Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 1/4/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: TSN

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (-115) Canadiens (-106)

The Montreal Canadiens (16-16-5) welcome the Buffalo Sabres (15-19-4) at Bell Centre on Thursday. The line on this contest has the Sabres at -115 while the Canadiens are at -106. The over/under is set at 7.

The Buffalo Sabres had a rough game after their 5-1 defeat to the Senators in their previous outing. The Sabres offense left a lot to be desired in this defeat. In the outing, they tallied a score on 1 out of the 46 shots they put on net. Additionally, they had 3 chances with the advantage but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. Buffalo compiled 16 mins in the box for this matchup.

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When at even strength, the Sabres have given up 105 goals while getting 97 on the offensive side of the ice. Buffalo Sabres opponents have totaled 117 power play tries (13th in hockey) and have racked up 26 goals in those attempts. When it comes to their goal scoring prowess, the Buffalo Sabres have accumulated 111 goals (20th in the NHL) for the season and have conceded 131. Buffalo has attempted 1,171 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 9.5%. For the current season, they have accumulated 34 points and their points percentage is .447. The Sabres so far have had 1,119 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .883. Buffalo steps onto the ice with 109 power play chances and they have added 14 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 12.84%.

The man in goal for this game is Devon Levi. The opposition has notched 74 goals against Levi in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 3.23. Levi has taken the ice for 24 contests throughout his professional hockey career. He has a save percentage of .893 for his 1,375 mins between the pipes. He has compiled an overall record of 12-8-2 and he was named the starter in 23 games. Throughout his time in hockey, Levi has accumulated 11 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .478. Levi has seen 694 shots against him and has recorded 620 total saves.

In their last outing, Montreal opposed the Stars in a game where the Canadiens ended up with the win by a final of 4-3. They had 3 opportunities on the power play in this game and tallied 1 out of those tries. The Canadiens tallied 4 goals of the 18 shots on goal they tried.

Montreal has tried 1,053 shots (26th in professional hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 9.78%, while allowing their opponents 1,219 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 72.80% on their opponents 125 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 89.7%. They have recorded 129 power play chances and they have earned a power play percentage of 18.60%. The Canadiens have accumulated 79 goals at even strength and 24 goals (16th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have allowed 125 goals to be scored by of a combination of 91 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they had less men on the ice. On the campaign, the Montreal Canadiens have 103 goals, 37 points, as well as a points percentage of .500.

Across the rink you will find Sam Montembeault protecting the net. Montembeault has a lifetime mark of 41-50-15 and has participated in 120 contests. Montembeault's quality start percentage is 49.0% and he has 51 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has racked up 3,249 saves out of the 3,623 shots attempted against him, which gives him a percentage of .897. The opposition is averaging 3.41 goals/game and he has surrendered 374 goals overall. He was named a starter in 104 games and has been on the ice for 6,590 minutes.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal (-106)

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