puck control. Their Fenwick was 47 and the Fenwick against finished at 41, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 53.4%. The Corsi for the Devils was 60 and the Corsi against was 50 which means they had a Corsi rate of 54.5%. New Jersey accrued 4 minutes in the box for this game. They also had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice but weren't able to score. The Devils left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in the defeat. For the outing, they converted 1 out of the 42 shots they attempted.

New Jersey Devils opponents have recorded 44 power play opportunities (30th in the league) and have scored 18 goals in those chances. The Devils have had 463 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .916. New Jersey has tried 425 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 8.7%. When at even strength, the Devils have conceded 21 goals while notching 31 of their own. New Jersey steps onto the ice with 40 power play chances and they have scored 6 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 15.00%. For the current campaign, they have tallied 14 points and their points percentage comes in at .500. Pertaining to their goal scoring prowess, the New Jersey Devils have accumulated 37 goals (30th in hockey) this year and have allowed 39.

The man in goal for this game is Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood has taken the ice for 77 games during his NHL career. He has amassed an overall record of 36-26-9 and he started in 71 games. Opponents have been able to score 195 goals against Blackwood in his pro hockey career and his goals against average per contest is 2.67. Blackwood has seen 2,367 shots taken against him and has gathered 2,172 saves. His save percentage is .918 in his 4,374 mins guarding the cage. In his professional hockey career, Blackwood has earned 42 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .592.

In their win over New Jersey, the Sabres PDO at even strength was 107 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 34.3%. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this contest and scored 1 out of those chances. They had a Fenwick percentage of 46.6% by compiling a Fenwick of 41 and the Devils finishing with a 47 Fenwick at even strength. The Sabres scored 4 goals of the 37 shots on goal they pursued. Buffalo had a 45.5% Corsi rating. This Corsi rating is telling of the kind of game that Buffalo had and it was a good performance overall.

So far this season, the Buffalo Sabres have earned a total of 39 goals, 14 points, and a points percentage of .438. They have permitted 46 goals to be scored by of a combination of 38 goals at even strength and 8 goals while they were shorthanded. The Sabres are sitting with 22 goals at even strength and 17 goals (4th in hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have a total of 51 power play chances and they have earned a power play percentage of 33.33%. Buffalo has put up 488 shots (23rd in the league) and has earned a shooting percentage of 7.99%, while allowing the other team 470 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill percentage of 77.14% on their oppositions 35 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 90.2%.

Across the ice you are likely to see Linus Ullmark in net. Ullmark has accrued a lifetime mark of 46-45-12 and has been in goal for 108 contests. Ullmark's quality start percentage comes out to 55.3% and he has qualified for 57 quality starts in his NHL career. He has racked up 2,977 stops out of the 3,265 shots attempted against him, giving him a rate of .912. The opposition is averaging 2.77 goals/game and he has yielded 288 goals in total. He got the starting nod in 103 games and has been on the ice for 6,229 mins.

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

Tony's Pick: Take New Jersey (-105)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here