Carolina Hurricanes vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 4/8/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Carolina Hurricanes vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG Network

Odds/Point Spread: Hurricanes (-152) Sabres (+126)

The Buffalo Sabres (34-36-6) will try to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes (46-26-4) at KeyBank Center on Tuesday. The moneyline on this game has Carolina at -152 while Buffalo is at +126. The betting total comes in at 6.

The Carolina Hurricanes will head into their next game feeling good after earning a 5-1 win over the Capitals in their last outing. The Hurricanes had a impressive offensive outing in the victory. In the game, they tallied a score on 5 out of the 31 shots they launched. Additionally, they had 8 power play tries and were able to notch 3 goals. Carolina had 68 penalty minutes in this outing.

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Carolina Hurricanes opponents have earned 223 power play tries (10th in professional hockey) and have come away with 34 goals in those attempts. The Hurricanes have had 1,892 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .892. Carolina has taken 2,416 shots and has a shot percentage of 10.2%. While at even strength, the Hurricanes have conceded 171 goals while having 203 on offense. Carolina has tallied 233 power play chances and they have scored 44 goals during those advantages, garnering them a rate of 18.88%. For the season, they have recorded 96 points and their points percentage sits at .632. When talking about scoring goals, the Carolina Hurricanes have accumulated 247 goals (9th in pro hockey) on the campaign and have surrendered 205.

Protecting the goal for this matchup will be Pyotr Kochetkov. Over the course of his pro career, Kochetkov has 61 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .560. His save percentage sits at .905 in his 4,033 mins in the crease. Kochetkov has seen 2,821 shots against him and has recorded 2,554 total saves. Opponents have scored 267 goals versus Kochetkov in his professional career and his goals against average is 3.97. He has earned an overall record of 64-34-12 and he has gotten the start in 109 games. Kochetkov has been in net for 113 games throughout his pro hockey career.

In their last game, Buffalo played the Senators in an outing where the Sabres got the win by a score of 5-2. The Sabres scored 5 goals out of the 22 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 1 power play opportunity in this one but weren't able to score a goal.

This season, the Buffalo Sabres have earned a total of 249 goals, 74 points, and a points percentage of .487. They have granted a total of 267 goals to be scored by of a combination of 213 goals at even strength and 54 goals while they were shorthanded. The Sabres have accumulated 209 goals at even strength and 40 goals (23rd in the league) while on the power play. They have a tally of 218 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 18.35%. Buffalo has taken 2,100 shots (24th in the NHL) and has a shooting percentage of 11.86%, while allowing the other team 2,183 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 76.32% on their opponents 228 power play chances, and their save percentage is currently 87.8%.

Across the rink you will find Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease. His opponents are averaging 4.60 goals per contest and he has yielded 448 goals altogether. Luukkonen's rate of quality starts is 53.0% and he has made 79 quality starting assignments in his career. He has started in 149 contests and has racked up 5,838 mins. Luukkonen has accrued a lifetime record of 71-64-14 and has participated in 153 games. He has tallied 3,926 saves out of 4,374 shots taken against him, giving him a percentage of .898.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Carolina (-152)

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