Two teams that split their season series 1-1 last year, the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues clash at the Scottrade Center for an East-West matchup. The first puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 10, and you’ll be able to watch it live on Fox Sports Midwest.
Buffalo Sabres at St. Louis Blues Odds
Earning 5.3 units for moneyline bettors, the Blues are 20-10 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked second in the NHL in this young season, is an improvement over the 46-36 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Out of the team’s 30 regular season outings, 15 of them have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and none have pushed. The team’s 10-5 SU at home this season.
St. Louis has converted on just 17.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 24th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, STL has been called for penalties just 3.5 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over its past five matchups total, and 3.0 per game over its last five at home. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays for just 6.8 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Sporting a .912 save percentage and 25.4 saves per game, Jake Allen (16 wins, nine losses, and two OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Blues this season. Allen did just play last night, however, so the Blue Notes might decide to rest him and go with Carter Hutton instead (5-3-3 record, .937 save percentage, 1.88 goals against average).
The Blue Notes will continue to lean on the leadership from Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. Schenn (36 points) has tallied 15 goals and 21 assists and has recorded two or more points in nine different games this year. Schwartz has 14 goals and 21 assists to his name and has notched a point in 20 games.
Buffalo is 7-22 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 15 of its contests have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and just three have pushed. As the visiting team so far, Buffalo is 4-12 SU.
Buffalo has converted on just 12.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 17th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Buffalo’s players have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 5.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 7.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Robin Lehner (.909 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo. Lehner is averaging 25.8 saves per game and has six wins, 16 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Sabres will be Evander Kane (13 goals, 13 assists) and Jack Eichel (eight goals, 15 assists).
Buffalo Sabres at St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone under in four of St. Louis’ last five games.
Buffalo has managed 30.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while St. Louis is averaging 36.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
Power-play opportunities could be critical tonight. The Sabres are 2-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-16 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blues are 9-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 14-7 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
St. Louis is ranked 12th overall this season with 7.9 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as the team has created 7.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.2 takeaways over its last five.
Buffalo skaters have created 5.0 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 5.3 takeaways per game (ranked 29th overall).
St. Louis may hold an advantage if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 7-4 in games decided by one goal, while Buffalo is just 3-9 in such games.
