Two teams facing each other for the first time this year, the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets face off at Nationwide Arena for an Eastern Conference showdown. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 27, and you can witness it live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Buffalo Sabres at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus (-175) is currently the favorite over Buffalo (+155) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
Buffalo is 6-4 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. Six of its games have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. The Sabres are 3-2 SU on the road in 2018-19.
The Sabres have converted on 21.1 percent of their power play opportunities so far. That mark’s up some from last season, when they were ranked 20th in the league by scoring on 19.1 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has fallen off drastically since last year, as they’ve gone from successfully defending 77.9 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 22nd overall last season) to 73.3 percent this year.
The Sabres, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game during the 2018-19 season, a number that is up a bit from last year’s 3.4 penalties per game. After serving an average of 8.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to kill penalties for 9.4 minutes per outing this year.
Averaging 28.5 saves per game with a .905 save percentage, Carter Hutton (4-4) has been the best option in goal for Buffalo this year. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might roll with Linus Ullmark (2-0), who has a .982 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average this year.
Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Sabres. Skinner has 10 points via five goals and five assists, and has recorded two or more points two times. Eichel has three goals and six assists to his creditand has notched a point in five games.
On the other side of the ice, Columbus is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through nine regular season outings, five of its games have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 2-3 SU at home thus far.
The Blue Jackets have scored on 16.7 percent of their extra-man advantages this year after converting on 17.0 percent (ranked 25th in league) last season. They have killed off a remarkable 71.4 percent of all penalties, a few points off from the 75.0 percent they posted a year ago (when they were ranked 29th overall).
Blue Jackets skaters have been whistled for penalties only 3.6 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.1, the lowest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 7.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 7.3 minutes per matchup this season.
Sergei Bobrovsky (26.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has two wins and four losses to his credit and has registered a subpar .872 save percentage and 3.87 goals against average this season.
Artemi Panarin (three goals, nine assists) will pace the offensive attack for Columbus.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Columbus’ last five games.
Buffalo has managed 29.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Columbus has been attempting 33.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
Buffalo skaters registered 21.5 hits per game last season, while the Blue Jackets logged 21.8 hits per contest.
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