Buffalo Sabres vs Calgary Flames Prediction, 3/24/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Calgary Flames

Date: Sunday, March 24, 2024

Location: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB

TV: Sportsnet

Scotiabank Saddledome is where the Calgary Flames (33-30-5) will attempt to beat the Buffalo Sabres (33-33-5) on Sunday.

The Buffalo Sabres will look to clean up some issues after taking a 8-3 loss to the Oilers in their previous game. Buffalo accumulated 4 penalty mins in this contest. They also had 3 chances on the power play but weren't able to score a goal. The Sabres had a middle of the road offensive outing in this loss. In the game, they scored on 3 of the 29 shots they attempted.

While at even strength, the Sabres have allowed 168 goals while notching 177 of their own. Buffalo Sabres opponents have 218 power play tries (11th in the NHL) and have a total of 46 goals in those attempts. When talking about their goal scoring prowess, the Buffalo Sabres have accumulated 210 goals (20th in the National Hockey League) on the year and have surrendered 214. Buffalo has taken 2,206 shots and holds a shooting percentage of 9.5%. For the season, they have tallied 71 points and their points percentage is sitting at .500. The Sabres so far have had 2,068 shots attempted against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .897. Buffalo steps onto the ice with 202 power play chances and they have scored 33 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 16.34%.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Opponents have notched 261 goals against Luukkonen in his NHL career and his goals against average per game is 3.00. Luukkonen has been in net for 91 games over the course of his hockey career. His save percentage is .904 in his 5,227 minutes on the ice. He has accumulated a record of 43-37-9 and he has gotten the start in 87 games. Throughout his time in hockey, Luukkonen has recorded 48 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .552. Luukkonen has seen 2,712 shot attempts against him and has accrued 2,451 saves.

In their last game, Calgary opposed the Capitals in an outing where the Flames ended up taking the loss by a final of 5-2. They had 3 opportunities on the power play in this outing but didn't put one in the back of the net. The Flames scored 2 goals of the 36 shots on goal they took.

The Flames have tallied 182 goals at even strength and 31 goals (30th in the league) while having more men on the ice. Calgary has attempted 2,122 shots (16th in hockey) and has a shot percentage of 10.04%, while allowing the opposition 2,061 shots. During this campaign, the Calgary Flames have earned a total of 213 goals, 71 points, as well as a points percentage of .522. They have permitted 216 goals to be scored by way of 182 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they were shorthanded. They have a total of 212 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 14.62%. They have a penalty kill rate of 83.33% on the other teams 204 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 89.5%.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Jacob Markstrom patrolling the crease. Markstrom has amassed a lifetime record of 214-190-57 and has participated in 478 contests. Markstrom's quality start percentage comes out to 53.1% and he has made 245 quality starts in his professional career. He has gathered 12,465 saves out of 13,707 shots taken against him, giving him a percentage of .909. Teams are averaging 2.72 goals per game and he has surrendered 1,242 goals altogether. He has started in 461 games and his ice time sits at 27,442 minutes.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo

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