Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 3/9/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Dallas Stars vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG Network

Odds/Point Spread: Stars (-143) Sabres (+120)

The Buffalo Sabres (32-27-4) will try to defeat the Dallas Stars (34-17-13) at KeyBank Center on Thursday. The odds on this game have Dallas at -143 and Buffalo is priced at +120. The total comes in at 7.

The Dallas Stars will look to clean up some issues after taking a 5-4 defeat against the Flames in their last outing. The Stars had a solid offensive performance and it showed in the loss. For the outing, they scored on 4 of the 33 shots they tried. Additionally, they had 4 chances on the power play and were able to score 1 goal. Dallas had 4 penalty mins in this game.

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With respect to their goal scoring prowess, the Dallas Stars have accumulated 212 goals (11th in the National Hockey League) on the year and have given up 168. For the year, they have earned 81 points and their points percentage is sitting at .633. Dallas has accounted for 196 power play chances and they have notched 45 goals during those chances, giving them a rate of 22.96%. While playing at even strength, the Stars let the opposition score 134 goals while scoring 167 on offense. Dallas has tried 2,078 shots and holds a shot percentage of 10.2%. The Stars have seen 1,981 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .915. Dallas Stars opponents have earned 201 power play tries (14th in professional hockey) and have come away with 34 goals in those attempts.

The man in goal for this game is Jake Oettinger. Over the course of his time in hockey, Oettinger has compiled 70 quality starts and his quality starts percentage sits at .598. He has a save percentage of .916 in his 7,131 minutes between the pipes. Oettinger has seen 3,444 shot attempts against him and has recorded 3,156 saves. The opposition has been able to score 288 goals against Oettinger in his professional hockey career and his average for goals against per game is 2.42. He has accumulated an overall mark of 67-32-18 and he has started in 117 games. Oettinger has played in 125 contests over the course of his NHL career.

When they took the ice last, Buffalo played the Islanders in a game where the Sabres went home in defeat by a final of 3-2. They had 2 power play attempts in this game but weren't able to notch a goal. The Sabres converted 2 goals of the 24 shots on goal they were seeking.

Buffalo has taken 2,041 shots (16th in professional hockey) and has a shot percentage of 11.37%, while allowing the other team 2,097 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 72.93% on the other teams 181 tries on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 89.4%. They have a total of 211 opportunities on the power play and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 25.12%. The Sabres have earned 179 goals at even strength and 53 goals (5th in professional hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have permitted 223 goals to be scored by way of 174 goals at even strength and 49 goals while they were shorthanded. So far this season, the Buffalo Sabres have a total of 232 goals, 68 points, in addition to a points percentage of .540.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen patrolling the crease. Teams are averaging 3.44 goals per contest and he has yielded 132 goals in total. Luukkonen's percentage of quality starts is 42.5% and he has earned 17 quality starts in his professional career. He got the starting nod in 40 games and has played for a total of 2,300 mins. Luukkonen is the owner of a career mark of 18-18-4 and has participated in 40 games. He has racked up 1,179 saves out of the 1,311 shots attempted, giving him a save % of .899.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo (+120)

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