Buffalo Sabres vs Nashville Predators Prediction, 3/7/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Nashville Predators

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024

Location: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

TV: Bally Sports South

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+140) Predators (-175)

The Nashville Predators (35-25-3) will take on the Buffalo Sabres (29-29-4) at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday. The moneyline on this contest has Buffalo at +140 while Nashville is sitting at -175. The betting total comes in at 7.

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 5-2 defeat to the Jets in the last game they played. The Sabres left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in the loss. For the matchup, they tallied a score on 2 of the 19 shots they launched. They also had 2 chances with the advantage and notched 1 goal. Buffalo accrued 4 penalty minutes in this matchup.

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At even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 146 goals while getting 152 themselves. Buffalo Sabres opponents have 189 power play tries (16th in professional hockey) and have a total of 40 goals in those chances. When discussing their goal scoring prowess, the Buffalo Sabres have accumulated 182 goals (23rd in the league) on the campaign and have allowed 186. Buffalo has taken 1,948 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.3%. For the current campaign, they have recorded 62 points and their points percentage is .500. The Sabres have had 1,807 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .897. Buffalo skates onto the rink with 177 power play opportunities and they have added 30 goals out of those attempts, giving them a rate of 16.95%.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Luukkonen has been in goal for 84 contests throughout his NHL career. He has an overall record of 39-35-8 and he has started in 80 games. The opposition has scored 241 goals versus Luukkonen in his pro career and his average for goals against per game is 3.01. Luukkonen has seen 2,510 shots against him and has recorded 2,269 total saves. His save percentage currently sits at .904 for his 4,802 minutes on the ice. In his career, Luukkonen has accrued 44 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .550.

Their last time out, Nashville faced off against the Canadiens in a game where the Predators took a loss by a mark of 4-3. The Predators converted 3 goals of the 28 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 power play opportunities in this contest but didn't put one in the back of the net.

Nashville has tried 1,961 shots (11th in pro hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 10.20%, while allowing their opponents 1,910 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill rate of 76.41% on the other teams 195 power play tries, and their save percentage sits at 89.8%. They have earned 215 power play chances and they have earned a power play percentage of 19.53%. The Predators have 158 goals at even strength and 42 goals (16th in pro hockey) while on the power play. They have allowed 194 goals to be scored by of a combination of 148 goals at even strength and 46 goals while they had less men on the ice. During this campaign, the Nashville Predators have 200 goals, 73 points, in addition to a points percentage of .579.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Juuse Saros protecting the net. He has accounted for 9,329 stops out of 10,167 shots attempted against him, which gives him a save percentage of .918. Saros is sitting with a lifetime record of 173-116-30 and has played in 336 contests. He was named a starter in 319 contests and has racked up 19,224 minutes. Saros' quality start percentage is 60.8% and he has qualified for 194 quality starts in his professional career. The opposition is averaging 2.62 goals per game and he has allowed 838 goals in total.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Nashville (-175)

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