The Boston Bruins, fueled by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, are ready to take the ice against Jack Eichel, Victor Olofsson, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in a divisional tilt. New England Sports Network will broadcast the game, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 27.
Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Buffalo (+140) is currently the underdog to Boston (-160), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals (-120 money on the over, +100 on the under).
Boston is 22-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 38 regular season outings, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just three have pushed. This 2019-20 Bruins team is 9-7 SU on the road.
Boston comes into the match up with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s converted on 26.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, it has the seventh-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 84.2 percent of its penalties..
Boasting a .923 save percentage and 28.0 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (14-9-5) has been the top option in goal for Boston this season. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Jaroslav Halak (8-7-4 record, .924 save percentage, 2.37 goals against average).
On the other side of the rink, Buffalo is 17-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 20 of its matches have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 11-6 SU as the home team.
The Sabres have converted on just 19.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all penalties.
Linus Ullmark has stopped 30.0 shots per game as the primary netminder in the crease for the Sabres. Ullmark has 11 wins, 11 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a .914 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average this season.
Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Four of Buffalo’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 1-3 overall in those games.
The Bruins are 8-4 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sabres are 6-5 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
Boston (0-5 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Buffalo has only participated in a couple of shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
The under has hit in three of Buffalo’s last five outings.
Boston has averaged 10.9 giveaways per game (ranked 21st in the NHL).
Buffalo skaters have averaged 6.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.0 giveaways per game (the 4th-fewest in the NHL).
Boston skaters have accounted for the eighth-most hits in the league (24.2 per game).
