Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 12/27/2022 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (-175) Blue Jackets (+145)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (10-21-2) will go up against the Buffalo Sabres (16-14-2) at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. The line on this contest has the Sabres at -175 and the Blue Jackets are at +145. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Buffalo Sabres were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in their previous outing. Buffalo accounted for 6 penalty mins in this outing. The Sabres had an average offensive outing in this win. Moreover, they had 1 attempt on the power play but weren't able to convert it into a goal. For the game, they scored on 3 out of the 18 shots they attempted.

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While at even strength, the Sabres have allowed 80 goals while getting 90 of their own. Buffalo Sabres opponents have totaled 109 power play opportunities (15th in the league) and have scored 29 goals in those attempts. Regarding scoring goals, the Buffalo Sabres have tallied 126 goals (3rd in the league) for the season and have given up 109. Buffalo has tried 1,028 shots and has a shooting percentage of 12.3%. For the current season, they have scored 34 points and their points percentage sits at .531. The Sabres so far have had 1,052 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .896. Buffalo skates onto the rink with 121 power play opportunities and they have notched 36 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 29.75%.

The player between the pipes for this game is Craig Anderson. In his career, Anderson has earned 325 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .534. He has a save percentage of .912 in his 39,484 minutes played. Anderson has seen 21,364 shots taken against him and has recorded 19,491 total saves. Opponents have been able to score 1,873 goals against Anderson in his NHL career and his goals against average per game is 2.85. He has earned a record of 315-268-72 and he has gotten the start in 609 games. Anderson has been in net for 696 games over the course of his pro hockey career.

The last time they were on the ice, Columbus opposed the Blackhawks in an outing where the Blue Jackets ended up losing by a final score of 5-2. They had 4 power play attempts in this matchup and recorded 1 out of those tries. The Blue Jackets notched 2 goals of the 29 shots on goal they attempted.

So far this year, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned a total of 89 goals, 22 points, in addition to a points percentage of .333. They have permitted 134 goals to be scored by way of 111 goals at even strength and 23 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Blue Jackets have accumulated 75 goals at even strength and 14 goals (32nd in professional hockey) while on the power play. They have a total of 90 chances on the power play and they have a power play rate of 15.56%. Columbus has attempted 970 shots (27th in hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.18%, while allowing their opponents 1,173 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 77.88% on their oppositions 104 power play tries, and their save percentage is 88.6%.

Across the ice you will find Elvis Merzlikins between the pipes. His opposition is averaging 3.05 goals per game and he has yielded 373 goals overall. Merzlikins' quality start percentage comes out to 48.8% and he has 59 quality starts in his career. He has been a starter 121 games and has played 7,337 minutes. Merzlikins has compiled a career mark of 52-52-20 and has played in 134 games. He has racked up 3,694 saves out of 4,067 shots attempted against him, which gives him a save percentage of .908.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus (+145)

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